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| My Canon A1200 unboxed |
is because I just cannot carry my DSLRs around all the time. Smart-phones' cameras are usable but still got a very long way to catch up with a true camera. Hence I decided to buy a new compact camera for convenience and here is my review on the Canon A1200.I actually neither gave much thoughts nor read a lot of reviews on compact cameras because I use DSLRs most of the time. But this baby here is a big bang for the buck which makes me super, super happy.
After looking at several brands and tested some shots, I decided to go with Canon as overall I like its colors, depth of field and interface. There are quite a few options here. I wouldn't go for the expensive ones because the overall quality of them is about the same. The differences lie in the functions, design, features, 14MP or 16MP which are not my focus here. All I care is a decent machine with an okay lens (max aperture around F2.8 - F3.0) and a not-so-stupid interface in my standard.
So what's so cool about this Canon A1200
that I have to blog on it? Here are the reasons:- Well-built, not too small so I don't have to worry about dropping it. The black camera is not shiny black so there is no issue with nasty finger print.
- It has an optical view.
- The camera has a turning wheel to change the shooting modes. I really hate touch screen or a menu where you have to dig into menu layers to change the shooting mode.
- 12 Megapixels is more than enough to me, I wouldn't need a 14 or 16 MP compact camera. I prefer quality.
- Maximum aperture: F2.8 - F5.9 (pretty good quality with low-light, see below samples).
- Nice image quality, beautiful colors and the DOF doesn't suck as my previous compact cameras.
- 1280x720p video recording, 24fps.
- Fast response.
- The camera uses 2 AA batteries and SD card. These 2 things I can get anywhere on earth.
Just the above alone already convinced me. The price is also among the lowest prices of Canon compact cameras so it's a no-brainer. When I got home, I start playing with it. A bunch of surprises I find:
- Low light mode automatically reduces the amount of pixels to focus on quality.
- I can change ISO, White Balance, color settings in the Program mode.
- The camera allows me to set aspect ratio as well. And of course I use 16:9.
- There are so many preset modes that work perfectly: fish-eye effect, toy camera, monochrome, miniature (blurs top and bottom), poster effect, kids&pets, etc...
Here are some sample images of the Canon Powershot A1200 I took:
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| Normal Indoor |
Food - vivid colors
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| Fish-eye |
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| My friend Kirk is all brain |
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| Toy Camera |
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| Low light |
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| Super Low light |
You can buy the Canon Powershot A1200 here on Amazon.com
for just about 100 USD. It comes with 2 color options: silver and black. I am using a black one with a 4GB SD card. Overall this is a purchase that it's not just me being happy to have purchased, but it's a camera that can make many users smile.
for just about 100 USD. It comes with 2 color options: silver and black. I am using a black one with a 4GB SD card. Overall this is a purchase that it's not just me being happy to have purchased, but it's a camera that can make many users smile.
2 comments:
Thank you, really usefull confirmation of what I have been thinking PLUS I do have a real problem seeing screens in strong light and have to don glasses to operate. As of now (June 2011) this is the ONLY small compact left with viewing screen.
Ordering one now!
Mike Gallagher
Thanks for the great review. I have been looking for a positive review for this camera I have just bought-the Canon Powershot A1200 12.1 MP Digital Camera. Specially with anyone with a dslr experience. We have the same principle on buying a lower priced camera which is most like the same quality as the more expensive ones. Your sample shots are great. Your review is very helpful.
Lalaine Garcia
Photographer,Philippines
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