Let me preface this review with a confession: While I write about technology every day, I'm not exactly an early adopter. I purchased my first advanced photo system (APS) camera in 2000 -- just as the rest of the world was going digital. Long-distance friends frequently ask me to e-mail photos. I promise that I will, usually too embarrassed to admit that I simply can't. Rather, couldn't. Now when it comes to digital cameras, I've finally gotten the picture.
I got a Canon PowerShot A80 after conferring with a pal. He's one of those technology enthusiasts who rang in Y2K rewinding Dick Clark on Tivo, so I checked out his digital camera (the third one he's purchased). He's got a snazzy Canon EOS that comes with dozens of components and a daunting four-figure price tag. When I stumbled upon the A80 and noticed it had many of the same features at about one-quarter of the price (and with 4, about two-thirds as many megapixels), I was sold.
On the store shelf, the PowerShot A80 jumps out at you because it's clunkier than many similarly priced digital cameras. The battery compartment bulges off the side, making it a bit more cumbersome but also giving your hand something to grab onto to steady the camera as you snap off a shot. I usually just keep the setting on "auto," but it's nice to know that I've got a wide range of photo options -- special selections for portraits, night shots and landscapes. In actuality, however, I don't notice a great deal of difference between these picture modes. The camera's menu is intuitive. Auto focus generally serves my needs but you can also manually focus or white balance.
The 1.5-in. LCD monitor flips out and swivels, satisfying the narcissist in me. No need to stop a stranger on the street. I can easily twist the monitor around, gaze at my own image and take a photo of myself. I'm not the most patient person, so I find the roughly 1.5-second delay before the flash goes off a bit irksome. But I've been impressed with the quality of the images. No matter whether taken indoors or out, the photos are crystal clear. If the 3.6x digital zoom doesn't satisfy your needs, you can purchase additional lenses that deliver as much as 11x. The A80 also enables you to take short movies, up to about three minutes in length. The camera comes packaged with some basic photo-editing software that lets you jazz up jpgs (that's the only file type that the A80 produces) or even frame them before printing.
The PowerShot A80 includes a 32 MB memory card, which really doesn't do it justice. I was only able to snap off 24 shots before running out of space. For less than $50, I upgraded to 128 MB of memory and am glad I did. Also, the camera runs on four alkaline batteries. The instruction manual promises that'll give you 250 shots and 280 minutes of playback with the LCD activated. Still, I'm definitely considering an investment in some chargeable batteries and a re-charger to tote along on vacation.
Is the PowerShot A80 picture perfect? No. But the combination of advanced features and simplicity made it click with this digital newcomer.
