The A2000 IS is an inexpensive, basic point-and-shoot from Canon that records at 10-megapixel resolution, and squeezes a 6x zoom lens into a relatively small frame. For $230 you get a camera with minimal manual controls, but nice point-and-shoot ease of use and a more powerful zoom than most models in its class.

If you get your hands on A2000, the first thing you'll notice is its odd wedge shape. Reminiscent of a doorstop, this strange design allows the camera to gradually enlarge from a narrow edge to a substantial handhold, but it's an unusual approach.

Most components of the A2000 are on the average side, with the notable exception of the impressive 6x zoom lens, though with a maximum aperture of f/3.2, it's a bit on the slow side. We ran into a few problems with the handling characteristics of the camera. The flash position makes it easy to block with your fingers, the loop for the wrist-strap is hard to thread, and the buttons are on the cramped side. On the plus side, its wedge shape makes it easy to hold, and the weight is a nice balance between  easy maneuverability and a solid feel in your hand.

The ISO range for the A2000 is respectable, from ISO 80 to ISO 1600, with ISO 3200 available at reduced 1600 x 1200 resolution. Shutter speed is almost always automatically set by the camera, and runs from 1/60 to 1/1600 of a second, a not very impressive range. However, if you go through the  sub-menu controlling exposure compensation, you’ll discover the surprisingly hidden option to set shutter speed from 1 second to 15 seconds. There is no way to control aperture, which ranges from f/3.2 to f/9 at the widest lens setting and f/5.9 to f/17 at 6x zoom. We would have preferred greater access to manual controls, but this camera is obviously aimed at those who prefer the camera to make most of the decisions.

Performance (read in-depth lab performance at Digitalcamerainfo.com)
The A2000 had decidedly mixed performance results in our testing suite. While it did very well for color accuracy, low light performance and video quality (all related  to its ability to accurately capture color), it struggled with image noise and resolution, and turned in average scores for white balance.

The camera is also a bit on the slow side, taking approximately 2.7 seconds to start up, and shoots a maximum of 1.2 photos  per second at full resolution. Hardly a speed demon.

Comparisons (read in-depth comparisons at Digitalcamerainfo.com)
For comparison, we looked at the Canon SX110 IS (a larger and more full-featured camera), and three entry-level point-and-shoots from other companies: the Casio Exilim EX-Z300, the Fujifilm FinePix F60fd and the Samsung NV40. Comparing the two Canons, the SX110 noticeably larger, but has full manual controls and a 10x zoom for a slightly higher $250 price.

The Casio costs $300 and outperformed the Canon on all tests except color and video, has a faster lens and smaller size. That said, it only has a 4x zoom, and we found the menu system annoying.

The Fujifilm camera also costs $300, is smaller than the A2000, shoots at 12 megapixels, has aperture- and shutter-priority exposure control and a better face detection system. However, it scored worse than the Canon in most of our image quality tests, and handles slowly.

The Samsung NV40 is available for less than $200, and did very well through our tests. Unfortunately, it has a difficult, inaccurate and unintuitive control scheme that makes using it far more complicated than it should be.