On January 30, 2013 Canon announced a new entry-level compact digital camera line Canon PowerShot A2500 Black... The simple and easy-to-use camera delivers excellent image quality and is attractively priced. Its cost in online stores in Ukraine ranges from 800 to 1400 hryvnia, in Russia the average price is 3500 rubles.
Device Specifications
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The matrix
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Design
The new Canon PowerShot A2500 Black looks and functions little different from its predecessor in the Canon PowerShot A2400 IS line.
This camera is equipped with a miniature body made of quality materials and a sturdy build. It is quite comfortable to use even with one hand.
The front panel contains a lens, flash and autofocus lamp.
On the upper edge there are microphone and speaker holes, a power key, a shutter release combined with a zoom control ring.
On the back is a 2.7-inch display. It has excellent horizontal viewing angles, but not as good vertical ones. To the right of the screen are the keys for controlling device functions. There are also buttons for viewing pictures and menus, as well as buttons for recording video and calling help.
On the right side there is a plug, under which the USB-input is hidden, and ears for attaching a strap.
On the bottom panel there is a metal socket for a tripod, compartments for memory cards and a 680 mAh battery.
Functions and management
Like many entry-level cameras, this new product frees the user from detailed control over exposure. The aperture position in the range from f / 2.8 to f / 6.9 and the shutter speed, from 15 to 1/2000 sec, are automatically set by the camera depending on the lighting conditions and the scene mode selection.
Calling up the menu provides access to basic options such as autofocus, digital zoom, flash, etc. The automatic settings of the device operation are activated with the AUTO button. But also with its help, when you press the function key, access to other modes is opened:
- Program - provides the use of the largest number of functions, such as setting time-lapse shooting and video parameters, timer, image printing.
- Live View makes simple image adjustments to create the desired effects. It can be used to adjust brightness and contrast, as well as color saturation.
- Digital stabilization mode provides clear and sharp pictures. It uses sophisticated stabilization technology that tracks camera movement when shooting handheld to automatically capture the best possible image.
- Low light mode (4MP) allows you to take clear pictures in low light conditions.
- Scene Mode provides photography in accordance with the scene: "portrait", "landscape", "children", "fireworks", "beach", "green", "snow", "animals". Creative effects are also presented in this mode for ease of use. Among them are available such artistic settings as: "fisheye", "miniature", "toy camera", "black and white", "super bright", "poster effect", "long exposure". The function of calling the reference material is placed on a separate button ... This solution is very convenient to facilitate the work of novice amateur photographers. It provides quick access to instructions on how to use the camera. To view captured images, press the play key on the back. Then, use the cursor button to navigate to the left to view all the photos.
Activating Eco Mode turns off the display to conserve battery power. This function turns on automatically if the device is in standby mode for more than 10 seconds.
The shutter button is pressure sensitive. Therefore, a light click will be enough to take a snapshot. The zoom feature is just as easy to use. It is performed by rotating the zoom control ring located on the top panel of the camera.
Canon PowerShot A2500 Black is equipped with a built-in flash. It can operate in several modes: auto, on, off, slow sync, red-eye removal. In addition, there are face detection functions, lock and intelligent flash exposure compensation. The flash range at short focus is from 50 cm to 3.0 m, at long focus - from 1.0 m to 2.0 m.
The presented novelty provides excellent picture quality both in macro photography, there and when shooting close-up. The minimum shooting distance is 3 cm from the subject. At the same time, macro photography gives excellent results: clear details, bright colors and good background blur.
Li-ion battery with a capacity of 680 mA * h provides the operation of the camera for up to 220 shots in normal mode and up to 300 shots in economy mode.
Video recording
Video recording is carried out in HD format with a resolution of 1280x720. The maximum movie length is limited in time (29 minutes) and memory size (up to 4 GB per file). Some of the creative effects of still photography can be used in video recording as well. These include Miniature, Black & White, Super Bright, Poster, Snow, Fireworks, and Portrait Mode. Optical zoom and focus will not work during movie recording, but smooth digital zoom is available. Sound recording on this new product is made in mono mode.
Lens
The lens has a focal length range of 28 to 140 mm. At the wide-angle position, the minimum aperture of f2.8 is excellent for budget compact cameras. In good light conditions, the resulting images have excellent color quality and detail. The wide-angle lens allows for increased frame coverage for great group shots and panoramic landscapes. It also has 5x optical zoom.For a closer look, you can use the digital 10x zoom with Zoom Plus to keep the zoom sharp and detailed.
One of the disadvantages of the presented model is the lack of optical stabilization. True, it is compensated by the presence of digital stabilization, which ensures its automatic adjustment. When taking photos in good conditions, even at maximum 5x magnification, the presence of optical stabilization is not an absolute necessity. But in low light conditions, its absence negatively affects the quality of images.
Light sensitivity
The novelty is equipped with a 16MP CCD sensor with a sensitivity range from 100 to 1600 ISO units.
Noise is well controlled up to ISO 200. ISO 400 is great for shooting in good lighting conditions. The color rendition and reproduction of the smallest details in this case are excellent. There are not many compression and grain artifacts even when viewing a photo at 100% magnification. But when the ISO is increased in low light conditions, there is a big loss in image detail and the presence of color noise. They are most noticeable in the dark areas of the frame.
Benefits
disadvantages
Convenient menu and easy control of shooting modes. Low battery capacity. The quality of the images is characterized by excellent color reproduction and sharpness. Lack of optical zoom and focus when shooting movies. Enjoy artistic processing of your images with a variety of Creative Modes. The presence of the digital stabilization function, which provides excellent quality and sharpness of photos. conclusions
Canon PowerShot A2500 Black camera is an excellent budget compact camera for amateur photography. It is easy and ergonomic to use. Convenient and intuitive menu provides easy navigation and configuration of device functions.
The device is equipped with a wide range of automatic modes and artistic filters. They provide optimum device tuning without the need for manual adjustments. Thus, the user has complete creative freedom when taking photos and videos.
The wide-angle lens allows for panoramic and group photography. The pictures are characterized by excellent quality, color rendition and detail. The lack of optical zoom and focus when recording video can be a significant disadvantage for demanding users. But in general, the camera for such a low price performs the functions of autofocus and digital zoom at a sufficient level.
We can safely say that this new product is a worthy representative of the Canon family in terms of price-quality ratio.