10Megapixel A640 leads out Canon's new PowerShot range

[Bob Crabtree]

Canon is revamping its PowerShot range of compact digital still cameras and adding a new leader - the A640 - with a 10 Megapixel image sensor, a 4x optical zoom and a 2.5in LCD. This black-finished model is due in September at a suggested price of £329 (inc VAT) and will be arriving with two silver-finished companions, the A630 and A710 IS.

The 8 Megapixel A630 (£269) replaces the 5 Megapixel A610 and is in effect, a lower-res version of the A640. In contast, the 7.1 Megapixel A710 IS (£289) - a replacement for 6 Megapixel A700 - has a longer optical zoom, 6x, and offers a feature that neither of the other newcomers provides, an optical image stabiliser.

Full details in this HEXUS.lifestyle.news headline.

[awm]

Not to sound stupid, but why would anyone need 10 MP on a non SLR camera?

[Bob Crabtree]

Er, suppose you didn't bother reading the news story, then?

Second par says this,

Although the A640 has 3Megapixels' more resolution than its forerunner, the A620, and that does allow for printing of pretty large images - as shown by the shot below taken at Canon's launch event - the real benefit for most users will be the ability to crop into an image and still be able to print it at A4 - the largest size that most home printers max out at.

Ho hum.

[awm]

I get it, sorry about that, read to fast and missed the link.

[Steve]

I have a PowerShot A520. I absolutely love it. It's a bit bulky but it makes up with it with its feature set and the price I got it for (£200ish a year ago, I think.)

I keep my eye on subsequent PowerShot products because I figure at some point I'll upgrade.

[awm]

I love my PowerShot A85, the 3 MP are pleanty but I wish it had more than a 3X zoom. Unflutuneatly zoom seems to increase much more slowly than MP, I guess shrinking optics is more difficult than shrinking silicon.

[Bob Crabtree]

I get it, sorry about that, read to fast and missed the link.

Sorry, I didn't mean to be quite so ungracious!

[Bob Crabtree]

Something I didn't include in the article but should have was the detail of how fast these new models are to switch on and be ready to shoot.

I was told that this is now just 1.4secs (from 1.7sec) but didn't time that. Even so, the difference between the Canon models and the old Minolta that I was using to shoot them was VERY pronounced!

[awm]

Sorry, I didn't mean to be quite so ungracious!

I deserved it, I'm sure lots of people like me fail to read the articles before commenting on them.

Edit: fixed grammer-o

[Bob C adds - grammar, actually! ]

[Steve]

I deserved it, I'm sure lots of people like me fail to read the articles before commenting on them.

Edit: fixed grammer-o

It's better than slashdot; they just read the headline.

[DeMilo]

Any Plausible reason why they havn't released a 10MP camera with a 6x optical zoom? if they did i'd buy it no questions asked

[Bob Crabtree]

Any Plausible reason why they havn't released a 10MP camera with a 6x optical zoom? if they did i'd buy it no questions asked

None that I can think of - apart, perhaps, from fears about it being too expensive and also the need, as they might see it, for range-differentiation.

[BenW]

Love our a620, got it for about £160 2 months ago. The only complaints i have are the screens a bit small (Sorted in this) and the AiAF is crap and you can't change to center focus in auto mode