A610 vs A620

[Old Dog]

Having read many opinions of these 2 digicams, it appears many people perfer the 610 claiming better pictures because of fewer pixels on the same size sensor and therefore less noise. Other people say the sensors are not the same so that comparison isn't valid.

Does anyone know the true facts? Is the 620 a $100 better or is the 610 better for a hundred less? Has anyone tried both of them and made a comparison?

[Beanboy]

Having read many opinions of these 2 digicams, it appears many people perfer the 610 claiming better pictures because of fewer pixels on the same size sensor and therefore less noise. Other people say the sensors are not the same so that comparison isn't valid.

Does anyone know the true facts? Is the 620 a $100 better or is the 610 better for a hundred less? Has anyone tried both of them and made a comparison?

Well, what would you be using it for? Real-world price difference is $50-$70 BTW.

Informal tests have been done:

610 appears to be a little more (1/3-2/3 stop) light sensitive. Good for low-light situations.

610 has noisier picture in low light/high ISO situations versus the additional noise reduction on the 620, but after post-processing, may result in better quality

620 captures more detail at low ISO situations and no noise difference versus 610 (duh)

610 has faster continous shooting mode

620 can be remotely operated via computer through USB cable, appears the 610 can't

If you shoot in low-light situations and do post-process your pictures, or need a fast continous mode, the 610 might be the better choice. If you crop pictures, want poster-sized prints, or shoot in decent lighting more often than not, the 620 might be the better choice.

Note though, we aren't comparing two different cameras from different companies, or even different generations from the same company. These cameras are way more alike then they are different, and any differences are very minor.

[Aesir]

620 can be remotely operated via computer through USB cable, appears the 610 can't


I don't think thats true. On this (http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/psa610/system04-e.html#zb) page shooting from a computer is listed as an Imagebrowser feature.

Then again, I own neither, so I can't be sure, but I do plan on getting a 610 soon.

[fabian_]

I think what he meant was the ability to control camera's function (zoom, iso) directly from the camera and thus saving images direct to hard disk. DCResources.com review of A620 also stated of 610's lack of this.

I actually consider getting a620 in consideration of this feature but when thinking back I don't see how often I gonna attached a computer while doing shoots.

[ja002h]

I was about to post this same question.

So am I right in concluding from beanboy's post that unless you plan to do post-processing with the 610 (which wouldn't bother me), you're better off getting the 620 because of its add'l noise reduction?

How much better are we talking if you post-process? Worth caring about?

[Beanboy]

Nope, at least from the I perspective.

For 99% of the people 99% of the time, both will give exactly the same results.


-B

[bascom]

RussM said this in a different thread. Sounds bad for the A610:


i bought the A 610 and gave it back in 2 days. it is a good cam but it has 1 big prob: pic's. when you get the pic on your pc you can see that the pics sise is strached out and everything looks thiner and longer. but other then that its a great camera. Lord_Odin as u said there is a problem with the zoomer it makes the pic look like i said and ya t dosent close properly.

[JTL]

RussM said this in a different thread. Sounds bad for the A610:I find this quite dubious. It doesn't pass the "smell" test. It sounds like a display problem...not a camera problem. Did these "users" print images and report on any anomolies? Believe me, if this were a problem with the camera, you would have heard a lot more about it. Tell me, does this "problem" make sense to you?

RussM has exactly one post. And one with questionable credibility. Why would you make a negative assumption about the camera based on this? That's just plain silly. :rolleyes:

[fabian_]

I just bought the A620 (it was my father who was way too enthusiastic about the model. He even tried to buy a 1 gig SD just to add more movie).

So far no problems. Picture quality is awesome. I was very impressed how good the Auto mode works with almost precise focussing of objects both distant and far. Red eye was not a problem to me, in fact none of my pictures had it: in contrast of the review. Then again I'm no expert. Start-up is as soon as the lens fully retracted. Battery life is awesome. The free batteries die out on me about 4 days later.

To those who wanted to get this camera, just go and try it out first. Gets my best recommendations.

[bascom]

I find this quite dubious. It doesn't pass the "smell" test. It sounds like a display problem...RussM has exactly one post. And one with questionable credibility.
Good points, sorry I posted the RussM quote here. The A610 still sounds good to me.

[wingsley]

I noticed that the standard equipment with both of these cameras is a "wrist strap". The term "neck strap" is never mentioned. I also looked over the images of the camera body for Jeff Keller's A620 review, and noticed only one eyelet in the side of A620, not a pair of eyelets, each on opposing sides of the unit.

Is it reasonable to conclude from this that the A610 and A620 cannot accomodate a neck strap? If anyone knows of a way to do it, please explain.

Thanks in advance.

Quote from Canon tech support e-mail:

-------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for contacting Canon product support.

Neither the PowerShot A610 nor A620 support the use of a neck strap. We
apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Please feel free to contact us again if you have any other questions or
concerns regarding the PowerShot A610 or A620.

Sincerely,

Matthew
Technical Support Representative
-------------------------------------------------------

[Rob1151]

Having read many opinions of these 2 digicams, it appears many people perfer the 610 claiming better pictures because of fewer pixels on the same size sensor and therefore less noise. Other people say the sensors are not the same so that comparison isn't valid.

Does anyone know the true facts? Is the 620 a $100 better or is the 610 better for a hundred less? Has anyone tried both of them and made a comparison?

Good forum, just wanted to provide some input into the original post:

Here is an excerpt from "How Big Is A Pixel (FAQ)" by Gisle Hannemyr:

"Q 7: If the pixel size is large, will that not result in lower resolution?

No. In digital photography, it is just plain wrong to relate resolution to area measured on the surface of the digital sensor. None of us view our photographs by examining the sensor cells at the surface of the sensor.

The normal way to view a photograph is to make a print on paper, or to project it on a computer screen, and to look at this print or projection. In such a viewing context, it is not the physical sensor size that determines the resolution, but (among other things) the total number of pixels available.

Q 8: So the physical size of the sensor cell or the sensor chip does not matter at all?

Yes, it matters - is just does not matter in terms of resolution.

If all other factors are equal, larger sensor cells produces less noise and a usually also a larger dynamic range.

The physical size of the sensor chip also determines the field of view at a particular focal length. A large sensor gives a larger field of view at a given focal length than a small sensor will. Also, a large physical sensor will give the photographer more control over depth of field."

This is my rationale for deciding to go with the A620, and it may help in this case. While the A610 has great value for features and price, I want the additional mpx. Looking at it like buying a PC, I want enough resources so I won't be tempted to upgrade every year. For my personal use, I'll be doing a lot of cropping. The additional pixels will allow me to take portions of shots that would normally be substandard with fewer pixels. For only $70 more, this is a great deal for the additional pixels and the G series features. The A610 is also a great value. It boils down to how you're going to be using it.

Now, if I find noise artifacts on certain Large, superfine shots, I can drop down to where they are negligible and still have the resolution flexibility through added pixels. Not a bad trade off.

[fabian_]

It was my initial idea to go for the 610 but believe it or not the all the shops here only had the supply for 620. A bit strange but it could be that Canon is pushing for the later.

from specs, a610 is almost identitical to 620 except max pixels, max resolution, more images for continuos shooting (2.5 versus 1.8 for a620) and Remote Capture (which a610 does not support). In my opinion, just spare a few extra bucks and get the a 620, it's worth it. In fact, I really think that the 610 and 620 are the among the best (if not the best) value for money camera from Canon at the moment.

The minus point, like the review said, is the evident noise of iso 400. I rely mostly on changing the shutter/aperture value to get good night shots rather than risking with higher ISO. Other then that, all is good.

[Rob1151]

Agree with the previous recommendation. I purchased the A620 at a great price and ended up paying only $70 over the lowest A610 price for an additional 2.1 mpixels. Given the potential for noise in some high ASA shots, the A620 has the flexibility to drop down to a Medium 1, which is the equivalent of 5 mpixels or even lower if the density of pixels is the cause of the noise.

However, I also have the ability to take shots when I cann't take the additional time getting them framed just right, because the ability to zoom and crop without destroying the quality of the pic is enabled by the additional pixels. Don't see how you can go wrong, and if a high quality P&S camera for close to $300 is what you want, there aren't many others that can compete in quality and features in that price range.

[JTL]

Agree with the previous recommendation. I purchased the A620 at a great price and ended up paying only $70 over the lowest A610 price for an additional 2.1 mpixels. Given the potential for noise in some high ASA shots, the A620 has the flexibility to drop down to a Medium 1, which is the equivalent of 5 mpixels or even lower if the density of pixels is the cause of the noise.

However, I also have the ability to take shots when I cann't take the additional time getting them framed just right, because the ability to zoom and crop without destroying the quality of the pic is enabled by the additional pixels. Don't see how you can go wrong, and if a high quality P&S camera for close to $300 is what you want, there aren't many others that can compete in quality and features in that price range.A very well reasoned and logical assessment...

[pjose]

Hello,

If I use Medium 1 quality at A620 will continuos shooting speed increase to 2.5 like the A610 at maximum resolution?

Anyone knows SD cards from Ridata? Can anyone give some feedback?

All the best

Pedro

[Charlie4350]

Let's try this. Feed Quality not quantity. How bowt 80 bazillion MP