Canon PowerShot A300 3.2MP Digital Camera with 5.1x Digital Zoom

by Canon

Product Details

Product Manual [5.42mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 1.4 x 4.4 x 2.3 inches ; 6.2 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00008OE43
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (108 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,226 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: February 28, 2003

Product Description

Amazon.com Review

The Canon PowerShot A300 offers the entry level solution to digital camera users new to the field. Packed with a host of features and a 3.2 mega pixel CCD sensor, this little camera produces great pictures.

Like Olympus digital cameras, the camera is turned on via a sliding lens protector at the front that forces the camera into life. Two AA batteries and the CompactFlash compartment are housed behind a sturdy door that will easy take a beating over the lifespan of the camera without snapping or falling apart. The other side the camera offers a DC and USB port, but unfortunately no video-out to watch your pictures on the TV.

On the rear of the camera, the user is offered a 1.5" TFT screen that is sharp and responsive to changing lights and focuses, as well as, a host of buttons - most of which are self explanatory and you can easily access flash modes, picture review and other options like this without having to plough through plenty of menus.

The camera offers a 33mm f3.6 fixed focal length lens with a 5.1 digital zoom option that offers the equivalent of a 33mm - 168mm lens in a 35mm camera. This combined with shutter speed range of 1-1/2000 sec and ISO ratings of 50 - 400 and a range of pre-programmed settings to cope with landscapes and portrait shooting makes for a nice little camera for beginners. For the more adventurous there is a macro mode up to 5cm, as well as, the option to record up to 3 minutes of movie clips with sound.

For an auto focus fixed lens camera with a digital zoom the quality is quite good. Detail is captured well and greens are differential when it comes to photographing landscapes. The digital zoom is useful for getting into the action, but should not be replied upon for crisp images. Overall as a starter's camera this is an okay place to start. If you are starting out and need a camera that will get you going, this is as good a place as any to start, just don't expect the world. --Jason Denwood, Amazon.co.uk

Product Description

x 6 MB CompactFlash English F/3.6The PowerShot A300 is an easy to use camera but is packed with Canons advanced technology to give fantastic results. Its 3.2 Megapixels allow photo prints to be made up to A4 size. Like ever

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

123 of 125 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not perfect, but a great value for the price., May 25, 2003

By 

L. Simonson (New York) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Canon PowerShot A300 3.2MP Digital Camera with 5.1x Digital Zoom (Electronics)

The jury is still out on this one. I purchased this with high expectations of Canon's experience and reputation for digital cameras. I grew up in a family of professional photographers so I am fussy.

PROS:
1) You can't beat the price considering this is 3.2 megapixel camera.
2) Picture quality is excellent.
3) This can take short movies, with sound. Again, excellent quality.

CONS:
1) No optical zoom. The 5.1x digital zoom is fine if that's what you want. However, there is a huge difference. If zooming is not important to you, then this is fine.
2) The button choosing between still pictures and the movie setting is a hair trigger and can be easily shifted by accident. Both my father and I inadvertently took movies when we wanted to take stills. We didn't know it until we downloaded the images.
3) Buy stock in a battery company. At least you'll get some of your money back in dividends when you become the company's best customer. Digitals consume batteries like water, but this one devours batteries like Niagara Falls. In fact, this is probably the single biggest limitation of this camera. Getting a rechargeable package is the way to go, and you'll be using it a lot. Also, be careful of battery consumption when connected to the computer -- it's a killer.
4) The instructions in the manual, and the controls on the camera itself, are very complicated. Plan to spend a lot of time reading the manual over and over again, and practicing with the camera to get the hang of things. This is far from a "take it out of the box and start taking pictures" kind of camera. The function and display controls on the camera are, in my opinion, very frustrating. If you have patience and can spend some time concentrating and practicing, you can master it.

All in all, while you may never use half of the cameras capabilities (either because you don't need them, or will never understand how to use them), you can take great pictures. The primary decision making factor here is price. Why spend $500 when you can get this camera for less than half?

111 of 113 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars "You can't beat the price, megapixels, and name!", April 17, 2003

By 

Jerry Parks "USAToday All-American Teacher; N... (Lexington, KY USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon PowerShot A300 3.2MP Digital Camera with 5.1x Digital Zoom (Electronics)

Here it is in a nutshell. I bought this camera for photos of my students' activities at school, and trusted the Canon name to give me more than my money's worth in a [$...] camera.

The positives are:
1. It's [relatively inexpensive], 3.2 megapixels, and it IS a Canon!
2. It has a focus assist light, which helps in low light.
3. It's simple to use, though with many advanced features such as white balance adjustments, manual exposure, sound effects, etc.
4. It takes really good photos (excellent color saturation).
5. It takes two AA batteries with pretty good battery life.
6. It's small enough to slip in a pocket!
7. It uses inexpensive compact flash memory.
8. It's easy to transfer to your computer via USB cable and Canon software.

The negatives:
1. Onlydigital zoom--very handy, but degrades quality.
2. Flash is only average.
3. If you do any cropping or enlarging, quality degrades quickly.
4. Not attractive, but is sturdy (I've dropped it a few times!)

I like this camera--there's not much NOT to like. It does not have the enduring 'draw' of the Nikon 2500/3500 (see my review), but it has many more features, and the pedigree of the legendary G3, and S-50 Canon cameras.

If you want just a basic, compact, point & shoot digital camera that's [relatively inexpensive] for a 3 megapixel unit, this one is THE one. As a bonus, you find it offers a whole lot more under that generic, unspectacular appearance!

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars excellent value 3MP compact camera, but no optical zoom, August 12, 2003

By 

jemaerca (River Forest, IL, United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon PowerShot A300 3.2MP Digital Camera with 5.1x Digital Zoom (Electronics)

this camera is geared towards the casual photographer who is looking for good resolution (3MP) in a compact and lightweight package and doesn't want to spend a lot of money on a digicam.

pros:
- great resolution for the price - 3MP!
- uses the same DIGIC processor as Canon's high-end G3 and EOS 10D - great pictures!
- you can use this as a point and shoot but it still allows a degree of manual control when you want to be more creative with your shots
- focus assist light for low-light situations
- has exposure compensation
- two autofocus modes
- ISO 50-400 range
- the interface makes plenty of useful features quickly accessible - once you get the hang of it
- voice annotation available
- VGA movie mode with sound (limited to 30 seconds)
- uses non-proprietary AA batteries; i recommend buying rechargeables though
- reasonable shot to shot time for this class of camera
- USB connectivity
- and you can get all this for less than a couple of c-notes!

cons:
- no optical zoom; but if that's what you want, you should look at the next class up on cameras (there's a digital zoom, but it's better to take the picture un-zoomed and zoom in later in your computer)
- noticeable barrel distortion at the edges of the frame
- the camera is light but it's bulky, so it doesn't feel very solid
- no RAW or TIFF uncompressed format
- short flash range
- the included 16MB CF card is not enough; be prepared to shell out more $$ for more memory
- no composite video connection so you can't view on a TV

for the price and for its target audience, this is a very nice camera. just don't expect the higher end features you would find in the canon s50 or g5. enjoy!