Canon PowerShot A20 2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

by Canon

Product Details

Product Manual [1.53mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 1.5 x 4.3 x 2.8 inches ; 8.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 3 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00005ATZO
• Item model number: 6864A001AA
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (93 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #18,099 in Camera & Photo (See Top 100 in Camera & Photo)
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 20, 2001

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

Canon's new consumer-oriented digital camera, the A20, is a great 2-megapixel point-and-shoot. The 3x optical zoom lens includes an aspherical element to help reduce distortion and provide clarity. The built-in flash provides red-eye reduction, fill, night, auto, and off modes. While aimed at the consumer crowd, the A20 also features exposure compensation controls between +/- 2 EV in one-third increments. Additionally, there are several white-balance settings to choose from to help in most shooting situations.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

81 of 82 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better image quality and battery usage than the Elph S100, April 26, 2001

By 

"tholden1" (Plano, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon PowerShot A20 2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

I had a Powershot Elph S100 and although I liked the small size I wanted something with more accurate colors, less of a blue cast, and better battery usage. The A20 fits the bill.

The colors on the A20 are great. They are more saturated and a lot more accurate than the Elph. I will no longer have to go in and filter out any blue casting.

Low light capabilities are better than the Elph with the exception of focus. The A20 automatically adjusts to ISO 150 in low-light which is something I don't think the S100 did. I notice the background in regular and slow-sync to show much more detail at night on the A20. I have however noticed less accurate focusing in low-light than the Elph. Pictures also tend to be a little grainier at times perhaps due to the higher ISO in low-light.

The battery life is great. I am using the AA batteries supplied with the camera and I have taken over 150 shots and used the LCD half of the time and I still have not received a battery warning. The batteries however are listed as "Industrial" Alkaline which may mean they have a much longer life than regular AA batteries.

I do miss the size of the Elph, the fact it looked just like a regular Elph2 camera, the rugged metal body, the anti-glare film on the LCD (the A20 has none), and the slick look of it. However, the A20 produces better pictures, has a much better underwater case (goes to a depth of about 100ft), and will last much longer on four AA batteries than the Elph did on its ... proprietary battery.

Of course, for a smaller camera there is always the S300 however it still uses the proprietary battery and is ... more. Plus, it is still bigger than the S100 was. The image quality of the S300 however should be the same as the A20 except that the S300 will focus better in low-light due to a better focus-assist lamp.

66 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome Value for an Excellent Camera, June 25, 2001

By 

Rob C (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon PowerShot A20 2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

This Digicam's awesome. I had mine for 1 week, and the pictures are better than one would expect from an entry level Digicam. I still can't believe this Cam can give me 7.5x pictures that are clear. Wow. But the 3x optical zoom is excellent by its own account.

There are just a few minuses. I can't manually set the shutter speed. Though there's a slow sync option, you can't really see the difference. The film coating for the LCD screen is not the top notch anti-reflect kind Canon has on the S series, which can be a pain in the behind if you shoot under the sun like me. Aside from that, very good Digicam.

But buying Digicam comes added cost... -

1) Viking 128MB Compact Flash Card. You'll need this for sure. At 1600x1200 @ SuperFine, you'll 140 pictures.

2) Lowepro D-Res 10 AW Digital Camera Bag. Got to trust me on this. Its the only bag you want your Digicam to be store in. Forget the overpriced Kodak and Canon bags, this baby has storage for 4 additional AAs, special pocket for additional Compact Flash Card, fits your Digicam like it's made to order, and enough cushion and padding to make throwing you Digicam out the window safe. Plus, there's a secret feature on the back if you get the chance to buy the bag.

3) Kodak Photolife K1000 AA Battery Charging Kit. AA batteries are way better than proprietary Canon Lithium batteries on the S series Digicams. And with a charger that juices the included batteries up in 2.5 Hrs flat, you just can't go wrong. Did I mentioned Kodak 1600 mAh NiMH batteries last forever between charges?

4) SanDisk Imagemate USB Compactflash Reader. This one's totally up to you...this baby can transfer your photos to your PC/Mac faster than from your Digicam, which will give the batteries and Digicam a rest.

56 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Overall SUPER....with a couple minor quirks, October 2, 2001

By 

newly preggo (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Canon PowerShot A20 2MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Electronics)

I wanted a point and shoot camera to take on vacation, that was convenient and takes good quality pix--for both digital use and to print snapshots. The cannon A20 Delivers! Effortless picture taking, sharp quality pix, good colors and a flash that doesn't wash you out. I tested it out at my friends wedding earlier this month....
Now the caveats:
1. Factor in the cost of a 128mb memory card. That will take approx 128 pix on the highest setting 1600x1200 at superfine compression. I've found that this setting gives you nice 4x6 prints comparable to a film camera. ...
2. Battery life: the change battery signal will come up very quickly if using the display. However, THIS SEEMS TO BE MERELY A WARNING--DO NOT CHANGE THE BATTERIES. I've been able to power up again and again after the warning and take the rest of my pix on the memory card. I also invested in a 5hr nimh quick charger with a spare set of 4 AA batteries ....
(NOTE:camera will NOT take those lithium batteries, I called cannon and confirmed this)
3. When taking pictures, be very careful of camera shake. This camera is very sensative to this, especially if taking pix without flash in lower light conditions. Be careful or your picture will end up BLURRY. So take a deep breath, hold and snap! Ok, maybe holding your breath until you turn blue is a tad of an exaggeration--See what works for you. Most of my pix have turned out nice and sharp.
4. Using the viewfinder only, without the LCD display will show you only about 2/3 of the final pic. (It ends up with space all around.) So, contrary to everyone's posts here: Have fun with the display! Even if it is a battery hog! This is the best way to see the lighting conditions and actual appearance size of the final picture.