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Customer Reviews for PowerShot A720 IS
PowerShot A720 IS
Average Customer Rating:
(40 Reviews) 36
Rating Snapshot (40 reviews)
5 stars
23
4 stars
12
3 stars
3
2 stars
0
1 star
2
34 out of 40(85%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for PowerShot A720 IS
Review 1 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Jay
Location: WI
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No
Not Windows 7 compatible
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:November 14, 2010
Cons: Short battery life
I have had this camera for 3 years. Now I have to make special trips to get my photos developed as it is not Windows 7 compatible. Very disappointed. Short battery life and slow recall on being able to take the next pic.
6 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 2 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Pat
Location: Aiken, SC
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Excellent Camera
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:November 7, 2010
Pros: excellent camera!
I received this camera for x-mas I believe 3 yrs ago. I love it! The video and picture quality is excellent. This camera has some great features such as the zoom feature in video mode, night shot and many more that I really love. My daughter dropped it and it's not looking as good and the shutter cover for the lens is broken which is why I'm at the site today looking to buy the very same camera. I just learned everything there is to know about it. I'd tell anyone looking for a nice camera with qualiy pictures to purchase this camera. If I can find it I'm going to re-purchase it.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 3 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Cogs in cogs
Location: USA
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Planned obselesence
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
3
out of
5
Quality
2
out of
5
Satisfaction
2
out of
5
Date:August 24, 2010
The camera takes great pictures and has a great feature set including full manual control which is why I bought this product. However there are a couple of problems I've noticed. One is the LCD is useless in bright sun and small view finder does not accurately line up with the lens so you have to learn to adjust for that. It's not easy but it can be done.
The bigger problem is that the build quailty is poor. For instance, there are plastic tabs that hold the battery cover closed that seem designed to break.
There are 2 tabs in the cover and 2 raised slots on the camera body. When you open the battery compartment, you are supposed to slide the lid forward releasing the tabs from the slots, before the cover pops open. If you don't do this, you ~will~ break the tabs (or the raised slots). Well someone who didn't know this (and it's not that obvious) got a hold of my camera tried to force the compartment door open, breaking the raised slots that are part of the camera body.
There is no way to repair this, the original parts are too small and flimsy. Seems like a stupid design and a terrible reason to have to go out and buy a new camera.
The bigger problem is that the build quailty is poor. For instance, there are plastic tabs that hold the battery cover closed that seem designed to break.
There are 2 tabs in the cover and 2 raised slots on the camera body. When you open the battery compartment, you are supposed to slide the lid forward releasing the tabs from the slots, before the cover pops open. If you don't do this, you ~will~ break the tabs (or the raised slots). Well someone who didn't know this (and it's not that obvious) got a hold of my camera tried to force the compartment door open, breaking the raised slots that are part of the camera body.
There is no way to repair this, the original parts are too small and flimsy. Seems like a stupid design and a terrible reason to have to go out and buy a new camera.
3 of 8 people found this review helpful.
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Review 4 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: A720 Fan
Location: Boulder, CO
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
After 2.5 years, still pleased
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:June 29, 2010
Pros: Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, easy to use, optical viewfinder, is, 6x optical zoom
Cons: Dim LCD, kids&pets mode still blurry
6x optical zoom, image stabilization, AND an optical viewfinder. Manageable menus and pleasing photos. My only complaint is that the Kids&Pets mode left me with a slightly blurry picture; even in bright sunlight, the speed wouldn't go above 1/200 s. I don't know why optical viewfinders have gone out of favor; for me, they're absolutely necessary in bright light.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 5 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: FCIG
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: No
ok camera
Overall Rating
Features
3
out of
5
Performance
3
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
3
out of
5
Date:May 1, 2010
Pros: Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: Poor image quality, Poor Low-Light Performance, Short battery life
I bought this camera two years ago when my son was born. Compared to other cameras, the pictures quatlity is okay. I have taken over 1000 pictures with the camera, when I'm trying to find a picture of my son to send to people I have to go through several to find a real nice image quality picture. The camera is best for outdoors, camera is not good for indoors. Probaly will upgrade to a SLR.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 6 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Ron in San Jose
Location: San Jose, CA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Good compact camera
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:January 22, 2010
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, excellent image quality, Lightweight/Portable, easy to use
Cons: battery door broke, long flash cycle time, optical viewfinder not accurate
I've had this camera for more than a year. I carry it everywhere on my belt. I use it for taking pictures while hiking, biking, events, geocaching, and at work. I've taken thousands of pictures with it. What I like: the image quality is excellent, better than my previous compacts, though not quite as good as my DSLR. The macro capability is amazing. I can get really close to objects and get sharp shots. The turn-on time is just OK, but the cycle time is decent for a compact. However, the flash cycle time is way too long, so it's not great for taking lots of indoor shots. Fortunately, I use it mostly outdoors, where it excels. I've dropped it more than a few times. One time I dropped it face down into dirt with the lens open. The lens cover shutter wouldn't close very well. After I dropped it again, the shutter closed OK. Once I dropped it in a creek. I thought it was dead. But after letting it dry out, it was fine. Even the pictures were fine. The one big problem is that the battery door latch construction depends on tiny little pieces of plastic to stay closed. The corner of one of those plastic tabs broke off, so now the cover won't stay closed. I solved that problem by using rubber bands to keep the cover closed. It looks ugly, but it works. I like having an optical viewfinder. I prefer to use that in low light and bright light conditions. Also, when I use the viewfinder, I have the camera against my face, which stabilizes it. The one problem with the optical viewfinder is that it is not accurate. The actual picture has a lot more at the top than the viewfinder shows. I'm used to it, so I compensate for it. The 6X zoom is awesome. Having that much zoom range in such a compact camera is great and is one of the main reasons I bought it. The fact that it uses standard AA batteries is another reason I bought it. My previous compact used lithium ion batteries, which made it more compact, but those batteries cost an arm and a leg. The AA batteries make the camera bigger, but they form a bulge that makes the camera easier to grip. Another thing I like is the adapter ring capability. This can be used to attach wideangle or telephoto lenses, but what I primarily use it for is to attach a polarizing filter. My previous compacts didn't have that ability, so if I wanted to use a filter, I had to hold it in front of the lens. I also use this camera for taking videos at concerts (where it's legal). It's not as good as a dedicated video camera, but it does a decent job. It's a lot better than my cellphone and my previous compact, which could only take 30 second clips at a time.
21 of 21 people found this review helpful.
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Review 7 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: 7h
Location: Virginia
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: No
Love it
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:January 3, 2010
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, durable, Bright LCD, easy to use
This camera has had better low light quality than its competitors. Personally, I have no problems running a photo through GIMP to lighten it up. The noise is low enough that it doesn't distort the image.
The only problem I've had with it is that the flash isn't super bright, so any night shots past 20 feet or so are pretty dim.
Fantastic camera!
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 8 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: camera dope
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Happy shooting
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:October 18, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable, has a viewfinder, aa batteries
I didn't realise how happy I was with my A720 until it fell into clear water and was ruined. Oh how I missed it during the remainder of my vacation. It had the one essential for holidays in the sun - a viewfinder. Don't leave home without one. The zoom was good though I prefer a sliding lever for greater accuracy. But my pictures were sharp, and the 6x zoom satisfied most of my needs, without heading backwards toward the bulky new cameras, which look like my old F1s and EOS.
For compactness, range, ease and results, the A720 is the best I've found.
For compactness, range, ease and results, the A720 is the best I've found.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 9 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Anonymous
Location: Boston, MA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Very Nice Balance of Features and Convenience
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:October 6, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, excellent image quality, good battery life
Cons: Poor Low-Light Performance, long cycle time
This camera has served me well on at least five different occations on adventure vacations to more mundane family events. Snaps of people are fantastic with a flash that seems to have a fairly long range. Anti shake feature works well as well as the clip capture feature. 6x lens provides a more powerful zoom with out problems of too much shake.
Only drawback is the time it takes to recycle, especially if the flash is needed.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 10 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: tyoung7
Location: Metro Detroit, MI
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes
Exiciting Potential!
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:August 21, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable, great sound pickup, nice video clips
We bought this Canon A720 IS to take on Vacation Cruise to Alaska last Aug '08, with our old 5.0mp camera (competitor's brand). The 5.0 failed us after 35 pictures were taken. We added a 4.0GB SDHC and took over 1013 pictures over the two weeks we were in Alaska, Vancouver, and Seattle.
We used the Canon to take 830 pics and 3 video clips at a friend's wedding this Aug; 09. We used only 2.5 pairs of alkaline AA batteries, using the flash on all but 50 of those pics. The total memory used was 2.41GB. The only problem we had during that same shoot was that the auto lens cover failed to retract fully twice that day, but turning the camera back on each time corrected for this. We captured the candle lighting ceremony, the "I Do's" and the couple’s first dance with their song playing very clearly from half way across both buildings.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Review 11 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Wishing for an SLR
Location: Michigan
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
Great Buy
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:July 18, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable
I would desperately like an SLR, however, I can not afford one. For the price, this is a great camera... My biggest issue that I've had with it in the last couple years is the length of the delay between taking pictures. With a one year old, their expressions change so quickly, it seems like I miss that "special" grin more often than not. Also, for some reason the macro focus tends to focus on the object behind what I'm trying to get... Luckily I mainly use this camera for family pictures, and it was a good investment.
2 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 12 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: oops
Location: Sierra Vista, AZ
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: No
Most Excellent
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:June 8, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable
I have for more years than I can recall stuck with the origenal AE1 both personaly and professionaly. I still love it but thought a digital may come in handy. Not looking for anything special I was very happy to find the A720 IS finding it as versital as my AE1. Now I often don't know which to use personaly, though the portability of the A720 IS is a plus.
1 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 13 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Cloud Nine
Great Camera
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:May 18, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Lightweight/Portable
Cons: Poor Low-Light Performance
I think if you do not plan to do it professionally, this camera serves all its purpose. I am not having as much problem as the other reviewers say about the opening-closing batteries. Although I do have some rare problem with the light performance which could be related to my unprofessional use of the camera though
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Review 14 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: hodg
Location: Chicago, IL
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Loads of Features for a Compact Digital
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:May 16, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable
Cons: Flimsy Construction
I bought the Canon A720 IS to replace an older Canon Power Shot model that had been stolen. The 6x optical zoom and full manual mode sold me. I had not yet come across a compact digital with manual focus, so that was a major selling point. Also, I take many photos in low-light situations, and the performance of all of my previous cameras had been disappointing. The image stabilization and broad range of ISO options has made taking excellent night-time shots SO much easier. My only complaint is that the memory card and batteries are accessed using the same door, so if you aren't careful when removing the memory card, the batteries may fall out. A relatively minor design flaw for an overall excellent camera.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Review 15 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: jss
Location: Austin TX
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Not quite as nice as my old A series
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
3
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:May 12, 2009
Pros: more pixels than my old one, longer optical zoom, 2 aa batteries: can get almost anywhere anytime
Cons: Flimsy Construction, only 30 and 15 fps movies
My old one, A570is or something similar was temporarily lost, so I got this one. I do continue to use the new one so it's not really bad.
As others have noted, it's not as solid as the older ones. It hasn't broken but I worry a bit about the battery cover.
My old one has 60 FPS movies, very good for simple industrial work.
I think it's a little taller than my old one, which is not good. I would consider another smaller Canon, but I really like the AA batteries.
0 of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Review 16 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: anonymous
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
EXCELLENT!!!
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:March 21, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable
I've had this product for about 7 months now and I can't help see that a lot of the cons are "Poor Low-Light Performance" and its completely false. I live in the country and at night time (no street lights, completely dark) the camera gives me great images. The camera doesn't consume too much battery; you can take probably more than 200 pictures on non-rechargeable batteries.If you want to do a night snapshot thats pretty far away you can adjust how much the lens opens for a brighter picture. And for the moon lovers, it takes great pics with the 24x zoom, with great detail. Be creative and don't be afraid to use the P or M once in a while, that really helps out not only in the pictures but discovering the camera's true capabilities.
13 of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Review 17 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Anonymous
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes
pretty good
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
4
out of
5
Price/Value
4
out of
5
Quality
4
out of
5
Satisfaction
4
out of
5
Date:February 20, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality
Cons: Missing features/settings, Heavy/Bulky, Short battery life
It takes pretty good pictures and most of the time very nice video esp if you are outside. Just wish it had wide screen for shooting movies and not have to buy another lens, Bad part is the battery life and that the door to get in to the battery's is hard to open and easy to brake. Mine broke in less then 6 months of having it.
3 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 18 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: kgr132
Location: Dearborn, MI
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Nice camera at a nice price
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:February 19, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, durable
Cons: Short battery life
This is my second Canon digital camera. I've had this camera about a year now and have been very pleased with it. The only drawback I've found is the short battery life when shooting a lot with flash.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Review 19 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Flyboy
Location: East Tennessee
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes
Small but Powerfull
Overall Rating
Features
4
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:February 18, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life
Cons: picture viewing slide switch access
I have owned this Canon A720 for about 9 months.
I really love the "auto mode" and the 'kids and pets"
mode. I have taken hundreds of excellent pictures
with this camera to date. I particularly like the red
eye prevention feature and have on many times
been able to take great flash pictures of our dog without "pet eye" ruining the picture. The avi "movie" mode is also very easy to use with excellent results. I have converted movie clips into full length mpeg movies for viewing on my 62 inch wide screen TV. And the picture quality,even after the conversion, is good. Also, with only two AA batteries for power, the drain on two NiMh batteries is not bad at all. And last but not least, I have several manual options at my finger tips for special subjects or different lighting conditions. I am really pleased! A real good camera for the novice or advanced home photographer!
I really love the "auto mode" and the 'kids and pets"
mode. I have taken hundreds of excellent pictures
with this camera to date. I particularly like the red
eye prevention feature and have on many times
been able to take great flash pictures of our dog without "pet eye" ruining the picture. The avi "movie" mode is also very easy to use with excellent results. I have converted movie clips into full length mpeg movies for viewing on my 62 inch wide screen TV. And the picture quality,even after the conversion, is good. Also, with only two AA batteries for power, the drain on two NiMh batteries is not bad at all. And last but not least, I have several manual options at my finger tips for special subjects or different lighting conditions. I am really pleased! A real good camera for the novice or advanced home photographer!
5 of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Review 20 for PowerShot A720 IS
Nickname: Scottydog
Location: Athol, MA
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes
Great little workhorse
Overall Rating
Features
5
out of
5
Performance
5
out of
5
Price/Value
5
out of
5
Quality
5
out of
5
Satisfaction
5
out of
5
Date:February 15, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable
Cons: Poor Low-Light Performance
I bought this camera to replace my wife's old digital camera. She isn't an expert photographer, but loves this little camera. It is simple enough for anyone to use and it still has some nice features that a more advanced photographer would be pleased with. One of it's good points is that you have a 6X optical zoom which is twice what most little digitals have. My wife has been very happy with this camera and loves being able to catch me in action on our vacations. You can't go wrong with a purchase of this enjoyable camera.
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