->Best Price

This was listed as an entry-level camera and it is terridic for a beginning photographer. People keep asking me what camera I use when I show them the finished product. A professional photographer may need more bells and whistles, but the Canon PowerShot has everything I need and more. It's easy to use, has a great view screen plus a view finder and is not too complicated for a first time digital camera owner.


->Cheap

I finally bought this camera after doing quite a bit of research. I'm not a pro when it comes to photography, so I didn't need one of those expensive cameras with tons of options. I was merely looking for something that had decent options in terms of settings, high mega-pixels and was compact enough to carry around without having to strap it on your shoulder. Needless to say, this camera fit the bill perfectly. Adding a 2gb card to it gives me about 650 photos on the highest settings. The photo quality is just perfect for my non-professional eye, and I have yet to hear anyone say a negative word about the quality of the shots I've taken. It has enough preset options to take great photos in almost any setting, while also allowing for you to manually set the options for your shots. I was also surprised to see just how nice the videos turned out. Not camcorder quality, but for capturing a few minutes here and a few minutes there, it's more than sufficient. Loading to the computer was also a snap with or without removing the card.

Since owning this camera I've recommended it to every one that's been in the market for an upgrade from their cameras of lesser MP's. For the price you can't beat the A560. I'm looking forward to capturing a ton of memories for years to come.


->Purchase

The camera is good as described, I love it. I would just prefer it if the camera came on time. Shipping time was slightly longer (a few days) than promised... but i wasn't in a hurry, so it's all right!


->Deal

I love Canon cameras. This is the third Canon digital that I've purchased (S40, SD20 previously). It works great right out the box--nice pics, syncs with Mac no problem at all. It is a little big compared to many cameras out there. My only issue is that I damaged the iris that protects the lens with a fairly small trauma. I wouldn't change my decision based on this, but if you're tough on cameras (dropper or pockets) buy a case.


->Best Price

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, though, are a mixed bag. The entry-level A460 is lousy, but the rest of the line gives you a lot for the money. (How do I know all this? Because I've actually gotten to use all of these cameras. I earn my living shooting photos at Walt Disney World for a travel guidebook, 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 "A" series line:

Canon PowerShot A460 5.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom (Silver)
Yuck! This 5MP camera is like a relic from five years ago: the simple but poorly designed controls -- a little joy pad surrounded by four buttons -- make it far too easy to do things like change the zoom setting when you set the flash. I have fat fingers and I mess things up almost every time! Also, I've seen photos taken with this camera, and they often have that purple fringe around their highlights, which are typically blown out. On the plus side, the camera does have an optical viewfinder.

Canon PowerShot A540 6MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. Looking for a good bargain camera? Take a look at this one. It's a 2006 model, but it works just fine. You get 20 shooting modes, a full set of manual controls and can record low-res sound video at 60 frames per second. Before you buy it, however, check Amazon's price of the better, and newer, A560. It may be cheaper.

Canon PowerShot A550 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
This basic camera isn't that bad, but there's no reason to buy it. For about $25 more you can step up to the PowerShot A560 (see below), which has the same body, sensor and lens but Canon's much better Digic III processor. Buy this one and, yes, you'll save a few bucks, but your photos won't look as good.

Canon PowerShot A560 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. Here is a nice camera! Featuring Canon's acclaimed Digic III processor, it includes the company's face-detection metering system and a decent red-eye removal.

Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
RECOMMENDED. Same as the A560 but with optical image stabilization and the ability to shoot manually.

Canon PowerShot A630 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. You can do a lot with this sweet little camera. It 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.

Canon PowerShot A640 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
Same as the A630 except 10MP.

Canon PowerShot A710 IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Image-Stabilized Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. This fully-loaded model has all the toys, including a full-range zoom (35mm film equivalent of 35-210mm), adjustable flash power and optional second-curtain flash. This last features 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. Much more for your money than the A640.

By Mike Neal, author of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World.


->Best Price

I am no great techy and did not spend a lot of time in chosing my camera but I knew what I was looking for: a decent digital camera made by a reputable camera company, something easy to use and of reasonable price. I can say that the PowerShot A560 really disapointed me. First of all - it runs on AA batteries. My first day of using it (after only owning it for 4 hours)the low battery sign came on - and that was only after taking maybe 15 pictures (and no - the camera was not on for 4 hours straight). Also, anything that I used the zoom for came out fuzzy and poor quality. The pictures not taken with the zoom were very good. I am returning this today and will pay more for a sony


->Compare

After reading the original 3 reviews, I was worried that this gift I received would be a disaster, but I was very, very pleased when I actually started taking pictures. Granted it doesn't do incredibly fancy things, but it is in fact a very good camera for taking every day, clear and crisp photos. It also has an added bonus of being incredibly light weight and only takes 2 batteries compared to previous Canon models that took 4.


->Discount

Had this camera about a month now. Takes great photos, videos. Writes quickly (with high quality SD). Power consumption is very reasonable with the 2.5" screen. Excellent assortment of useful features. Highly recommend.


->Price

Great compact camera. Takes great video clips for a digital camera. Crisp photos


->Deals

This is an easy-to-use camera that can give the user some great pictres. The battries last very well, much better than I expected. I heartily recommend this camera to any one who enjoys digital photography.


->Best Price

It is really easy to use and the pictures are bright and sharp!


->Deal

I. Bhattacharya
How can you possibly compare the Nikon S4 to the Powershot A560?
jt



->Buy Now

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

Like many I had tons of problems with the Canon A520. See my review.

So I am getting ready to go on vacation again, India this time, and I need to replace the second A520 that decided to quit working. I went to my local big box electronics store to find a new camera. I spent about 2 hours looking at all the contenders. I loath using the LCD to take a picture, leftover from years of using real cameras I guess. So the field is very limited now. Why??? Some nice camera out there but...

I gravitate to the Canons. I have used the A20 and A520 so the A560 feels comfortable and familiar, and my wife won't have to learn a new system. Canon also just seems more intuitive in its controls. But I think the lens looks like the one on my piece of garbage A520, but Canon must have fixed the pervasive problem, wouldn't they?

I get home and take tons of worthless pictures, turning the camera on and off a lot, just to see if it guits working. This time before I reach a foreign country where getting a replacement is expensive. Camera seems okay. A few days later my beautiful Golden Retriever strikes a stunning pose on our first nice spring day and I grab the camera and snap a shot. @^#%&*@%$ The damn lens cover doesn't open all the way and I miss the shot. Just one time so far but that's how the A520 started. I plan to take it back today.

I have been a Canon user for 36 years and I am so pi**ed.

I agree with other reviewer problems about slowness. I thought they worked this out too. I also wished they hadn't dropped the aperature and shutter priority exposure modes leaving the user very little control over camera. Obviously Canon is obviously aiming lower.

I am probably going to get a Nikon. Oh the blasphemy to Canon user.


->Compare

I got this a couple of days back and have clicked a few snaps both indoor & outdoors ... close up, normal and max zoom.

The shape and feel is same as most of the A series cameras. Surprisingly it felt lightweight with batteries & SD card.

The colors come out good as canon pics always do. Some of the pics under the sun came out overexposed (auto mode) which came as a surprise to me.

The greatest dissappointment is the time it takes after a snap is taken to process the pic and store it (considering its a Digic III processor). Mind you, I use a standard Sandisk 1GB SD Card. It takes a while for the flash to get re-charged. Also, I found the battery performance dissappointing.


->Buy

This was listed as an entry-level camera and it is terridic for a beginning photographer. People keep asking me what camera I use when I show them the finished product. A professional photographer may need more bells and whistles, but the Canon PowerShot has everything I need and more. It's easy to use, has a great view screen plus a view finder and is not too complicated for a first time digital camera owner.


->Price

I finally bought this camera after doing quite a bit of research. I'm not a pro when it comes to photography, so I didn't need one of those expensive cameras with tons of options. I was merely looking for something that had decent options in terms of settings, high mega-pixels and was compact enough to carry around without having to strap it on your shoulder. Needless to say, this camera fit the bill perfectly. Adding a 2gb card to it gives me about 650 photos on the highest settings. The photo quality is just perfect for my non-professional eye, and I have yet to hear anyone say a negative word about the quality of the shots I've taken. It has enough preset options to take great photos in almost any setting, while also allowing for you to manually set the options for your shots. I was also surprised to see just how nice the videos turned out. Not camcorder quality, but for capturing a few minutes here and a few minutes there, it's more than sufficient. Loading to the computer was also a snap with or without removing the card.

Since owning this camera I've recommended it to every one that's been in the market for an upgrade from their cameras of lesser MP's. For the price you can't beat the A560. I'm looking forward to capturing a ton of memories for years to come.


->Purchase

The camera is good as described, I love it. I would just prefer it if the camera came on time. Shipping time was slightly longer (a few days) than promised... but i wasn't in a hurry, so it's all right!


->

I love Canon cameras. This is the third Canon digital that I've purchased (S40, SD20 previously). It works great right out the box--nice pics, syncs with Mac no problem at all. It is a little big compared to many cameras out there. My only issue is that I damaged the iris that protects the lens with a fairly small trauma. I wouldn't change my decision based on this, but if you're tough on cameras (dropper or pockets) buy a case.


->Buy

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, though, are a mixed bag. The entry-level A460 is lousy, but the rest of the line gives you a lot for the money. (How do I know all this? Because I've actually gotten to use all of these cameras. I earn my living shooting photos at Walt Disney World for a travel guidebook, 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 "A" series line:

Canon PowerShot A460 5.0MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom (Silver)
Yuck! This 5MP camera is like a relic from five years ago: the simple but poorly designed controls -- a little joy pad surrounded by four buttons -- make it far too easy to do things like change the zoom setting when you set the flash. I have fat fingers and I mess things up almost every time! Also, I've seen photos taken with this camera, and they often have that purple fringe around their highlights, which are typically blown out. On the plus side, the camera does have an optical viewfinder.

Canon PowerShot A540 6MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. Looking for a good bargain camera? Take a look at this one. It's a 2006 model, but it works just fine. You get 20 shooting modes, a full set of manual controls and can record low-res sound video at 60 frames per second. Before you buy it, however, check Amazon's price of the better, and newer, A560. It may be cheaper.

Canon PowerShot A550 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
This basic camera isn't that bad, but there's no reason to buy it. For about $25 more you can step up to the PowerShot A560 (see below), which has the same body, sensor and lens but Canon's much better Digic III processor. Buy this one and, yes, you'll save a few bucks, but your photos won't look as good.

Canon PowerShot A560 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. Here is a nice camera! Featuring Canon's acclaimed Digic III processor, it includes the company's face-detection metering system and a decent red-eye removal.

Canon PowerShot A570IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
RECOMMENDED. Same as the A560 but with optical image stabilization and the ability to shoot manually.

Canon PowerShot A630 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. You can do a lot with this sweet little camera. It 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.

Canon PowerShot A640 10MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom
Same as the A630 except 10MP.

Canon PowerShot A710 IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Image-Stabilized Optical Zoom
RECOMMENDED. This fully-loaded model has all the toys, including a full-range zoom (35mm film equivalent of 35-210mm), adjustable flash power and optional second-curtain flash. This last features 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. Much more for your money than the A640.

By Mike Neal, author of The Complete Guide to Walt Disney World.


->Deal

I am no great techy and did not spend a lot of time in chosing my camera but I knew what I was looking for: a decent digital camera made by a reputable camera company, something easy to use and of reasonable price. I can say that the PowerShot A560 really disapointed me. First of all - it runs on AA batteries. My first day of using it (after only owning it for 4 hours)the low battery sign came on - and that was only after taking maybe 15 pictures (and no - the camera was not on for 4 hours straight). Also, anything that I used the zoom for came out fuzzy and poor quality. The pictures not taken with the zoom were very good. I am returning this today and will pay more for a sony


->Deal

After reading the original 3 reviews, I was worried that this gift I received would be a disaster, but I was very, very pleased when I actually started taking pictures. Granted it doesn't do incredibly fancy things, but it is in fact a very good camera for taking every day, clear and crisp photos. It also has an added bonus of being incredibly light weight and only takes 2 batteries compared to previous Canon models that took 4.


->Affordable

Had this camera about a month now. Takes great photos, videos. Writes quickly (with high quality SD). Power consumption is very reasonable with the 2.5" screen. Excellent assortment of useful features. Highly recommend.


->Deals

Great compact camera. Takes great video clips for a digital camera. Crisp photos


->Sale

This is an easy-to-use camera that can give the user some great pictres. The battries last very well, much better than I expected. I heartily recommend this camera to any one who enjoys digital photography.


->Compare

It is really easy to use and the pictures are bright and sharp!


->Discount

I. Bhattacharya
How can you possibly compare the Nikon S4 to the Powershot A560?
jt



->Comparison

Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.

Like many I had tons of problems with the Canon A520. See my review.

So I am getting ready to go on vacation again, India this time, and I need to replace the second A520 that decided to quit working. I went to my local big box electronics store to find a new camera. I spent about 2 hours looking at all the contenders. I loath using the LCD to take a picture, leftover from years of using real cameras I guess. So the field is very limited now. Why??? Some nice camera out there but...

I gravitate to the Canons. I have used the A20 and A520 so the A560 feels comfortable and familiar, and my wife won't have to learn a new system. Canon also just seems more intuitive in its controls. But I think the lens looks like the one on my piece of garbage A520, but Canon must have fixed the pervasive problem, wouldn't they?

I get home and take tons of worthless pictures, turning the camera on and off a lot, just to see if it guits working. This time before I reach a foreign country where getting a replacement is expensive. Camera seems okay. A few days later my beautiful Golden Retriever strikes a stunning pose on our first nice spring day and I grab the camera and snap a shot. @^#%&*@%$ The damn lens cover doesn't open all the way and I miss the shot. Just one time so far but that's how the A520 started. I plan to take it back today.

I have been a Canon user for 36 years and I am so pi**ed.

I agree with other reviewer problems about slowness. I thought they worked this out too. I also wished they hadn't dropped the aperature and shutter priority exposure modes leaving the user very little control over camera. Obviously Canon is obviously aiming lower.

I am probably going to get a Nikon. Oh the blasphemy to Canon user.


->Buy

I got this a couple of days back and have clicked a few snaps both indoor & outdoors ... close up, normal and max zoom.

The shape and feel is same as most of the A series cameras. Surprisingly it felt lightweight with batteries & SD card.

The colors come out good as canon pics always do. Some of the pics under the sun came out overexposed (auto mode) which came as a surprise to me.

The greatest dissappointment is the time it takes after a snap is taken to process the pic and store it (considering its a Digic III processor). Mind you, I use a standard Sandisk 1GB SD Card. It takes a while for the flash to get re-charged. Also, I found the battery performance dissappointing.