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(More customer reviews)I'm a long-standing fan of A-series Canons. I started with the A40, went A80, A95, A620, A640, and now this A650 - yes, it's out there, earlier than expected. They all have excelled in picture quality, but each has brought something new to the game. Most improvements between top end models were notable but fairly marginal (ISO increase, bigger screen or MP). My most recent move from the A620 to A640 was one of the smallest. The A640 had higher megapixels than the A620 and a bigger LCD but offered little else besides a black case. Then they went and stuck the SD card in behind the battery door -- a real bummer continued into the A650.
The A650, though, is a major reboot for the series. Improvements from the A640: 12MP; image stabilization; a 6x lens that's much improved from any previous A series glass; a higher resolution LCD that's the same size as the old A640 but produces much better quality images; a distance sensing flash that won't blow out subjects close to the camera. This works better than manual flash level method when out of Auto in old A640; there are the DIGIC III improvements: red eye removal tool, face sensor, better shot-to-shot speed, longer battery life; a higher ISO 1600 is there and a 3200 (in lower resolution) plus, in my experience, less noise in the lower ISOs when comparing it to the A640 ISO to ISO; a better viewfinder; a new interface for picture playback shows the grid images but slightly enlarges the chosen picture over the tic-tac-toe -- a nice improvement. Finally, there's a focus check that pulls in the focal box image for quick perusal (still love to have a live histogram), and an "auto" ISO that'll bump up the ISO to prevent blurring -- this works, but I prefer to choose (it's selectable off/on). That's a big pile of improvements from one camera to the next. The 6X G-series lens and image stabilization are enough to make the jump but packing in all the rest makes this a worthy move for A640 users.
What else? They've changed the button layout a bit, adding a direct ISO button on the back -- nice. They've also added a much-needed gauge for zoom/wide. You can finally see where you are in the zoom range -- very nice and needed. The viewfinder has an expanded reach that's an improvement over the A640 as well, though I rarely compose with the viewfinder since you are still getting 80% or so of the final image. This camera also brings a new sensor, bigger than the A640. This is a relief, since the print size for a jump from 10-12 wouldn't be huge. But squeezing more MP out of the previous sensor would have brought noise. Canon did things one better and upped the size of the sensor and the pictures really sing for the improvement.
It maintains the usual A-series pluses: runs on AA batteries (four of them - best for the quickest flash recharge), has easy capacity for add-on lenses for telephoto and wide, plus underwater cases, and has the same wonderful flip out screen of the top-end A series cameras (this time with a much needed pixel count increase -- there's much better resolution here). Also the usual full manual control, the many shooting and `scene' modes (21 of them), and a custom slot for your favorite settings are still there. So far, it seems perfectly in line with the A series consistent reputation for image quality.
I did feel the A640 delivered a more contrasty image than the A620. This new A650 produces images more in line with the A620, they feel richer and I feel like the mid-tones are brighter than with the A640 so they don't have the same contrasty out of camera quality of the A640.
What's the downside? Well, really only one major caveat here: The build quality. The A620 was a solid machine. The A640 was nice as well, the black case felt good in the hands. The A650 takes a step back here. The design, with the split silver/black casing already looks cheaper than the old A640. But then, flip the zoom button and you can feel it. The lever is lighter and makes a sort of unsatisfying clicking. It doesn't say "quality." And when the camera body is in your hands, it feels cheaper. It weighs a few ounces more than its predecessor does but it's a larger camera. Instead of a 2 oz. bump, you'd expect five or six based on size alone. They obviously didn't skimp on the glass (lens) and the features are well, you'd be hard press to want for anything (aside from RAW support) here. But the body feels truly plastic. Flip the switch on the A640 that moves you from playback to record and do the same on the newly redesigned A650 and you can feel it. The A650 switch feels light and cheap.
In addition, and no surprise, there's no native RAW support. The lack of RAW may be a non-issue eventually, as free hacked firmware is available (and likely warranty killing) to get DIGIC II cameras to do RAW. DIGIC III is likely right around the corner. But Canon does so well in the lower ISOs that you get a great image "in camera." And this new machine has dialed back the NR so that there's more detail in the higher ISOs. I can't imagine using ISO3200 (they've dubbed it 'cell phone') but the usability of ISO 800 is remarkable. This is from someone who hates noise and tends to stick with ISO80 whenever possible. It's not an F-series Fuji in the low light, but in some ways, it's better. There's more detail and depth than the Fuji with a bit more noise. But no Fuji has the picture quality at lower ISOs in normal light like a Canon. This A-series takes the best images yet from any A-series camera -- and at 12mp! All the feature improvements are very, very welcome (big zoom and IS) but the fantastic image quality is really the bottom line.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Canon PowerShot A650IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Canon's extremely popular A Series reaches a milestone with the PowerShot A650 IS, its new top-of-the-line camera. 12.1 megapixels offers unparalleled resolution for a compact camera, while the powerful 6x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer Technology delivers clear, blur-free images in low light and all through the zoom range. Hallmark A Series value includes Canon's latest generation DIGIC III Image Processor with enhanced Face Detection Technology, ISO 1600 and Red-eye Correction for sharp, superior quality images.
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