I've narrowed my search for a new camera down to a Canon a630.?

Question

I've had a look at a lot of reviews for different makes, but the one make that keeps coming out on or near the top is Canon. All I need the camera for is holiday snaps and pictures of my children, and I reckon I'm gonna go for the Canon a630. Does anyone else have one of these, and if so, would you recommend it? Or, can anyone else recommend a different camera in the same price bracket? Thank-you.

Answer 1

Nice choice! I don't have the A630, I have the A620. It is a step below the A630. I believe the A630 is an 8 mp model, a wider range of ISO and 2 1/2" LCD screen. The step above is the A640 (10mp). Yes, I recommended the A630 based on my ownership of the A620.

I LOVE my Canon PowerShot A620. It's a 7.1 mp camera which takes awesome still shots, and just as awesome video. Great for home and everyday use. Easy to take on vacations and you can take some really artistic/creative photos too. A great all-around camera. My 35mm cameras are Canon too, and I still love and use it...

I had a Sony, and I gave that to my daughter, and purchased the Canon PowerShot A610 for my teenage son. The Canon A610 is exactly like my A620, but is a 5 mp digital camera. They both take GREAT pictures, but my favorite thing about the camera, is the 2" vari-angle LCD screen. You can even hook it up to your tv and see your pictures/video on whatever size screen you have. It's pretty neat on the big screens! (The necessary cables come with it). It is very easy to use, and a camera you can grow with.
http://www.usa.canon.com (Go to 'products' to 'consumer products' to lead you to the cameras).

Our A610/A620 has a setting, call "kids&pets". Typically you use these on the subjects that usually has a hard time keeping still. But I also use this setting when taking pictures of my soccer team during game play. I've also taken pictures of my kids, nieces and nephews jumping in the air, a la cheerleader jumps, with great results. Lag time is very, very minimal. (Time from pushing shutter button, to the actual moment the camera captures the shot). This is just one of the many settings the camera has to offer and you can also manually set and program your own settings.

For ease of point and shoot, just choose the setting in which you're taking pictures of, (i.e. indoor, outdoor, nighttime, portrait, fireworks, snow, beach, and 'auto' [automatic]), and it'll adjust accordingly the proper exposure/settings. And it even has an 'underwater' mode to use, but that's if you purchase the special housing for the camera. (I don't have the housing. I'll wait to save up or find it for very inexpensive). If you get more experience or for the experienced, you can manually choose exposure and settings like the old 35 mm.

I'm a bargain hunter. I purchased both NEW Canon this late spring 2006 on line. My son's was under $200 and mine was $204. Just Google (or Froogle) or Yahoo! Search any Canon model, and then see which merchant has the best price with those low price websites and order on-line. The price is waaaay better than going physically to the stores. If you need it right away, just upgrade the shipping. It's still cheaper than buying at the stores. No matter what model camera you're searching for, better prices are on-line.

I don't know if you'll find these models (A610, A620) at the stores, but you'll find them online. They have newer models, upgraded models, the A630 (8mp) and the A640 (10mp). They boast more mega-pixels and ISO settings. But 5mp is more than sufficient for most users. What I did was physically touched and feel the camera at the store, then go on-line to purchase. But if you prefer to purchase at the stores, some good places are Best Buy, Wal Mart and Target. Suprisingly enough, they have good selection at Wal-Mart and Target.

This is just my humble opinion and I've only experience with Canon. Here is the link if you'd like to check out the specs on these models and other Canon cameras: http://www.usa.canon.com
and go to 'products' to 'consumer products' to lead you to the cameras. It tells you what the camera has and what it looks like up close.

You can also find information and reviews on these 4 Canon models if you search in Yahoo! Tech http://tech.yahoo.com/rc/digital-cameras...

Hope this helped!

Answer 2

Yes, Canon is a top brand...and the A630 & A640 are very good digital cameras. The only difference between them is that the A640 has 2 extra megapixels and is a different colour.
I think you should be very happy with the A630 (it takes great quality photos & movies, has full manual controls if you want them, and has that very handy vari-angle LCD).

Just make sure you invest in a fast SD memory card for top camera performance (I would recommend the 1GB Sandisk Extreme III). And if going on holiday, you might need an extra card.
Also, you will need rechargeable NiMh batteries (2500+) and a charger.

I am sure you will love it. Great choice.
Happy Shooting!

Answer 3

My son has the A620 and my brother has the updated A630 and they are both great cameras, in my opinion and in the opinion of several others.

Except for maybe the A640, which costs another $100 (+/-), I think you've chosen the best compact point and shoot digital camera.

One thing that is a real plus is that the A630 (and 640) have a 1/1.8" sensor. This is 38 sq. mm. Many other P&S cameras have the 1/2.5" sensor, which is about half the size. This DOES make a difference in image quality and low-light performance.

Answer 4

I love canon digital cameras. I have owned 2. This past summer I purchased the sd630 and it takes amazing pictures. It is a more compact camera but if you go with one of the larger models you will get an even better optical zoom lens. I believe that is the most important feature when purchasing a digital camera. You will pay a little more for the canon brand, but the quality is well worth it.

Answer 5

All of the digital cameras work the same. Just different button locations and setup. Make sure the camera is 4+ megapixels and make sure that the OPTICAL zoom is what you want.
I have bought 2 different Olympus cameras and would buy another. I have had very good luck with them, sadly the newest one is totally outdated. The only reason that I replaced the first camera, is that I wanted the 10x Optical zoom.
Bottom line, make sure and try the camera out before you buy it and that it fits you (you're not bumping other buttons to take a picture).
Good Luck!

Answer 6

I have the canon sd600
it is the same camera but with a little smaller screen
you cannot go wrong with either one
any questions - email me through the site
I just love my sd600

Answer 7

I can't comment on the camera you choose, but while you are looking, check out the Casio Exilim EX-S600 Digital Camera. I have one of these that I just got, and I love it. It's fewer megapixels then the one you are looking at, but if you are truly only doing snap shots, this won't matter. It's got a bunch of neat effects you can do with sepia, greens, blues, black and white, adjustable shutter speeds, 'best shot', which is pre-defined modes for certain picture types, and the ability to shoot video. I'm very happy with mine.

Answer 8

It's a fine choice- but certainly not the only choice.

For social photos- it's hard to beat one of the Fujis- as they are much much better in low light conditions. The F20, F30 ,or F31fd. A sexier upgrade to the F20 called the F40fd has been announced, but not available yet.

Answer 9

Savage 111

Answer 10

I bought an HP Photosmart camera (not sure of the exact model off hand). It cost me $200, that was with a 1 GB memory card. It's a fine camera, and not junk either.