Canon PowerShot A3200 IS review

The A3200 IS one of many Canon cameras jostling for attention in the sub-£150 sector. It has some distinguished company, including the cheap and cheerful PowerShot A800 and the feature-packed Canon Ixus 115 HS. The A3200 IS’s price and features place it in between its two siblings. The metal body and Li-ion battery help to keep the bulk down, although unlike the stylish Ixus 115 HS, there’s no attempt to disguise the fact that this is a budget camera.

It’s actually a little faster to adjust settings than on the pricier Ixus, thanks to a mode dial and a simpler menu layout. There are no manual exposure options but the scene modes and creative filters are likely to prove more popular among non-technical photographers.

Selecting P for Program on the dial gives access to all the key settings we expect, such as ISO speed and white balance. Auto mode has a more limited set of options, but still includes easy access to a Track Focus mode, which follows moving subjects around the frame to ensure that they’re in focus. It’s a similar idea to face detection, and while it requires a little more effort from the user, it doesn’t get confused by tricky lighting or when people turn their heads.

Video is recorded at 720p, with clip lengths limited to 22 minutes – longer than most cameras at this price. Its inability to zoom or refocus while recording is typical, as is the low 12kHz audio sample rate, resulting in a lack of high-frequency crispness. Video picture quality was pretty good, though, with restrained noise levels, accurate colours and sharp details.