- 5-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 13 x 17-inch prints
- 2.0-inch vari-angle LCD display; 4x optical zoom
- Shoot high-quality movies at up to 60 frames per second
- 20 shooting modes including My Color settings for customization while shooting
- Powered by 4 AA-size batteries; stores images on SD memory cards (16 MB card included)
Product Description
The surprising PowerShot A610 offers many features you’d expect to find only on higher end models. For example, there’s a 5.0 Megapixel CCD that lets you print large, richly detailed prints. Just as importantly, this camera is equipped with a complete range of advanced functions that make shooting relaxed and simple – whether you’re a novice or a pro.
$429.95
3.5
133
Canon Powershot A610 5MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
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I had been looking forward to this purchase ever since I saw the press release about the A610. I ordered it from Amazon as soon as it was in stock, they shipped it immediately, one-day shipping got it to me exactly when I expected it.
I am not ordinarily one to make such broad, sweeping statements, but I am very, VERY impressed with this camera. Here are some initial impressions:
- Movie mode is great…it makes AVI files in 160, 320, or 640 resolution (4:3) with okay quality mono sound. It uses very low compression, so you get great quality but large file sizes. The way I calculate it, you can get a 640×480 30fps AVI encoded at 2MB/s. You can use the zoom before you hit the shutter, but you cannot zoom while filming. Bummer.
- The autofocus mechanism is spectacular. It seems to have 9 zones in the AiAF setup, and will make a best guess at where you are focusing and show you those zones before you pull the shutter release. You can also put it in “FlexiZone” which lets you move a single autofocus point around the frame, allowing you to ask the autofocus to aim wherever you’d like. Macro focus is great…it really does focus accurately at ranges as close as a centimeter from the lens when zoomed all the way out (1x). It does have a manual focus setting, but I can’t yet beat the autofocus.
- The “My Colors” feature is cool…one of the modes allows you to replace one color for another (you select by aiming the center of the frame at the colors you select). You can also set it to select one hue, washing all others to grayscale. For the photoshoppers out there, it’s also got a mode where it stores both the original shot and the color-altered shot on the card. No worries.
- The photos I take with auto-exposure and autofocus turn out beautiful, crisp, and with great color balance (the RGB histograms look very even). I can even get zoom shots of a close subject where the background appears blurred…very pretty.
- The camera’s user interface is quick enough to learn if you read the booklet. On-screen menus are very informative without being over-designed.
Do yourself a favor and buy this camera or the A620. You will be investing in a very capable tool at an extraordinarily reasonable price. Buy a big SD card, too, so you don’t have to worry about setting the camera on anything but the highest resolution and lowest compression.
Rating: 5 / 5
I am very pleased with the camera, love the full manual settings, great movie mode (u can even zoom) and best of all it takes great pictures! This is the follow up camera to the A95, advantages include a bigger LCD, digic 2 processor (which means faster speed), high-speed 2.0 USB connection, better macro mode (less the half an inch!), 4 optical zoom. I think the biggest thing I noticed was the speed of the zoom lens and ability to focus. Macro shots is simply amazing! Personally I would get the Sandisk Ultra 2 SD memory card to go with this for top speed. Its a simply amazing camera you will love!
Rating: 5 / 5
I am a first time buyer for this type of camera. I spent days on the computer researching and trying to get the best deal for my money. I’m one picky customer and I really hunt for bargains! Consumer Reports rated the A95 as being a best buy, so when I heard that the A610 was a step up, I bought it. I’ve also purchased the charger, batteries, and case to go with it. (It’s cheaper to buy them as a kit). So far I’ve been thrilled with everything. It is a great camera for both beginning and advanced users. The menu is not too complicated, like many of the cameras out there. The quality is good also. It feels very sturdy and comfortable in my hand. The size is perfect: not too small and not too large. I have larger hands and the buttons and controls are easy to use. I love the zoom lens. This camera has 20 different settings for picture-taking which was important for my husband and I because we like to take close-ups of nature. It has other settings for taking action shots, portraits, snow, and beach pictures. It even gives you the option of taking multiple shots and later turning them into a panoramic photo! The screen is larger and swivels around to different positions so that I could even take a self-portrait if I wanted to. This camera offers many thoughtful details and is easy to use (after you read the directions, of course). I would not hesitate to recommend this fine camera! It is a real deal for the money.
UPDATE: I’m still lovin’ my camera! It took a while to learn how to operate all the functions, but it’s been fun! The pictures are clear! I can’t imagine not having a camera that didn’t have the swivel screen. I just purchased a tripod and can now swivel the screen around and set the timer to see exactly where I need to stand to be sure we’re all in the shot! It’s so nice that my husband wants one for himself!
Rating: 5 / 5
I have my A610 a week now after having owned two digital cameras. The last camera was a Canon A10 so this camera is a vast improvement. I love this camera! The pictures are wonderfully clear and crisp. My only negative comment is that it is a little tricky getting a good focus and exposure at macro settings. This thing will focus down to 1 cm! I found it best not to use the flash on close up shots as it tends over expose. The manual tells you this and a good exposure is possible with just a minimal amount of light without the flash.
The menus are straight forward but complex. Canon has allowed settings for just about everything. I can’t imagine a setting that was missed.
The camera is slightly on the large size and a little heavy since it has 4 batteries, but it runs forever on that power source. The extra space needed for the batteries gives the camera a nice grip since the front protrudes out allowing you to hold the camera very still for low light settings.
I like the finish on the camera contrary to previous complaints. It is a textured silver finish rather than gloss and, I guess, it all a matter of taste. I do not think it has a cheap finish. Besides, the fit or the various pieces are almost perfect. This should not discourage you from buying this camera. Actually, I would have preferred an all black camera anyway, but silver seems to be the rage these days.
It has wonderful low light capabilities which are better than my old 35mm SLR. I was really surprised about this. I have noticed no noise problems in really low light.
The mechanical mechanisms are quiet and sound very refined. My old camera was rough and noisy.
We looked at a lot of cameras an did a great deal of research. I am very satisfied with this purchase and highly recommend it.
Rating: 5 / 5
The Cannon PowerShot A610 is a wonderful camera.
- 4 AA batteries mean that you don’t have to charge a proprietary battery pack and you can refill at any store
- Long battery life, we use 2000mAh NiMH AAs and they last for weeks of casual shooting. At a friends wedding I took over 200 pictures, most with flash and did not need new batteries.
- Fast shutter response, not as fast as an SLR, but close.
- Large fold out screen, this opens up a huge range of picture taking that you never thought possible.
- Great pictures on the auto setting, just point and shoot for setting free pictures.
- Great range of settings, from “kids and pets” for fast shots to completely manual.
- Buy the fastest 1GB card you can find and you will never have to worry about changing cards again.
- Great movie mode, perfect for those moments that look better on film.
- Excellent display options for reviewing your photos.
- Additional timer function where you can have it take multiple shots after a delay so if people are blinking or being silly you have several to choose from without running back to the camera
- The only drawback is its size, if you want a “pocket” camera this is not for you, the large size does make it easy to hold and stable for using the timer.
Rating: 5 / 5