Canon 16 Megapixels PowerShot A2400 IS Camera

Canon announced 6 PowerShot A-series digital cameras - PowerShot A4000 IS, A3400 IS, A2400 IS, A2300, A1300 and A810, ranging from $200 to $110 in price. These new A-series models feature a 16 Megapixels sensor, 720p HD video capture, a 28mm wide-angle lens, the Smart AUTO feature with 32 shooting modes and a Help button to provide explanation of various shooting modes. The A4000 IS, A3400 IS and A2400 IS models feature Intelligent IS so the camera automatically selects the most effective image stabilization mode. In terms of lens, the A4000 has a 8x-Optical Zoom lens, while the A3400/A2400/A2300/A1300/A810 have a 5x-Optical Zoom. 

In terms of LCD, the A4000 has a 3-inch LCD screen, A3400 has a 3-inch Touch Panel with Touch Focus and Touch Shutter shooting modes, while the A2400/A2300/A1300/A810 have a 2.7-inch LCD. The A1300 and A810 both use AA batteries allowing for easy replacement.The A2400 IS is available in black, silver, blue and pink for $159.99. Here's the summary of review by Steve's Digicam:"When it comes to the quality of the images found with the PowerShot A2400 IS, you're going to find some nice results at first glance. The color quality is very realistic and images are bright, at least when shooting outdoors, which is a common strength for a budget-priced digital camera. However, the A2400 IS does a pretty nice job with the accuracy of colors indoors, too, with or without the flash. 

This doesn't always occur with cameras in this price range, unfortunately. Images do seem slightly dull when shot indoors with the A2400 IS, but its indoor images still are better than what you're typically going to find in similarly priced cameras. I was a bit disappointed that more aspect ratios and resolution options weren't included in the A2400. For example, there's only one resolution option (12 MP) at a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. All other images must be shot at a 4:3 ratio, and you only have four resolution options, 16, 8, 2, and 0.3-megapixels. The autofocus works pretty well in all types of shooting conditions. You'll notice a bit of softness when you view the images at large sizes on your computer screen, but this is a common problem for beginner-level cameras like the A2400 IS. 

As long as you aren't going to make extremely large prints, though, you probably won't notice this slight softness problem in most of your photos. The autofocus assist lamp does a better-than-expected job with images shot in extremely low light that require a flash, which is great to see. Considering how small the built-in A2400 IS flash unit is, it was nice to see this camera do as good of a job as it did with flash photos. Tiny flash units typically are a significant weakness for point and shoot cameras in this price range, so the A2400 IS does have an advantage over its competitors here. When you try to shoot without a flash and begin bumping up the ISO to 800 or 1600, you will notice some noise and softness in the images shot with this beginner-level PowerShot model, but you still can create small prints under these ISO settings. 

The A2400 IS doesn't include the ability to shoot at an ISO of 3200 or greater, but considering the quality of ISO 1600 images, we're probably not missing anything without an ISO 3200 option.Movie quality is good with the PowerShot A2400 IS, but you probably aren't going to want to replace your digital camcorder with this camera. You can shoot either 720p HD or standard definition video. As with still images, the camera does a pretty good job with creating realistic colors when shooting movies. However, if you attempt to use the zoom lens when shooting video, you're going to be pretty disappointed, as the image quality suffers greatly when using the zoom, due to it being digital zoom only. 

If you want to capture video of more distant subjects, we recommend you zoom in with the optical zoom before you start recording. Audio quality is about average, too, as you'll have difficulty picking up voices or other desired audio unless there's very little background noise and you're located pretty close to the desired source. The A2400 IS does follow moving images pretty well in movie mode, but because the digital zoom's quality is so poor, shooting subjects that will be moving away from you becomes pretty difficult. This camera will work adequately if you must shoot video unexpectedly and you don't have your camcorder available, but I wouldn't rely on it all of the time for shooting movies. 

Another problem is that Canon did not include an HDMI slot with this camera, meaning your long HD videos will take quite a while to download through a USB connection.Bottom Line - Compared to other cameras that are in the PowerShot A2400's price point range, Canon has succeeded in the areas where it really should in a beginner camera: Ease of use and image quality. You aren't going to be able to make extremely large prints with the A2400 IS, but its image quality is above average versus other low-priced models. In addition, this model is one of the easier cameras to use that you're going to find, thanks to a limited number of features and because of its Help button. However, the A2400 IS has a significant design flaw in the size and placement of its control buttons. 

These buttons need to be larger and raised a bit away from the camera body to make them easier to use. This is a significant drawback for those who like to often work through the menus. If you're looking to capture nature shots, it's shorter 5x zoom may disappoint too. If you're someone who's happy shooting in fully Auto mode, meaning you don't have to use the buttons very often, and if you'll want to shoot more portraits than telephoto animal nature pictures, the low price of the PowerShot A2400 IS is tough to ignore."

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