Canon Powershot A3300 IS review

Canon Powershot A3300 IS : Big specs rolled into a small package

The PowerShot A cameras are affordable, creative and fun. They have always boasted high-res images, and Canon continues to push the pixel count with this 16-megapixel offering, the A3300 IS. But we already know that more megapixels don’t necessarily mean better images…

At first glance the A3300 has all the traits of a Canon compact, with its curves and rounded edges. The body is well built and feels sturdy, with a stylish metallic finish available in red, blue, pink and silver. Unfortunately, in contrast the black plastic trim makes it look a bit cheap. It’s a comfortable size and weight to hold and place into a pocket, and the menu dial on top leaves space on the back of the camera for the more-than-adequate 3-inch LCD. The menu buttons are all clearly marked and cleanly laid out, sitting neatly next to the screen.  

The camera body itself doesn’t stray from the classic Canon point-and-shoot setup. The d-pad has all the shortcuts for flash, exposure, timer and macro, and there are eight settings available in a twist of the menu dial. Included are two automatic shooting modes and a scene mode with nine predefined shot settings. There’s even a smart shutter for hands-free shooting, and the full auto mode will change settings on the fly to produce the best shots possible. Live View controls shoots in automatic, but allows additional settings to be made pre-shot, which is useful in unusual lighting conditions. Effects mode has six different effects to choose from that are all fun to play with.

The 28mm wide-angle lens is ideal for landscape photography, while macro shooting is good with the fast shutter and 3cm shooting distance. Images produced are sharp and detailed with well-reproduced colour. At the other end of the lens the 5x zoom is adequate for most shots and there is digital zoom available if needed. Canon’s optical image stabilisation supports the zoom lens well and does a good job reducing blur in shots.

It’s clear that this is a camera geared towards shooting portraits, as its face detection and tracking modes are coupled up with the blink detection and smile shutter settings. It’s also ideal for group shots as the face detection works up to 35 faces.

Although the A3300 may be aimed at beginners, the Program mode does offer a bit more control. There’s no full manual control setting, but there is still enough here to help beginners learn new skills. Users can get into the Program mode which offers ISO, metering modes and white balance settings. Automatic controls do have a tendency to overexpose shots so it’s a good idea to learn the Program mode settings. Battery life is not an issue over a day’s shooting, so there is no reason not to get into the menus.  

HD video is also available at 1280 x 720 pixels and is a good additional feature, but the use of optical zoom is not available during shooting. Miniature mode is present, however, and it’s a fun additional filter setting that blurs the top and bottom of the frame to create a miniature-looking scene.  

The A3300 IS doesn’t really go above or beyond anything we’ve seen before, but it’s still a solid compact. Its accessible controls, range of automatic modes and low price point make it perfect for newcomers and casual users. The boasted megapixel count doesn’t really make a huge difference over its competitors, but it does take impressive shots and is a competent all-rounder.