Canon's last A7xx compact — 8MP CCD, stabilised 6x 35-210mm f/2.8-4.8 zoom, manual modes, AA power.
The PowerShot A720 IS was the last of Canon's A7xx enthusiast-leaning budget compacts, announced in August 2007 alongside the A650 IS as the successor to the A710 IS. The A7xx line packed longer zooms and full manual control into AA-powered bodies, and the A720 IS was eventually replaced by the slimmed-down A2000 IS.
It used an 8.0-megapixel 1/2.5-inch CCD behind a stabilised 6x zoom covering 35-210mm equivalent at f/2.8-4.8, with the DIGIC III processor raising maximum CCD sensitivity to ISO 1600. Video recorded at 640x480 and 30fps, the 2.5-inch LCD carried 115,000 pixels alongside an optical viewfinder, storage covered SD, SDHC and MMC variants, and the 200g body ran on AA batteries.
With optical image stabilisation, a bright-starting 6x zoom, manual modes and an optical finder, it remains one of the most capable AA-powered compacts of its era and a favourite starter classic. The small CCD limits high-ISO output, but stabilisation makes the long end genuinely usable handheld.
It is an easy used buy: SDHC support means ordinary cards up to 32GB work, and AA power removes battery worries entirely. Test the IS unit by comparing stabilised and unstabilised shots at 210mm, listen for grinding as the zoom travels, and check the mode dial registers each position cleanly.