The Canon PowerShot A620 is the replacement model for very popular PowerShot A95. The 7.1 Megapixel A620 (MSRP: $399), along with its 5.0 Megapixel sibling (the A610, $299).

• Higher resolution (A620 only, 7.1MP versus 5.0MP)
• 4X optical zoom lens (versus 3X on the A95)
• Larger rotating LCD display (2.0″ versus 1.8″)
• DIGIC II image processor
• Improved movie, continuous shooting modes
• Uses SD/MMC cards instead of CompactFlash
• 25% better battery life
• USB 2.0 High Speed support

What’s in the Box?

The PowerShot A620 has an average bundle.

* The 7.1 effective Megapixel Canon PowerShot A620 camera
* 32MB Secure Digital memory card
* Four alkaline AA batteries
* Wrist strap
* USB cable
* A/V cable
* CD-ROM featuring Canon Digital Camera Solutions, ArcSoft PhotoStudio, and drivers
* Manuals

The A620 performs very well for a lower priced camera. It starts up in just 1.2 seconds, it focuses quickly, and shutter lag was not a problem. Shot-to-shot and playback speeds were also very good. In low light situations the camera focused accurately thanks to its AF-assist lamp. The PowerShot A620 shines in other areas as well. Its movie and continuous shooting modes are very good, assuming that you’re using a high speed SD card. With that you can record up to 1GB of continuous VGA video with sound, or keep taking photos at 1.9 frames/second until the memory card is full. If you use high power NiMH batteries the A620 beats all of the competition in terms of battery life — too bad Canon doesn’t include any with the camera!

Photo quality was excellent on the A620. Images were well-exposed with accurate colors, low noise levels, and minimal purple fringing. My only complaints in this area are with regard to the high redeye levels I observed, and the ISO 400 setting that isn’t terribly useful (it’s just too noisy).

I’ve pretty much slipped all of my complaints into the preceding paragraphs, which is great news for the A620. This is one of the best cameras in its class, offering something for just about everyone, from beginner to enthusiast. If you want a midsized camera that won’t require a second mortgage, the PowerShot A620 is definitely worth a look.

What I liked:

* Excellent photo quality
* Full manual controls
* Flip-out, rotating LCD display; LCD visible in low light
* Impressive performance
* AF-assist lamp
* Very good movie and continuous shooting features (with appropriate memory card)
* Excellent battery life (with decent NiMH batteries)
* Support for conversion lenses and external slave flash
* Camera can be controller from your Mac or PC
* USB 2.0 High Speed support
* Unique My Colors feature

What I didn’t care for:

* Redeye
* ISO 400 doesn’t seem to be usable
* No rechargeable batteries included
* No diopter correction knob; plastic tripod mount
Complete review here

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