Canon Powershot A2400 IS Review

Simple and Easy

16 Megapixels 5x Zoom

Dimensions: 94.4 x 54.2 x 20.1mm Weight: 126g

Good Points: Picture quality, value for money

Bad Points: Slow responses with flash

Overview

The Canon Powershot A2400 IS is one of the cheaper pocket sized cameras from a recognised brand. For a camera at this level it offers exceptional picture quality that the majority of similar priced digital cameras cannot match.

With the Powershot A2400 IS Canon have placed the emphasis on more traditional photography features and picture quality ahead of some of the latest buzz features such as 3D photos and 360 degree panoramas.

It is relatively easy to use and can be used as a very simple point and shoot digital camera in automatic mode.

Compared with other pocket digital cameras at this price point the Powershot A2400 IS has the following features:

Plus Points

High Definition Movies
3cm macro mode
Image Stabilisation for video as well as stills photography
In camera help text

Negative Points

No 3D Photography Mode
No Motion Panoramas

Why Buy the Canon Powershot A2400 IS

The Powershot A2400 IS is a very good choice is you are looking for that bit of extra picture quality without out paying out for a digital camera that has a wider range of features.

Features

Megapixels and Zoom

The Powershot A2400 IS has 16 megapixels and a 5x zoom lens. The focal length of the lens is equivalent to 28 - 140mm in 35mm format.

Movie Mode

You can record High Definition Movie clips. The maximum recording time for an individual movie is 29 minutes and 59 seconds unless the size of the clip reaches 4GB first. The maximum movie resolution is 1280 x 720 pixels with a top recording speed of 25 frames per second.

There are also a number of preset movie scene modes you can use. These help you to produce better quality movies. The scene modes are Portrait, Miniature Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Snow and Fireworks.

Movies can also be recorded in iFrame format.

Image Stabilisation

Canon have equipped the Powershot A2400 IS with Image Stabilisation. This is available for both still images and movie clips.

Memory Cards

You can store images on SD, SDXC and SDHC memory cards.

Batteries

Power is provided by a lithium ion battery. The battery and charger are supplied with the camera. Canon suggests you should be able to take around 190 shots in between charges.

LCD Screen

The LCD screen size is 2.7 inches.

Shooting Modes

As well as the scene modes available for movie recording Canon have also added a range for still photography. The scene modes are: Portrait, FaceSelf-Timer, Low Light (4.0MP), Fish-eye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera Effect, Monochrome, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Snow, Fireworks, Long Shutter and Discreet.

Macro Mode

For close up work the Powershot A2400 IS is able to focus from 3cm away from your subject. That compares well against many other cameras with a similar price tag.

Advanced Features

Although this camera is primarily a point and shoot camera you do have access to some advanced features if you would like to fine tune the way your photos look. Advanced features include White Balance, Exposure Compensation and ISO settings.

Image Quality

Picture Quality Summary

Picture quality exceeds expectations for a camera at this price point. The Powershot A2400 IS is capable of producing sharp, colourful picture with plenty of brightness.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 1

The Powershot A2400 IS does two things very well in this shot. To start with the picture was taken in strong sunlight. A lot of cameras in the batch I was reviewing at the time found it very difficult indeed to show much detail in the boats. The combination of their white colour and strong lighting proved too much for the camera sensor. This was true even of much more expensive cameras. This camera does much better with good levels of detail showing.

The second point is the overall clarity of the shot. The definition again is better than some of the more expensive cameras in the batch managed.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 2

Photographing wide scene can be hard going for a digital camera. With the scene quite distant and the lens zoomed out this type of picture has a tendency to look very soft. As with the first test shot the Powershot A2400 IS outperforms other, more expensive cameras and manages to add an extra level of detail.

Outdoor Scenic Shot 3

Zooming the lens into to its full capacity produces another quality shot. The main point here is the level of sharpness is retained very well as you move away from the centre and reach the edges of the shot. One issue that highlights the difference between this level of camera and some of the better, more expensive models is there is less detail showing in areas where there is little contrast. An example of this would be with some of the tiled roofs. This is a minor point as you would have to make large sized prints before you saw any noticeable difference.

Outdoor Building

If you take the plus points from the first three test shots and roll them altogether you can see the result in the fourth test shot. The big difference in this picture compared to those usually taken by digital cameras available for roughly the same price is the overall clarity of the photo. Looking at the high level of sharpness that is retained up to the edges you would expect this picture to have been taken with a much more expensive camera.

Outdoor Portrait

You should have no difficulty producing pleasing portrait shots. All three of my portrait tests work well. Portraits taken outside in daylight are standard fayre to most digital cameras. Working closer in makes focusing easier and as long as you are not in direct sunlight you should be able to capture natural skin tones.

Indoor Portrait With Flash

Knowing exactly how much light to use when flash is turned on is a strength of the Powershot A2400 IS. There is just enough light to spread out evenly from the centre of the shot to reach all areas. Any more light would start to wash colour from the face, but in this case lighting levels are controlled more or less perfectly.

Indoor Portrait Without Flash

If you would like a more natural look to your indoor portraits you can turn off flash as long as you are working in a well lit area. Once lighting levels start to fall noise levels will increase and you will lose the edge from the definition.

Macro

For a relatively inexpensive camera macro quality is very good. Even if you were to enlarge a picture taken in macro mode you should see an impressive level of focusing.

Colours

Canon digital cameras pack in plenty of colour. The skies tend to be deep blue and any foliage in your shots will show plenty of colour.

Noise

How much noise you see in your photos will depend on how you set up the camera and the conditions you use it in. Noise levels are absolutely minimal if you use factory settings and lighting is good. It is only when you take pictures in poor light, there are shady areas in your shot or you manually increase the ISO setting that you are likely to see any noise in your photos.

Top Rated Cameras in this Category

Canon Powershot A4000 IS Rating 84/100

You get quite a lot for your money with the Canon Powershot A4000 IS. If you only plan to make small sized prints or share your photos on the Internet you may not see a great deal of difference between the photos taken with this camera and those taken with other models available at around the same price. What you might notice is that the pictures have a touch more clarity. This is likely to become more evident if you make larger prints. To sum up, if you are looking for a handy compact camera, at a reasonable price, that can cope very well with most photo opportunities this camera is hard to beat.

Read Review: Canon Powershot A4000 IS Review

Panasonic DMC S5 Rating 84/100

If you are looking for a cheap pocket sized digital camera it is difficult to find one offering better picture quality than the Panasonic Lumix DMC S5. It is such a small camera and very easy to use. It is almost the ideal snapshot camera if you do not want to spend a great deal of money.

Read Review: Panasonic DMC S5 Review

Panasonic DMC S3 Rating 84/100

The Panasonic Lumix DMC S3 is an excellent value for money pocket camera. It is very hard to beat when compared alongside its direct rivals. Picture quality and features have an edge over many of its competitors while the rapid response times are also a big plus point. If you are looking for a cheaper compact digital camera then you can’t go far wrong with the Lumix DMC S3.

Read Review: Panasonic DMC S3 Review

Canon Powershot A2400 IS Specification

Canon Powershot A2400 IS Sample Images

Digital Camera Reviews

Canon Digital Cameras

Review Date

Review Date: June 2012

Verdict

The Canon Powershot A2400 IS gives you a clear choice between a camera that has the edge when it comes to picture quality and ones with the latest bells and whistles. Picture quality is likely to be hard to beat at this price point.

Ratings

Ease of Use:
Features:
Movie Mode:
Build Quality:
Colours:

9
7
8
8
8

Photo Quality:
Style:
Indoors:
Macro:
Value for Money:

Total:

9
8
9
8
9

83

Main Features

Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:

16
5x
2.7 inches
94.4 x 54.2 x 20.1mm
126g
3cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD, SDHC, SDXC

Shutter Lag Times

Single Shot:
Five Shots:
Single Shot With Flash:
Five Shots With Flash:
Turn on Time:

0.52 seconds
16.18 seconds
2.25 seconds
23.21 seconds
2.78 seconds

Shutter Lag Table

Handling

General Handling

At a shade over 20mm wide the Powershot A2400 IS will fit into most pockets. It is generally small and lightweight. The combination of small size and larger buttons on the back of the camera mean that there is no obvious place to rest your thumb on the back of the camera. When you have plenty of room for your thumb it helps just a little when it comes to getting a comfortable and steady hold of your camera.

Flash Positioning

The flash is positioned in the top corner. This means that you will need to take a little extra care so that a finger does not stray over the flash unit and block out some of the light.

LCD Screen Quality

Screen quality is about standard for this level of camera. Viewing is easy enough as long as a light source such as the sun is not shining directly onto the screen.

Turn on Time and Shutter Delay

Shutter lag times without flash could be a shade faster, but they are not that different to similar cameras. One area where I did find a problem was taking photos using flash. When flash was turned on times slowed considerable and the Powershot A2400 IS responded slower than the majority of digital cameras do.

Design and Build Quality

There is not a great deal that makes the Powershot A2400 IS look that different to the majority of digital cameras. Canon have rounded the edges and given the camera a matt finish. It is available in silver, blue, black and pink. Build quality is good with no obvious signs of weakness.

Camera Controls

On the top of the camera are the on / off button, shutter button and zoom ring. On the back are buttons for movie recording, help text, playing back stills and movies and displaying the menu. The circular control area gives you access to select the shooting mode, set flash, change the LCD display, place that camera in macro mode, showing the main camera functions and to confirm a setting.