A month ago we gave you a taste of what the Canon PowerShot D20 is capable of. Now let’s get to know more the rugged point-and-shoot in our full review after the break.
As you might have known by now, the
Canon PowerShot D20 is not your average Point-and-Shoot. But for the
benefit of those who don’t, you can check out our first impression here.
Let’s kick things off with a tour of the camera’s body.
Design and Construction
The design of this camera is something that you won’t typically
expect out of a rugged camera, let alone a POS. The curved design seems
to have been inspired by a Pacific Regal Blue Tang or more popularly
known as Dory from Finding Nemo.
This camera is a bit chunkier and heftier compared to other rugged
cameras, but that should be forgivable considering that it is mostly due
to the added protection from water, drops and rough weather. But this
doesn’t take away the fact that this camera is one of the best looking
rugged camera we’ve seen in our time.
Looking at the front of the camera, the first thing you’ll notice is
its lens covered with a high grade glass and surrounded by a thin strip
of shiny Aluminum that extends up to the flash on its left. Just below
the flash is the lamp and underneath that is the Microphone.
On its back, you’ll be greeted its 3” LCD screen enclosed inside a
tough clear glass. Towards the right of the screen are the buttons. At a
glance you may find the buttons are too cramped together. But when you
get to use it, you’ll find that they are just where they need to be.
It’s also worth noting that the buttons provide a very tactile feedback
when pressed which adds to a more comfortable picture taking.
The top part is pretty straightforward. It features three buttons
namely the Power, Shutter and Playback. At the bottom there’s the tripod
hole and the battery compartment which are sealed inside a protective
latch along with the memory card slot.
Not much is going on at the left part of the camera (if you’re
holding it facing the screen) besides the hole for strap. On the other
side, inside the terminal cover are the USB/AV Out, HDMI and DC IN
ports.
Display
The 3” LCD screen is a bit on the downside only featuring 461k dots
resolution. And although the protective glass above it absorbs most of
the damage that may happen to the screen inside, it also worsens the
display of the D20.
It’s not the worst screen we’ve seen on a tough camera but this aspect is certainly not its best.
Modes and Controls
Much like any other point-and-shoots, controlling the settings of
this camera relies on the on-screen display. The D20’s buttons placement
is a familiar sight to those who’ve used other Canon POS in the past.
In addition to the usual location of the buttons, it also does almost
the same functions as with other Canon digicams.
This camera allows 4 shooting modes for stills namely Auto, P
(Program), Underwater (Normal and Macro) and Snow and two extra modes
for video recording (iFrame and Slow Motion).
There isn’t a shortage of Art filters in this camera featuring a total of 17 different image add-ons for a more creative photo.
Shooting
Whether it’s in or out of the water, the Canon PowerShot D20 takes
pretty decent stills thanks to its 28mm wide-angle lens backed by 12.1MP
High Sensitivity CMOS sensor and Digic 4 Image processor. In addition
to this, the snapper also features Intelligent Image Stabilization that
ensures great photos on almost every shot even if you have shaky hands.
