Canon PowerShot A720IS

I am a serious snapper. Sometimes I want fill in flash, sometimes I want to use an aperture priority setting but mostly I want a camera that does everything by itself. This camera suits me perfectly. It uses standard AA batteries which is brilliant as you can pick up rechargables very reasonably. The start up time is very good.

Can't think of any.

Comfortable to hold; clear screen and viewfinder; obvious shutter sound so that you 'know' you've taken a picture; easy to use for basic photography with added functions for the more serious photographer.

A little more complicated than the lower spec cameras but once you've spent a bit of time looking at the manual, then it's easy. The manual itself, being on-line, is rather inconvenient as you obviously can't take it with you when you're out with the camera and decide you need to use a feature you've not tried before! There are a lot of features not available on lower spec cameras which you obviously need to learn how to use. Personally I don't like to try to take it all on board at once and will only learn how to use a feature when I actually need to use it.

Large LCD screen. Auto setting produces good results if you are too lazy to use other settings. Starter memory card is with practising with a few times before putting a larger card in - a good way to learn. Image stabilization is very effective.

Battery and memory compartment very hard to open. Half press before shooting not always effective. Battery life is lousy - get rechargeables quickly. Don't understand why Canon don't make memory card bigger than 512mb.

I haven't got to grips with all the features, but this takes good clear images. Macro is very pleasing. I couldn't do good close ups on my previous camera. I also like the image stabilzer. The Canon software which loads the pictures on to the computer etc is easy to use.

The battery life is very short and on this point alone I would not recommend this camera to anyone. It is also quite complicated to get to grips with all the features, although to be fair, it does take good pictures most of the time on auto.

Good picture quality, and brilliant zoom, easy to use.

Slightly bulky

Initial impressions are really encouraging. The larger LCD screen is obviously better but still is difficult to view on bright days

With our previous A70 we received a full and comprehensive user guide. The user guide provided with the A720is is no where near as detailed. Unfortunately we have mis-laid the better user guide.

Great camera, most features are instictive if you have used a digital camera before. I only needed to use the manual when it came to the features I didn't have on my old Fuji. Image quality is great I did an A4 picture of my friends cat and each hair stood out in fine detail. This is a good progression for a second camera which has enough automatic settings to get you started but leaves you wanting to have a fiddle with the more advanced things you can do with it. I also think you can't beat the fact this camera has an optical viewfinder not just the screen, all digital camera makers should take note this is what tipped me against other similar spec cameras in this price bracket.

It would be good to have the manual in written form rather than on disc. I printed the whole thing out and have it in a folder which is much better for finding things than a pdf although not great if you wanted to take it with you. The door to the battery and card compartment isn't the easiest but that's a small niggle. Why the small memory card included? It would be better to give nothing than this and perhaps add the saving to that written manuel!!

easy to use, great pics, price on digital cameras still quite high for most people.

Didn't get a card in the package, have to buy one separate, like going to buy a car & having to purchase wheels separate, what use is the camera without a card! could at least supply with a 500mb card for the extra bit of cost,

Picture quality. Images from this camera are often mistaken for those taken with an EOS

Red eye correction only works well if the camera automatically recognises a correction is necessary. Results are not so good if the frame needs to be manually set.

Gives very good results on Auto setting. The menu and dial are very intuitive; I got used to it very quickly. The image stabilisation is excellent. I have very shaky hands but still get good results even at full zoom. The software is also very easy to set up and use, and makes it very easy to find and edit photo's.

I prefer to use the viewfinder rather then the screen, but the image it shows is very inaccurate, even at long distance. For example, if you like to put the horizon a third of the way down the frame, you need to line it up with the top of the viewfinder to get the right result. Of course, the screen is accurate, but it's strange that Canon could have got this so wrong. Other reviewers have made the same comment.

SD card, AA batteries, optical viewfinder, high quality movies with sound to limit of memory card, 2.5 inch LCD screen.

Optical viewfinder is inaccurate.

Wonderful 6x optical zoom Choice of scene modes Small and compact excellent picture quality

No printed manual Flash takes a little long to recharge after each shot no protective case included

x6 zoom is what I was wanting, and it is great. AA size batteries means you can always buy fresh ones if the rechargeable ones run out of charge. Having the viewfinder is useful in sunny conditions. The high speed 2 GB chip in the package works brilliantly. Power-up and power-down work quickly.

The carry bag offered in the package is nice, but too small - a spare chip + 2 batteries can only just be accommodated.

Range of features are very good for the price range. 6x optical zoom. Compact design.

Higher than average image noise, possibly due to smaller than normal sensor size and high pixel rating.

you can just point and click or fiddle to your heart's content. I must say I was impressed by the quality of the photos when one zooms in.

can't understand why the manual isn't on the camera - you have the memory, you have the screen - why have to download from a CD?

Excellent camera - good pictures, easy to use - and survived being dropped on a mountaintop!

Its nice and easy to use and is friendly for those who are not good with cameras

Its a bit on the heavy side an a little bulky compared to others similar in the price range and also similar to those in specification

The camera is a little larger than some, but I find this helps with the handling of the camera

The instruction manual is on disc, whilst this is easy to use, unless you carry a laptop around with you quick reference is difficult. I find autofocus to be a bit slow

I have owned this excellent camera for a month. Image quality is great. A wide range of preset shooting modes (portrait, landscape, night shots, etc) and there is also full manual control for those who want to advance their photography skills. The macro setting in particular has given me some fabulous pictures. The video mode is also useful. Good value for money.

Disapointing view finder. LCD screen not great in bright light, but does the job. Average build quality. Battery/memory card compartment feels as if it will fall apart, but is fine so far.

A great camera,not the smallest for your pocket. This camera is a camera you can grow with as it has manual settings, so you can play about with exposure and shutter speeds and let your creative side out. Or you can just put it on a pre-set setting of which ther are lots and take a quick snap knowing it will be a good picture. I had the powershot 700 before and have upgraded to the 720 with image stabelizer and more pixels.

I can not think of any at the moment.

Range of features Initial ease of use Great screen

Full printed manual not supplied - only on accompanying CD, not much use when you're out & about Canon zoom browser ex programme seems useful but lacks good instructions/help

Great camera, Auto function excellent. time between each pictures is very short, camera is always ready.Face detection very very good. Quality of pictures very near to that of SLR cameras..Physical build of camera is good quite robust

Battery life on normal batteries is not good...using Lithium batteries, it allows camera to go that extra mile. NO OTHER BAD POINTS

Easy to use. If you are not fully into photography, you can easily understand this camera. You can either use all facilities or like myself, leave on auto and it does the job brilliantly. Also includes a viewfinder, which most cameras lack nowadays, useful in sunny weather.

Would have preferred a smaller camera but advantages outweigh disadvantages

Good quality product for price- very good reliable camera in every way.

Nothing bad

Qulaity of photos

Slightly bulky and time to refresh is too long

Image stabilisation is great. Picture quality is very good.

Instructions - condensed instruction manual would be helpful - the "getting started" instructions are insufficient - the digital manual is more than 200 pages!!! Switching between camera and viewing mode for settings is awkward.

It is very compact yet sturdy. The menus are easy to operate and the picture quality is very good. An all round camera for novice photographers and experienced amateurs alike. Extensive range of options for shooting in different conditions and even movie playback option.

Really cant think of any! I love this little gem of a camera.

The Powershot A720is can be relied upon to take good photos in most situations and is dead easy to use.

Could be better built, the switches feel a bit feeble, flash charge cycle is a bit long but that's true for all 2xAA powered cameras.

Large screen - starts up quickly - light in weight, but feels fairly sturdy Good quality results. Adequate zoom range

Record/playback switch a bit small and stiff. It doesn't feel as though it will last very long Battery/memory card door also could be more sturdy

Very good image quality straight out of the camera. Very useful zoom range. A lot of manual controls should you wish to use them. Very smooth movie mode. Uses AA batteries. Is a Canon.

The full instruction manual is not printed but is on CD in pdf format.

The camera is easy to use and the controls are well thought through facilitating picture composition. It was bought primarily because it had a viewfinder (Avoiding sunlight reflecting from the screen) and it was a pleasant surprise to find that it appears to work through the lense like an SLR . Power usage is low and I am still using the original batteries. Build quality is good. Real value for money.

No real bad points. Smaller/flatter would be nice but it is already a fraction the size of a "real" SLR. Remote control would be useful.

Easy to use and to understand, which is always great! Really good sized LCD screen at the back which can be used to take the pictures with and/or view them on. The camera is also nice and light and compact.

The viewfinder seems really small, but I don't use this because of the size of the LCD screen. Of course, using the LCD screen to take pictures does make the battery life shorter, but that's the case with most up-to-date models of cameras now anyway.

Optimum size - not too small. Easy to handle. Plenty of features - probably too many, as I am not very experienced. Found it very easy to use the basics. Very easy to focus and the image stabilisation is brilliant. A great camera - very good value.

Managed 4 photos with the SD memory card supplied. Surely for a few extra pounds you could provide a sensible size? Also think rechargeable batteries should be supplied.

A brilliant small camera with a good memory with a viewfinder, and an excellent optical zoom.

Telephoto lens takes a bit of getting used to, also after flash pictures time delay until able to next photo.

low light noise levels

briliant pictures

I feel that a card should be supplied as standard and more instructions could be in printrd form.

Excellent 6X optical zoom. Large viewing screen. Image quality and colour. Compact size.

Power hungry

Size (goes in shirt-pocket, just), 6x zoom, fabulous picture quality, fast shutter response, excellent macro goes incredibly close (but see bad points), effective flash, big screen (but see bad points), optical viewfinder, sensible layout of controls. Haven't got to more complex use yet, but seems like plenty of possibilities. I always have loads of AA rechargeables with me for GPS, torch etc, so for me the fact that it uses AA is a plus point.

Had quite a few macro pictures out of focus - I may not have got the hang of it yet. Seems to focus better if using some zoom with the macro ? Rather restrictive 'auto' mode (eg can't force 'fill-in' flash). Flimsy flap to battery compartment. Heavy on batteries (but see good points). REALLY stupid position of tripod mount point (at very edge of base, so with a mini tripod it always falls over). No wireless or IR remote control available. Can't see screen in bright light (thank goodness for viewfinder)

Small and compact fits easily in pocket. Good zoom and easy to use menus .

Not so much a bad point as a disadvantage it does discharge batteries quite quickly. Need to carry replacement charged batteries.

very sharp image,good colours,good zoom range

cheap plastic feel ( relative to my old canon s30 shureshot),slow to re-cycle when using flash,no external flash connection/hotshoe.memory card to small from factory.

This little camera takes excellent pictures, is economical and has enough manual settings to make a perfect second camera for anyone with an SLR. For less experienced photographers wanting to learn more about photography, the A720IS is an excellent place to start.

It is not the most intuitive camera I have used and if you had not used a Canon before then you would need to read the manual but as a point and click it works straight out of the box. It is only the more advanced features that might require some study.

all good

none

Moving up from the Canon Powershot A75 to the A7210 IS was a very pleasant upgrade. The image quality due to the increased pixel count is very noticeably improved. Also the image stabilisation works excellently - am finding that there are many more photos pin sharp now. Its also a nice solid camera in the hand. The larger screen is also a major bonus to me over the old 1.8 inch.

The time lag between taking one shot and being ready to take another is slow. I use top quality JPEG sizes which makes for larger files of course - not sure how much it would speed up on a lesser JPEG size.

image quality build quality battery endurance image stabiliser and zoom reach

Focussing can be a little hesitant at very close distances, and sometimes gives focus confirmation when the image is obviously not actually in focus.

Good quality & features for the price.

Control of manual settings can be a bit awkward

ease of use,many features not often found in a compact excellent value for money

at this price,nothing bad about it

zoom and image quality

too bulky

Quality - manual options - easy point and shoot!

Not wide angle enough

WELL BUILT, GREAT OPTICAL ZOOM, AA BATTERY CAPACITY, FITS WELL IN HAND, GOOD VIDEO CAPABILITY.

POOR PERFORMANCE IN LOW LIGHT CONDITIONS, GRAINY APPEARANCE OF IMAGES IN LOW LIGHT, SOME FEATURES ARE LACKIING.

Image quality is fantastic

Cycle time between using flash is a little bit on the long side .i.e. you cant shoot repeat photos rapidly. Must point out though that the camera is using the supplied batteries and this may change with some different batteries

An excellent camera covering simple point and shoot to more composed shots. Zoom & high resolution are suberb features.

Plastic and lots of it. Slow flash recharge.

Easy to use and excellent quality photos

None

easy to use. good focasing

to much plastic does not have a solid feel

Very versitial - easy to hold and use and big screen helps with video and pics

couldnt find the timer feature - i will have to read the instructions!

Good weight and balance with excellent image viewer

It has an optical viewfinder and a screen to see the images before downloading. The images are very good and Sharp. The on screen instruction manual is very helpful.

The LCD screen is difficult to see in sunlight, so the optical viewfinder is important.

Brilliant hand held camera for the price. Never had a problem with it well over 1000 photos taken

none - it's exactly what I expected.

Good features - sharp images, good screen, having a proper viewfinder, range of options when required (though I'm mostly a point and shoot person!), ability to add extra lenses if needed

Slightly fragile-feeling, especially the battery cover.

Good quality compact camera. Simple to use An upgrade from my previous camera. Plenty of clever but useful features such as anti-shake and panorama assistance.

Not found any yet!

user friendly and very compact , good quality of images ....

nil

Excellent Image quality combined with a range of manual modes. 6x zoom optical lens. Takes pleasing pictures in all conditions. Requires just two AA batteries.

Plastic tripod mount.

easy to use only 2 aa batteries large screen face detector

slightly bulky

Manual options easy to use (eg shutter priority), clear menus, good instruction manual. Canon download software excellent especially when you have used the manual options as all the details of the photograph are also downloaded. Uses AA batteries, I used rechargeables and got excellent battery life. Excellent value for money as I used to own a film SLR years ago and wanted a small didgital camera where I could be in control of the pictures. Was surprised how good quality the video recorded was.

None so far

very good all round i bought it to replace my 5 year old canon powershot and i am not dissapointed the batteries that were supplied are still in it and i use my camera everyday and the memory card is good enough if you upload daily on to your pc

none so far

Good looks & build quality, easy to use and fits the hand well, with a nice clear viewfinder.

Only around 150 photos using 2.600 MiNh rechargable batteries. Good idea to keep spare batteries handy, but that goes for all Digital cameras.

I have found it reasonably easy to use and the pictures I have taken so far have all been good quality.

Still early days so none at this time

The image quality is excellent as you would expect from a Canon but I selected this model because of its 6x zoom. Build quality is good and I also like the size. It's smaller than my old A40 but not so small I can't use it.

The time it takes to recharge the flash

Optical viewfinder Manual controls

The manufacturer's website states that normal batteries should last 140 shots and Li-ion batteries 400 shots. Mine only last 10 shots with normal batteries and maybe 20 with Li-ion. This was so bad I returned it for a refund. Focus takes some time to lock on in low light

sheer versatility

Zoom in video mode limited to 4x. A little too large to slip into the average pocket. Standard memory chip an insullt at 16mb when the unit sensibly requires 512mb. AA batteries supplied: needs-must be replaced with rechargeable ones. No protective case included.

Very well featured for price with everything from novice fully automatic to creative control. Responsive handling. Good image quality. Impressive zoom range. Good battery life.

Slow flash recycle time. Would have preferred a wider "wide-end" at the expense of the onger end of the zoom focal length.

It has all the manual settings. Quite quick between pushing the button and the photo being taken. Small enough to be taken everywhere I go which is what I was looking for.

Doesn't shoot in RAW

Price for the product and specification is excellent.

None yet.

light , big clear screen - quite simple to use

Picture quality in general. BAsically can do the whole point and shoot but also has more advanced features should you want to use them

Pics can be a bit noisy at high ISO levels

Image quality is fantastic, particulalry in good light. I've used panasinic, sony and nikon and this is by far the best which is why I baught a second one for my daughter

Excellent spec at the price Shutter speed/aperture priority Optical image stabilisation Flash results

Puny memory card Build quality could be better

very good optical zoom manual very basic but can download a fuller copy from he diac

heavy

Lots of features, good image quality and a 6X optical zoom included

Plastic case, but still has a solid feel.

Other than the restricted view through the viewfinder I have found nothing to criticise. (The viewfinder was & is an important feature since bright sunlight makes viewing the screen impossible). The grip is excellent making one-handed shots easy to grab. The menu access is improving with use and hense my enjoyment at using the camera's capabilities. It weighs little & fits my trouser pocket; certainly by comparison with my DSLR set.

Nothing is "bad". More viewfinder information would be appreciated but as a second camera to a DSLR kit I could think of nothing better.

The product is compact and lightweight and produces good clarity pictures. It can be as easy to use as you want as it has an auto option which produces good quality pictures. Even takes good quality photos in bad light.

Easy to use with lots of manual features if you want them..but Auto mode really good. Battery life good

A bit bigger than other similar cameras but the advantage is you can use normal batteries.

The Powershot A720 IS has many of the popular features at the moment, face recognition, camera shake correction as well as 6 optical zoom and 8 mega pixels. Overall this camera is a nice combination and would suit any person who enjoys taking photos of all sorts of subject.

If this is your first more technical camera, then the dials and settings can be confusing to begin with. The only advice for this I can give is read the instructions carefully and play around altering different things, this is the best way to get to grips with the different options available.

-good picture quality -good handling -good picture programs(portrait, landscape, nightshot, etc.) -good price -nice to hold as more bulky than most compact digital cameras

-none so far

Image stabilisation, good optical zoom, AA batteries

On the large side for a compact, so finding a suitable smallish bag is tricky.Not convinced yet that the dynamic range is as good as my previous compact digital - sky seems over exposed if ground is correctly exposed.

Large screan, instant focus, good weight, fair tele. simple.

None

View finder inaccurate

Optical viewfinder

Can be connected to mains using universal adapter. Great manual control features. Great image quality, good usability.

No functions assigned to left and right of multidirectional button, flimsy feel of casing, low battery light flashes which is distracting and unnecessary. Not a particularly good-looking camera. No way of adjusting the brightness of LCD, also LCD is quite low-res. None of these are serious problems.