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Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 9:51 pm
by FireGryphon
I'm looking to buy a point and shoot camera and I want to spend as little money as possible. I like Canon cameras. The cheapest P&S cameras Canon has are the A495 and the A800, and to me, they look like exactly the same camera, just with different names. Does anyone know if there's any real difference between the two models?

Canon PowerShot A800
Canon PowerShot A495

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 10:58 pm
by swampfox
Agreed. They look really similar. The biggest differences I see are that the A800 is a bit lighter and is rated to last a bit longer on the batteries. It also has a slightly newer JPEG compression. On the other hand, it is missing a Program AE mode, if that's important to you. You might just consider rolling that $100 into getting a better phone ;-)

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 2:38 am
by Flying Fox
If newegg prices are to be believed, then the A800 with the $89 price beats the A495 with $129. The differences seem to be SDXC compatibility and EXIF 2.3 (nothing much to do with JPEG compression, though newer firmware should have some tweaks).

However, I would choose neither. Unless you have to get an A series model with AA batteries, the SD1300 will be my choice. It is an ultracompact so it will be more portable, and the zoom range of 28-112mm is more useful than the A495/800's 37-122mm. I thought I could get away with the "normal" 35mm equivalent wide on my older A40, but once I used a 28mm wide Panasonic I could never go back and if not for the S90/95's other features I might have jumped to Panasonic myself with their 24mm wide lens! Your back will thank you when you want to take a group picture in a small room, and you are just going to take in more stuff on landscapes. Higher noise with the 12MP vs 10MP? Oh well, all of these are not high end cams anyway. IMO I would pay that $20 premium over the A800 just for the zoom range. The ultracompact size is a plus but the downside is proprietary battery.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 6:11 am
by FireGryphon
Well, the A495 is $80 on Amazon, and the A800 is $90 at B&H. That makes the SD1300 $30 (nearly 40%) more expensive than the A495 and $20 (about 20%) more expensive than the A800. I'm not sure the extra money is worth it on the low end, even for the benefit of a wider lens (though I do agree, the wider lens is nice). I'm leaning towards the A495 at this point.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 6:22 am
by JustAnEngineer
Don't underestimate the convenience of being able to drop the camera in your pocket.
http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/ ... price.html

If you're just looking for the cheapest price, that refurbished unit at Adorama for $90 would be your answer.

Canon's super-compact Digital ELPH cameras will take excellent photos if the light is good. Low light conditions zoomed in is where you'll challenge them.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 12:50 pm
by Flying Fox
FireGryphon wrote:
Well, the A495 is $80 on Amazon, and the A800 is $90 at B&H. That makes the SD1300 $30 (nearly 40%) more expensive than the A495 and $20 (about 20%) more expensive than the A800. I'm not sure the extra money is worth it on the low end, even for the benefit of a wider lens (though I do agree, the wider lens is nice). I'm leaning towards the A495 at this point.
What is the use case? Do you need more portability? Is AA batteries important to you? What are the typical pictures you are going to take? The 495/800 is 37mm wide not even 35mm. :-?

JustAnEngineer wrote:
Don't underestimate the convenience of being able to drop the camera in your pocket.
http://www.canonpricewatch.com/product/ ... price.html

If you're just looking for the cheapest price, that refurbished unit at Adorama for $90 would be your answer.

Canon's super-compact Digital ELPH cameras will take excellent photos if the light is good. Low light conditions zoomed in is where you'll challenge them.

The A's are not that much better with the generally small aperture.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 7:40 pm
by FireGryphon
I want this camera to be a pocketable complement to my 7D. If price was no option I'd get an S95, but price is important now. I've resigned myself to something that is merely pocketable with good picture quality. Maybe it's worth saving up a bit longer and getting the SD1300... Not sure if it's worth the extra money, though.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 8:49 pm
by swampfox
Flying Fox wrote:
The differences seem to be SDXC compatibility and EXIF 2.3 (nothing much to do with JPEG compression, though newer firmware should have some tweaks).


Ah, thanks. It is just tweaks to EXIF data?

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:12 am
by Flying Fox
FireGryphon wrote:
I want this camera to be a pocketable complement to my 7D. If price was no option I'd get an S95, but price is important now. I've resigned myself to something that is merely pocketable with good picture quality. Maybe it's worth saving up a bit longer and getting the SD1300... Not sure if it's worth the extra money, though.
Then I suggest you go try them out in person to see which one is more pocketable for you. To me the wider angle lens is well worth the price. Ever since Canon removed P/S/M modes from the A series IMO they have become larger, more plasticky, and cheaper SD's (for the nitpickers: yes I am aware of the higher end SDs now have P/S modes). A trip to imaging-resource for some comparison shots of the cameras (or previous models) would be beneficial as well.

Speaking of cost, there is one more scenario to consider as it will be a + for the A495/800 and a - for SD1x00. If you already have an external flash with AA batteries, I can assume that you would have more than a set of NiMH AA batteries with a nice charger already? If you ever have a need to shoot a lot of pictures with your compact, then your investment in your current battery "system" can be used right away, while you have to buy a spare proprietary unit for the SD.

swampfox wrote:
Flying Fox wrote:
The differences seem to be SDXC compatibility and EXIF 2.3 (nothing much to do with JPEG compression, though newer firmware should have some tweaks).

Ah, thanks. It is just tweaks to EXIF data?
I would think so. You can dig up the PDFs of the specs and take a look yourself. They are linked from wikipedia. ;) That said, the actual picture processing and compression algorithms may have been tweaked between the 495 and the 800. I don't think it will make much difference as that part of the market and the IQ have been stagnating for a while. Most of the innovations now are just trying to jam video (HD for the more expensive ones) capability in those things.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:29 am
by JustAnEngineer
In my experience, the rectangular lithium-ion batteries in Canon's Digital ELPH SDxxx line last many times longer than AA batteries do in bulkier P&S cameras.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 5:12 am
by HelenOster
JustAnEngineer wrote:

If you're just looking for the cheapest price, that refurbished unit at Adorama for $90 would be your answer.



Thanks so much for the recommendation - very much appreciated.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 6:38 am
by MrJP
JustAnEngineer wrote:
In my experience, the rectangular lithium-ion batteries in Canon's Digital ELPH SDxxx line last many times longer than AA batteries do in bulkier P&S cameras.


Actually Canon's own specs for the SD1300 list 240 shots on one charge, whereas the A495 and A800 list 400 and 500 shots respectively on NiMH rechargeables, which tallies with my own experience of A series cameras. Personally I'd go for something with a properly wide angle lens regardless.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 10:47 am
by JustAnEngineer
I haven't used Canon's A-series beyond a few snaps. I have used four different models of digital ELPHs and they all managed over 200 shots on a battery charge. My Sony DSC and Nikon CoolPix cameras with AA batteries don't get nearly that many, especially if you're using fill flash.

I agree that a wide angle view is the most useful for indoor snapshots.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 1:01 pm
by Flying Fox
JustAnEngineer wrote:
I haven't used Canon's A-series beyond a few snaps. I have used four different models of digital ELPHs and they all managed over 200 shots on a battery charge. My Sony DSC and Nikon CoolPix cameras with AA batteries don't get nearly that many, especially if you're using fill flash.

I agree that a wide angle view is the most useful for indoor snapshots.

You can say the same with the ELPH/SD with flash photos too. If you do a lot of Flash indoors (eg. typical on a vacation trip day to museums/indoor attractions), then IME you will need a 2nd set of AA/Li-ion/Li-Pol battery to last through the day. My experience with the A series is also they same they last

Of course, the OP's situation is a bit different. He already has a DSLR and is looking for something really low cost as a 2nd unit. While IQ is still kind of important, in this case portability and cost may be high (if not higher) priorities as well.

Just hopped onto Canon's site and found one rather big difference between the A800 vs the A495: 500 shots vs 400 on AA NiMH (300 vs 150 on Alkaline?). So may be the newer circuit board has better power management and zips less power? Granted manufacturer's numbers are just like refresh rates on LCD monitors. Take it for what they are.

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Sun Mar 06, 2011 9:02 pm
by Usacomp2k3
Maybe a smaller flash or smaller LCD (or maybe LED lit LCD rather than CCFL)?

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 11:09 am
by Flying Fox
So what was the final decision? Any quick review/pics of the new toy?

Re: Canon A495 vs. A800

Posted: Fri Mar 18, 2011 6:08 pm
by FireGryphon
I began leaning towards the SD1300 due to its size and the reasoning that if I'm getting a camera to be easily portable and I'm already spending a nontrivial amount on it I might as well spend slightly more and get a better product. Unfortunately my housing and money situation became troublesome in the last few weeks so I've been unable to make a purchase. Hopefully things even out soon.