Hard to beat

Hard to beat, March 10, 2008
By Julie Neal "The Complete Walt Disney World" (Sanibel Island, Fla.) - See all my reviews


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:

A580. This 2008 model is an A590IS (see below) without image stabilization and with semi-automatic instead of manual controls. I'd spend the extra bucks for the A590IS, because those two features can make quite a difference.

A650 IS. You can do a lot with this sweet little camera, though canon powershot sd780is may be more than you need. canon powershot sd780is has a flip-out LCD camera panel and the option 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.

A720 IS. This fully-loaded 2007 model 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.

A470. This 2008 camera is great for kids or anyone just looking for a good basic camera. canon powershot sd780is includes Canon's face detection technology and camera has a zoom lens, 14 shooting modes and the ability to set exposure compensation, ISO and white balance manually. Plus canon powershot sd780is looks great, and is a good bargain.

Finally, the A590IS (the camera on this page) is a 2008 upgrade to an older model, the A570IS. The face detection system works a little better than the one on its predecessor, and the new model is slightly rounder and easier to grip. I personally like that canon powershot sd780is has automatic and manual controls, though I haven't seen anyone using the manual set yet. Overall this camera is a fine performer, a great bargain and camera I think the best buy of the bunch. I bought one for myself.