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Canon PowerShot A2300

rated 3.0 of 5 stars
photo:   Canon PowerShot A2300 outdoor gear

Enough of an improvement over a cell phone camera to merit taking along. Update: It just broke after ~6 months.

Pros

  • Small
  • 5x optical zoom
  • High quality pictures
  • Makes decent short movies
  • Intuative navigation of features
  • Long battery life

Cons

  • Battery must be removed to charge
  • Lens Error? It's now Broken

For a while I have been using the camera on my cell phone because carrying a separate camera seemed like a waste of space. Finally small digital cameras are, in my opinion, good enough to justify the space they occupy in my pockets. 

Back in the days of film (remember that stuff?) I used to take my SLR everywhere and even developed my own film and prints, now I just want something easy to snap good pictures so I can show my friends and family all the cool things we get to do. I might be able to find my old light meter if I looked but when I do, I'll sell it.  Maybe to a museum ;)

I received the Cannon PowerShot A2300 HD as a prize from this cool outdoor website, you might have heard of it: Trailspace. 

What I like most about this camera is the simplicity to use. Often when I want to snap a pic of something I need to get the camera out of my pocket in a hurry. Some cameras take so long to start up that the moment is gone before the camera is ready. Can anyone relate? The PowerShot turns on quickly enough to get the shot.

I wish I could just plug in the camera with a USB to charge it, but alas, I have to remove the battery and put it in a battery charger. I charged it a half star for this. The upside is that the charge lasts for over a hundred pictures before recharging is necessary. 

The PowerShot not only takes 16.0 mp photos but also records HD movies, maybe not the best quality for a feature film but adequate for my needs.  The camera has the same functions that other cameras have, it recognizes faces and fixes red-eye, etc but it has one of the better auto settings so I really don't need to worry if my subject is back-lit or moving fast, the camera can tell and adjusts accordingly.  This site compresses pictures to save space but I'll add some pictures below to detail the quality the camera produces. 

Small size.  This picture was NOT taken with the PowerShot, OBVIOUSLY!
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It held up to mist and rain.
IMG_0339.jpg

In shadows it figured out the exposure pretty well. This picture would be impossible with some cameras.
Profile6.jpg


A couple inches from the lens.  No idea what this bug is called.
IMG_0305.jpg

Wide shots
IMG_0310.jpg

Textures
IMG_0255.jpg

Evidently snow is hard for some cameras to shoot.
IMG_0091.jpg

Lights and shadows with colors

IMG_0205.jpg

I have yet to catch fast moving action with this camera in the past 9-10 months, but if it works as well as it does in other situations I won't worry. 

Jeff

UPDATE:  This camera just broke.  Last month (June 2013). My oldest son was using it and might have got sand in it and when I turn it on it says "Lens Error" and shuts down. Cannon says they can fix it but it might cost more than the camera is worth. Grrr! I deducted some stars.

Source: received it as a sample, freebie, or prize (The nice Trailspace people)

Perfect size for hiking or any time you don't want to be weighed down but still want to be able to get some great shots!

Pros

  • Very small and lightweight
  • Takes very good pictures for its size and capabilities
  • Good battery life

Cons

  • Speed for shots a bit slow for action shots

Perfect size for hiking or any time you don't want to be weighed down but still want to be able to get some great shots!  I purchased this camera to take with me on a week long hiking trip because the camera that I owned was too large and heavy to carry.

After initially getting used to it, I find it to take very good pictures for the size and weight. It very easily slips into almost any pocket easily and the battery life is actually pretty good. I have to admit the first time I used it, I didn't turn it off properly and discovered the batteries were dead when I went to use it, however, that was definately "operator error" on my part and I haven't had an issue with it again since then. As is typical with cameras of this type, I find the speed to be a little bit slow for action shots but since I primarily use it for scenery, etc., this isn't an issue for me.

I would recommend this camera for anyone needing a small, lightweight camera that takes good pictures for a reasonable price!

Source: bought it new
Price Paid: $110

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Specs

Price Reviewers Paid: $110.00

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