Digital Camera Canon Powershot Review

For the list price ($129.00) I really couldn't find a better camera. I work in a photo processing lab, where I also deal with and sell cameras for most of the day, so before purchasing my own I did a lot of hands-on research playing with and reading about all the cameras that were within the price I wanted to spend. I'm still learning as far as all the fancy features, but if you're like me and just need a good camera for everyday type stuff, this one is perfect. With its 7.1 mega pixels, it takes really sharp pictures and what I really like is how fast the shutter is. There's virtually no delay between the time you focus the camera and go to snap the actual picture. That was my biggest problem with my old camera-- I'd go to focus in and then by the time I actually snapped the photo, the delay was so annoyingly long that the moment was lost. The LCD screen is a great size, not too large and not too small. At 2.5", you get a really good idea of what you're shooting, even without a viewfinder. The only complaint I have is that it's not as great outdoors in bright weather. The screen gets really washed out and makes it kind of difficult to get a good shot. This is fixable though, as they sell pop-up shade clips (about $10) you can attach to the camera so as to correct that. I haven't tried them personally, but heard they work really well. I also really like the size of the camera itself. A lot of people are attracted to the super slim tiny cameras you can fit in a pocket, but that didn't appeal to me. I wanted something I'd be comfortable holding, fit well in my hands, and didn't feel like I was going to drop it. Its like the perfect size for me, because it's still really compact but not so small that it gives me anxiety over dropping it/breaking something. Alternately, its not so big that I can't easily carry it around with me.

I would consider this camera a step up from a lot of others in the price range. Along with the scene modes (which is pretty standard on most point and shoots anyway) it has a manual setting, which is fun to play around with and really easy to navigate. For someone like me who is still learning all the technical stuff it's a good first camera. You can customize a fair amount but its not overwhelming and hard to learn. At my job we are trained on what are the best selling points, features, etc, and whereas I take that into mind I also know that everyone is picky in their own way and some people care about certain features more than others. Personally I just wanted something to use on vacations, to take pictures of friends and I, my cats, etc. If you want something for fast action scenarios, sporting events and the like, you might want to skip this camera. It's only got the standard 3.4 optical zoom, which really is not that far, and even though it zooms farther digitally...it will get more blurry the further in you go. That is one thing Canon needs to improve upon-- a lot of their lower end models like this one have poor image stabilizing.

Canon's face detection technology is pretty cool though. In Auto mode (and probably manual too, I'm not positive though) it actually locks onto a person's face and almost highlights it...like zooms just their face in so you can see if it's clearly focused before taking the pic. This is a feature you can turn on or off in the Menu settings. It throws you off a bit in relation to the rest of the photo, but once you get the hang of it it's really helpful (in group shots especially.)

Bottom line - great deal for the price! You see a lot of Nikon's (Coolpix series) in the $89-129 price range, but in my experience this newer Canon definitely surpasses them. I had a Nikon Coolpix 5600 (probably about 2 yrs old now), and whereas it took beautifully sharp photos, the lag time was incredibly slow and that's what made me like this Canon better. Faster shutter times make all the difference! Canon's photo software is easier to navigate as well, with more custom settings to play around with when you want to edit/share your pictures on your computer. Most people are surprised to learn what kind of camera I have after they've seen the photos it takes. I just think its really nice that you can get something of this quality for such a low price.

OH- And a note about the AA batteries for this Canon: Obviously if you use standard alkaline AA's your response time is going to be a lot slower. Investing in good quality rechargeables is more than worth the money, it makes all the difference. I myself prefer Energizer's Lithium batteries, the blue and silver ones, as oppose to the rechargeables...just because they are specially designed for high powered devices like digital cameras, and you don't have to mess around with a charger, or the whole rotating batteries in and out. I got a good couple months of use out of a set of two, while taking pictures frequently...on a trip, and even just in everyday daily use. It's about $5 for a two pack and $9 for 4.

These PowerShot "A" cameras are Canon's attempt to deliver the quality and features of its more expensive PowerShot "G" and PowerShot Pro "S" lines (such as full zoom lenses) at a budget price. The results are pretty good. (How do I know? Because I've actually gotten to use all of these cameras. I earn my living at Walt Disney World writing a travel guide, and nearly every day guests ask me to take photos of them with their own cameras, which most often are Canon PowerShots.)

Here's my opinion of the top-selling "A" series cameras:

7TH PLACE: Featuring Canon's acclaimed Digic III processor, the 2007-model A560 includes the company's face-detection metering system and a decent red-eye removal. It's a nice camera, but a better value is the new A470 (see below). $150 list.

6TH PLACE: The A570IS is the same camera as the A560 but with optical image stabilization and the ability to shoot manually. $200 list.

5TH PLACE: You can do a lot with the sweet little A630. It's a 2006 model, but has a flip-out LCD panel and lots of manual controls. The shots I've seen from this model look great. Keep your ISO under 800 and you won't get any noise. $350 list. (Canon offers a 2007 version of this camera that I haven't had much experience with yet, the A650 IS. It also lists for $350.)

4TH PLACE: The 2008-model A580 is an A590IS (see 1st Place, below) without image stabilization and with semi-automatic instead of manual controls. $150 list.

3RD PLACE: The fully-loaded A720 IS has all the toys, including a 6x zoom (35mm film equivalent of 35-210mm), image stabilization, adjustable flash power and optional second-curtain flash. This last feature means you can make the flash fire at the end of a long exposure, instead of the beginning, so moving subjects streak into focus instead of out. A 2007 model. $200 list.

2ND PLACE: The 2008 entry-level A470 (the camera on this page) is great for kids or anyone just looking for a good basic camera. But frankly, it's better than basic. It includes Canon's face detection technology and has a zoom lens, 14 shooting modes and the ability to set exposure compensation, ISO and white balance manually. Plus it looks great with the color inserts. Everyone with this little camera always seems to be having fun. $130 list.

1ST PLACE: The A590IS is the A580 (see 4th Place, above) with image stabilization and with the option of full manual controls. For an extra $30 those features are well worth it. I bought this model for myself. $180 list.

I was attracted to this camera as a new version of the A460, which was highly rated by PC World. It is indeed very simple to use with a large LCD display, much greater resolution than the A70 I bought five years ago, and uses a 2 GB memory chip. The drawback is that the camera has no view finder. You take a picture by looking at it in the LCD display. That works fine indoors, but outdoors the daylight washes out the display so that framing a picture is almost guesswork.Canon PowerShot A470 7MP Digital Camera with 3.4x Optical Zoom (Red)

I bought this camera for my 14 year old son to take on school trips. His previous camera from another manufacturer lasted barely six months and took mediocre photos. This camera however is awesome! The pictures are sharp, perfectly exposed and the camera is really simple to use. Seems the menus are designed for regular people to understand. He appreciated that a lot.
The bottom line is he had one day to learn how to use the camera and then spent a week in Boston with his class. His photos were great and his camera experience was excellent...and I didn't break the bank for to purchase it either :)

This is a good camera for the price. It is simple to use and takes clear, crisp pictures. Also, the battery life is good. And the price makes it affordable to take good pictures.

Just keep in mind, that this camera works well if your subject is stationary. It is not for action shots. I have tried to take pictures of my kids playing in the yard and pictures usually come out blurry. Also, there is a bit of a lag time for the picture to be taken. Therefore, I have a tendency to miss the shot.

i usually love canon cameras, but this camera i was not very happy with. i have no problem with the pictures coming out good. the color comes out very nice. the problem i have with it is the time that it takes to take one picture and then take another. if your batteries are not fully charged, the wait time to take another pic could be up to 10 seconds. the zoom can be blurry at times too. it's a good basic camera for someone who takes photos every now and then. but if it's for trips and you want to capture alot of moments, you're gonna miss out on alot by waiting for the batteries to charge up again to take the next pic...

For the total price of $113 plus $10 for a Kingston 2GB memory card, this was a great bargain. You will definitely want to purchase the memory card on amazon as well because the 32MB memory card that comes with this camera will hold maybe 15 pictures or so. The 2GB memory card for only $10 holds about 1000 pictures.
When this camera arrived to me, I turned it on and it asked for the DATE and TIME. But when I powered down the camera and then turned it back on later, it again asked for the date/time. So the camera was not saving the Date/Time. I opened the battery cover and their is a slot for the CR1220 Date battery which is as small as a watch battery. IT WAS UPSIDE DOWN. The + symbol of the battery was facing up and in reality, the - symbol needed to be facing up. After I flipped around this 'watch battery', the camera was able to save the Date/Time and it never again asked me for the Date/Time each time I started it up. I wrote to Canon and requested they retrain their staff with this issue since it caused me alot of headache. Overall, the camera works great! Large LCD screen, easy to handle, uses only 2 AA batteries and has 5 different resolutions to choose from when taking pictures, including a widescreen resolution and a Date/Time stamp selection so the date/time get stamped onto each picture you take. Great camera, the blue color looks sharp!

While I love the Canon SD series, I was looking for a camera that used regular AA batteries. I actually bought the Canon A470 on a whim- I saw it at a local store. It was within my budget and I thought it was cute. (I bought the blue one.) So far, I'm happy to say that I love this camera. I use it when I don't feel like carrying around my Canon Digital Rebel XTi. The menu and controls are easy to find and use. The pictures that it takes come out very nice! I don't use the flash very often, so the battery life is actually quite swell.

Simple, does what it's supposed to do and the best part is that it used AA batteries. I don't even use the highest setting when I take pictures so 7.1 MP is more than enough for my use. For those who want to blow up to poster sizes, you should get an SLR, but for a normal everyday use camera this is the one to get. You could get more features for the price they are asking for but this one looks too cool.

My camera just stopped working -- on Christmas Eve nonetheless! I have had it exactly 4 months. I have not used it very often -- I liked it while I was using it. The only drawback was not being able to see what I was taking a picture of if I was outside in bright sunlight. Up until today, I would have given this a great review. However, I was just taking a picture when it froze and will not turn back on again. I will be sending it in for repair, but I would think that a camera should last longer than 4 months!

UPDATE: My camera was repaired after it quit working. Now, 4 months later again, it has DIED AGAIN -- this time in the middle of my son's piano recital. I'm fed up! Do NOT buy this camera. I have contacted Canon customer service and they will be sending out a prepaid shipping label to pick it up. However, I'm forced to buy another camera that will actually work when I need it to!