Canon Powershot A650 IS Review

The Canon Powershot A650 IS is a 12 megapixel digital camera with a 6x optical zoom lens. It includes a number of more advanced features such as manual exposure controls and manual focusing. Image stabilisation has also been added to the Powershot A650 IS. One feature I really like is an LCD screen that you can pull out and twist round. This is great for awkward shooting positions and you can also move the screen away from the sun. This is also one of the few digital cameras with a viewfinder.

To increase the flexibility of the lens you can buy a series of conversion lenses for the Powershot A650 IS.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
All the cameras I tested on the day I took this photo found it hard to cope with the glare from the sun. Taken on a bright autumn day there is still a degree of strength in the sun and the fact that the sun is a bit lower in the sky creates the problem. The Canon Powershot A650 IS does quite a good job of handling the glare without being perfect. This leads to a loss of detail where the sun strikes the boats.

There is plenty of good news though. Sharpness levels are clearly better than I am used to seeing. Colours are more or less spot on. A common problem I am used to seeing is the blue lines on the boats taking on a strong purple tinge. The A650 IS is able to completely overcome this problem.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
This photo is top quality. With the lens zoomed all the way out many camera struggle to focus and also find it difficult to correctly expose darker areas under the trees. The Powershot A650 IS has no such problems and manages to take one of the better wide angle shots I have seen.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
The sharpness and definition the Powershot A650 IS manages to produces when the lens is fully zoomed in are excellent. With other brands this test shot often tends to lose sharpness towards the edges. That is not a problem with this camera and I am very impressed with the result. My only disappointment is that I would like to have seen a bit more colour in the sky.

Outdoor Portrait
I used the face recognition setting for all of my portrait tests. For the outdoor one I also set white balance to cloudy. The sharpness and detail in this photo are some way above average. I also like the skin tones and colours in general.

Indoor Portrait
This photo works very well for me. The Powershot A650 IS manages to produce a very sharp photo. Despite using the flash, colours are not washed away and the lighting is good as well. The original photo showed a small amount of red eye. This gave me the chance to test out the red eye correction tool. It worked a treat and is also easy to use.

Lowlight
Rather than using flash for indoor portrait some people prefer the camera to make the most of the light that is available. Without using flash my test result has a pink tinge and is a bit darker than I would like to see. The lighting used is not perfect, but I think in most indoor situations you are likely to be best off using flash.

Colours
Apart from when the zoom lens is fully extended there are no problems colour wise. The colours are punchy and well balanced. These are fairly close to my own personal ideal.

Macro
When it comes to clarity it is difficult to beat this range of Canon cameras for close up shots. The Powershot A650 IS produces one of the very best.

ISO 400
At higher ISO settings this camera shows an improvement over previous Canon cameras I have tested. In fact at ISO 400 the photo is quite good with only low levels of noise showing.

ISO 1600
At ISO 1600 there is a clear loss of detail as noise becomes a more major issue.

Overall
Overall these are an excellent set of test photos. I have few complaints and the Canon Powershot range still manage to be just about the best around.

I was able to take a single photo in 0.38 seconds and five photos in 12.34 seconds. Although not desperately slow it would be good to see faster times. With the flash on a single photo took 1.10 seconds and five photos took 19.66 seconds. Again I would like to have seen these times beaten.

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

The Powershot A650 IS is built along the lines of a mini SLR camera. It has a grip on the front to hold it steady and in my view is a good choice for someone with larger hands.

112.1 x 67.8 x 56.2 mm

300g

Four AA batteries are required. Canon estimate that a standard set of alkaline batteries should be good for around 300 photos.

A 32mb SD card is supplied as standard. I was able to take seven photos before the memory card was full. The camera is also compatible with SDHC cards.

Click here to save money on SD cards.

Average. With all the features the camera has it is not as simple as a more basic point and shoot. Time spent getting to know the camera will be worth it in the longer term.

Picture quality - viewfinder - flip out and twist LCD screen - red eye correction tool

Skies can lose colour when the lens is zoomed in.

The Canon Powershot A650 IS is a very smart digital camera. It has a good selection of features and picture quality is among the best you will find from a consumer, compact digital camera. I have really struggled to come up with any negative points about the camera. You will also find the build quality of the camera a step up from most other Powershot models. Recommended.

Front View

Back View

Sample Menus

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 A650 IS