If the A2300 is to replace last years A2200, then Canon hasn't yet removed it from the PowerShot range. When it was released, the 14 Megapixel, 4x zoom A2200 was the slimmest A series compact yet produced, but the A2300 is slimmer and lighter still.
It's not the least expensive nor the most basic PowerShot, that honour belongs to the larger and heavier PowerShot A810 (and the optical viewfinder equipped A1300) which is powered by a couple of AA batteries. Moving up the range, the PowerShot A2400 IS shares almost the exact same specification, but adds optical image stabilisation. The other two models are the touch-screen A3400 IS and the top of the range PowerShot A4000 IS with an 8x zoom and 3 inch LCD screen.
In this review I've compared the A2300 with its more capable stablemate the A3400 IS. The A2300 and A2400 IS are similar in all but optical image stabilisation and there's only a few dollars difference in price, so it's an easy call to decide whether that's worth it to you. But the PowerShot A3400 IS has more to offer than optical image stabilisation, it boasts a 3 inch touch screen. Read my full review to discover whether those features are worth paying the extra for, or if the budget A2300 is the ultimate value for money PowerShot.
Tech Specs
| General | |
Product Type
|
Digital camera - compact
|
 | |
Enclosure Color
|
Silver
|
| |
Sensor Resolution
|
16.0 Megapixel
|
| |
Optical Sensor Type
|
CCD
|
| |
Total Pixels
|
16,600,000 pixels
|
| |
Effective Sensor Resolution
|
16,000,000 pixels
|
| |
Optical Sensor Size
|
1/2.3"
|
| |
Digital Zoom
|
4 x
|
| |
Image Processor
|
DIGIC 4
|
| |
Image Stabilizer
|
Electronic
|
| |
Auto Focus
|
TTL contrast detection
|
| |
Auto Focus Points (Zones) Qty
|
9
|
| |
AE/AF Control
|
Face-priority AF, Subject-tracking AF
|
| |
Face Detection
|
Face Detection AF/AE/FE/WB, Self Portrait Auto Shutter
|
| |
Digital Video Format
|
H.264, iFrame
|
| |
Image Recording Format
|
JPEG
|
| |
Max Video Resolution
|
1280 x 720
|
| |
AV Interfaces
|
Composite video/audio
|
| Exposure & White Balance | |
Light Sensitivity
|
ISO 100, ISO 800, ISO 400, ISO 200, ISO 1600, ISO auto
|
| |
Exposure Metering
|
Evaluative, center-weighted, spot
|
| |
Exposure Modes
|
Program, automatic
|
| |
Shooting Programs
|
Portrait mode, slow shutter, fireworks, low light, self-portrait with self-timer, snow, super vivid, poster effect, fisheye effect, miniature effect, toy camera effect, monochrome, discreet
|
| |
White Balance
|
Custom, automatic, presets
|
| |
White Balance Presets
|
Fluorescent, cloudy, tungsten light, daylight, fluorescent light (warm white)
|
| |
Max Shutter Speed
|
1/2000 sec
|
| |
Min Shutter Speed
|
15 sec
|
| |
Exposure Compensation
|
±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
|
| Lens System | |
Type
|
5 x zoom lens - 5 - 25 mm - f/2.8-6.9
|
| |
Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera
|
28 - 140mm
|
| |
Focus Adjustment
|
Automatic
|
| |
Min Focus Range
|
1.2 in
|
| |
Macro Focus Range
|
1 in - 23.6 in
|
| |
Zoom Adjustment
|
Motorized drive
|
| |
Lens Construction
|
5 groups / 6 elements
|
| |
Features
|
Built-in lens shield, aspherical lens, UA lens
|
| Camera Flash | |
Camera Flash
|
Built-in flash
|
| |
Flash Modes
|
Fill-in mode, slow synchro, auto mode, flash OFF mode, red-eye reduction
|
| |
Features
|
AF illuminator
|
| |
Effective Flash Range
|
1.6 ft - 10 ft ( wide lens ) ¦ 3.3 ft - 6.6 ft ( tele lens )
|
| Additional Features | |
Continuous Shooting Speed
|
0.8 frames per second, 2.8 frames per second (4Mpix)
|
| |
Self Timer Delay
|
10 sec, 2 sec
|
| |
Additional Features
|
Direct print, USB 2.0 compatibility, RGB primary color filter, digital noise reduction, DPOF support, display brightness control, digital image rotation, camera orientation detection, PictBridge support, histogram display, digital image stabilization, in-camera red-eye removal, resizing an image, i-Contrast (Intelligent Contrast Correction) system, Scene Detection Technology, 720p HD movie recording, highlight point display, built-in help guide, Exif Print support, Motion Detection Technology, Subject Detection technology, Smart AUTO
|
| Display | |
Type
|
2.7" LCD display
|
| |
Resolution
|
230,000 pixels
|
| |
Display Features
|
Built-in
|
| Microphone | |
Microphone Operation Mode
|
Mono
|
| Connections | |
Connector Type
|
1 x Hi-Speed USB ¦ 1 x composite video/audio output
|
| |
Memory Card Slot
|
SD card
|
| Software | |
Software
|
Canon PhotoStitch, Canon ImageBrowser EX
|
| System Requirements for PC Connection | |
Operating System Support
|
MS Windows XP SP3, MS Windows Vista SP2, MS Windows 7 SP1, Apple Mac OS X 10.6 - 10.7
|
| Miscellaneous | |
Compatible with Windows 7
|
Compatible with Windows 7
|
| |
Included Accessories
|
Battery charger, USB cable, wrist strap
|
| Battery | |
Battery Type
|
Canon NB-11L
|
| |
Details
|
1 x Canon NB-11L Li-ion rechargeable battery ( included )
|
| |
Battery Life Details
|
Photo shooting - 210 shots ¦ Playback - 5 hours
|
| Memory / Storage | |
Memory Card Slot
|
SD card
|
| |
Supported Memory Cards
|
SD Memory Card, SDXC Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card
|
| |
Image Storage
|
JPEG 4608 x 3456 ¦ JPEG 3264 x 2448 ¦ JPEG 1600 x 1200 ¦ JPEG 640 x 480 ¦ JPEG 4608 x 2592
|
| |
Video Capture
|
H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 25 fps ¦ H.264 - 640 x 480 - 30 fps ¦ H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 5 fps - Miniature Effect ¦ H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 2.5 fps - Miniature Effect ¦ H.264 - 1280 x 720 - 1.25 fps - Miniature Effect ¦ iFrame - 1280 x 720 - 25 fps
|
| Dimensions & Weight | |
Width
|
3.7 in
|
| |
Depth
|
0.8 in
|
| |
Height
|
2.1 in
|
| |
Weight
|
3.8 oz
|
| Environmental Parameters | |
Min Operating Temperature
|
32 °F
|
| |
Max Operating Temperature
|
104 °F
|
| |
Humidity Range Operating
|
10 - 90%
|