Canon PowerShot A720 IS Concise Review

Review based on a production Canon PowerShot A720 IS
The PowerShot A720 IS is a minor update to the A710 IS and is the latest in Canon's popular 'A-series' of cameras offering a strong feature set and good degree of user control at a competitive price. It isn't the smallest or most powerful camera in the World, (or even in the Canon range), but it does a little bit of everything and gives a good degree of control over what the camera is doing, if you want it. This focus on making small cameras that do their job well has seen Canon dominate this sector of the market for some time so it will be interesting to see if the A720 IS does anything to upset this situation.

The specification highlights are:
8.0 Megapixels and 6x zoom
Optical Image Stabilizer
DIGIC III processor with Face Detection AF/AE
ISO 1600
17 shooting modes including VGA movies (30 fps) with sound
Optional accessories available, including Underwater Case
Key differences compared to A 710 IS
As mentioned above the A720 IS is an incredibly subtle revision of the A710 IS. The full extent of those changes reads something like:
More pixels (8.0 vs 7.1 million)
Face detection AE/AF
ISO range extends to 1600
PowerShot A720 IS specifications

Street price
• $210• £145
Body Material:Plastic
Sensor:
• 1/2.5 " Type CCD• 8.0 million effective pixels
Image sizes:
• 3264 x 2448• 2592 x 1944• 2048 x 1536• 1600 x 1200• 640 x 480• 3264 x 1832
Movie clips:
• 640 x 480 @ 30fps• 640 x 480 @ 30fps (Long play)• 320 x 240 @ 30fps• 160 x 120 @ 15fps (Compact mode)
File formats
• JPEG Exif 2.2• DCF• DPOF 1.1• AVI Motion JPEG with WAVE monaural
Lens:
• 5.8-34.8mm (35-210mm equiv)• F2.8-4.8• 6x optical zoom
Image stabilization:
Yes (lens shift-type)
Conversion lenses:
None
Digital zoom :
up to 4x
Focus:
TTL
AF area modes:
• AiAF (Face Detection / 9-point)• 1-point AF (fixed center/FlexiZone)
AF assist lamp:
Yes
Focus distance:
Closest 1cm
Metering:
• Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame)• Center-weighted average• Spot
ISO sensitivity:
• Auto• High ISO Auto• ISO 80• ISO 100• ISO 200• ISO 400• ISO 800• ISO 1600
Exposure compensation:
• +/- 2EV• in 1/3 stop increments
Shutter speed:
15-1/2000 sec (With noise reduction for exposures over 1.3 seconds)
Aperture:
F2.8-4.8
Modes:
• Auto• Manual • Digital Macro• Color Accent• Color Swap • Stitch Assist• Movie• Special Scene
Scene modes :
• Portrait• Landscape• Night Snapshot• Kids & Pets• Indoor• Foliage• Snow• Beach• Fireworks• Aquarium• Underwater• Night scene
White balance:
• Auto• Daylight• Cloudy• Tungsten• Fluorescent• Fluorescent H• Underwater• Custom
Self timer:
• 2 or 10secs• Custom
Continuous shooting:
approx 1.3fps until card is full
Image parameters:
My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color)
Flash:
• Auto• Manual Flash on / off• Slow sync• 2nd-curtain• Red-eye reduction• Range: 30cm-3.5m (wide) / 55cm-2.0m (tele)
Viewfinder:
"Real-image" zoom viewfinder
LCD monitor:
• 2.5-inch P-Si TFT• 115,000 pixels
Connectivity:
• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed• AV out
Print compliance :
• PictBridge• Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP printers only)
Storage:
• SD / SDHC / MMC card compatible • 32 MB card supplied
Power:
• AA batteries• Optional AC adapter kit ACK800
Other features :
• Optional High Power Flash HF-DC1• Conversion lens adapter LA-DC58G• Wide-angle converter WC-DC58N (requires LA-DC58G)• Tele-converter TC-DC58N (requires LA-DC58G)• Close-up Lens 250D (requires LA-DC58G)• Optional Waterproof Case (WP-DC16)
Weight (No batt) :
200 g (7.05 oz)
Dimensions:
97.3 x 67.0 x 41.9 mm (3.83 x 2.64 x 1.65 inch)