Canon A540 vs. A620

[jpdunc]

For an absolute rookie at underwater still photography, the camera options are intimidating to say the least. To date, my underwater photography has been video.

The A620 seems to be a very popular choice and has dropped in price to about $215 while the newer A540 is about $240--basically even.

The 620 has 7 MP and the 540 has 6 MP. The 620 has a 2" LCD and the 540 a 2.5"--a benefit for my "senior" eyes. Both have 4X optical zooms. Both have Canon housings while only the 620 appears to have an Ikelite model.

The technical differences are beyond my limited knowledge with regard to ISO ratings--620 = Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 540= Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800.

For Aperture range, it's F2.8-F4.1 for the 620 and F2.6-F5.5 for the 540.

The 620 shows an external flash(slave) and the 540 does not.

Although smaller, the 620 has 115,000 pixels in the 2" LCD while the 2.5" LCD on the 540 has 85,000.

The 620 takes 4 AA batteries and the 540 takes 2.

I will appreciate any suggestions on pros and cons of the two models or any other Canon models.

Thanks,

 

[mexken]

I can't compare these two models but I just purchased a 620 and have dived it twice as well as taking many pics on land and I find it a remarkable camera. The speed and wide selection of options make it very user friendly, almost too easy. The macro capability and the color correction is amazing. I like it and plan to take it on every dive from now on.

 

[Izu]

For an absolute rookie at underwater still photography, the camera options are intimidating to say the least. To date, my underwater photography has been video.

The A620 seems to be a very popular choice and has dropped in price to about $215 while the newer A540 is about $240--basically even.

The 620 has 7 MP and the 540 has 6 MP. The 620 has a 2" LCD and the 540 a 2.5"--a benefit for my "senior" eyes. Both have 4X optical zooms. Both have Canon housings while only the 620 appears to have an Ikelite model.

The technical differences are beyond my limited knowledge with regard to ISO ratings--620 = Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400 and 540= Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800.

For Aperture range, it's F2.8-F4.1 for the 620 and F2.6-F5.5 for the 540.

The 620 shows an external flash(slave) and the 540 does not.

Although smaller, the 620 has 115,000 pixels in the 2" LCD while the 2.5" LCD on the 540 has 85,000.

The 620 takes 4 AA batteries and the 540 takes 2.

I will appreciate any suggestions on pros and cons of the two models or any other Canon models.

Thanks,

Canon raahks. You cant go wrong.
I have the similar but older A520 4.0 with the Canon housing as my first cam and really like it. The underwater mode allows idiots like Izu to take great underwater pix with no adjustments and the movie feature is way cool. As it becomes more obsolete and prices fall, I plan to pick up a spare cam just so I can continue using the housing for many more years. Having said that, I email my pix to friends and/or view on my computer and dont need hi-rez.

 

[huskychemist]

I hesitate to post, as I can't help you compare...but I can tell you that I have the A620 with the Canon housing and absolutely love it. It's already producing reasonable pictures, and I haven't even gotten good enough to work on the manual settings...I've done all automatic settings with it.

Would a slightly bigger screen be nice? Yep. I personally wouldn't trade the extra megapixels for that. Just my own opinion here. I have a few pictures of a bivalve, for example, where I can see every small hair on the valve. The detail is astonishing. (When I take a good picture...the bluriness is also astonishing, when I take a bad picture...hehehe.)

There are a number of threads from many of us "showing off" our pictures from our various cameras...check them out and you might get an idea of the kind of pictures that can be taken.

I don't know if videography is as addicting as photography...but I've found taking pictures to be a more addictive form of diving...if that makes sense.

Have fun.

Post your pictures when you're done. I have found that very helpful in getting tips from the friendly folks that are regulars here. My pictures have definitely improved because of it.

Thanks. Enjoy.

 

[jpdunc]

I hesitate to post, as I can't help you compare...but I can tell you that I have the A620 with the Canon housing and absolutely love it. It's already producing reasonable pictures, and I haven't even gotten good enough to work on the manual settings...I've done all automatic settings with it.

Would a slightly bigger screen be nice? Yep. I personally wouldn't trade the extra megapixels for that. Just my own opinion here. I have a few pictures of a bivalve, for example, where I can see every small hair on the valve. The detail is astonishing. (When I take a good picture...the bluriness is also astonishing, when I take a bad picture...hehehe.)

There are a number of threads from many of us "showing off" our pictures from our various cameras...check them out and you might get an idea of the kind of pictures that can be taken.

I don't know if videography is as addicting as photography...but I've found taking pictures to be a more addictive form of diving...if that makes sense.

Have fun.

Post your pictures when you're done. I have found that very helpful in getting tips from the friendly folks that are regulars here. My pictures have definitely improved because of it.

Thanks. Enjoy.

Thanks for the input. The A620 seems to be a very popular choice.

Are you using a Canon or an Ikelite housing and are you using a strobe--if yes, which one?

Thanks again,

 

[huskychemist]

I'm using the Canon housing. The Ikelite had gone way up in price when I bought...but it looks like a better housing. I am happy, so far, with my Canon housing. No strobe yet...I'm just using the internal flash with the diffuser plate. And I'm in Puget Sound with fairly poor vis and low light below about 20 fsw...

Enjoy.

 

[aic007]

HuskyChemist,

Do you use the underwater setting on the A620? I bought this camera and Ikelite housing, and just ordered DS-50 substrobe with manual controller for my trip to Cancun at the end of this month. Got the strobe because the Ike blocks part of the flash, tried above water and bottom right of screen has shadow so the DS should clear up that prob. Working on my open water cert right now, so when I get there I can start to enjoy diving right away. Any tips on shooting? Reading the Master Guide for Underwater Digital Photography right now but user experience with the same equiptment I am using would be great.


Thanks again

AIC007

 

[huskychemist]

Yes, so far, I've only used the Underwater setting. And so far, it's only been in poor vis/low light Puget Sound, so I've used the flash on 98% of my pictures. The Canon housing has a flash diffuser that eliminates most of the dark spot due to the weird lens cover. I haven't noticed any problems in terms of dark spots. I haven't used the manual settings yet. Until I feel like I've maximized the quality of my "auto" shots, I'm going to stick with it. But I'll eventually get to manual.

I contemplated the Ikelite housing...it seems to be bombproof, but it was a bit out of my price range. I also haven't gotten a strobe. Yet.

So...tips on shooting? Well, I have a few things that really helped me:

1. Read all of the tips given here. Before I bought my camera, I found a few threads that offered tips. I read through them and have used many of the tips given there.
Getting Started

How to take good pictures

2. Practice Practice Practice

I've noticed a HUGE difference in my pictures from the beginning. In general, a good picture is a good picture, and I got a couple from my first few dives. But I get more good pictures now, and the quality is definitely better.

Also practice with the controls. Being in cold water, I wear thick gloves, and I've managed to figure out most of the controls I want to use while underwater...that may change when I do more manual stuff... The most important control for me is getting the camera into "Macro" mode. That has helped my pictures a lot.


3. If you have time before you trip, take some pictures and post them. I've done that, and gotten great feedback from the friendly folks on here.

4. When taking macro shots...if you think you're close enough, move closer. It's worked for me...

5. Did I mention that you should practice? Well...it really helped me.


And welcome to the addiction!

Thanks. Happy diving.

Share your pictures with us when you get a chance.

 

[DesertEagle]

Canon A620 + Canon WP-DC90 = no wide angle lens
Canon A620 + Ikelite = wide angle or macro lens
Canon A540 + Canon housing + Sea & Sea adapter (machined) = wide angle lens

If you buy just the camera and housing, you will essentially be buying a macro setup. You can do some head & shoulders portraits. For reefscapes, you need a wide angle lens.

 

[BobArnold8265]

Hi,

I too am looking into purchasing a Canon camera and have narrowed it down between the SD-550 and A620. Both are 7.1 MP but the SD-550 is a little more compact and has a larger LCD display. Any opinions between the A620 and SD-550 ????

Bob