Customer Reviews

Canon PowerShot A430 4MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

The Canon Photoshot A430 is the replacement for their entry level digital camera the A410. Canon upped the megapixels to 4.0 from 3.2, enlarged the LCD to 1.8" from 1.5" and added more zoom (now is 4X optical and 14X combined.) Even though this is the lowest priced Canon digital camera you can buy it is in no way cheap. The camera feels solid when you use it and yet the plastic body keeps the overall weight down.

Like all the A series digitals from Canon this model still uses standard AA batteries (2 to be exact.) So when you are at the amusement park with the family and your batteries go dead, stop off at the gift shop and pickup a couple of alkalines to get you through the day. I highly recommend investing in a set of good quality NiMH rechargeable AA batteries though; they last about 4 times longer than their alkaline counterparts.

Like the A410 the A430 also has the DiG!C II processor. This fabulous processor allows the camera to power up and shoot its first picture in less than 2 seconds and keeps shooting the next pictures approximately 1 second each. There is a burst mode too but I haven't had time to play with that feature yet. The DiG!C II processor also uses less battery power than older digital cameras so your are able to shoot more photos, and view them on the LCD, before you need to swap them for a fresh pair. I took about 150 pictures, with the LCD on, on a set of alkaline AA batteries before they needed a change. That was a "WOW" for sure.

Having owned two previous digital point and shoot cameras and one digital SLR model, I can say that I am most impressed with the A430. Some online reviewers have noted that the camera lacks independent zoom buttons. What Canon did on this camera was make one set of buttons do multiple things. The same toggle button you use to move up and down in the menus is the zoom in and out control when taking photos. I applaud Canon on this design. Why include more buttons that you need. You aren't using the menu buttons when taking photos, so why not use them for the zoom control. They aren't confusing to use and actually simplifies the design of the camera.

This camera is great for grandparents, young kids and someone on the go. It's is simple to use and takes great photos. I'd recommend it for anyone who wants a digital camera that plain and simple just works. I may just buy two of them so I don't have to share this one with my wife.

Warning: Personal rant follows! Before I bought this camera I read several online reviews. The most deceiving was one from a noted electronics review website. Their resident computer geek stated that there was nothing special about this camera and it was larger than most. Having owned and used this camera I suggest their reviewer stop playing online video games and get out in the sun more, because there is something wrong with his head. True, this camera isn't the smallest model around, but it is very small. And to buy a camera that is smaller you must pay two to three times the cost of this model. "Nothing special?" gamer boy? I'd really like him to qualify that statement. The A430 comes loaded with over 14 shooting modes, an impressive 0.4" Macro mode and the best photo quality in its class. If that is nothing special I'd like to know what is special. I don't expect a sub $200 camera to out perform my $1400 digital SLR. Perhaps gamer boy needs to RTFM.

I bought this camera a few months ago - my first digital camera and as a college student it has been great. The pictures come out great, the videos are high quality, and the various modes let you choose how complicated you want to make it. The software is simple to use if you can work a computer at all. The zoom is powerful and plenty for most people. I like the shape of the camera because it is easy to put into pockets than more square cameras and if you want a better size be prepared to pay up.
Make sure you get rechargable NiMH high power batteries - I bought sony models and they have amazingly long life - I have only had to change them once! I got the canon soft case for the a430 too - it is pretty compact so it still fits in my pocket. Overall its a great value camera that I am glad I bought. As a college student, I wanted cheap but I didn't want to get the cheapest camera I could find, so this seemed like a good balance of quality and price and will last for a long time. Enjoy.

I bought this camera to replace my old Canon A40 2 megapixel model, which served me very well. I think the Canons are a cut above the rest of the competition in terms of both quality and value.

This camera is quite a bit smaller and lighter than my A40 and uses two batteries instead of four. But it is not too small. The smaller S series can be a bit too small for large hands, as another reviewer has already pointed out

The Digic II processor is very capable and much faster than my older model. Image quality is really superb, especially for a camera this inexpensive. I have made excellent 8x10 prints from this camera. 4 megapixels is fine when you have a good lens and processor. The image quality beats my friend's 6 megapixel Sony hands down. The only negatives I can see are that the resolution of the LCD is merely O.K. when compared to more expensive models and that the flash takes a good 5-6 seconds to recharge between shots.

In sum, this camera is an outstanding value for an entry level shooter who wants to take great digital photos without too much cost or fuss.

This is my third digital camera in 10 years and my first canon. I shpped around and read several reviews and made this choice and I am very happy. as others have noted its a great quality camera for the price. I have gotten several comments about the size of the camera already, and the great pictures it takes.
Amazon had the best price and I trust them but I purchased a 1 gig SD card for a price I cant really list, suffice to say.. shop around for an SD card unless you just want to buy everything at the same time, then get a 512 card at least. They are so cheap these days.

Another bonus for me turned out that my Bonzai USB drive uses SD cards and I am now able to take my card right from the camera and plug it into any computer to access my photo's quickly.
I'm not sure if any other brands of USB drives use a removal SD card, but its something you may want to look into.

oh ya, even though I'm pretty "geeky" the camera was easy to pick up and use right out of the box with minimal manual reading, so it seems to be very user-friendly.
and the size is perfect! I actually expected it to be bigger.
rock on Canon!

This sleek model is excellent for its low price. I was able to take 250+ pictures with two 2500 MA-h NiMH batteries. It's very reliable, and it's always a relief when you can have your picture taken by someone else, and not have to worry about batteries dying, modes not being set right, having to push special buttons, etc. The camera allows the simple option of point and shoot for those spontaneous moments, but also has complex options to choose from like saturation, exposure, etc. for when you're feeling artistic. Indeed, the pictures don't turn out blurry, and the processor has gotten fast enough for you to be able to take larger-sized pictures every two seconds. The delay between pushing the button and taking the picture is a miniscule 0.1 seconds.

This camera is great for most recreational photographers. The 4MP quality is adequate, and this camera doesn't leave me begging for higher resolution. The important thing is that the pictures turn out clear. I also encourage people to purchase rechargeable NiMH batteries; they're better than NiCad, and you'll save money in the long run.

This camera is the best. It has lot of features. If you compare this camera with other brands this gives 4X optical zoom for a low end Camera at the same time it comes for a cheap price. It also has a ton of features. I think 4 mega pixel is a lot for the digital image clarity. Last year i brought a Nikon 7.1 mega pixel, though it gives good quality pictures but the problem was it has delay in the shutter time which is so irritating so it not really good posing in front of the camera waiting for the flash to come. If you are looking for point and shoot camera for a cheap price this is the one and leave the rest to canon.

I got two of these cameras for my boys on their seventh birthday. I'm so impressed with all the functions and features and the quality of them. This actually takes almost the same quality of picture as my Fuji S3. I was very reluctant to give them to my kids because of the compactness and the quality.

Pros: Small, big LCD, lots of fun features like color swap, super-macro is beyond compare, amazing picture quality for a 4mp, runs on 2 double A's, perfect as a first digital camera for kids or adults.

Cons: A little on the heavy side, flash takes a little longer to recharge than most other cameras, menus can be a bit confusing at first, memory card is in the same compartment as batteries.

Bottom-line: For the price, you really can't go wrong. I love this camera and i'm seriously considering trading in my Fuji E510 for this one.

The moment i received this camera i started taking pictures, which might i add are very crisp and clean in quality. They are by far some of the best images that i have seen yet to be produced by a digital camera and i am extremely impressed. At christmas last year, i received a Polaroid digital camera, and was very dissapointed at the picture quality. The pictures were grainy, and discolored, and i was not pleased at all. So, the Canon Powershot A430 is a very large step up!

When i opened the camera package, i actually expected to find a much larger camera, but to my suprise, found a very nice sized one. It fits snugly into the palm of your hand, and has no rough edges. The design has a nicely finished look to it, and is very presentable.

The on button is very easy to find, and when pushed, instantly turns the camera on. Compared to the Polariod camera i had before [ which, for the on and off button, you had to push down for 5 seconds ] this was very pleasing.

I didn't find the Canon Powershot to be a terribly hard camera to use. After i took it out of the package, i started to use it right away. There are images on the camera that may need a little research [ looking into the users guide ] but they are not hard to get used to.

I especially like the different modes on this camera. They are a very nice feature. One that i really like is the one that makes a certain object stay its certain color, while everything else around gets set to black and white.

There are loads of feeatures on this camera, and i would HIGHLY reccommend it to anyone. It was definitely worth the price.

One thing i would suggest is buying a higher Megabite memory card if you are planning on taking a lot of pictures. This camera only comes with a 16 Megabite, but it can still hold enogh images to satisfy.

Overall, this camera is great.

I just want to start off by saying I know nothing about pixels or Mega whatevers, i just wanted a camera. I wanted something I could use to take great candid shots of my friends, and also be able to take beautiful artsy pictures. This camera is great! I used it right out of the box, and I was surprised at how big the view screen was on the back...it is very crisp and clean picture. I am very happy with my purchase, the small size is great, and the pictures came out great. The only negatives I have are
1. the battery life ends quickly, so I had to invest in rechargable batteries, they are the way to go
2. the on/off button is right next to the "take a picture button" I have gotten those confused a couple of times, but the buttons are right next to one another!
I love this camera, if I lose it, who the hell cares it was only $130, if it around for the rest of my life, Great! It's a great little camera!

I bought this camera as a "temp" before I invested in the SD550 or SD700. I actually love it! I dont even want the other one anymore! I orginally wanted them for the small size. This one is really small though. Everyone that sees photos taken with this camera comments on the crisp pictures. They are so good that friends with no understanding of photography are even amazed. It is also very easy to use.

The only minor problem is the manual mode. All pictures are easily taken without using this mode at all however. I just wanted to use the features such as color swap. This can get very confusing. It is the same with other Canons too. This is such a minor issue though.

Overall, awesome camera!!!