Canon PowerShot A650 IS Digital Camera - Silver (12.1MP, 6x Optical Zoom) 2.5″ LCD

May 12, 2008 | By Doug In Digital Cameras |

Canon PowerShot A650 IS Digital Camera - Silver (12.1MP, 6x Optical Zoom) 2.5″ LCD
Canon proudly presents the PowerShot A650 IS, a worthy successor to the famous A640. Canon?s cameras have always stood out from the crowd, but this camera takes that concept to a new level thanks to its powerful zoom and efficient optical image stabiliser! The Power Shot A650IS is fully equipped with an impressive 12.1 megapixel sensor and a 6x optical zoom, allowing you to reframe and print your creations without losing any quality. Its sensitivity has been increased to 1600 ISO to limit the use of the flash indoors. Focusing has never been easier, thanks to the face detection system which is great for your group photos. Among its other features, you?ll find a large 2.5? TFT screen, an amazing 1 cm macro mode and a range of creative functions, such as the My Colours settings and different shooting modes like programme, aperture and speed priority. There are even manual modes to give you total control over your camera?s settings. The PowerShot A650 IS from Canon beats the competition on all fronts and brings digital photography within your reach.

Customer Review: Practical priorities but still GREAT pictures!
I’ve been using the Powershot A 650 IS pretty constantly for the last 8 weeks and must say I didn’t expect such quality results. My initial reasons for purchasing the 12.1 pixel compact was the swivel screen (not to watch from different angles but to put out of harms way when not working), the optical viewfinder for sunny days (when the screen can’t be seen anyway)and the use of AA batteries instead of the expensive ion ones. I was aware of the experts’ reservations; a tricky battery compartment (which I don’t have a problem opening), bulkiness and high noise levels at faster ISO settings. All these seem a small price to pay for a camera that challenges the specs of a lot of DSLRs let alone other compacts. The colour and sharpness is wonderful and the flexible controls allow you to get great pictures in “most” situations. I find the camera VERY comfortable to hold and easy to manipulate. I’ve even had nice results with the 3200ISO mode when everything else failed late at night. The battery life(with rechargeable AAs) is superb and the detail allows you to blow up photos well beyond A4 size.

Altogether, I’ve found the camera to be a thoroughly satisfying purchase

Customer Review: Great camera
After visiting many websites and looking at reviews I decided to go with the A650. OK I didn’t need the 12MP but as a buddy photographer I liked the fact that I could point and shoot or if I was feeling creative I could switch to fully manual, just like the digial SLRs but without the bulk (and expense).

I’m really pleased with the shots that I’ve taken so far and the performance of the camera is great - quick start up, low shutter lag, etc. I really like the fact that I can move the screen to different angles and the video playback is good.

My only concern is the build - it does feel a bit plastic however very robust.

I really do recommend for anyone that is looking for something a little more than a point and shoot.

The Crumpler Crisp-e 950 is a good camera bag

Digital Astrophotography: A Guide to Capturing the Cosmos
List Price: ?18.50
Amazon Price: ?12.03
Used Price: ?9.32
Customer Review: excellent reference for those starting out
Great starting point for anyone interested in starting up with astrophotography. This book starts off (as you’d expect) with the basics - what to look for in a telescope, then moves onto sections on how to take photos with everything from a digital compact, a webcam(!), a dSLR then finally an astronomical CCD camera. Each section is further broken down into the same subsections: what kind of photos you can take with the particular type of camera, pros and cons of using it, buying tips, how to take the photos and finally how to process them. This book is packed with excellent reference photos, and covers the basics of astrophotography in a lot of detail, and finishes off with an extensive list of links to appropriate software, astronomy links, camera and telescope manufacturers, and books. A must-buy for anyone considering taking photos of the night sky. Be warned though, once you’ve read it, you’ll be outside on many a cold night!