|  The custom white balance feature (which is finally becoming more common) lets you shoot a white or gray card, to get perfect color in any lighting. While some higher end Canon models have two continuous shooting modes, the A75 has one. In this mode, you can take pictures at a rate of up to 2.2 frames/sec I took 8 pictures in a row at the highest quality setting before the camera started to slow down. The photo effect feature lets you quickly change the color or sharpness of your photos. You can use photo effects in any mode, including movie mode. To the right of those two buttons is the newly redesigned four-way controller, which is much easier to use than the one on the A70. In addition to navigating the menus, it can also be used to adjust: -
Up - Flash setting (Auto, flash on, flash off) - you turn redeye reduction on in the record menu -
Down - Macro + manual focus The manual focus feature lets you use the left and right buttons on the four-way controller to focus the lens yourself. A guide showing the current focus distance is shown on the LCD. The camera lacks the useful "focus check" feature, which enlarges the center of the frame, which you can use to ensure that your subject is in-focus. The final items on the back of the camera is the mode switch, located at the top in the above photo, and the DC-in port, at the lower-left. The mode switch moves the camera between record and playback mode. The DC-in port, which is kept under a rubber cover, is where you'll plug in the optional AC adapter. Up on top of the A75 are the power button, mode dial, shutter release button, zoom controller, and speaker. The options on the mode wheel include: One thing I loved about the A70 were all the manual controls. You may not need them right away, but when you get more familiar with photography, you'll grow to love them. The A75 is the same way. The zoom controller moves the lens from wide-angle to telephoto in about 1.6 seconds. The zoom moves at one speed only, so it can be hard to be precise. Here is one side of the PowerShot A75. Under a rubber cover, you'll find the USB (1.1) and A/V out ports. Behind a somewhat flimsy plastic cover on this side of the camera is the CompactFlash slot. This is a Type I slot, which means that you can't use the Microdrive (not that I'd recommend that). The included high speed 32MB card is shown. Finally, here is the bottom of the camera. You can see the plastic tripod mount, which is located at the center of the camera. The battery compartment is down here as well, and it holds four AA batteries. Using the Canon PowerShot A75 Record Mode
The A75 takes just 2.5 seconds to extend the lens and "warm up" before you can start taking pictures -- pretty snappy. If you desire, you can change the startup screen and sounds in the menu system. Or better yet, turn them off. Press the shutter release button halfway and the camera generally focuses in less than a second. It will take a little longer if the AF-assist lamp is used, or if the AF system needs to "hunt". The AF illuminator helped the A75 focus well in low light. The camera uses Canon's 9-point AiAF autofocus system (versus 5-point on the A70). The camera picks one of nine areas of the frame to focus on (you can't manually select the focus point like on some cameras). If you want to use the center of the frame to focus on, you can do that too via the menu system. The A75 had very little shutter lag, even at slower shutter speeds. Shot-to-shot speed is excellent. You will wait for just 1.5 seconds before you can take another shot. Press the Function button as the picture is being written to the memory card, and you can delete it Now, here's a look at the image size and quality choices available on the A75: | Resolution | Quality | Approx. File Size | # images on included 32MB card | Large
(2048 x 1536) | Superfine | 1602 KB | 18 | | Fine | 893 KB | 33 | | Normal | 445 KB | 67 | Medium 1
(1600 x 1200) | Superfine | 1002 KB | 30 | | Fine | 558 KB | 54 | | Normal | 278 KB | 108 | Medium 2
(1024 x 768) | Superfine | 570 KB | 53 | | Fine | 320 KB | 94 | | Normal | 170 KB | 174 | Small
(640 x 480) | Superfine | 249 KB | 120 | | Fine | 150 KB | 196 | | Normal | 84 KB | 337 | The A75 does not support TIFF or RAW file formats. Now, onto the menus! I already mentioned the Function menu earlier in the review. There's a regular menu system as well, which is small and easy-to-navigate. Here's what you'll find in the record menu: AiAF (on/off) - turns on the 9-point autofocus system; if off, camera focuses on whatever's in the center of the frame
Redeye reduction (on/off)
AF-assist beam (on/off)
Digital zoom (on/off) - using the 3.2X digital zoom will reduce photo quality
Review (Off, 2-10 sec)
Date stamp (Off, date, date & time) - print the date on your photos. This feature is new to the A75. Do note that some of those options are not available in "auto" mode. There is also a setup menu on the A75, so let's take a look at that: -
Mute (on/off) - turn off those annoying beep sounds! -
Volume -
Startup volume (Off, 1-5) -
Operation volume (Off, 1-5) -
Self-timer volume (Off, 1-5) -
Shutter volume (Off, 1-5) -
Playback volume (Off, 1-5) -
Power saving Auto power down (on/off) -
Display off (10, 20, 30 sec, 1-3 min) -
Date/time (set) -
Card format -
File number reset (on/off) - maintain file numbering -
Auto rotate (on/off) - camera will automatically rotate portrait photos for you
Distance units (m/cm, ft/in) -
Language (English, Deutsch, Français, Nederlands, Dansk, Suomi, Italiano, Norsk, Svenska, Español, Chinese, Japanese) -
Video system (NTSC, PAL) In addition, there is a "My Camera" menu, where you can customize the startup screen, beeps, and phony shutter sounds that your A75 makes, providing your own sounds and pictures if you want. You can also shut all of that off. |
