I like the Canon Powershot A630. It offers something different to a lot of digital cameras on the market. This is mainly because of the manual exposure features it offers.
This means that the camera is likely to appeal most to someone who is looking to get a bit more from their camera than typical snapshots. Having said that the Powershot A630 has a fully automatic mode. In this mode all you need to do is point and shoot. This makes the camera attractive to couples and families where someone is looking for a more advanced camera while others would prefer something more simple.
It is quite a powerful camera with eight megapixels. The Powershot A630 also has a slightly longer than standard zoom lens with a 4x zoom capability.
There are also a couple of ways in which you can increase the zoom capacity of the camera. First there is a feature called safety zoom. This increases the amount of zoom available when you take photos at lower resolutions that the full eight megapixels. The second way is to buy a tele converter lens.
Another feature that is rarely seen is an LCD screen that pulls out. It can also be twisted round. There are two reasons why you may find this useful. First it allows you to move the LCD screen away from any bright sunlight. Secondly it can also help you if you are taking a picture where you are holding the camera at an awkward angle.
As well as the LCD screen the Powershot A630 has an optical viewfinder. These are also rare on digital cameras.
Although the camera is too large to slip easily into a pocket it is one of the smaller cameras with this type of feature set. The fact that it is not pocket size may well appeal to many people. With a raised grip area on the front this type of camera is easier to take a good grip of and hold steady when you are about to take a photo.
It is true that you do not have a great deal of choice with this type of camera compared with smaller models. Even so I think with the set of features available this camera offers good value for money.
When you first get your hands on the Powershot A630 one of the first things to be aware of is that Canon have divided the cameras features and functions into two main areas. This means that some features are controlled through the functions area of the camera, while others appear on the more standard menu system. Example of settings control in the functions area are white balance, ISO and metering. The menu system gives you access to items such as turning red eye reduction on and off and setting the date and time.
