Roundup: Compact Digital Cameras : Canon PowerShot A2000 IS
By
Digital Versus,
published on June 16, 2009
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7. Canon PowerShot A2000 IS
Easy Mode
Canon cameras all include an "Easy Mode" which is supposed to be even easier and more simple to use than Automatic Mode. The only setting you can change yourself with it turned on is whether or not you want to use flash. It's one way for beginners to start things off without having to decide anything all.
Despite being an entry-level digital compact, Canon's Powershot A2000 IS packs in a generous 3 inch screen and a stabilized 6x optical zoom. For an extra $70, though, does it completely outshine its little brother, the A1000 IS?
Handling
Like the cheaper model, the A2000 IS benefits from a high quality finish. The scroll wheel still provides access to the ten different scene modes, while the buttons on the back allow you to get straight to the most important settings. The screen is not just bigger at 3 inches from corner to corner, but it's now improved in resolution too, with 230 000 pixels in place of the A1000 IS's 115 000. The optical viewfinder has been lost along the way, but it was pitifully small and of little use on the earlier model anyway.
In theory, the addition of a Digic III processor should make this camera faster, but it doesn't offer overall improvements. Switching it on is a few tenths of second faster--it now takes 1.12, rather than 1.35 seconds--but both AutoFocus and saving an image to the memory card are both now slower. Nevertheless, this is still a responsive compact which is pleasant to use whether in panoramic mode or using the zoom.
As for its burst mode, the A2000 IS only manages a rather weak 1.3 fps. In the past, Canon's A series allowed you to choose between speeds, but now the best you'll get is a P mode. Unfortunately, photographers looking for something genuinely customizable are probably better off looking elsewhere.
Image Quality
On the whole, this camera takes good photos. Each shot is clean and sharp, with even coloring that doesn't lean towards any shade in particular. The edges of each frame are also reasonably clear, but if you look closely, you will notice a little purple fringing. As for video, clips shot in VGA (640 x 480) are a little blurry when upscaled to 1024 pixels.
The useful zoom feature remains available in video mode, which isn't the case on the A1000 IS, or, for that matter, on many compacts. The macro mode is very good, with the ability to focus at just 1 cm. The face detection mode, which works reasonably well, allows the AutoFocus system to work quickly.
The electronic noise management system remains good, with graininess only appearing in dark areas at 400 ISO. Blurriness is, in general, less of a problem, with images retaining most of their detail. It's only at 800 ISO that the quality begins to drop, but even at higher settings, the image is of better quality than it has been on other digital compacts.
Canon is definitely improving things, and the excellent optical stabilization means that you should have less need for higher speeds. In our test scene for night shots with very low light, we managed to capture this image using a tripod and 200 ISO, which shows a lot of detail without demonstrating any excessive graininess.
Handling
- PowerShot A2000 IS...
Like the cheaper model, the A2000 IS benefits from a high quality finish. The scroll wheel still provides access to the ten different scene modes, while the buttons on the back allow you to get straight to the most important settings. The screen is not just bigger at 3 inches from corner to corner, but it's now improved in resolution too, with 230 000 pixels in place of the A1000 IS's 115 000. The optical viewfinder has been lost along the way, but it was pitifully small and of little use on the earlier model anyway.
In theory, the addition of a Digic III processor should make this camera faster, but it doesn't offer overall improvements. Switching it on is a few tenths of second faster--it now takes 1.12, rather than 1.35 seconds--but both AutoFocus and saving an image to the memory card are both now slower. Nevertheless, this is still a responsive compact which is pleasant to use whether in panoramic mode or using the zoom.
As for its burst mode, the A2000 IS only manages a rather weak 1.3 fps. In the past, Canon's A series allowed you to choose between speeds, but now the best you'll get is a P mode. Unfortunately, photographers looking for something genuinely customizable are probably better off looking elsewhere.
Image Quality
On the whole, this camera takes good photos. Each shot is clean and sharp, with even coloring that doesn't lean towards any shade in particular. The edges of each frame are also reasonably clear, but if you look closely, you will notice a little purple fringing. As for video, clips shot in VGA (640 x 480) are a little blurry when upscaled to 1024 pixels.
The useful zoom feature remains available in video mode, which isn't the case on the A1000 IS, or, for that matter, on many compacts. The macro mode is very good, with the ability to focus at just 1 cm. The face detection mode, which works reasonably well, allows the AutoFocus system to work quickly.
The electronic noise management system remains good, with graininess only appearing in dark areas at 400 ISO. Blurriness is, in general, less of a problem, with images retaining most of their detail. It's only at 800 ISO that the quality begins to drop, but even at higher settings, the image is of better quality than it has been on other digital compacts.
Canon is definitely improving things, and the excellent optical stabilization means that you should have less need for higher speeds. In our test scene for night shots with very low light, we managed to capture this image using a tripod and 200 ISO, which shows a lot of detail without demonstrating any excessive graininess.
| Canon PowerShot A2000 IS | |
|---|---|
| Pluses | Minuses |
|
|
| The PowerShot A2000 IS is a reasonable compact that pairs ease of use with good image quality. It's just a shame that it doesn't include a wide-angle zoom or HD video. |  |
should have classified the cameras to at least price and/or final rating. i got discouraged to read.
should have classified the cameras to at least price and/or final rating. i got discouraged to read.
When you say classified, what do you mean? Do you mean the pages should go in order of price, or in order of rating? Such as the cheap ones at the beginning and the expensive ones at the end OR the best cameras at the top and the worst cameras at the bottom?
i meant group them by chosen price ranges/brackets or any feature you think is relevant since comparison between cameras is just difficult with the present format wherein it is only possible to compare models of a certain brand.
It would have been nice if all the cameras were given scores (yes I know this is very subjective, but so are all the comments and pro/con sections). Idealy they would be given su scores as well (i.e. a still picture score, a video score, a asthetics score, a usablity score, maybe some others) and then the cameras could be sorted by those scores with links, maybey a short blurb at each camera in the sorted list. Another thing that would be very usefull to myself and I assume other readers is a features table that allows us to compare all the cameras.