Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

The Canon A630's performance is generally faster than average. Startup and shutdown speeds are above average. Shutter response is a bit faster than average but not dramatically so. Shot-to-shot cycle times and continuous-mode speeds are above average, too. Even the flash, which is pretty powerful, takes just five seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, about average for any digicam flash. Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are very fast, pretty much eliminating the need for an external reader. Bottom line, while not a first choice for sports or other really fast-paced action, the A630 is responsive enough (particularly at wide angle lens settings) to handle most family photo opportunities.

Battery
Good battery life with the LCD on, better when off; significantly better with NiMH batteries.

The Canon A630 uses four AA batteries for power. The table above shows the number of shots it can take with either Alkaline or NiMH batteries, based on the CIPA battery-life standard. (Based on 2500 mAh capacity cells.) With a good set of NiMH AA batteries and the LCD switched off, you can actually get 1,500 shots; but since most will use the LCD, even 500 shots is great with the LCD on. Though the A630 performs pretty well with alkalines, we strongly recommend that you purchase a couple of sets of high-capacity NiMH rechargeable batteries and a good-quality charger, as they'll save you many times their cost over the life of the camera.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
A 16MB SD Memory Card is included with the PowerShot A630.

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SD/MMC memory card at least a 512MB card, preferably a 1GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)