Canon Powershot A200 Review

Click to take a QTVR tour of the Powershot A200

Designed as an easy-to-use, entry-level digital camera, the new PowerShot A200 combines a 2- megapixel CCD chip with several advanced camera features to create high-quality digital photos at an affordable price. In addition, by connecting directly to Canon's CP-100 dye-sublimation printer, first-time users of digital cameras can make high-quality color prints without the complexity of a computer. The A200 can also be used as an underwater camera when used with its optional waterproof housing to depths of up to 100 feet. The PowerShot A200 will be available at authorized Canon retailers nationwide in July,2002 and have a suggested retail price of $ 299.

The PowerShot A200 is a 2.0 megapixel, single-focal length autofocus camera incorporating several advanced camera features including Movie mode, Photo Effects, Direct Print capabilities using Canon's CP-100 dye-sub printer, and magnified playback up to 10x for precise image confirmation. It is designed to make digital photography as easy as point-and-shoot.

The PowerShot A200 also incorporates a number of high-end features including the popular Photo Effects mode originally introduced in the highly advanced PowerShot G2 camera. A low sharpening mode has been added to the Vivid, Neutral, Sepia and Black-and-White modes for a total of five separate effects for greater creativity.

The shutter speed range of the A200 is among the widest in its class with a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000 second. Combining this speed with the lens's f/5.6 minimum aperture setting makes the A200 ideal for daylight photography and fast-moving objects. Alternatively, when the one-second slow shutter speed is combined with the camera's f/2.8 maximum aperture and optional ISO 400 setting, photos taken in low light conditions can be captured easily.

The PowerShot A200 can record movies in QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) and Q2VGA (160 x 120 pixels) at 20 frames per second. Up to 9 seconds of continuous recording is possible in QVGA, and up to 30 seconds in the Q2VGA format.

Additional features offered with the PowerShot A200 include 3-point AiAF focusing; magnified playback to easily confirm critical focus, high-speed continuous shooting at 2.5 fps, 4.0X digital zoom capability, built-in flash with four flash modes and RGB primary color filters. The A200 uses two AA-size batteries and is compatible with CompactFlash Type I removable media.

Image Management Software
Bundled with a suite of programs enabling image management, editing, compositing and printing, the PowerShot A200 is compatible with a wide range of Mac and PC computers, including support for Windows XP and Mac OS X. The camera comes equipped with Apple QuickTime 5.0, Canon RemoteCapture 2.5, and PhotoStitch 3.1 for both Macintosh and Windows, as well as Canon ZoomBrowser EX 3.4, PhotoRecord 1.4 and WIA and TWAIN drivers for Windows, plus ImageBrowser 2.3 and a Photoshop-compatible plug-in for the Mac. When using ZoomBrowser EX 3.4 or ImageBrowser 2.3, users can take advantage of new and improved features for auto layout printing, self-running full-screen slide shows, and automated preparation of images for use as e-mail attachments.

Additional software includes USB Mounter 1.6 and the CP-10 printer driver.

PowerShot A200 Features

• 2.0 Megapixel CCD for images up to 1600 x 1200 pixels.
• 5mm (39mm) F2.8 optical lens, 4x digital zoom
• 1.5-inch TFT color LCD, approx. 120,000 pixels
• 3-point AiAF system with single-point center focus and focus lock
• Low-light focus assist illuminator
• Exposure modes: Auto/ manual/ stitch assist/ movie
• Motion video @ 20fps, 320x240 9 secs or 160x120 30 secs
• White balance options: Auto, daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, fluorescent H
• Shutter speeds from 1 second to 1/2000 second
• Evaluative linked to focus point
• ISO settings: 50, 100, 200, 400 and Auto (50-150)
• Photo Effects: Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening, Sepia, B&W
• Built-in flash with Auto, Red-eye reduction auto, Forced on, Red-eye on, forced off and slow-synchro
• 2x-10x enlarged playback function with scrolling
• Direct Print to the CP-100 and CP-10 printers
• CompactFlash Type I storage
• USB connectivity
• Powered by standard AA type batteries
• Optional wide angle, telephoto and closeup lenses
• Small (4.3 x 2.3 x 1.4 in.) and lightweight (6.2 oz)

Waterproof Case WP-DC400
You can use this case to take underwater shots at depth of up to 30 meters (100 feet). And of course it's also ideal for taking worry-free pictures in the rain, at the beach or while boating.

The Canon PowerShot A200 has a suggested retail price of $299 (available July, 2002) and the Card Photo Printer CP-100 is $349 (currently available). The CP-10 Card Printer has been available since 2001 at a suggested list of $299. See our review on the CP-10 Card Printer.

Physical Views

The PowerShot A200 and a standard CD for size comparison.

PowerShot A200 Specifications