Canon PowerShot A1300 Digital Camera Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification



The A1300 was launched in February 2012 as part of Canon's range of PowerShot cameras, as well as the A810, A2300, A2400 IS and A3400 IS. It is available in black and silver for around £94.

Canon PowerShot A1300 Features

The A1300 has a 16 megapixel sensor and 5x optical zoom lens, which is a 35mm equivalent of 28-140mm. It has Digital Image Stabilisation (IS) in order to combat camera shake to ensure photos and videos are as sharp as possible.

For the novice photographer there is Smart Auto which chooses the correct scene from 32 variables and adjusts the camera settings automatically. If you get stuck at any time there is a help button which gives guidance on using your camera and its different functions. The A1300 also have an optical viewfinder which is extremely unique for a budget compact camera.

There are a number of creative modes such as Fish-eye effect, Super Vivid, Poster, Toy Camera, Miniature and Monochrome. Live View Control allows you to experiment with picture settings like brightness and colour intensity, then preview the results while framing. Face Detection Technology detects up to 35 faces in a single frame making sure they remain in focus with optimum brightness. Face Detection White Balance ensures natural skin tones even in unusual lighting conditions with Auto Red-Eye Correction eliminating red-eye.

The A1300 records videos at 720p HD.

Key Features

• 16.0 megapixel sensor
• 5x optical zoom lens (35mm equiv: 28-140mm)
• Digital Image Stabilisation
• 2.7 inch touch LCD screen
• Smart Auto (32 scenes)
• 720p HD video recording
• ISO 100-1600
• 3cm minimum focusing distance
• Optical viewfinder
• Several creative modes
• Available in black, silver, pink and blue

Canon PowerShot A1300 Handling

The A1300 has a plastic body, with a chunky side where the batteries are which aids grip. The buttons are large, easy to press and fairly typical for a compact camera with dedicated movie and help placed on the rear. The camera also has an easy to use menu system which is cycled through using the d-pad and func set button. When it is switched off, the playback button can be pressed to view your pictures and videos. The screen is fairly small at 2.7 inches but is bright, clear, and easy to see.

The batteries have a CIPA rating of 220 shots, we managed nearly 600 during testing, the number of shots you get will depend on the quality of batteries purchased. We tested the camera's performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average, so that consistent results were produced.

Shutter Response		0.125 secs
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response		0.6 secs
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response		0.8 secs
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo		2.35 secs
Shot to Shot (without flash)		2.7 secs
Shot to Shot with Flash		6 secs
Continuous Shooting		0.7 fps
Continuous Shooting (with Flash)		0.3 fps

Continuous shooting records at full 16 megapixel resolution.

Canon PowerShot A1300 Performance

Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review and product ratings.

Canon PowerShot A1300 Sample Photos

Portrait | 1/60 sec | f/4.5 | 11.6 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Drive | 1/320 sec | f/2.8 | 5.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
Landscape | 1/800 sec | f/2.8 | 5.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Pet | 1/125 sec | f/6.3 | 20.3 mm | ISO 320 High-Res

Sample Photos - Images are well exposed with superb colour reproduction. Portraits have pleasant skin tones, but do have strong red-eye.

Canon PowerShot A1300 Lens test images

Wide Angle | 1/1250 sec | f/2.8 | 5.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Full Optical Zoom | 1/320 sec | f/6.9 | 25.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
Digital Zoom | 1/160 sec | f/6.9 | 25.0 mm | ISO 160 High-Res	Macro | 1/13 sec | f/2.8 | 5.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

Lens Performance - Images are fairly well detailed, but there's not enough if you want really impressive large prints. With the impressive colour reproduction the images are great if you like to share them on the web on your favourite social networking site. Macros are fairly good, particularly as the lens has a minimum focusing distance of 3cm.

Canon PowerShot A1300 ISO test images

ISO100 | 1/10 sec | f/4.5 | 12.5 mm High-Res	ISO200 | 1/15 sec | f/4.5 | 12.5 mm High-Res	ISO400 | 1/40 sec | f/4.5 | 12.5 mm High-Res
ISO800 | 1/80 sec | f/4.5 | 12.5 mm High-Res	ISO1600 | 1/160 sec | f/4.5 | 12.5 mm High-Res

ISO Noise Performance - Images are free of noise at ISO 100 but there is a slight touch appearing at ISO 200. At ISO 400 there are some white dots appearing, but a decent, fairly sharp image is produced. There is a loss of detail in places at ISO 800, with a slight softening, ISO 1600 produces images which are even softer with black and white dots now appearing, but will still produce images which are good for web sharing.

Canon PowerShot A1300 White-balance test images

AWB preset - incandescent lighting | 1/15 sec | f/3.5 | 8.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Incandescent preset - incandescent lighting | 1/13 sec | f/3.5 | 8.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
AWB preset - fluorescent lighting | 0.3 sec | f/3.5 | 8.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Fluorescent preset - fluorescent lighting | 0.4 sec | f/3.5 | 8.2 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

White Balance Performance - When using the AWB preset under the incandescent lights an orange cast is present, with the incandescent preset producing a good image. The AWB preset copes really well under the fluorescent lighting, with the fluorescent preset also doing a pretty good job.

Canon PowerShot A1300 Other sample images

i-Contrast | 1/200 sec | f/7.9 | 5.0 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	Landscape With Building | 1/1000 sec | f/2.8 | 5.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
Trees | 1/60 sec | f/2.8 | 5.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Low Light | 1/15 sec | f/2.8 | 5.0 mm | ISO 3200 High-Res

Canon PowerShot A1300 Digital filters

Fisheye | 1/20 sec | f/5.0 | 16.1 mm | ISO 500 High-Res	Poster Effect | 1/15 sec | f/5.0 | 16.1 mm | ISO 400 High-Res	Super Vivid | 1/15 sec | f/5.0 | 16.1 mm | ISO 400 High-Res
Toy Camera | 1/15 sec | f/5.0 | 16.1 mm | ISO 400 High-Res	Monochrome | 1/20 sec | f/5.0 | 16.1 mm | ISO 500 High-Res	Miniature | 1/160 sec | f/6.9 | 25.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

Digital Filters - The A1300 doesn't have digital filters as such, but these are listed amongst the scene modes, which allow you to be more creative with your pictures.

Video - Below is a video shot at 720p HD, there is no optical zoom during recording but you can use digital zoom.

Value For Money

The Canon PowerShot A1300 is available for £94.00. Other cameras with a similar spec include the Pentax Optio LS465 at £89.95, Nikon Coolpix S3300 at £99.95, Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS45 at £109.95 and Sony Cybershot W630 at £119.00. You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Canon PowerShot A1300 Verdict

The A1300 is an easy to use, pocketable budget compact camera which even has an optical viewfinder. Images produced have excellent colour reproduction which will look great when sharing them on sites like Facebook. Detail isn't good enough for large prints, but there are a number of creative modes available to help you take unique pictures. The camera is also easy to use, with built-in help guides if you do get stuck.

Canon PowerShot A1300 Pros

Optical viewfinder
Built-in help guide
Available in a good range of colours
Good creative modes
Images have really good colour reproduction
Easy to use

Canon PowerShot A1300 Cons

Only 720p HD video recording
No fast continuous shooting
Image detail isn't sufficient for large prints

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Canon PowerShot A1300 Specifications

Manufacturer	Canon
Lens
	Max Aperture	f/2.8 - f/6.9
	35mm equivalent	28mm - 140mm
	Optical Zoom	5x
Image Sensor
	CCD pixels	16Mp (Megapixels)
	Pixels (W)	4608
	Pixels (H)	3456
	Sensor Type	CCD
	Sensor Size	1/2.3 inch
	Sensor Size (width)	No Data
	Sensor Size (height)	No Data
	Aspect Ratio	4:3 16:9
LCD Monitor
	LCD Monitor	2.7in
	Screen resolution	230k
	Touch Screen	No
Focusing
	Min Focus	3cm
	Focusing modes	Autofocus Face Detection
Exposure Control
	Shutter speeds shortest	1/2000sec
	Shutter speeds longest	15sec
	Exp modes	Program Scene modes
	Metering	Centre-weighted - Average Spot
	ISO sensitivity	100 - 1600
	White balance	Auto Manual Outdoors/Daylight Cloudy Incandescent Fluorescent
	Exposure Comp	+/-2
Shooting Options
	Continuous shooting	0.8fps
Video
	Movie mode	Yes
	Video Resolution	1280x720 720p 640x480 VGA
	Video FPS	25
	Stereo Sound	No
	Optical Zoom with Video	No
Other Features
	Image Stabilisation	No
Interface
	HDMI	No
	USB	USB 2
	Wi-Fi	No
Storage
	Card Type	SD SDHC SDXC
	File Type	JPG
Power Source
	Battery Type	2x AA
	CIPA Rating	220
Box Contents
	Box Contents	No Data
Dimensions
	Weight	174g
	Width	94.7mm
	Height	61.7mm
	Depth	29.8mm

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