Canon A650?

[jeffj]

Hi All,
I'm thinking about a Canon A650 for my stock Trex600, as I can't source an A640 locally anymore. I read on some posts here somewhere that there were drawbacks to this newer model. (un-hackable shutter maybe?) I'm currently just getting started in AP, and will probably just build a mount w/ a servo to trigger the shutter. Would a larger DSLR (XTi?) be better in the long run, or too heavy for my stock set-up? Thanks for any help.

[AZ ChopperCam]

I have an A640 and 650. The 650 can certainly be hacked for an e-shutter but it's about 3x the job that it was on the 640. The entire camera must be disassembled to gain access to the shutter switch.

I love my 650 but it's quite a bit heavier than the 640 when the wide angle converter is put on. The A650 converter is much larger than the 640's.

[jeffj]

Thanks for the insight. Would this extra weight you mention overwhelm the stock motor/6s pack set-up?

[okiefarmr]

The XTI is a great camera. You don't have to do a hack for the shutter. A wire runs from your camera to a servo to trip the shutter. You DO NOT have any focus control. But there are simple solutions to that problem. Wont go into all that right now.

The XTI will be a heavier camera. I guess you need to decide what you will be using the camera for and then compare their specs. to match your needs. You are talking a big price difference between the two also. You could buy two A650 for the price of one XTI.

I would take in consideration what DJ mentioned above about the difficulty of hacking the 650 vs the 640 also.