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Canon PowerShot A95 5MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
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6 new or used available from $149.00
Average customer review:
Product Description
The PowerShot A95 digital camera features a powerful Canon 3x optical zoom lens plus a high-resolution 5.0 Megapixel CCD. Offering movie recording with audio, added scene specific shooting modes and Canon's DiG!C Image Processor, the PowerShot A95 delivers impressive results. A convenient new Print/Share Button for 'one push' printing of images straight from the camera to a Canon or PictBridge compatible printer offers extended possibilities. Supports industry standard Exif 2.2 tagging for superior print image processing Canon's complete image management software suite Picture transfer protocol supports driver-less image transfer, viewing and deletion between camera and computer with newer operating systems. (Windows XP or Mac OS X v 10.1.) 1.8 LCD TFT Color Screen Realimage viewfinder Multimode electronic-flash Unit Size - 4.0 x 2.5 x 1.3 inch / Unit Weight - 7.1 ounce
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #15599 in Camera & Photo
- Brand: Canon
- Model: A95
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: .60 pounds
- Display size: 1.8
Features
- Highly advanced 5.0-megapixel digital camera camera with 3x optical/4.1x digital/12x combined zoom
- 14 shooting modes, with special Scene Modes for spectacular shots in special situations
- New, larger 1.8-inch vari-angle LCD monitor for easier image preview and review
- 9-point AiAF plus FlexiZone AF/AE for off-center subjects
- New Print/Share button for easy direct printing and downloads
Editorial Reviews
From the Manufacturer
Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology, announces its latest high performance compact digital still camera, the PowerShot A95 – the new A-series flagship. Replacing the highly regarded PowerShot A80, the A95 builds on the success of its predecessor and features an increased sensor size of 5.0 Megapixels, and the addition of FlexiZone AF/AE, a larger 1.8" vari-angle LCD and VGA movie mode. Now including 8 special scene presets, the A95 has a total of 21 shooting modes – more than any other Canon digital camera.
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| With its 5.0 Megapixels, the PowerShot A95 has what you need to create images of intense color and terrific quality -- even in your biggest prints. |
More pixels, more options
The 5.0 Megapixel CCD sensor enables the A95 to provide superb image quality, suitable for high quality photo prints up to A3 size. The 21 shooting modes, ranging from fully Auto to Manual, offer users total control for complete creativity, or can simplify things to ensure great looking photos in tricky situations. Along with all the fully manual, Program and Aperture/Shutter speed priority modes expected in an advanced digital camera, the A95 includes a custom mode for storing preferred camera settings. A special scene mode includes 8 settings for Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater, Kids & Pets and Night Snapshot. Movie clips up to 3 minutes are also possible with sound recording, playback and even editing all in the camera. VGA quality movies can now be recorded.
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| The new larger 1.8" vari-angle LCD covers 360 degrees of rotation, giving users the option to shoot from most positions. |
High-level optics and performance
The high quality, f/2.8 Canon lens has a precision 3x optical zoom 38mm-114mm (35mm equivalent) to give users the flexibility to compose the shot they want. The purpose built DIGIC processor integrates all image processing algorithms onto a single chip to deliver fast write times, minimal shutter lag, optimal image definition and consistently precise and natural color reproduction. iSAPS, an in-built photographer's assistant, analyses composition factors such as zoom position and luminosity in order to predict the type of photo being taken. This results in faster auto-focusing, more accurate auto-exposure and precise auto white balance.
9-point AiAF provides fast, accurate focusing even when subjects are not centered. An Intelligent Orientation Sensor allows the AF frame to be weighted differently for horizontal and vertical shooting, further increasing the accuracy of exposure and auto white balance, and saving time when reviewing photos. For the first time in an A-series camera, FlexiZone AF/AE has been introduced. This feature, which can be found in the PowerShot Pro series, allows scrolling around the frame's Auto Focus areas to select the desired subject, for which exposure is weighted accordingly.
Accessories
A complete range of accessories is available to extend the capabilities of the camera and enable users to explore their photographic skills. A dedicated waterproof case – submersible to 40m – is available (optional), complete with anti-fog double glass and flash light diffusion plate. Both the optional wide converter lens (0.7x) and tele-converter lens (1.75x) increase framing options and extend the camera’s effective focal length range. An optional close-up lens is also available for macro photography.
Advanced Printing
The camera features Canon's Print/Share button, which illuminates when a successful connection is made between the camera's USB port and a PictBridge compatible printer or Windows PC. Pushing the button when lit will initiate a print of the currently displayed image (based on the default PictBridge or Direct Printer settings of the printer) or an automatic transfer of images to the PC. When connected to a Canon compact photo printer, the camera/printer combination allows for 'movie-prints' (sequential frames of a movie clip printed as thumbnails on a single card) and photo IDs (passport style ID photographs).
Direct Photo Printers
For desktop large-format printing, try one of the Direct Photo Printers which allow you to print directly in one of two ways: plug the compatible PowerShot camera into the Direct Photo Printer using the supplied cable, or simply insert a memory card with supplied adapter. You can also connect the printer to your computer for more options. Print high resolution borderless images in post card size or 8.5"x 11" size within minutes.
| Canon Direct Printers | |||||||||||||||
| i9900 | i900D | i960 | i860 | i80 | i475D | i560 | S830D | S530D | CP-330 | CP-300 | CP-220 | CP-200 | CP-100 | CP-10 | |
| PowerShot A95 |  | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |
Online sharing
Free membership is included to Canon's online Canon iMAGE Gateway, with 100 Megabytes of free storage space for online album storing and sharing. Users can upload favorite images and now movies to the site and then direct friends and family to individually secure online 'albums'.
Extensive software
Software supplied includes browsing and printing software ZoomBrowser EX (Windows) and ImageBrowser (Mac). Other software includes PhotoStitch, plus photo and movie manipulation software ArcSoft PhotoImpression and VideoImpression.
What's in the box:
Canon A95, 4 AA batteries, 32 MB CompactFlash memory card, wrist strap, AV cable, USB cable, CD software, instruction manual, warranty/registration card.
Customer Reviews
Excellent follow-up to A80
If someone wants to buy a compact digital camera, most of the times it's enough to choose from Canon models.
Canon offers different types of cameras to different people needs.
Let's take a look at them if you don't mind, I will try to give a helping hand for those who just cannot decide.
Basically there are six line of Canon compacts:
1.
The G-series - Pros: fast lens, 4x optical zoom, all manual controls, flip-out LCD, hot shoe, optional converters, RAW mode, microdrive support, long battery life (despite of the lithium type!), professional feeling, great hand-grip
Cons: weighty, big size, lithium batteries (from a point of view), pricey
2.
The Sxx-series - Pros: wider angle then average (28mm to S60/S70), portability, light, RAW mode, microdrive support, full manual controls, elegant look
Cons: fixed LCD, slow lens, PF (CA), lithium battery
3.
The Sxxx-series - Pros: portability (small size), very light, sexy look
Cons: fixed LCD, slow lens, PF (CA), lithium battery, lack of real manual controls
4.
The Axx-series - Pros: long battery life (due to AA's), flip-out LCD, great hand-grip, full manual controls, optional converters, many scene modes for beginners (on A70 and now on A95), cheap
Cons: slow lens, PF (CA)
5.
The Axxx-series - Pros: cheap, uses AA's, portability
Cons: slow lens, PF (CA), no real manual controls
6.
The NEW Sx-IS series - Pros: big zoom, best video, great hand-grip, long battery life (due to AA's), full manual controls
Cons: weighty, slow lens, PF (CA), lack of AF-assist lamp, noisy images
That's it, at least at the date of this quick review.
As you can see from the above
- The G-series has the fastest lens and a hot shoe
- The Sxx-series has the wider angle zoom (28mm to 100mm)
- The Sxxx-series are the more portable ones
- The Axx-series has the best value for it's price
- The Axxx-series are the cheapest ones that are also very portable
- The Sx-IS-series has the biggest zoom and the best video to date
All of them - except for the G-series - suffer from purple fringing. The G-series has them also, but not much.
All of them has more shutter lag, compared to competition (new Sony and Fuji models).
But pls don't forget the high detail in the images that only CANON compacts can bring. A very important issue for me.
First, it's a question of money.
Second, it's a question of needs.
Lastly, it's a question of taste.
How much can you afford?
What are the most important things you need?
What shape/size do you prefer?
My suggestion is: decide what are the things FOR YOU that are important when choosing a cam. The decision lies beneath your NEEDS:
- Need big zoom or best video? Get an Sx-IS cam.
- Need portability? Get an Sxxx-series cam.
- Need fast lens, a hot shoe and RAW? Get a G-series.
- Need wider angle zoom or RAW? Get an Sxx-series cam.
- Do you want to print in big size? Get the highest MP one
- You are on the budget? Get an Axxx-series cam.
None of the above? Get an Axx-series camera then!
The top of the A-line cameras now is the A95 that is a geat, but not perfect cam. There are no perfect ones. Every of them has it's flaws. Pls don't be a maximalist otherwise you won't enjoy the beauty of your own cam. Choose the right cam for you based on your needs. An IMPORTANT advie: don't let the megapixel drive you if you don't need big size prints. It's only marketing, more megapixels doesn't mean better image quality. Keep this in mind always!
So I got the A95.
I love the LCD, the battery life, full manual controls, shape, hand-grip and the optional converters of the A95.
I miss the fast lens, the wider angle and the hot shoe.
Weight could be less, but it's quite tolerable and the camera is portable enough for me, if there is a belt-case with you then you won't miss the IXUS. Bigger than the Sxxx-series but much smaller than the G-series. I had an IXUS before (S400) but missed the manual controls and the flip-out LCD, so I had to change.
I had an A80 before. The difference is not that much. The A95 has 5 megapixels and a bigger LCD with higher resolution. These are the main differences. They are not much, but enough for me to change, I am one of those people who don't think just buy. :) Do you have an A80? Wait for the next model. Do you have an A60/A70/A75/A85 model? Buy this! That flip-out LCD is a bless.
It has a bit more noise - probably due to the more megapixel - than the A80. BUT: it has nicer LCD and a bit faster response times. I don't know why because normally it should be slower because of the bigger file sizes (5mp vs 4mp on the A80). But it's not. It's quicker, but not much. Still, another plus for the A95.
The Flexi-zone feature is very useful, ususally found only on higher end cameras. It let's you choose the focus point anywhere in the frame, though I use mine with Center Focus AF most of the time.
The extra scene modes are great, I just don't use them so often. I don't like when the camera sets the ISO above 50 when there is no need to.
The VGA video is quite useless since it records only 30 secs. What a shame, I really miss that unlimited video! But it's not a deal breaker for me, since it's a camera not a camcorder.
The print/share button is not that exciting - at least for me. I know I will never use it.
All in all: a great cam. Such as Canon's other models. All of them are great, I started with an A40 and loved that much, that was my first cam. The A95 is the close-to-perfect family cam, I highly recommend it to everyone. It's image quality is top-notch in many ways, it only has a bit higher than average PF that's all, otherwise it takes excellent images out of the cam without any post-processing.
Buy it, it's a CANON.
Excellent camera, great value
The A95 is an EXCELLENT follow up to the A80, and offers some very nice improvements. The most noticeable is the jump to 5 megapixels at $100 lower MSRP than the A80 when it came out! Then there is the larger rotating LCD that is now useable in low light, scene modes for those who don't like to tinker with the settings, and the print/share button to make things easier. For those who don't know, scene modes are easy-to-access presets of a combination of manual adjustments, optimized for shooting in different situations such as when you are indoors, at the beach, taking shots of kids, shooting at night, or shooting fireworks, etc. There is also the addition of the Flexi-Zone feature, which lets you choose one of the 9 autofocus spots, so you can focus on non-centered objects! This is usually a feature only found on much higher priced cameras. The camera features full manual controls over shutter speed and aperture, manual focus, saturation, exposure compensation, custom white balance, ISO, metering, and a histogram in playback mode. I know most people think they won't ever use some of these, but when you have an important shot that just isn't coming out, you'll be really glad you have it (or wish you did). For those who don't know, control over shutter speed means you can use a fast shutter speed to capture fast action or you can use a slow shutter to avoid using a flash or for taking shots of night scenery like a city-scape.
The areas where the Canon A75, A85, and A95 really excel at are:
Being fairly small(small price tag too!) for a camera with this many features and having picture quality this good.
Creative shooting: this is a great camera for those who want to do creative shooting but can't afford to plop down $600+ for a Canon G6 or more for a Digital SLR. It's got all of the most important controls, and with your memory card, you can do all the creative shooting and experimenting you want virtually free compared to using film. It's even expandable with telephoto, wide angle, or close up conversion lenses and there's also the waterproof casing. One other plus is the flip-out rotating LCD screen, which is VERY useful when your camera is on a tripod, is low to the ground, or when the camera is pointed up but below shoulder height, because you can simply flip the LCD screen to the proper viewing position instead of getting down behind the camera. You can also use it to shoot over peoples' heads and use it to get a preview when you are doing self portraits.
All Canon cameras also come with an excellent software package that lets you stitch panoramic photos, retouch photos or rescue those that came out wrong, add special effect, and view thumbnails of pictures so you don't have to open them up to see what the picture looks like (good for those who are using an older version of windows, I know there are still a lot of you out there). The best part is that it's free! It does more than Kodak's software(which is pretty decent), you have to pay $20 to get the better version of Olympus's software, and Sony's editing software is pretty much non-existent. Those who already have Photoshop won't be excited.
For those of you who are concerned that the camera doesn't come with rechargeable batteries, don't worry, it's really not a big deal. Good rechargeable AA's, type NiMH are super cheap at around $10-$15 for 4, compared to $50 for Lithium Ion battery packs, and at that price, everyone can afford a spare set, which is really important to have. I've seen people who bought much crappier cameras at the same price, just because they came with rechargeable batteries - not a smart choice in my opinion.
Yes, there is the problem with purple fringing, but it's not a very common problem and most people either don't know what it is or don't even know think it's much of a problem when they see it. Some people think it looks cool. With full control over aperture, you have the ability to get rid of it or at least reduce it. Compared to the problems that other manufacturers have with their cameras, I'd take a bit of purple fringing over noise, soft/fuzzy images, and over-sharpening any day!
If you are looking to spend much less but want to get pretty much the same camera at 4 megapixels, check out the Canon Powershot A85 or the 3 megapixel A75. you lose the rotating LCD though.
Another Satisfied Customer
I bought this camera for a trip to Yosemite, and it didn't disappoint. This is my second digital camera - my first was an Olympus 2MP that I've had for a few years. The Canon blows it away in features and picture quality.
I like the size of the camera - it's easy to carry and store (like in my wife's handbag), without being too heavy or bulky. I had considered an ELF, but I didn't want the compromises that the sub-compacts make in features and useability. I had also considered a digital SLR, but that would have precluded the use of the wife's handbag as a storage container. I also thought the SLR's were overkill for someone who's a fairly casual amateur photographer. Don't get me wrong, I've been taking pictures for over 40 years and have used some very sophisticated equipment. But, these days, I want something easy to carry and easy to use. If you're serious about photography, by all means go for the big guns.
I won't go into a littany of the Canon A95's features, since others have done a good job of that. Suffice it to say that, except for real photo enthusiasts and professionals, this camera has everything you'll ever need, and more.
I took about 200 pictures and a few movies, and viewed them both digitally and in print (Ofoto). They are, almost without exception, excellent. Being new to the camera, and having forgotten the manual while I was on vacation, I didn't come close to using all of its features. I used the built-in scene modes extensively (easily accessible using the rotating wheel that surrounds the shutter button - nicer than having to navigate menus), and they worked as advertised. Some of the scenery shots of Yosemite are really spectacular, rivaling some of the professional shots I've seen for sale (if I do say so myself). I've blown some of them up to 8x10 and printed them myself, and the resolution is more than adequate. I'm sure I could go up to 11x14 or 16x20 and still get excellent prints (if I only had a printer that could do that - it's on my wish list). I especially liked the panoramic mode - after you take a shot, the previous picture is displayed immediately beside the shot you're lining up, letting you line up the shots almost perfectly. I printed a panorama that I took from one of the Yosemite overlooks on 3 8x10 sheets and it blew me away.
Boot-up time is very quick, and the shutter delay wasn't at all offensive. Like most point-and-shoots, you have to hold the shutter button down 1/2 way to get it to set focus and exposure, but once you do that, the camera takes the picture quickly. The delay while the camera stores the image to the memory card is also not excessive (tha camera displays "busy" on the LCD while it's doing that).
Battery life was excellent. I've been using the I-C3 15-minute rechargable batteries with great results (Amazon carries the Ray-O-Vac batteries and charger, they're also available elsewhere in those electronic shops you find in malls and shopping centers).
The swivel LCD is a great feature. I agree with others that talk about it being a little hard to see in brightly lit areas. Of course, you can always use the viewfinder.
You'll definitely need a bigger memory card - I bought a 1GB, which seems to hold about 700 pictures at the default resolution. The price of CF cards of this capacity has recently dropped, so I'd highly recommend one or two of these. I didn't change the camera to the super-fine mode, so I don't know what effect that has on capacity. I was able to take all the shots I wanted, as well as some 10-30 second movies and I still had plenty of memory left.
My only other minor complaint (other than the LCD visibility problem), is that the maximum optical zoom range is only 3x. If you use the digital zoom, you can go up to 12x, but you lose resolution. Take this into consideration if you need a high-powered zoom. The camera does have interchageable lenses, so that's one way to overcome this limitation (I haven't priced any of the other lens options).
Overall, I highly recommend this camera.
