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Canon PowerShot A20 Canon's "value priced" 2 megapixel camera has 3x zoom, takes great pictures! Select a topic Reference: Datasheet PowerShot A20 Test Images --------------------------------- 1. Intro and Highlights 2. Executive Overview 3. Design 4. Viewfinder 5. Optics 6. Exposure & Flash 7. Shutter Lag & Cycle Time Tests 8. Operation & User Interface 9. Camera Modes & Menus 10. Image Storage & Interface 11. Video, Power, Software 12. Test Results & Conclusion --------------------------------- Print-Friendly Review Version Additional Resources and Other Links Reader Comments on PowerShot A20 Review --------------------------------- Digital Camera Comparometer (TM) --------------------------------- <-- Digital Cameras (Home) <-- Digital Camera Reviews Index <<Camera Modes & Menus :(Previous) | (Next): Video, Power, Software>> Page 10:Image Storage & Interface Review First Posted: 5/10/2001

Image Storage and Interface
The A20 uses CompactFlash Type I memory cards for image storage; an 8MB card comes standard with the camera. Upgrades are available separately to memory capacities as high as 128MB. The CompactFlash slot is on the right side of the camera, and is covered by a sliding plastic door that we found difficult to open at times. The card inserts with the electrodes going in first, and the front of the card (indicated by an arrow) facing the back of the camera. A small button beside the slot ejects the card by popping it up slightly, allowing you to pull the card the rest of the way out.

Although individual CompactFlash cards cannot be write-protected or locked against erasure or manipulation, the A20 allows you to protect individual images through the Playback menu. Once protected, images cannot be erased or manipulated in any way, except through card formatting. The Playback menu also allows you to rotate images in the LCD display, play them back in an automated slide show, erase them, and set them up for printing on DPOF compliant printers.

Three image resolution settings are available: 1,600 x 1,200, 1,024 x 768, and 640 x 480 pixels. Three JPEG compression levels are also available, including Superfine, Fine, and Normal. Both settings are changed through any Record settings menu. The number of available images is reported on the LCD's information display, in addition to the selected Resolution and Compression settings.

The table below summarizes the compression ratios and number of images that can be stored on the included 8MB memory card with each Resolution / Quality (JPEG Compression) combination.

Image Capacity vs Resolution/Quality 8MB Memory Card		Super Fine	Fine	Normal
Large Resolution 1600x1200	Images	7	19	37
	Approx. Compression	5:1	8:1	17:1
Medium Resolution 1024x768	Images	16	24	46
	Approx. Compression	5:1	7:1	14:1
Small Resolution 640x480	Images	35	50	87
	Approx. Compression	4:1	6:1	10:1

A USB cable and interface software accompany the A20 for quick connection and image downloading to a PC or Macintosh computer.


One of the first things any new digicam owner will need is a larger memory card for their camera: The cards shipped with the units by the manufacturers should really be considered only "starter" cards, you'll definitely want a higher capacity card immediately. - Probably at least a 32 megabyte card for a 1.3 or 2 megapixel camera, 64 megabytes or more for a 3, 4, or 5 megapixel one. (The nice thing about memory cards is you'll be able to use whatever you buy now with your next camera too, whenever you upgrade.) To help you shop for a good deal on memory cards that fit the A20, we've put together a little memory locater, with links to our price-comparison engine: Just click on the "Memory Wizard" button above to go to the Canon memory finder, select your camera model , and click the shopping cart icon next to the card size you're interested in. You'll see a list of matching entries from the price-comparison database. Pick a vendor & order away! (Pretty cool, huh?)