Last Nov. I upgraded to the Canon PowerShot A630 and love it. This Amazon bestseller is an absolute steal. I still take the majority of my photos on the fully AUTO setting. The camera has a jillion settings & features which I haven't attempted to figure out yet. That's one of the nice things about Canon PowerShots--you can open the box & be taking photos in minutes, even if you have no idea what you're doing. My only complaint is that it's heavier than my old A520 (it's larger & takes 4 AA batteries instead of 2), but I probably only notice it because I lug it around with me everywhere. I had planned to upgrade to the A530 but went with the A630 because of the higher MPs. I also recommend the Sony BCG-34HE4 Super-Quick Worldwide Battery Charger you'll find on page 2 of the Things I Can't Live Without store category. After 1-1/2 years the charger & batteries are still going strong. I also bought extra Sony 2500 mAh AA Rechargeable Nimh Batteries. Details on the same store page as the charger.

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Product Description

PowerShot A630 not only boasts show-stopping 8.0 megapixel resolution, but is packed with a full range of high-performance features previously found only on Canon's higher-end cameras. The result is an affordable camera that produces truly superior photography. The high resolution is complemented by a 4x optical zoom that brings the world up close, and you'll see it all clearly on the big, bright 2.5-inch Vari-Angle LCD monitor. The 21 shooting modes make photography easy, fun and creative, and are joined by great functionality like expanded ISO settings that let you shoot in low light without blur.

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5361 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Canon
• Model: 1288B001
• Released on: 2006-09-01
• Dimensions: 1.90" h x 2.60" w x 4.30" l, .54 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 8-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 16 x 22-inch prints
• 4x optical zoom; 2.5-inch vari-angle LCD display
• ISO range up to ISO 800 for less blur in low light while hand-holding
• 3:2 guide masks LCD to display 4 x 6-inch print size; 16:9 format option for still images
• Stores images on SD cards; powered by 4 AA-size batteries

From the Manufacturer
Replacing the highly popular PowerShot A620, the PowerShot A630 features a rotating 2.5-inch vari-angle LCD, 4x optical zoom lens, and a vast array of creative shooting modes.

The PowerShot A630 packs a vast array of advanced features into a remarkably compact space:

• 8.0 megapixels
• 2.5-inch vari-angle LCD screen and real-image optical viewfinder
• 4x optical zoom
• DIGIC II, iSAPS, 9-Point AiAF, FlexiZone AF/AE
• Digital teleconverter and Safety Zoom
• 21 shooting modes

Quality control
The 8.0-megapixel sensor allows for creative cropping while providing enough detail for large, high-quality prints. A new Safety Zoom takes advantage of the camera's high resolution to offer extra zoom magnification without affecting image quality--up to 16x zoom when shooting Small size images. Users can also activate the Digital Teleconverter to add extra telephoto reach on all shots, similar to adding a teleconverter lens to the camera.

The 4x optical zoom lens achieves a 35-140mm focal length (35mm equivalent) while allowing the camera to maintain a compact size. The lens construction incorporates 8 elements in 7 groupings, including two aspherical elements to maximize sharpness across the whole image. With a maximum aperture range of f2.8 (wide) to f4.1 (telephoto), the lens is remarkably bright at the telephoto end.

ISO 800 mode improves results when shooting in low-light settings and enables flash-free photography indoors. The camera's High ISO Auto setting prioritizes fast shutter speeds by automatically using the higher range of ISO sensitivities, reducing the risk of unwanted image blur.

Improved LCD and playback
A larger 2.5-inch vari-angle LCD screen enables accurate framing from unusual angles, such as those encountered when using the 1-centimeter (.4-inch) Macro mode. The enhanced user interface (UI) retains a selectable Grid Line display to assist with rule-of-thirds compositions, while users can also enable a new 3:2 ratio overlay during shooting to view the printable area for standard photo prints. Playback is enhanced with an overexposure warning feature, which indicates overexposed areas in captured images.

Flexible shooting
The PowerShot A630 offers users a range of versatile features for creative photography. A choice of 21 shooting modes includes Program, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, and full Manual modes for complete exposure control. A Second Curtain Sync function allows for creative flash exposures, such as light trails. Artistic photo effects can be applied in-camera during and after shooting with My Colors.

Filming is also possible at a high standard--VGA quality movies can be captured with sound at a smooth 30 frames per second (fps). The AV-out connection and supplied cable allows for full screen playback on a TV.

Full range of accessories
A comprehensive range of optional lenses and accessories includes wide (0.7x) and telephoto (1.75x) converter lenses. The optional High Power Flash offers further flexibility for night time photography, while an optional waterproof case allows full control at depths of up to 40 meters. (Accessories are not included and must be purchased separately.)

Technologies Explained
DIGIC II
Canon's purpose-built DIGIC II (DIGital Imaging Core) image processor links all primary camera functions for maximum efficiency. DIGIC II processes signals at high speeds, resulting in outstanding responsiveness, rapid autofocus, and extended continuous shooting ability. Advanced image processing algorithms deliver superb image detail and color reproduction with accurate white balance and minimal noise. DIGIC II operates efficiently to extend battery life, for longer shooting on a single charge.

iSAPS
iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) automatically optimizes key camera settings before every shot. Each scene is analyzed and cross-referenced against Photographic Space--a vast in-camera library of photographic data. This enables the camera to make optimal adjustments to autoexposure, autofocus, and auto white balance before image capture occurs.

9-Point AiAF
Canon's 9-point AiAF (Artificial Intelligence Autofocus) automatically scans and selects subjects from a set of nine focusing areas across the scene. This ensures accurately focused images even when subjects are not in the center of the frame.

FlexiZone AF/AE
FlexiZone AF/AE lets users manually select the focus point from almost any point in the frame by moving the autofocus window in the viewfinder. Exposure can be linked to the focus point to ensure that the chosen subject is accurately focused and the scene correctly exposed.

Digital Teleconverter and Safety Zoom
Similar to placing an accessory lens on the front of the camera, Canon's Digital Teleconverter adds a constant digital zoom to every shot (1.6x/2.0x). While optical converter lenses cause a reduction in aperture and consequently require a slower shutter speed, the Digital Teleconverter maintains aperture size, reducing the risk of image blur.

Safety Zoom protects the image from interpolation at high levels of digital zoom, allowing users to extend zoom magnification without sacrificing image quality.

What's in the box
PowerShot A630 body, AA-size Alkaline battery x 4, MultiMediaCard-16M, wrist strap WS-200, Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, USB interface cable IFC-400PCU, AV cable AVC-DC300

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Customer Reviews

Amazing camera value!
This is one of those nice cameras that's so well done, it's easier to talk about what the camera ISN'T, rather than what it IS! This camera is not a small, shirt pocket camera, and might be a bit bigger than a woman would wish to carry in a purse. It's not a super-tele camera, but it does have a respectable, bit longer than average 4x optical zoom.

Using the camera, it has a good weight and feel for average sized hands. The use of AA batteries helps keep the cost down, and has it's own advantages, although some may prefer the longer life charges of Lithium-Ion batteries (I do). General, controls are well thought out and easy to use. The zoom is nice and smooth.

For those that prefer an optical viewfinder, Canon is probably the strongest supporter, and this is a better than average viewfinder, although it does not have a diopter adjustment. But you'll probably never use it with the tremendous 2.5" rotary screen. Yes, there are 3" screens on the market, but this dwarfs anything on a hinge! It is a great aid in composing photos at low, high, or other odd angles (photos you simply didn't take before).

Another feature that gets high praise is the flex-focus system. Today's AF cameras do a decent job, but occassionally, they just don't hit on the right focus point. With the flex system, you can determine which point to use. This is simply great for crowded rooms or nature photos where the subject may not be the closest item within the focusing areas.

Control for this price point is very good indeed. Multiple "scene" modes make it easy for the novice (ok, or sometimes lazy pro), while the semi-auto and manual modes give even experienced users all they need.

Simply put, this camera could have easily been priced $50 to $100 more. The only real competition is the A640, $100 more, 10 meg, and a bit more attractive black finish.

Unexpectedly Good Pictures
My first impression of the A630 was less than stellar. After a year plus squinting through the viewfinder of my Rebel XT, I was really looking forward to composing my shots in a big, beautiful LCD again. Unfortunately, the LCD on the A630 may be big, but it's not beautiful. It does a fine job helping you review what's already been captured and presenting menu options legibly, but a mediocre job of rendering what's coming through the lens. The color is inaccurate and interference frequently appeared on the screen when half-clicking to freeze the focus. It still beats a viewfinder for composing an image but, frankly, I'd rather have the smaller LCD on my daughter's A620.

Ultimately, though, picture quality is everything to me, and here the A630 excels. I took 60+ pictures on a recent trip to Door County, WI and not one of them was a clunker, including several taken in very tricky lighting situations. Shooting modes worked as advertised although, with good lighting, the auto mode produced identical results. Indoors, flash pictures were perfectly exposed and the flash had a surprisingly good range.

On average, and I know this is heresy, the A630 took better pictures than my Rebel XT, and I didn't feel the need to Photoshop a single one of them. If I cared more about the LCD, I would have given this camera a lower rating, but a lower rating would not have done justice to the quality of the images this camera produces.

Excellent optics, macro range,good manual controls
Let me preface this by saying I come from the "old school" of photography. I've use good-quality film SLR cameras for years, and have always hated digitals because of all the cumbersome controls and lack of good manual control of the camera (yes, even on digital SLRs).

This camera is quite an improvement. If you are just a point-and-shooter, you can take it out of the box, throw batteries and an SD card in it and just click away. But if you know what you are doing with a camera, there are good manual controls in here for you, too, and that's what I want to focus on.

If you need to take close-up shots of small models, insects, flowers, etc this is the camera for you. If you want something tiny and slim just for snapping pics on vacation, this is NOT the camera for you. It will do a superb job, but it's more than you need and therefore bulkier than you probably want.

It has shutter and aperture priority - the latter being the most important. You can manually stop down the lens anywhere from 2.6 to 8.0. It wish it would stop all the way down to, like f/22, but that's a lot to ask for a $200 digicam. In macro mode, it really truly can focus on things only 1 cm away from the lens, and the focus is still crisp - very impressive.

Put this thing on a tripod, put a good light on your subject, turn the flash OFF, use the built-in timer to avoid shaking the camera, and you'll get magazine-publishable photos, and that's no lie.

White balance is superb. You can take shots under flourescent, incandescent, tungsten (photofloods) and the color rendition is terrific, even if you use the "auto" white balance. But you can manually calibrate it if you really want to. There are also several preset white balance settings (flourescent, incandescent, tungsten, and about 4 others).

It runs on 4 AA batteries, so you can shoot a long time before the batteries are dead, but definitely invest in 4 NiMH AA's and a charger.

It uses standard SD cards, not like those morons at Sony who insist on using a proprietary memory card in their cameras.

The best thing about it is that all the real controls you need if you are used to using a real camera are easily accessible right at the top level buttons - exposure compenstation, macro mode, flash on/off, f/stop.
There is also a full manual mode, so you can set f/stop, exposure, shutter speed and focus all completely manually. I fooled with some of the DSLRs, and those "mid-range" hybrid models like the S3 (sort of in between the things like this A630 and a DSLR). Frankly, they are agony to use. If I spend $800-$1000 on a DSLR, I do not expect it to punish me to find how to change the *(&#$@_)&* f/stop!

A 4x true optical zoom is a pretty darn good range in a small cam, as well.

The door where the USB hooks up is kind of cheap feeling, but I won't know for a long time whether it will hold up or not. Video shoots a smooth, crisp, non-grainy 30 frames per second in normal room light. Nice.

The LCD is large, bright, and clear, and it flips out to the side of the camera (if you like that sort of thing). I don't know why a few people complained about it.

Hooking to a computer - If you've got a Mac with OS/X, don't bother installing ANYTHING that comes with the camera. Just plug the camera into your USB port, and use the Mac's built in camera application. It will pull the photos off neatly in to a folder, and even delete them from the camera for you if you want. This is another nice plus. Who needs those silly bloated custom applications that come with these cameras? (And BTW, I am a computer software engineer by trade.)

I first tried an A550 (also a nice cam) and exchanged it at the store for this A630, because the 550 doesn't have the manual exposure controls I needed. For the extra $30 in price, the A630 is an enormous step up in quality and controls, well worth $30 more.