Cannon powershot A85.....

[reptiguy420]

I was just curious if anyone has or has used this camera, im thinking about going getting one.If i can find a place where i can put it on layaway i may even get the next step up which is the Cannon powershotA95.So if anyone has any opinions on these cameras, good or bad it would be appreciative.Thanks in advance

[CDN-Cresties]

Check out this site that reviews digi cams. Its very helpful.

http://www.dpreview.com/

[Big Mike]

I have heard that the A95 is better than the A85. Sorry, I can't remember what the differences are.

I do remember reading that Canon has a weird system of progression with their Powershot A cameras. The A85 & A95 were developed along slightly separate lines so the A95 is not just a slight step up...it's a different camera altogether. Or so I hear.

[Jeff_Favelle]

I wouldn't pay the extra $100 for another megapixel and smaller flip out screen. I'd go with the A85. But its your money. Either camera will make you super happy, no question! :D

[Removed_2815]

Originally posted by Big Mike
The A85 & A95 were developed along slightly separate lines so the A95 is not just a slight step up...it's a different camera altogether. Or so I hear.
You might have heard incorrectly. The A95 is only a slight step up from the A85 and the slight difference is in the resolution (5.0mp vs. 4.0mp). The body is exactly the same (the A95 has a flip out screen which I don't like) and the specs are almost exactly the same (save for the difference in resolution). Do a side-by-side comparison on dpreview.com...
Cheers,
Ryan

[Ptindy]

I just bough the A85 a couple weeks ago (which is why I post pictures now) and I'm liking it a lot. I've yet to play with all the options and discover what it can really do. I'm impressed so far with it. I would recommend it if you want a average priced camera. Da da da da daaa, i'm lovin it.

Mike

[reptiguy420]

I was just curious on how good the close up shots looked, im sick and tired of not being able to post pics like most everyone else.I wanna share too!So hopefully after Christmas, unless the GREED really starts to take hold lol.

[honduranfreekk]

I my self got the A95.I do love the cam for what it has and can do thanks to Jeff ;)
butt agrea the A85 is JUST AS GOOD and almost the exact same cam exept it has 1 more meg and a flip out screen.

Kelvin@Brigitte

[Jeff_Favelle]

Let put it this way reptiguy: I took these two photos with the A85. But I didn't take them in macro mode. I took them in regular mode, on manual settings (ALWAYS manual settings). Shutter speed at 1/125 and F-stop (aperature) at 5.2. I took them from about 2 feet away on the highest resolution (2272x1704). After that, I cropped them, and kept them at around 900 x 750. It looks like a close-up, but really its just a HI-RES shot that you only see part of. Now, imagine this in macro at FULL resolution, and you'll see these camera's capabilities!!! And the A95 resolution is EVEN higher! Insane eh? Digital cameras are nothing short of amazing these days.

http://members.shaw.ca/galleryb/macro1.jpg

http://members.shaw.ca/galleryb/macro2.jpg

[reptiguy420]

Thanks Jeff after seeing those pics i think im sold on the a85, thanks for everyone else's opinions as well really helped!:D

[Jeff_Favelle]

And make sure to get a CompactFlash II so that it is Ultra speed. That way your pics will download in miliseconds! And make sure to get at LEAST a 256mb size card. Preferrably a 512mb one. You want to take the pics at the highest res possible.

[clint545]

Yup I've beening debating on what camera to get for awhile now and I think your pics just sold me on the A85. Thanks Jeff!

[Tim_Cranwill]

Hi -res is where it's at! Why pay extra for quality and not use it?

I have the A70 and my sister just got the A75. They are the same cameras save for a few tiny details. I bought it fully planning to go DSLR in a couple years. The little camera is better than you would think though. They have impressed me both from my own images and from ones I see posted here by people I know have similar units.

WICKED shots Jeff!!!! I need some camera lessons, dude! :D Do you/can you save your settings?

[Jeff_Favelle]

The manual settings are saved (shutter speed and aperature), but I take about 15-20 shots for the same picture. I usually range the shutter speed from 1/60 to 1/250 and the aperature to 4.5 to 6, depending on light. I'll take a bunch of each combination and see what works best. After a few hundred, you get a feel for what you need. The pros use a light meter. But who wants to be a pro? Heh heh

Also, a useful setting is delayed shot. I set the delay for 2 seconds. This means when you push the button to snap the shot, them camera gives you 2 seconds to steady. The very act of pushing the button causes the cam to wobble. At slower shutter speeds (1/100 and less) you can get major blur.

Also, set the flash output to the lowest possible. Snakes begin to look fake as the huge flash makes the saturation look unrealistic.

[Tim_Cranwill]

I've always used the auto modes. In fact, just now I was dinking around with the manual settings and it's tough to get a good pic but I really do need to learn the difference between F-stops and all that. I have a basic understanding, I took a class a few years back.

Two of my uncles are prefessionals and so is my step-father. I should just get one of them to give me a crash course! :)

[Jeff_Favelle]

Its all about light man. Slower the shutter speed, the more exposure (brighter picture). So a shutter speed of 1/125 will be twice as bright as a shutter speed of 1/250. Meaning, the shutter is open for that much longer to expose the "film". F-stop (aperature) is how much light the iris (lens) actually lets in. Lower the number, means more light is getting in. The more light you let in, the faster the shutter speed you want because you don't want to overexpose the film.

Make sense? ;)

[Tim_Cranwill]

Yes, it does. I knew what those two functions did, I just didn't know how they relate to eachother and which adjustments need to be made to compensate for this and that. :)

Thanks, Jeff! :D

[Jeff_Favelle]

No worries man. And now, no excuses either. ;) LOL!

[Will]

Those pics look fantastic, Jeff. I just got a new albino boy from Marc, and he's just dying to have his picture taken. I can play with the manual settings on the A70 all I want, it's getting the little buggers to hold still for longer than half-a-second that's the toughest. Serves me right for choosing hondos, I guess... :D

[Jeff_Favelle]

Ha ha Hondos are the WORST man! I think its easier to photograph a fly on crack than a Hondo! LOL!

[Will]

So true, lol.

I can only be thankful I grew up in a digital age. No way you could get half decent shots on film... :)

[Big Mike]

Originally posted by RMBolton
You might have heard incorrectly. The A95 is only a slight step up from the A85 and the slight difference is in the resolution (5.0mp vs. 4.0mp). The body is exactly the same (the A95 has a flip out screen which I don't like) and the specs are almost exactly the same (save for the difference in resolution). Do a side-by-side comparison on dpreview.com...
Cheers,
Ryan


I love the side by side feature on dpreview... it's great.

I just did the A85 & A95...I found more than enough difference to justify the price difference. Forget about the extra mega pixel, that's a poor way to judge digital cameras anyway.

The Sensor is bigger on the A95. This is the most important difference, the bigger the sensor, the less noise you will get in your images. Especially at higher ISO settings.

The A95 shoots at 2.0 frames per second, up to 14 images. Compared to 1.5 fps up to 8, for the A85. Neither of these are great for sport shooting but the A95 is definitely better.

The A95 also has an orientation sensor, definitely an nice option.

The A95 is a step up from the camera it replaced...the A80. The A85 is a step up from the camera it replaced...the A70. This is what I was referring to when I mentioned the separate lines of Canon Powershot cameras.

From the looks of things. I would consider the A80 even better than the A85.

[Removed_2815]

Yes, you'll notice my use of the words almost and slight, etc. I could have mentioned that the A95 is 35 grams heavier as well but these kind of differences are only slight and not worth mentioning when the question of resolution had already been brought up by a previous poster. Also, take note that the larger sensor size is inherently included in my mention of a higher resolution. Finally, my recommendation to do a side-by-side comparison would allow anyone to observe these slight differences. There's also an ever so slight difference in the zoom capabilities.
Do you think Canon would justify the price difference based on 0.5 more frames per second (with a max of 14 images compared to 8) for the A95? I don't... They up the resolution in order to up the price, plain and simple.
The hallmark differences are the ones I noted and are what justifies the price difference.
Best regards,
Ryan

[Big Mike]

Point taken.

Some people might consider the differences slight & mostly trivial. In fact most users of this type of camera would notice very little difference for their uses.

If I were the one shelling the money...the differences would matter to me.

Yes Canon, does slightly up the MP count to raise the price. Most consumers (& sellers) of these cameras are all too concerned with the MP number on the label of their camera. Sensor size is a much better quantifier of image quality and not really tied to higher resolution. A bigger sensor with lower resolution (within reason) will yield a better image.

Whatever the differences, they have progressed through different lines. I have heard from someone who purchased the A85, thinking it was the upgrade from the A80. They were disappointed and planned to return it to get the A95. I thought this may be helpful for the original poster to know.

Stepping back, with all the cameras out there...there is very little difference and no need to debate the issue.

[Removed_2815]

Right, and as an aside, I wholeheartedly agree that people are far too concerned with the number of mega pixels - and this is what I hinted at before. Canon (along with every other camera manufacturer) understands this proclivity to purchase high mega pixel cameras because higher must equal better (in the consumer's mind). Manufacturers use this as a marketing ploy (higher mega pixels have a higher price tag) but most people don't realize that camera's are an artist's tool and you can have all the mega pixels in the world but, at the end of the day, you are the artist and a crappy picture can come from a high mp model just as easily as it can come from a low mp model. Most people use digital cameras for the internet and rarely "develop" images in excess of 11x14", thus making all these mega pixels extraneous. It's an easy incremental variable to base price differences on is all and everyone falls for it...
Cheers,
Ryan

[BornboreD]

I recently got a Powershot A75, and always used it on auto or portrait, and didn't like the photos I was getting. So after following this thread I decided to mess around in manual mode. I'm assuming that A75 is fairly comparable to the A85. Can someone tell me what it means when a negative number in red is appearing on the screen everytime you take a pic? LIke a -2 for example??

[Jeff_Favelle]

The number is the difference between the standard exposure and the selected exposure.

[BornboreD]

so is it a good thing that it shows up or not?

[Jeff_Favelle]

Depends on what you want out of the picture. ;)

[hhw]

In my experience from editing photos for my school paper back in university, digital cameras these days have too much resolution :P I often shrunk photos just to be more flattering to the subject. Otherwise you could see every pore, every zit, etc...

[reptiguy420]

Ive never used a digital camera, heck i dont even know how the pics get into the cpu.Im gonna learn though, hopefully some of you could teach me the "arts" of photography lol.As for the A85 and the A95, i like them both as far as options, all im looking for is nice looking close ups, so the person(s) has a good idea at what they are purchasing from me.As far as price, cost is not too big of a deal to me.The first camera i looked at was the Cannon powershot G6, my only problem is the whole saving money thing.I dont have a problem laying down 100 dollars a week on a layaway plan, but as far as saving that money HA yeah right.So thats the delema i have now lol.Just seems like instead of layaway now you have to get a store "credit card" or something along those lines.I catch crap every time something has to do with credit im young and dont have a whole lot of it...anyways thanks again for all the opinions!

[Jeff_Favelle]

LOL hhw!! :)

[Kyle Barker]

so how good are teh displays on these cameras? say your out on a hike and get some pics (i also take many pics of one thing at home to get teh best look) of a waterfall, some brids, and the sunset. are these differentces visible on your lcd? how would you go about this type of thing (basically away from home and not able to store 20 pics of the same thing). or is digital jsut not there yet? and withough 20 cards :)

[Kimo]

Ok we've all heard about these amazing powershot A95's and so on, you want my opinion, go to a pawn shop and look for the camera that takes these pics!!

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/500/3646IMG_4937.JPG

This be the Canon PowerShot A30!!! Muahaha!

Josh

[BOAS_N_PYTHONS]

EVERYONE:

OK here goes my camera at work.

OLYMPUS CAMEDIA C-4040 ZOOM 4.1 MEGAPEXIL with a Super bright F1.8 Zoom Lens.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/01%20-%20BOA%20CONSTRICTORS/cleopatraredtailboa101.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/03%20-%20EMERALD%20TREE%20BOAS/lokiemeraldtreeboa107.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v520/BOAS_N_PYTHONS/04%20-%20BRAZILIAN%20RAINBOW%20BOAS/saturnbrazilianrainbowboa103.jpg

Cya...

Tony

[Kimo]

Hey Tony, i think i see some dirt between your emeralds scales there...might wanna go over the facility, and clean it again! :P

Josh

[Jeff_Favelle]

Kyle, the 1gb cards are soooo cheap right now. Even on MAX settings with this camera, a 1gb card will hold 550 pics. If you're taking 550 pics on a hike, you're a budding pro-photographer and should have a couple of hot "lackies" to carry your supplies (like a laptop to upload the pics to).

LOL!

[Kyle Barker]

oh wow haha. 1 gig cards! i still thought it was at teh 256 max stage...i guess i aint paying enough attention. was at staples today and saw teh a85 i think, $380 and they meet any price thats lower. that seem reasonable?

are these the ones you speak of?
http://www.staples.ca/ENG/Catalog/cat_sku.asp?CatIds=89%2C306%2C429,430&webid=567923&affixedcode=WW

in case link doesnt work its the:
"SanDisk 1GB CompactFlash Memory Card
Item Number 567923"
$150 each.

thsoe the suckers that fit these cannons? and ya on hikes we take over 400 pics each go and have to delete lots to make room. im gonna like this i think. couple pay checks and ill be back in the game :D

[shaggybill]

Yeah, I know. This thread is ancient, but I just wanted to point out that I have the Canon A80 and the flip-out screen is absolutely fantastic. If you dont want it flipped out, turn it around and set it in backwards, and it will be like a regular digital camera. I've had this camera for about a year now and I would highly recommend it to anyone.

[Kyle Barker]

ya i have been sold on cannon i think. once i pay off my speeding ticket im going to be getting the best cannon for $400. which i think is the a95? eventually i would liek to get some nice slr or somthing and have soem real lenses, but thats more of a dream.

[Jeff_Favelle]

A95 for sure man. Your new name is Mario Andretti.

[reptiguy420]

I just bought the Cannon PS A85, still have to figure out how to shoot close ups with out them bein so fuzzy.Im a newbie at the whole photography thing.Ill get it sooner or later lol.I really like it thus far...can only get better, ill be able to post pics now!WHOOHOOO!!!!!

[Bartman]

Lets see them pics! :D

[Jeff_Favelle]

Macro mode reptiguy (the little flower-looking thing). Piece o' cake. You're better off being 3-5 inches away and then zooming in (only optical though. Digital zoom is stupid and useless).

[reptiguy420]

the little flower thingy, Yeah i know what your talking about.I still have to download the discs that came with the camera to my puter.Hopin to do that tonight and maybe get some pics up.Oh thanks alot Jeff:0

[marisa]

For the extra money, I love the A95 so far!!! It takes amazing pics right out of the box without even using the many other settings it comes with!

Marisa

[little_dragon_]

No matter what camera you have if you are using the proper settings for your conditions you are going to get a great shot! Proper focal length and lighting is important. Bump the ISO to 400 or 800 depending how low the light is. Instead of using your maximum zoom move the camera in close just before its end focus length it will help with your aperature.
I want to purchase a digital camera for my geckos. I'm a film lover myself but scanning pictures becomes a hassle, and expense to process the pics.
How much is the A85?
Here's a film pic you can see some dust from the scanner!

http://www.ssnakess.com/photopost/data/3142/2957creamsicleweb-med.jpg

[Shad0w]

If anyone is looking for a good read about digi cams, I suggest ya take a look at www.dpreview.com
AWESOME reviews and good side by side comparisons

Personally my fav digicams:
Nikon D70, by far my fav cam!
Sony cybershot series V1, V3, 717, 818. (Sony rocks for their infra red mode's and their Carl Zeiss lens, I love the f2.0 lenses on the 717 and 818 :) SOO FAST!

[little_dragon_]

I like the d70 for stills but I find there's a delay while taking action shots.