Thread: Canon Powershot A3200 IS

Capturing fun times and messing about with camera settings don't really go together, and that's where no-fuss point-and-shoots like the new PowerShot A3200 IS come in. All of 14.1 mega pixels and with a decent 5x optical zoom, this snapper is available in a range of funky colours and comes with a slew of fun features. It isn't the dinkiest of compacts out there, but is still small enough to carry easily, and the build quality is good. The controls are well placed and quite intuitive to use. There are no manual or even semi-manual modes on the mode dial but there are a few other interesting options that bring the fun element into the picture, no pun intended.

Apart from full auto and program modes, there's the smart auto for automatic scene detection, a host of scene presets. and a movie mode that offers 720p video capture. Various creative filters such as Fish-Eye, Toy Camera. Miniature, Poster etc are on offer. A new Live Control mode lets you adjust exposure, saturation, and colour temperature before you click, letting you see a preview on the 2.7-inch screen.



There's no HOMI-out though. The images quality is good for everyday shooting. Noise only starts to creep in upwards of ISO 400, and some images are slightly over-exposed, but that can be adjusted easily. The optical zoom isn't available while shooting vids, but otherwise the 720p captures are fairly decent. Overall, a good buy at this price.