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Canon PowerShot A620 digital camera review :

Canon has found a formula for success with the PowerShot series of digital cameras. The concept of a wide range of functionalities and advanced features with a low entry-level for users has really caught on, and it is with good reason that the PowerShot A series of cameras is popular with Canon users. The Canon PowerShot was officially introduced in 2005, replacing the Canon A95 and raising the resolution to 7 Megapixels simultaneously.

Canon PowerShot A620 – 7 Megapixels

One of the differences to its predecessor is the format and flexibility of the screen at the back of the camera; it has been enlarged from 1.8 to 2.0 inches and can be tilted. With 7 Megapixels, the effective image resolution is more than enough to allow you to print a great A4 photo or make enlargements of a crop. Furthermore, the Canon A620 digital camera stands out from the competition thanks to the integration of the powerful DIGIC II processor. This is a very strong feature within the Canon range of digital cameras.

Canon A620 – DIGIC II processor

The DIGIC II can be found in both the professional range, which includes the EOS 1DS Mark II and the amateur range to which the A series belongs. Among other things, the fast processor enables you to start up quickly and has a very fast shutter release and rapid image processing. In fact, this small feature accounts for Canon’s manifestly large share of the market. Canon is able to incorporate innovative developments from its range of professional cameras into the amateur range within a short period of time and in doing so, it clearly stands out as an innovator.

Canon A620 – 4x optical zoom lens

In addition to the 7 Megapixels and the DIGIC II processor, the Canon PowerShot A620 is equipped with a 4x optical zoom lens (focal range of 35 – 140 mm in a 35mm camera). With this range, you can shoot a close up and in fact, it has practically an all round range. The lens has eight elements in seven groups, is equipped with two aspherical lenses and has a maximum aperture range of f/2.8 (35mm) up to f/4.1 (140mm). The lens’s properties have been optimised to reduce chromatic aberrations (such as purple cast) as much as possible.

Canon PowerShot A620 digital camera review

The Canon A620 offers the user typical PowerShot A characteristics, providing a low entry-level and a diverse range of functionalities. We have tested the Canon PowerShot A620 by using it for quite some time. You can read if the camera lives up to its description in practice in the Canon PowerShot A620 digital camera test that follows.

Canon PowerShot A620 | Digital Camera Review | Camera

Canon PowerShot A620 – LCD screen

The back of the Canon Power Shot A620 is the camera’s control centre. The LCD screen is a considerably larger 2 inches, compared to its predecessor’s 1.8 inches. In addition to this, it is now possible to fold in and tilt the screen. Thanks to this it is now possible to take a shot from angles that would have been impossible previously, which is obviously, a big advantage for creative photographers. You can protect the costly LCD screen from scratches by folding it in with the screen side facing the back of the camera. The familiar multi-control button is also included in the Canon PowerShot A620. You can activate diverse functions with the four buttons placed around the multi-control button, including the menu and flash settings. With the Canon A620, an optical viewfinder is still part of a compact camera, in contrast to most of the competition who seem to have abandoned the optical viewfinder completely.

Canon PowerShot A620 camera – Hand grip

The Canon A620’s hand grip feels a bit stiff, but well-made. The most important aims of a hand grip have been achieved, namely stability and a good holding position. Personally, I thought that the space between the grip and the zoom lens was rather cramped; there is scarcely any space for your fingers between these two parts. There is a lid underneath the hand grip, under which the battery compartment is hidden. There is another small lid above the hand grip, made of rubber. Behind this is the memory compartment with the interfaces for USB and Video Out, among other things. The opposite side has no functions and only has space for the display’s hinge. Because the Canon PowerShot A620 is not so big and the battery compartment needs to have enough space for 4 AA size batteries, it is not possible to open the battery compartment if the camera is mounted on a tripod.

Canon PowerShot A620 | Digital Camera Review | Control

If all this information is too much of a good thing, you can also choose for less or even no information to be shown. As well as giving recording information, the reproduction setting also has the time and date or a histogram for operating the exposure. By turning the zoom button to tele stand you can digitally zoom in on one part of the recorded shot. You can bring the shot to normal proportions with the wide-angle, or you can even have an overview of nine shots in an index.

Canon PowerShot A620 – Tilting LCD screen

One of the features of the Canon A620 that puts this camera in a class of its own is the extremely convenient fold in and tilting screen. Canon has produced similar screens in the past that were warmly received by the public. Equipping the cheaper PowerShot A series with a tilting display enables a larger public to make acquaintance with a camera with which you can take a picture from practically any angle. This is the main advantage of this sort of screen; the total freedom to take a picture in any position you like. The 2 inch format is good, but it would be fantastic if Canon would make the switch to a 2.5 inch screen.

Canon A620 camera – Zoom button

In practise, the operation of the Canon PowerShot A620 leaves little to be desired. It is easy to hold, the grip gives the necessary stability and the handy screen makes it that little bit extra easier to use. Zooming in goes quickly and with the zoom button located on the hand grip, you can bring the subject closer practically on intuition. Your index finger falls in exactly the right place. The resistance of the zoom button aids precision while zooming. There is practically no shutter release lag to speak of, something that used to be a source of irritation when you missed a shot.

Canon PowerShot A620 – PictBridge & DirectPrint

If the Canon A620 is connected to a printer that supports Direct Print like PictBridge or Direct Print, a menu is activated in the camera with which it is extremely simple to select and print one or more copies without having to connect the Canon PowerShot A620 to a computer or laptop. You can transfer shots directly to a computer or laptop via the print/share button which is situated to the above right of the multi-control button. And if you don’t have a printer that supports PictBridge, you can of course print the picture at home via the computer.

Canon PowerShot A620 | Digital Camera Review | Adjustments

Canon PowerShot A620 – 35-140mm zoom lens

The Canon A620’s zoom has an interesting range. It is interesting for most entry-level photographers because the range of 35 – 140mm gives many people the opportunity to photograph all-round subjects. Of course, a 28mm wide-angle would make the picture perfect, but you can’t have everything and including this would make the camera unnecessarily expensive. The results with a wide-angle shot are very good and have a noticeable distortion in the corners. Although this distortion is not bad compared to competing models, it must be possible to improve it. If the lens is zoomed in, there is practically no more distortion, which is excellent! The same goes for the chromatic aberration, present in wide-angle and not or barely there in tele. A pretty decent achievement. As well as the optical zoom, the Canon A620 also has a digital zoom whereby the total range reaches 16x zoom. However, the resolution is reduced and noise stands out more. In emergency situations, a digital zoom is a welcome function, but from the view point of (printing) quality, it is preferable to use the optical zoom.

Canon PowerShot A620 – Colour reproduction

As well looking at the sharpness and the optical performance of the Canon PowerShot A620, we also took a look at colour reproduction. The shots are true to life, but look just a little exaggerated. This is quite common with digital cameras like the Canon A620. In general, strongly contrasted photos with saturated colours are more popular with the amateur user. Red and blue seem to be particularly dominant, which probably gives that extra bit of saturation. The skin tones are good and don’t have the habit of turning purple. The sky shots were nice and bright, but not too exaggerated. In general, we can say that the colour reproduction was fine with a lot of contrast and good colour saturation, ensuring a great print.

Canon PowerShot A620 digital camera

The Canon A620 is a versatile digital camera. It is exactly what a PowerShot camera should be; as well as giving great value for money it has a wide variety of settings and functionalities, excellent optical quality and gives the user the chance to grow towards a digital reflex camera in the future. For the price, Canon gives you an excellent concept and a great digital combination.

Canon PowerShot A620 | Digital Camera Review | Storage and Energy

SanDisk Ultra II Plus SD memory card

For taking test shots and testing speed, I mostly use a SanDisk Ultra II Plus SD card, if the camera supports Secure Digital. This manufacturer has added something very remarkable to this fast memory card; a USB interface. This is handy because when you remove the card with recordings from the camera, you can bend it in two and plug it directly into a free USB port. The camera and cables are no longer necessary and that’s convenient! If you want to get the most out of the Canon PowerShot A620, it is advisable to enlarge it with a fast memory card with at least 256MB or 512MB storage capacity.

Canon A620 – 4x AA format alkaline batteries

The PowerShot A620 is delivered with 4 x AA format alkaline batteries. It is a pity that Canon doesn’t include a quick charger with a set of NiMH batteries. Regarding energy use, the PowerShot A620 does an excellent job. There is no doubt that this is largely thanks to the integration of the highly recommended DIGIC II processor. In any case, it gives you many more hours and you can reckon on 300 -350 shots using the LCD screen and flash. Exchange the alkaline batteries for NiMH batteries (2500mAh) and you can easily take 500 photographs. The advantage of the AA format batteries is that it doesn’t cost much when you have to get new ones. In addition to this you can buy them on practically every street corner.

Canon PowerShot A620 | Digital Camera Review | Conclusion

Canon PowerShot A620 digital camera

It will probably not have escaped anyone’s notice that Canon has captured a large share of the market. The performances of its digital camera have definitely contributed to this. One innovation has followed the other and the speed with which Canon brings new techniques and well thought-out concepts on the market is impressive to say the least. The Canon PowerShot A620 is a typical example of an end product that was created as a result of Canon’s years of experience in the field of digital photography. The PowerShot A series of digital cameras is successful and the Canon A620 is following in the footsteps of that success story.

Canon PowerShot A620 – 7 Megapixels

The Canon A620 performs well and has an all-round functionality. The high resolution of 7 Megapixels and the handy optical zoom range give the user the necessary basics for taking great pictures. Add to this the handy 2 inch fold out and tilting display and you have a first rate flexible and user-friendly concept.

Canon A620 – Image quality & ISO

Everything about the camera says quality; the casing is well made and the pictures are of excellent quality. Sometimes the colour can be somewhat saturated, but the colours are lively and the pictures are rich in detail. The automatic white balance is good enough for most shots and if you want you can easily control any overly dominant colour casts with a manual setting. Up to and including 200 ISO the shots are free of noise and this only becomes more of an issue from 400 ISO upwards. The operation of the camera leaves little to be desired as it is easy to see everything on the menu quick to navigate.

Canon PowerShot A620 camera – Viewfinder

However, there are a few remarks to be made. This camera has a very small optical viewfinder. The viewfinder has a view cover of about 78% in wide-angle to 80% in tele. In this case we would rather ditch the optical viewfinder for a larger LCD screen. Its internal flash performs well, particularly with tele shots, but is not so good with wide-angle shots. The flash photos have a strong tendency to be underexposed.

Canon A620 – Powerful digital camera

These points fade into insignificance beside the plus points. The Canon Power Shot A620 is a powerful digital camera with excellent picture quality. The camera will appeal to a large group of users, both beginners and more advanced photographers. The relatively low entry-level makes operation simple, but there are enough other setting possibilities to stop the creative photographer from feeling restricted.

Canon PowerShot A620 – Great amateur camera

In practice the Canon PowerShot A620 is a pleasure to use. Apparently, Canon has made a good concept even better and this makes the Canon A620 an absolute first amongst amateur cameras. Canon’s success seems unstoppable. The Canon PowerShot A620 is eminently suitable for both the beginner as well as the more demanding photographer. Conclusion: it’s a winner!

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