Bottom line – The Canon PowerShot A700 is an awesome consumer digital camera. One that I would highly recommend to anyone in the market for a fair priced model with loads of user friendly features and outstanding image quality and performance. Its 6x optical zoom will blow away the competition’s typical 3x zoom, and with 6-megapixels, you can create beautiful 13×19-inch or larger prints.

Bottom line though, this is a camera that will meet the needs of the average consumer very well, and one that’s particularly well suited to situations where both novice and experienced users need to share the use of the same camera. It would also make a great inexpensive camera for a budding photo student to learn about the effects of shutter speed and aperture variations with. All in all, an easy Dave’s Pick.

If you want a compact digital camera with more zoom power than other cameras in this class, then the PowerShot A700 is well worth a look. The 6X zoom comes in handy for occasional nature and sports shooting (though an ultra zoom will get you considerably closer to the action), and the A700’s manual controls let you take some creative shots. Despite a few minor annoyances, the A700 earns an easy recommendation from me.

Thankfully the A700 has put Canon back on track in our eyes. Whilst not quite the epitome of photographic glory that the A620 was, the A700 offers superb images, full functionality and a big 6X zoom lens, making it a very attractive package for the budding amateur.

If you’re looking for a compact camera with full photographic control and like the idea of a bit extra at the long end of the zoom then the A700 is a fairly easy choice (mainly due to the lack of direct competition). In conclusion the A700 is, like the other cameras at the top of the A series range, ideal for anyone looking for a camera that offers real photographic control in a compact and affordable package.

Like its stablemate, the PowerShot A540, the compact Canon PowerShot A700 offers abundant manual controls, respectable image quality, and acceptable ISO 800 performance. But the A700’s biggest edge is its 6X zoom lens, a nice step up from the A540’s 4X glass.