Canon PowerShot A3300 IS replaced A3100 as the top model of the inexpensive PowerShot digital camera line. With a 16 megapixel sensor, a lens with a five-fold optical zoom with image stabilizer and a 3-inch screen, the Canon camera has a thin and light body in four colors. Its other main features are HD-video in 720p format, 32 shooting modes, including intelligent Smart Auto and Easy with scene recognition technology, 6 creative filters, a face recognition system, automatic red-eye correction and a DIGIC 4 graphics processor. This Canon model , the price of which at the time of appearance did not exceed $ 179, is available in red, pink, silver and blue.
Main characteristics
For those who need a small and convenient camera for an active evening or day holiday or vacation, the inexpensive Canon PowerShot A3300 IS is suitable. The characteristics of an easy-to-use digital compact camera are determined by its 16 megapixel sensor, a modest 5x optical zoom with a wide-angle focal length of 28 mm, a 3-inch LCD screen and an optical image stabilizer.
The front proudly stands out the lens, just above which is located a thin slot of the flash. This arrangement, according to owners, can cause problems with red pupils. Optics covers focal lengths from 28 to 140 mm in 35 mm equivalent.
The range includes models A3100 and A3200, from which the A3300 compares favorably with great functionality. Build quality is the same as in younger models, and there are the same features. On the top panel is a dial disk that provides access to shooting modes such as Video, Standard, Automatic and Program, which will do everything by itself, but will open more options in the system menu.
Canon PowerShot A3300 IS: instruction for choosing operating modes
Selecting an icon with two intersecting circles, you can go to the function menu and select one of six special effects. They are all here for fun and include the effects of a poster, high brightness, a toy camera, a thumbnail, and black and white. But the best of them is the fisheye. It inflates the center of the frame, shifting the rest of the image to the edges, which looks good on selfies. Another feature is the on-screen visualization control mode, which brings up three sliders to adjust contrast, saturation, and color temperature.
There are times when a loud squeak and buzzing accompanying the picture are undesirable, for example, when shooting animals, in a library or museum. In this case, Canon has provided a separate mode. In this case, nothing else will change, just the camera will be much quieter. The only sound made in this case is a light click of the shutter opening and closing.
Rear panel
The 3-inch LCD screen is located on the rear panel on the left, and the buttons are shifted to the right. Of course, all modern digital cameras have a similar design, but Canon did not leave room for anything superfluous. There is a place where you can put your thumb, with three tabs directly above the play button. No matter how it sounds, the camera is nice to hold and work with.
Control keys
To the right of the screen are all the buttons that provide access to the main controls. The Menu button is intended to call up the main menu, which is more advanced than the functional one. It allows you to change basic A3300 settings, such as focus points, zoom, and flash settings. The menu has two tabs, with a camera icon for shooting modes and a key with a hammer to change the date and time, format the memory card and select a language.
For everyday shooting, the A3300 has a lightweight function menu. It is called by pressing a button in the center of the navigation bar. The menu allows you to change the standard camera settings, such as ISO, exposure metering, "Switch to continuous shooting mode" and "Choose file size". After completing the setup process, pressing the button again will save the changes made.
Around the function menu call button are four more. The top one gives you access to exposure compensation settings that make the aperture open or close in two steps if the subject is too bright or dark. Pressing the right button gives access to the flash settings, and the bottom - activates the timer mode. In this case, you can select a delay of 10 or 2 seconds or enter a custom time period.
Memory cards
The Canon PowerShot A3300 IS is compatible with any MMC or SD memory card available today. The difference between them is that on SD there is a small lock button and its capacity is much greater. SDHC card options up to 32 GB and SDXC are supported with a theoretical maximum capacity of 2 TB (2048 GB).
Digic
When they get to know the A3300, users may not know the terminology used by some manufacturers to describe its characteristics - for example, what is the DIGIC processor and iSAPS technology. The processor was created by Canon for digital image processing. The A3300 uses its fourth version, which appeared in 2008 and is characterized by a higher speed, improved noise reduction technology and the ability to record video in Full HD format. The camera does not reach its level, so the performance is more than enough. DIGIC is the heart of the camera. When the user takes a picture, the information passes through the processor before saving to the memory card. During this time, the image becomes more clear, compressed, the necessary colors are forced in it to make it more attractive.
iSAPS
Today, each camera has its own scene recognition system. Panasonic (technology pioneer), for example, calls it Intelligent Auto, but they all do the same thing. The system analyzes the image and selects the correct shooting mode to get the best photo. For example, if there is a person in the frame, the camera automatically selects settings for portrait photography that provide face recognition, and, if necessary, prepares a flash. The system is based on thousands of stories stored in the device’s memory, so it’s pretty reasonable.
Conclusion
Canon PowerShot A3300 IS customer reviews are called solid, providing good image quality and perfectly coping with noise for the available resolution and tiny camera sensor. It also allows you to take a walk of your imagination by offering effects such as miniature, fisheye, and toy camera.
This is an easy-to-use Canon camera with an easy-to-understand menu and intuitive controls. The design of the A3300 is good, although, according to users, the mode dial is a bit uncomfortable. But this does not impair the operation of the Canon camera.
The prices for this model are quite low, and the money given for it will not be wasted. The camera surprises with low noise at low and medium ISO, as well as speed. For those looking for a pretty compact camera for shooting on holidays or weekends, the Canon PowerShot A3300 IS will be one of the options to consider.