Canon PowerShot A75 3.2MP features than you’ll find on most digital point-and-shoots. Featuring a high-tech design with aluminum front cover and metallic handgrip, the PowerShot A75 combines a sense of both the modern and the traditional.
The PowerShot A75 has a maximum 3.2-megapixel resolution for images up to 2048 x 1536 pixels. You’ll have the depth and detail you need to create beautiful prints and impressive online results. It also has 1600 x 1200, 1024 x 768, and 640 x 480 resolution modes.
It’s is equipped with a 5.4-16.2mm zoom lens (35mm film equivalent: 35-105mm) for a 3x optical zoom. It also featuresa smooth 3.2x digital zoom, for a 9.6x total zoom. The 9-point AiAF is capable of focusing the 3x optical zoom quickly even when the subject is off-center and can be switched to single point (center) AF. An auto-assist beam helps to focus in low light conditions and the camera has a 5cm closest focusing distance.
With CANON PowerShot A75 you’ll capture spectacular images effortlessly. Vivid, radiant, sharply detailed images equal to those of higher level cameras. Futuristic iSAPS technology ensures unparalleled photographic precision High-precision 9-point AiAF and 12 shooting modes, with new Special Scene Mode for spectacular shots in special situations New Print & Share button — Print direct to any Canon Direct Photo Printer or PictBridge-supported printer ID Photo Print and Movie Print modes Stores images on removeable CompactFlash media (32MB card included) Image Formats – Still – JPEG (Exif 2.2 compliant); Movie – Quicktime AVI Built-in autoflash Compensation – +/- 2 stops in 1/3 stop increments Auto White Balance Direct Print Mode with CANON Card Photo & Bubble Jet Direct Printers Power Source – 4 AA batteries (included) or optional ACK600 adapter Includes – USB & A/V cables, wrist strap, 32MB CompactFlash Card, software on CD-ROM for Windows 98SE+ & Mac OS 9.0+ Dimensions – 2.52H x 3.98W x 1.24D; weighs 7 ounces w/out batteries or CF card.
Helpful consumer’s review
My mother wanted something more compact (and “cute”) so I sprung for a S410 for her. For my step-dad, who has Parkinson’s, the A75 has turned out to be PERFECT.
The human engineering on small cameras is a feature people often overlook. I own a large Sony digicam, but I can’t handle any of their compacts or their V1 without having to concentrate on where my large-ish fingers are resting. Another thing people sometimes fail to consider is how SECURE the camera is in your hands. A child could grab the S410 from my hands, but no one on Earth could get the A75 loose. My parents are in France with their cameras now and I’m sure that no jarring in a museum or crowded street will dislodge the A75 from my step-dad’s weak hands.
One reason for the nice grip is because that’s where the four AA batteries go. For some people (me included), this seemed like a weakness of the camera versus the custome Li-ion batteries of the competition. However, once you spring about $25 for four 1850 mAH (or stonger) rechargable batteries, you will find yourself getting double or more the bttery life of a S410 (which with it’s 850 mAH battery does surprisingly well). The well-respected dpreview website has tested the A75’s predecessor (the A70) in comparison with a slew of other small-format digicams and found it to have the best battery life by a wide margin. WARNING: the AAs that come with the camera only lasted one day of intermittent “training” use…so don’t be disappointed.
The A75 takes great pictures. We set up a scene with lots of detail to compare all possible size and resolution settings (”L”, “M1″ which is 1600×1200, “M2″ which is 1024×780, and “S” which is 640×480 (for e-mails)) and took a shot at each of those sizes with the three resolution settings (”Superfine”, “Fine”, and “Normal”). We printed them at 6″x4″ at a local Kodak digital picture kiosk (recently deemed better and cheaper than Fuji’s by a consumer group…Consumer Reports IIRC) and compared them with a magnifying glass. There were no easily discernable differences in quality until we got to the M1/Normal setting. Even then it was just a tiny difference in some detail in the pine needles of a distant tree. In other words, if you’re starved for storage card space, don’t panic — you should be able to get fantastic prints with this camera even with the lower settings. (Another indication that there’s rarely a reason to go beyong 3.2-4.0 megapixels in a pocket cam — don’t waste your money on ANY compact 5.0 cam, Canon or otherwise (ex. S500 — forget it!).
