By Leonard Goh
29/09/2008
URL: http://asia.cnet.com/reviews/digitalcameras/0,39005881,44012722p,00.htm

Canon's A-series of cameras are often seen as the company's entry-level lineup, and it doesn't help that previous iterations of these shooters were encased in cheap plastic and looked bulky. Well, Canon seems set on changing that mindset by revamping its A-series' design, and wants to show that affordable cameras can look good, too.

Although it belongs to the lower-tier family, useful features such as optical image stabilizer and optical viewfinder (OVF) are present in this shooter. Most importantly, this point-and-shoot didn't disappoint in terms of image quality.

Design

The chassis of the new PowerShot camera has been reworked on to give it a slimmer, more stylish look that deviates from the usual thick and bulky appearance of the previous generation. A Canon representative even commented that the shooter looks a little bit like the IXUS now.

While we agree that the A1000 IS does look more fashionable, it still retains the cheap plastic feel. This can probably be attributed to the material used for its body construction.

Buttons are nicely placed to facilitate one-handed operation, though we found it weird that the speaker for audio playback was situated at the thumbrest, which, on more than one occasion, was covered when we were reviewing clips.

In terms of design, the Canon is much chunkier and amateurish-looking when compared to Olympus' FE-320. However, this could probably be attributed to its choice of power, AA batteries.

The A1000 IS is available in four shades--purple, brown, grey and blue. However, color availability may vary in different regions so do check with your local retailers.

Features

Although the A1000 IS is an entry-level model, it has a nice set of features that can rival some mid-range point-and-shoots. Firstly, the optical image stabilizer (IS). Canon is implementing this function across its latest range of compact shooters. This seems like a move to counter Panasonic, which has been incorporating optical I.S even in its units for beginners.

The zoom range registers at 4x which is pretty decent, but the focal length is normal, starting from 35mm to 140mm. While we were not exactly crazy about having a telephoto lens, we would have liked the camera better if it came with wider-angle optics.

Due to the optical viewfinder, the LCD size has to be reduced to 2.5 inches, according to Canon. While some people may like a bigger screen, we think this compromise is worth it as the OVF served us well in low-light conditions or when we wanted to conserve battery life.

As with Panasonic's intelligent Auto (iA) mode, Canon has introduced the Easy mode in the A1000 IS. In this setting, the camera takes over all the work such setting the ISO sensitivity, adjusting focus (whether it's macro or landscape) and selecting the appropriate white balance. The user only has to decide whether or not to activate the flash. What we found odd was that while in Easy mode, we were not able to use the self-timer feature.

The video mode records at 640- x 480-pixels resolution with audio, and we found the clips to be quite smooth. But what we really like about this function would be that zooming is enabled during recording.

As with most point-and-shoots these days, the Canon camera comes with the usual suite of face detection and scene modes to handle most lighting situations. It has no internal memory so a SD/SDHC card would be required to take pictures. The A1000 IS is powered by two AA-sized batteries.

Performance

The A1000 IS performed quite well in our tests, clocking 2 seconds for startup time. Shutterlag measured 0.1 second, while time-to-first-shot was slightly over 2 seconds.

Face detection was quick to detect profiles and snappy to follow them as they moved around the screen. The camera adjusted its focus accordingly and we got sharp portraits most of the time, with the exception of active kids that were running around.

Focusing was fast and generally accurate, even if there were foreground elements in the frame. Flash output was well-balanced and exposure was taken for the background as well.

It was difficult to determine how much juice was left in the alkaline battery when there is no power gauge on the display. The specifications sheet indicated 220 shots but we managed only about 180. That is probably because we took quite a fair bit of videos with the shooter. In any case, replacing the batteries should be fairly easy since AA-cells are readily available in stores.

Image Quality

Canon has always had a reputation for superior image quality, and this is evident even in the entry-level A1000 IS which has an ISO sensitivity range from 80 to 1,600 (and 3,200 at a reduced resolution).

From ISO 80 to ISO 200, the pictures were sharp and almost free of speckles, except in darker regions where hints of digital artifacts were spotted. Details were meticulously rendered at ISO 80 and we could even make out thin lines in our test shots. The noise-suppression algorithm kicked in at ISO 400, and this was when the delicate balance of smearing away noise and retaining details came in. While there were specks dotting the image, we could still make out proper color graduation and minor details. As with most conventional shooters, use ISO 800 and 1,600 only when needed because you tend to lose sharpness and details in your pictures with these settings.

Conclusion

The PowerShot A1000 IS is competitively priced at S$319, and it is more affordable than other entry-level point-and-shoots such as the Olympus FE-320 and Fujifilm FinePix J50, which are both retailing for about S$359. If you require more zoom and a larger screen, Canon is offering the PowerShot A2000 IS, which has 6x optical zoom and a 3-inch LCD. We had a good time with the A1000 IS, but were wishing for wide-angle optics most of the time. Taking pictures was a breeze, especially in Easy Mode and we reckon this camera will go down well with beginners.