Reason to buy A610 versus A620 versus ?

I am in the process of purchasing a digicam for work purposes. We design and

manufacture medical analyzers. We have sufficed with a Sony Mavica 1.6 for a

number of years and it has been a real workhorse. We liked it because of the

universal use of 3.5" floppy drive and no need to have software or cables for

anyone who had need to use it. But the days of the 3.5" floppy are pretty

much gone and we can certainly bump our resoulution a bit. We don't need a

ton of pixels, we do need good macro capability, something with a bit of size

(avoiding the really tiny pocketable cameras), which has led me to the Canon

A610 and the A620. We are looking to spend no more than about $300. The only

noticeable differences I can find between these two cameras is one is 5Mp and

the other is 7Mp respectively. Both are presently the same price.

 

My questions are:

 

1) Both have the same size sensor, is it safe to assume that the 5Mp version

will do better in low light which would be something that would be more useful

for indoor use?

 

2) Should I be considering something else?

Our needs are: good macro, bigger size (easy to grip and less likely to

lose), durable, 3 Mp or more, flip screen, decent video, easy to operate, able

to use rechargeable batteries.

What we don't need: Long zoom range, wi-fi, direct printing, slim size.

 

Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer.

<<The only noticeable differences I can find between these two cameras is one is 5Mp and the other is 7Mp respectively. Both are presently the same price.>>

 

That is the only difference.

 

<<Both have the same size sensor, is it safe to assume that the 5Mp version will do better in low light which would be something that would be more useful for indoor use?>>

 

I personally believe you would be hard-pressed to see any difference in noise levels at ISO 400 between the two.

 

The A620/A610 are excellent cameras and either would be a very good choice.

 

Alternativly, you could take a look at the Fuji F30 which has very good high-ISO performance for a small digital camera.

According to DPreview, the 7 mp Sony sensor has better noise performance than the older 5 mp chip. The Fuji F30 would be on my shopping list.

After extensive test reading I went for the A620. It has a newer (Sony) sensor than the A610 and is actually less noisy. The higher resolution is a benefit if you are enlarging. Otherwise, 5MP is plenty for small prints. Both are highly recommended. If they're priced closely, I'd say the A620 would be the better value.

If the A620 is not any noisier and the price is the same, all other things being equal, it seems like it's the logical choice. Thanks for all the advice.

actually all the tests I see and read show the A610 has LESS noise at 400 speed than the A620. I have the 610 and it does pretty well at 400 speed.

My camera is the Canon A620, but the A610, except for lower pixel CCD, is the same. The first priority for a snapshot camera is SPEED. This one has it in spades. Very fast shot-to-shot and negligible shutter lag. The first priority for a hobbyist camera is manual control. The A6�0 has Auto, program and many preset scene modes. It also has shutter priority, aperture priority and full manual mode. Computer imaging enthusiasts will be disappointed that the A60 cameras do not provide RAW picture format, but it does produce excellent detail in Fine JPEG mode, and I think many in even that group would be satisfied. The lens is excellent for such a small camera. It is fast at f4.1 on the telephoto end of the zoom, very important for family photographs outdoors (fewer blurred photos of children or pets at play). Really good ISO400 results for even more speed. Color and white balance is excellent, right out of the camera. Photos are vivid and life-like. The flash is small, so if you use that a great deal I recommend something like the Sony slave flash which attaches to the tripod fitting on the camera. The zoom works fast. The controls are well laid out, and the camera is easy to handle (my hands are fairly long, I�m 6-2). The menus are easy to use and quick to find. I have not needed to open the manuals, so I can�t comment on those. The LCD is bright, and preview mode is fast (the swiveling LCD is fantastic). The optical viewfinder is adequate and bright enough (about 80% coverage, I think). The camera fits in my shirt pocket, but with quite a bulge. Buy a larger SD card because the 32mb card with the camera only holds 9 photos at best quality. AA batteries are convenient. Get a good set of rechargeable batteries with a set of cheap alkaline for backup, and you are ready to go (good battery life here). I have not used movie mode and I might never do so, though I hear it is very good; there is a printer output that I do not use; the camera comes with software that I do not use, so I cannot comment on those three things.

The door for cable connections is flimsy. I opened it once and had trouble closing it. Had to force the top clip to engage. Buy a card reader ($10 or $20) and forget about the cables. Overall, great camera and great photos.

Will Johnson

 

<p><a href="http://www.redopinion.com/digital-camera/category/canon/powershot-a620/">http://www.redopinion.com/digital-camera/category/canon/powershot-a620/</a></p>

 

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