Canon A1200 Review

Name: Canon PowerShot A1200
Brand: Canon

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Main Features

12MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 1600

28-112 mm F2.8-5.9 Zoom Lens

2.70" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (tunnel) viewfinder

1.0fps continuous shooting

185g. 98 x 63 x 31 mm

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Canon A1200 Overview

First introduced in January 2011 , Canon PowerShot A1200 is a 12.0MP Small Sensor Compact camera with a 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and 4.0x zoom 28-112 mm F2.8-5.9 lens.

Canon A1200 Review - Click for Table of Contents

Overview
Pros and Cons
Sensor and Photography Features
Physical Specs
LCD and Viewfinder
Connectivity, Storage and Battery
Video
Other Features
Lens
Photography Type Scores
Alternatives
Popular Comparisons
Frequently Asked Questions
Detailed Specifications

Canon A1200 is a member of Canon's Small Sensor Compact class cameras. Below you can see the latest models in this class and how their main specs have changed with each new model.

Canon Small Sensor Compact Series History

Model	Release Date	Sensor	Max FPS	Dimensions	Weight
Canon S200 Compare	2014	10.0MP - 1/1.7'	2.0 fps	100 x 59 x 26mm	181g
Canon N100 Compare	2014	12.0MP - 1/1.7-inch	fps	105 x 68 x 36mm	289g
Canon S120 Compare	2013	12.0MP - 1/1.7-inch	12.0 fps	100 x 59 x 29mm	217g
Canon G16 Compare	2013	12.0MP - 1/1.7-inch	12.0 fps	109 x 76 x 40mm	356g
Canon N Facebook ready Compare	2013	12.0MP - 1/2.3-inch	2.0 fps	79 x 60 x 29mm	195g

Check the link below to compare specs of the latest cameras in this series side by side:
Canon S200 vs N100 vs S120 vs G16 vs N Facebook ready

**This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking through my links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Canon A1200 PROs and CONs Review

Now let's get in to more details of our Canon A1200 review by analysing its specs and features and listing out its pros and cons compared to average competitor cameras in its class.

PROs

Optical Built-in Viewfinder

Face Detection Focusing

185g Light Body

Fast 2.80 Lens at Wide

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CONs

No Wireless Connection

No Image Stabilization

No Articulating Screen

No External Flash Shoe

No Full HD Video

No Touch Screen

No RAW Shooting

Low Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP

Max Sensitivity only ISO 1.600

Only 9 Focus Points

Small LCD Screen ( 2.70")

Low Screen Resolution ( 230kdots )

1/1600s Low Max Shutter Speed

Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps

Low Battery Life: 200 shots

No Manual Focusing

No Manual Exposure

No Environmental Sealing

Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90

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Canon A1200 Physical Specs

Canon A1200 weighs 185 g (0.41 lb / 6.53 oz) and has external dimensions of 98 x 63 x 31 mm (3.86 x 2.48 x 1.22″). Considering that the average weight of Compact type cameras is 188g, its weight is about average in its class. With a thickness of 31mm, it also has an average thickness.

Weight Comparison

Compact Cameras

Canon A1200

Min

Average

Max

Thickness Comparison

Compact Cameras

Canon A1200

Min

Average

Max

In order to give you a better idea about the real life size of Canon A1200, we have added an image of how it looks next to a credit card and an AA type battery.

Physical size of the Canon A1200 Body Compared to a Credit Card and an AA Battery

Below you can find the comparison of the weight and thickness of Canon A1200 with its main competitors:

Canon A1200 Size Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Weight	vs A1200	Thickness	vs A1200
Canon A1400 Compare	174g	11g lighter	30mm	1mm thinner
Canon IXUS 165 Compare	128g	57g lighter	22mm	9mm thinner
Canon A1300 Compare	174g	11g lighter	30mm	1mm thinner
Canon A1100 IS Compare	150g	35g lighter	31mm	equal thickness
Nikon A1000 Compare	330g	145g heavier	41mm	10mm thicker
Canon SX150 IS Compare	306g	121g heavier	46mm	15mm thicker
Canon S95 Compare	195g	10g heavier	30mm	1mm thinner
Canon S90 Compare	195g	10g heavier	31mm	equal thickness

Weather Sealing

Canon A1200 doesn't have any environmental sealings on its body so you got to be extra careful to protect it against water and dust. If you shoot under these conditions very often, consider checking Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing page.

Canon A1200 Lens

Canon A1200 features a 28-112 mm F2.8-5.9 4× zoom lens. Lens has a good wide angle capability starting at 28mm, and 112mm on the tele end means that the medium telephoto angle is also well covered, only lacking the reach for wildlife and sports.

Wide Coverage

Compact Cameras

A1200

Widest - Olympus TG-850 iHS

Average

Telezoom

Compact Cameras

A1200

Longest - Canon SX520 HS

Average

With a max aperture of f2.80, this lens is fast on wide end, but max aperture of f5.90 at tele end makes is really slow at longer focal lengths.

Max Aperture at Wide

Compact Cameras

A1200

Fastest - Leica D-Lux 6

Average

Max Aperture at Tele

Compact Cameras

A1200

Fastest - Ricoh GR Digital IV

Average

Canon A1200 Sensor and Photography Features

Canon A1200 has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology processor. You can shoot at maximum resolution of 4000 x 3000 pixels with aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. A1200 has a native ISO range of 80 - 1600 but unfortunately, Canon A1200 doesn't have RAW file support. If you need a Compact camera with a RAW support, consider Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX10 (Lumix DMC-LX15) or Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS100 (Lumix DMC-TZ100) in the same price range.

Canon A1200 is not the highest resolution Small Sensor camera. GoPro Hero11 Black with its 27.0MP sensor is leading in this class. Check the comparison of Canon A1200 vs GoPro Hero11 Black or take a look at Highest resolution Compact cameras list.

Let's look at how the size of the Canon A1200's 1/2.3-inch sensor compares with other standard sensor sizes.

Comparison image of Canon A1200 Sensor Size with other standard sensors

Canon A1200 LCD and Viewfinder

Canon A1200 has a Fixed Type 2.70-inch LCD screen with a resolution of 230k dots. At only 2.70", the screen is on the smaller side and 230kdot resolution is lower than most of the recent models in this class.

Unfortunately Canon PowerShot A1200 doesn't have a Selfie friendly screen. If this feature is important for your shooting style, check here the list of Best Compact Cameras with Selfie Friendly LCD screen.

A1200 has a built-in Optical (tunnel) viewfinder, making it easier to shoot in direct sunlight and in other situations where it might be difficult to view the LCD monitor.

Canon A1200 Connectivity, Storage and Battery

Canon A1200 has a USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec) port to connect your camera to other devices.

Canon A1200 Battery

Canon A1200 is powered by 2 x AA battery which provides a battery life of 200 shots according to CIPA standards. Considering that the average battery life of Compact type cameras is 256 shots, Canon A1200 has a short battery life for its class so we strongly recommend A1200 owners to invest in some extra batteries.

Battery Life Comparison in Small Sensor Compact Cameras

Canon A1200

Min

Average

Max

Fujifilm X30 with its 470shots is the model with longest battery life among Small Sensor Compact cameras. Check the comparison of Canon A1200 vs Fujifilm X30 or take a look at Longest Battery Life Compact cameras list.

Canon A1200 Features Compared to Main Competitors

Model	Max Video	Battery Life	Wi-fi	Bluetooth	NFC
Canon A1400 Compare	1280 x 720	150shots	No	No	No
Canon IXUS 165 Compare	1280 x 720	220shots	No	No	No
Canon A1300 Compare	1280 x 720	220shots	No	No	No
Canon A1100 IS Compare	640 x 480	shots	No	No	No
Nikon A1000 Compare	3840 x 2160	250shots	Yes	No	No
Canon SX150 IS Compare	1280 x 720	130shots	No	No	No
Canon S95 Compare	1280 x 720	shots	No	No	No
Canon S90 Compare	640 x 480	shots	No	No	No

Canon A1200 Video Features

With Canon A1200, you can record your videos at a highest resolution of 1280 x 720 at 24 fps and save in MPEG-4 and H.264 formats. 1280 x 720 is a low video resolution by todays standards. If video quality is important for you, we recommend you to look at cameras with Full HD, even better 4K / Ultra-HD resolution .

Microphones, Speaker and Headphone Connections

Canon PowerShot A1200 has a built-in Mono microphone and a Mono speaker. On the other hand, Canon A1200 doesn't have any connections for external microphones and headphones. If you need a Compact camera with external microphone connectivity, consider Nikon Coolpix P7800 or Olympus XZ-2 iHS in a similar price range.

Canon A1200 Other Features

Max Shutter speed

Canon A1200 can shoot continuously at max speed of 1 fps and has max shutter speed of 1/1600 sec.

Flash

Unfortunately A1200 doesn't have an external flash shoe so you are limited with the built-in flash.

Focusing

Canon A1200 features a Contrast Detection autofocusing system. The AF system has 9 points to choose from.

Canon A1200 also features Face detection AF where it intelligently detects the faces in the frame and locks the focus automatically.

What type of Photography is Canon A1200 Good for?

In this section, we review and score Canon A1200 in 5 different photography areas.

Canon A1200 for Portrait Photography

Canon A1200 has a score of 22 for Portrait Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Portrait We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Portrait Photography list and consider these alternatives over theA1200.

Optical Built-in Viewfinder

Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP

Read the details of how we scored Canon A1200 for Portrait Photography

Canon A1200 for Street Photography

Canon A1200 has a score of 42 for Street Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Street is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Street Photography list.

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Live-view
Face-Detection Focusing

Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small Body

Read the details of how we scored Canon A1200 for Street Photography

Canon A1200 for Sports Photography

Canon A1200 has a score of 19 for Sports Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Sports We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Sports Photography list and consider these alternatives over theA1200.

Optical Built-in Viewfinder

Read the details of how we scored Canon A1200 for Sports Photography

Canon A1200 for Daily Photography

Canon A1200 has a score of 45 for Daily Photography which makes it an AVERAGE candidate for this type of photography. If Daily is important for you, we recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Daily Photography list.

Compact Body
185g

4.0X Optical Zoom

Read the details of how we scored Canon A1200 for Daily Photography

Canon A1200 for Landscape Photography

Canon A1200 has a score of 18 for Landscape Photography which makes it a POOR candidate for this type of photography. If Landscape We strongly recommend you to check our Top Compact Cameras for Landscape Photography list and consider these alternatives over theA1200.

28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage

Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP

Read the details of how we scored Canon A1200 for Landscape Photography

Canon A1200 Alternatives

In this section, we analyse how Canon A1200 compares with other Compact cameras within a similar price range.

Read a more detailed analysis of Canon A1200 alternatives.

Popular Comparisons of Canon A1200

Here is the eight most popular comparisons of Canon A1200 amongst Camera Decision readers.

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Canon A1200 Alternatives in Cameras

It would also be interesting to compare Canon A1200 with Cameras. Below we have listed 4 highest ranked cameras in Canon A1200's price range.

Canon A1200 Conclusion and Scores

Currently, Canon A1200 has an Overall Score of 29/100 which is based on our evaluation of 69 different technical parameters. Our scores are dynamically updated whenever a new camera is added to our database or when we change our ranking algorithm and the maximum score is always 100. Canon PowerShot A1200 is ranked #492 out of 631 in Compact cameras (Top 20 Compact), and ranked #1081 out of 1259 in all Cameras (Top 20 Overall).

#1081 out of 1259 in Top Ranking Cameras
#492 out of 631 in Top Ranking Compact Cameras
#170 out of 262 in Top Ranking Small Sensor Compact Cameras
#566 out of 740 in Top Ranking Small Sensor Sensor Cameras
#328 out of 536 in Lightest Compact Cameras with Small Sensor sensor(185g)
#747 out of 918 in Top Ranking Cameras with Fixed Type Screen
Geek Score: 0

Main Scores

Imaging

Features

Value for Money

Portability

Overall Score

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Frequently Asked Questions about Canon A1200

Does the Canon A1200 have Image Stabilization?
Does the Canon A1200 have RAW support?
Does the Canon A1200 have Weather Sealing?
Does the Canon A1200 have built-in GPS?
What is the Max ISO of Canon A1200?
What is the Sensor Size of Canon A1200?
is the Canon A1200 a Full Frame (FF) camera?
Does the Canon A1200 have Touch Screen?
Does the Canon A1200 have built-in Wireless?
What is the Max Continuous Shooting Speed (fps) of Canon A1200?
What is the Weight of Canon A1200?
What are the Dimensions of Canon A1200?

Canon PowerShot A1200 Detailed Specifications

General
Brand	Canon
Model	Canon PowerShot A1200
Announced	2011-01-05
Body Type	Compact
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	28-112 mm (4×)
Max Aperture	F2.8-5.9
Macro Focus Range	3cm
Screen
Screen Type	Fixed Type
Screen Technology	TFT LCD
Screen Size	2.70"
Screen Resolution	230k dots
Live View
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (tunnel)
Viewfinder Resolution	no electronic viewfinder
Viewfinder Coverage	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	n/a
Photography Features
Min Shutter Speed	15s
Max Mechanical Shutter Speed	1/1600s
Max Continuous Shooting	1.0 fps
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Exposure Compensation	n/a
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	4.00 m
Flash Modes	Auto, On, Off, Slow Sync
External Flash
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Exposure Modes
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	not tested
DxO Color Depth	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	not tested
	Report a correction

Sensor
Sensor Type	CCD
Sensor Size	1/2.3-inch
Sensor Dimensions	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Sensor Area	28.07mm²
Sensor Resolution	12 megapixels
Max Image Resolution	4000 x 3000
Max Native ISO	1,600
Min Native ISO	80
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	9
Number of Cross Focus Points	Unknown
Video Features
Video Resolutions	1280 x 720 (24 fps), 640 x 480 (30 fps), 320 x 240 (30 fps)
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720
Video Formats	MPEG-4, H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None
HDMI
USB	USB 2.0 (480 Mbit/sec)
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Water Proof
Dust Proof
Shock Proof
Crush Proof
Freeze Proof
Weight	185g
Physical Dimensions	98 x 63 x 31mm
Battery Life	200 shots
Battery Type	AA
Battery Model	2 x AA
Other Features
Self Timer	Yes
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None
Storage Type	SD/SDHC/SDXC/MMC/MMCplus/HCMMCplus
Storage Slots	1

Most Popular Small Sensor Compact Cameras

Nikon P7800
12 MP | 1/1.7-inch Sensor| 28-200 mm

Canon G16
12 MP | 1/1.7-inch Sensor| 28-140 mm

Sony W800
20 MP | 1/2.3-inch Sensor| 26-130 mm

Fujifilm X30
12 MP | Sensor| 28-112 mm

Canon S120
12 MP | 1/1.7-inch Sensor| 24-120 mm

Fujifilm X10
12 MP | 2/3-inch Sensor| 28-112 mm

Leica D-Lux 6
10 MP | 1/1.7-inch Sensor| 24-90 mm

Canon G12
10 MP | 1/1.7-inch Sensor| 28-140 mm

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Fujifilm X100V
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Sony RX100 VII
20 MP | 1″ Sensor | 24-200 mm

Canon G5 X MII
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Canon G7 X MIII
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