# Should I buy Canon PowerShot A1200?



## Newton_G (Oct 20, 2012)

I need a digital camera to take photos for my thesis. Before you comment, Id like to mention my requirements:

*1)* Taking pictures of construction site; to highlight occupational health and safety (OHS) issues [Mostly *outdoor and some indoor photography*]
*
2)* *Natural landscapes*; trees and hiking trails etc.

*3)* If I could shoot *short clips* for YouTube etc, it would be a plus (I dont expect if this $ 85 toy camera can capture moving vehicles or so called action scenes)

And

*4)* *Good battery backup*

I was thinking about *Canon PowerShot A1200*, but after reading so many positive and negative reviews, Im confused and losing my mind!

My concerns about the cam:

*A) Terrible battery timing*: It was mentioned in one of the negative reviews that it can get *only 20-30 shots* per one set of battery (or *up to 50 snaps with good rechargeable AA batteries per charge*), while you can make only 5 minutes video per one set of batteries.

Is it TRUE? How many snaps can I take with/without flash? Im planning to use rechargeable AA batteries for economy.* Is there any good AA battery available and how much does it co$t*?

*B) Poor Image quality*: Few critics claimed its worse than Sony and Nikons under $ 100 cams.

Ive already mentioned what I need, I dont expect DSLR result but it should be at least better than what I get from my cheap 3.0mp cell phone cam; is it okay for me?

*C)Worst shutter speed*: the critics say it takes 5.9 seconds per shot with flash while taking continuous shots. Plus they say it hangs very often and you have to remove the batteries to fix it 

*Does it mean I can take only 5 snaps per 30 seconds or 10 per minute, right*?

*D) Useless OVF:* One of the reasons why Im choosing A1200 over any other cam w/o OVF, because in bright sunlight when I see an LCD, all I can see is my own face!  lolz

But they say the optical view finder is totally useless, its very small and you cant find anything in it, it doesnt even respond when the cam is zoomed in/out, so we cant use it outdoors.
Im planning to use OVF more; one reason to save battery, the other one is to get better image while shooting outdoors i.e. when LCD cant be seen clearly.

Keeping in mind what I mentioned above (from 1 to 3); please tell me if the OVF is totally useless? Does it respond to ZOOM IN/OUT?

*E) How long video can I shot with one set (two AA) of batteries?* Negative reviews say it 5 minutes, while positive reviews claim up to 30 minutes and even more if we switch off the LCD. Whats the truth?

I need unbiased opinion as I've already read dozens of _*anti-Canon and pro-Canon*_ user reviews which have messed up my mind!!!


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