Product Review: Canon Powershot Pro70

Canon has an impressive line of digital cameras in their catalog, with an item for every type of shooter - the casual shooter, the amateur, the hobbyist, and the professional. For some, they fall in between categories, perhaps stuck as a hobbyist financially with a desire to move up professionally.

If this proves to be the case with you, then you know how hard it is to find a high-quality digital camera that offers high resolution, sharp photographs for a price that won't break the bank. Luckily, Canon has a wide array of digital prosumer cameras to fill this demand, and one such camera is the PowerShot Pro70.

The Canon PowerShot Pro70 is an older camera from the Canon line, and it can be purchased used for less than $50, which makes it an ideal choice for some needing a higher-end camera for a very cheap price.

If you're interested in purchasing the PowerShot Pro 70, read on. Below is a review of the camera from the inside-out, including relevant specs and image quality.

Body

The body of this camera is unlike any other I have seen. This camera is, first and foremost, a prosumer, in that the lens cannot be removed from the body and replaced with a different one. The design of this camera, however, over comes, and the body is meant to look like a dSLR.

The camera is heft and has a protruding, rounded handle, as all dSLRs do, an the lens barrel is elongated, designed to look exactly like a removable lens. In addition, and quite possibly the most surprising, is the twisting zoom lens unlike other non-dSLR cameras, where the lens is controlled digitally using a small thumb button, the Pro70 zoom is controlled by twisting the barrel of the 'lens', the same way a traditional dSLR would be.

This raises the camera notches above the competition, giving it a professional feel and look that would make anyone proud to carry.

The top of the camera has the shutter button and power button, as well as a rotation mode dial and viewfinder.

The back of the camera has your average, basic menu controls, as well as the LCD.

Features

This camera was astoundingly packed with features in 1999 when it was originally launched. One of the most immediately noticeable features is the flip-out LCD screen, which can also be rotated forward.

The zoom is wide angle, so there is no issues with not being able to get enough range in your photos. There is no distortion with the zoom, which is a major plus, as many cameras suffer from lens distortion at the extreme angles.

The pictures have a maximum resolution of 1.6 megapixels, which is smaller than some cell phone cameras. It's important to remember that megapixels do not equal quality, simply resolution. These photo's will have a max resolution a little under 2000 pixels, meaning for most shots, it's more than enough.

Storage in this camera comes in the form of two compact flash slots - you can stick two cards into this camera, and literally be able to shoot thousands of pictures before you need to download/delete some photos.

The battery are rechargeable, which keeps costs down.

Image Quality

The image quality you get from the PowerShot Pro70 is very good. The images are sharp and nicely saturated, and the colors are nearly 100% accurate. There's the option to shoot JPEG using Canon's Fine Compression, and there's also the option to shoot RAW. Truthfully, the JPEG shots come out rendered better and with nearly perfect color accuracy.

Noise is not a problem up to about 400ISO, as it is with any digital camera.

Cons

As with any camera, there is a downside. The biggest one for this camera is it's megapixels - at a little under 2 megapixels, there isn't enough for those who wish to make large, high-quality prints of their work. You won't be able to get a print exceeding 10" with this resolution, which is a problem for some people. It all depends on you, however. If you print out average 4" x 6"'s, and/or leave them on a hard drive, this camera is absolutely fine.

The other problem with this camera, and one that is no longer a problem with future cameras, is the lack of an integrated flash - this camera does not have a flash. You can purchase one to add onto the camera, but that will be an extra expense, and is a disappointing choice on Canon's behalf.

Conclusion

Overall, who wouldn't love this camera? It feels like a pro, it looks like a pro, and it gives excellent photos for filling the scrapbook or remembering your vacation. The controls give a lot of photography freedom, and the low-resolution combined with two storage slots means you can take thousands of photos in one session.

As long as you are not looking to make high-quality, large prints of your photographs, the Canon PowerShot Pro70 is an excellent choice.