The Canon PowerShot A700 is the latest in Canon’s popular PowerShot line. It sports a 6.0 MP sensor, as well as a 6x optical zoom. The backside is dominated by a large 2.5″ LCD. This camera is available now, with an MSRP of $349.99.
From the Canon Powershot A700 Press Release:
‘The PowerShot A700 Digital Camera
A new addition to the line-up of PowerShot A-Series digital cameras, the PowerShot A700 model features
six-megapixel resolution together with a retractable 6x 35-210mm optical zoom lens (35mm equivalent). The A700 model incorporates 22 shooting modes from fully automatic to fully manual to achieve optimum results for any photographic application. The new camera is also compatible with optional wide angle and telephoto lens converters, as well as a close-up lens and a wireless flash unit.

The A700 model offers ISO equivalent speed ratings ranging from 80 to 800 with dramatically less noise at ISO 400 than previous PowerShot models. The camera also features a large 2.5-inch 115,000-pixel LCD color monitor, making it easier than ever to review captured images and even to do limited in-camera image editing and retouching such as a new Face Brightener function to help compensate for backlit images. The PowerShot A700 digital camera will be available in March for an estimated selling price of $349.99².’

Full press release.

Canon PowerShot A700 Reviews:

Digital Photography Review reviews the Canon PowerShot A700 and writes – ‘

Like every A series PowerShot I’ve ever tried, the A700 offers an awful lot of bang for your buck, and more importantly, is a frill-free but very reliable photographic tool with remarkably reliable focus, exposure and color in a wide variety of shooting situations. If you’re looking for a compact camera with full photographic control and like the idea of a bit extra at the long end of the zoom then the A700 is a fairly easy choice (mainly due to the lack of direct competition).
So would I buy one? That’s a more difficult question. At the moment the A700 sits pretty much in a class of its own; there are equally compact, similarly-priced cameras with big zooms on the market, some (such as the Panasonic LZ5) with the added benefit of image stabilization. But none offers the level of photographic control or the added versatility off add-on lenses (and flash), and my experiences with the A700 would indicate that you can get away without image stabilization at focal lengths of up to 210mm equiv. in most daytime shooting situations. Because of this (and if you can live without the tilting screen) I’d certainly choose the A700 over the A610 or A620.’

CNet reviews the Canon Powershot A700 and writes – ‘Like its stablemate, the PowerShot A540, the compact Canon PowerShot A700 offers abundant manual controls, respectable image quality, and acceptable ISO 800 performance. Either camera should appeal to enthusiast photographers or serious beginners who want some control over exposure and focus. But the A700’s biggest edge is its 6X zoom lens, a nice step up from the A540’s 4X glass. Plus, the A700 includes macro focusing down to 0.4 inch, a higher-resolution 2.5-inch LCD, and a rear-sync flash that fires at the end of your exposure to keep car headlights from looking like laser beams.’

Steve’s Digicams reviews the Canon PowerShot A700 and writes – ‘I was very pleased with the overall image quality of the A700’s 6-megapixel Large SuperFine mode. Our outdoor samples were beautiful, showing good exposure and color saturation. Thanks in part to the Canon 6x optical zoom lens, just about every single shot I took was nice and sharp from edge to edge. In fact i saw almost no signs of edge blurring or softness; a common trait of consumer models. Noise is nonexistent at the lower ISO settings (80 or 100), but does become more noticeable as the sensitivity is increased. While ISO 800 is filled with visible imager noise, I feel the ability to use higher than normal shutter speeds in marginal lighting conditions makes up for the decrease in image quality.’

Digital Camera Resource Page reviews the Canon PowerShot A700 and writes – ‘The PowerShot A700 features both automatic and manual controls. For those just starting out you’ll find an auto shooting mode, plus numerous scene modes. While you won’t use them often, the My Colors features are fun to play around with. When you’re ready to use manual controls, you’ll find that the A700 has a full set of them, from exposure to white balance to focus. There’s also a nice burst mode, which can take 2 pictures per second until the memory card is full (high speed card required). The movie mode is also very good, though you’ll hit the 1GB file size limit in just eight minutes.
Camera performance was good in most areas. The A700 turns on quickly, focuses without much of a wait (it seemed faster than the A540), and shutter lag wasn’t a problem. Low light focusing was very good, thanks to the camera’s AF-assist lamp. Battery life was above average, with the A700 squeezing out 400 shots using two 2500 mAh NiMH batteries (using the CIPA standard).
Photo quality was very good. The A700 took well-exposed photos with accurate color, low purple fringing, and reasonable noise levels. The A700’s 6 Megapixel sensor has pretty good ISO performance, allowing you to print 4 x 6’s through ISO 400. The ISO 800 isn’t terribly useful, though you may be able to squeeze out a smaller print after running the image through something like NeatImage. The one area in which the A700 ran into trouble was with regard to “redeye” in flash photos.’

Let’s Go Digital reviews the Canon PowerShot A700 and writes – ‘May the results of our tests be clear. The remarks made about the slightly more negative sides of the Canon PowerShot A700 are generously outweighed – and even erased – by the camera’s strong points and assets. The Canon PowerShot A700 is an excellent digital camera with major potential. A camera that suits a very broad group of consumers, not to mention a perfect first step to a more advanced camera. Its compact size and light weight encourage the user to carry the camera along often. The Canon A700 evolved from a strong concept, and will without question continue the success of the Canon PowerShot A series digital cameras. ‘

Check the best price on the Canon Powershot A700.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 11th, 2006 at 4:57 am and is filed under Canon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.