Canon Powershot A2000 IS Review

The Canon Powershot A2000 IS has 10 megapixels and a 6x optical zoom lens. The lens has image stabilisation built in.

I can't claim that the Powershot A2000 IS is a great looking camera when compared to some of the more stylish cameras on the market. The emphasis is on the quality of the pictures it takes. Based on picture quality it offers very good value for money.

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Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
We start off with a picture with lots of colour and brightness. In terms of sharpness the Powershot A2000 IS also does very well. The brickwork on the building in the centre of the shot is more or less pin sharp and even as you move towards the edges of the photo sharpness is well above average.

As is typical at this time of year there is some detail lost in the lightest areas of the shot as the sun reflects directly back into the camera lens.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
This is another shot where focusing is above average. It is only in the most distant areas of the shot sharpness slips noticeably.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
With the lens zoomed into its maximum the Powershot A2000 IS is able to show lots of detail. Areas such as the tiles on the roofs are crystal clear even with the photo blown up. Levels of detail on the boats are also clearly showing. Once again there is plenty of vibrant colour in the photo.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
Based on my four outdoor scenes Canon produces the sharpest photos with a standard, compact digital camera. Each brick on the building can be seen clearly and it is only the darker foliage on the right hand side of the picture where any detail is lost.

Outdoor Portrait
I like this photo. This is another example where the colours and brightness compliment each other. The colours have a natural look to them

Indoor Portrait with Flash
A lot of compact digital cameras in this price bracket struggle with flash. Sometimes the flash unit is not powerful enough or the camera is unable to control the flash adequately. This leads to colour being washed out of the shot. It can also lead to the colours looking harsh. The Powershot A2000 IS does very well. The flash unit illuminates the photo evenly and manages to retain plenty of colour. In fact this is one of the best indoor portrait shots with flash I have taken recently.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
This is the one photo that the Powershot A2000 IS does not quite pull off. With the light good, but not perfect the camera is not able to produce a photo with really sharp focusing.

Colours
I like the colours the Powershot A2000 IS gives to its photographs. The colours are quite powerful, but they interact very well with the brightness in the photos.

Macro
This is another area where Canon digital cameras excel. When you take the price of the camera into account the close up photos it is capable of taking are of a very high standard.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
Noise is always a problem when ISO settings are boosted. At ISO 400 levels are acceptable, but go any higher and there is a clear trade off as noise becomes more and more obvious.

Overall
Overall I am very pleased with the photos I have taken. I would describe this camera as some way above average.

There are no problems if you are in good light and don't need to use flash. The moment you turn on flash the Powershot A2000 IS slows down considerably. Without flash times were 0.39 seconds for a single photo and 9.8 seconds for five. Once flash was turned on times increased to 1.15 seconds and 25.35 seconds with flash.

Turning the camera on and taking the first photo took a respectable 2.47 seconds.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The A2000 IS looks a bit different to earlier Canon Powershot models. The SLR-like grip on the front of the camera has been removed to leave a more standard rectangular shape. It is too large to be deemed pocket sized.

101.9 x 63.5 x 31.9mm

190g

Two AA batteries are used to provide power. This range of cameras can be very battery hungry, so it is worth investing in some rechargeable batteries.

Instead of building memory into the camera itself Canon supply a 32mb SD card with the Powershot A2000 IS. This should be enough for about 10 photos. The camera is also compatible with SDHC cards.

Click here to save money on SD cards..

Very good. You should not take to long to find your way around the camera. There is an easy mode to simplify the camera further.

Picture quality - value for money

Slow when flash is turned on

Another camera with extra zoom you might consider is the Ricoh R8.

Everyone is looking for something different from a digital camera. If picture quality and a bit of value for money is more important to you than digging deeper for a more stylish, pocket camera then the Powershot A2000 IS makes an excellent choice. The extra zoom offered by the 6x is a handy bonus.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Canon Powershot A2000 IS