Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon PowerShot A470 Digital Camera - Grey (7.1MP, 3.4xOptical Zoom) 2.5" LCD

This is a lovely little camera. Its very easy to use and takes nice clear photos. Its really simple to download them onto my computer. The only things you'll need extra is a case, and a larger memory card, as the camera only holds about 8 pics. But I still think it was a bargain and I'm well pleased with it. I would give 4 stars because of the lack of case amd memory space.

am a complete duffer when it comes to cameras. I want a camera to do the following:

Point
Click
(or whirrrrrr if its a movie)

With the option of

Zoom
Flash

The only factors I care about really are:

Resolution of picture
Shutter speed*
Zoom

*When I say shutter speed, I mean the time between me pushing the button and the picture actually taking. I think that is the shutter speed but I may well be wrong.

I actually bought this camera for my son, but his needs (and camera knowledge) are the same as mine.

These days, resolution is no longer an issue it once was. Gone are the days of the postage stamp picture. Zoom too, seems a fairly standard feature. And I don't mean digital zoom, I mean proper zoom with the lens. If I want digital zoom I will use photoshop.

So the only thing that left was shutter speed. A while ago I bought myself an 18Xzoom camera which was really nice but had a really lousy shutter speed. As most of the pictures I take involve my kids playing, I really don't want to have to wait upwards of 3 seconds in order for the picture to be taken. The moment is lost by then.

So shutter speed was vital. I did a google and this one scored highly on all of my requirements, so this is what he got.

It works a treat. It also does a lot more than what he or I want it for, however, it doesn't object to us using the basic features. What I mean by that is that neither of us are overwhelmed by a plethora of options.

If you are in the market for a quality point and click camera which takes decent pictures and lets you do more if you want it to, then this little baby will suit you fine.

Being pleased with the results of its predecessor (the Canon A460) we wanted another simple to use camera. On this occasion Amazon were under cut on price by a high street retailer.

The A470 has several additional features over its predecessor: smoother lines, 7.1 MP sensor, 2.5in screen, 4 digital zoom, face detection, antiblur etc.... As with the A460 the photo image is very good, improved resolution provided by the 7.1MP sensor. First impressions are that the camera seems to be rather power hungry (2700 mAHr NiMh AA batteries become discharged fairly quickly) although this might be due to exploration of all the camera features during the first few weeks. The A470 lacks the optical viewfinder of its predecessor which is very beneficial on a sunny day (the A460 permits the LCD screen to be switched off which helps reduces drain on the batteries); many compacts now lack the optical viewfinder.

The A470 is not as small as other fiddly compacts which is not necessarily a disadvantage as it is comfortable to hold the camera in one hand (plus wrist strap). The battery compartment lid requires careful handling as in common with the A460 has a rather delicate sprung hinge. A simple and more robust sliding compartment would have worked just as well and be less likely to damaged in use.

Although the 3.4 x optical zoom is slightly less than that of the A460 (4 x) the digital zoom is useful for filling the frame to get 'impact' whilst taking a photo (as opposed to later on a PC). Using about 2 x digital zoom gives an acceptable image (thanks to the 7.1 MP sensor), however the 4 x digital zoom is fairly pointless as the pixels become unacceptably obvious.

All in all a good camera at a good price.

See the separate review of the dedicated case (DCC 450).

I'm very pleased with my purchase, incluyding the price I paid through Amazon. The camera has proved simple to use with good pictures with the 7.1 MP and 3.4 zoom.
I would recommend this to anyone who wants an affordable camera without the problems of complicated technology to master.

Got it to give as a present and now I want one for myself.
Very good compact camera at a very nice price.