Customer Reviews

Canon Powershot A520 4MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(23)

 

 

Let me begin by saying that Canon makes exceptional digital cameras; the best in the market right now. This is because they have always used high quality components since they began manufacturing digital cameras. This one is no exception.

The Axxx series is the successor to the excellent Axx series, with a few very useful upgrades, such as the switch from 4AA to 2AA batteries (with no decrease in camera life!), and the 4x optical zoom.

A510 vs A520 vs SDxxx

First off, the A510 and A520 are identical except for the 3.2 megapixel sensor in the A510 and 4mp on the A520. Today, megapixel ratings are similar to Ghz ratings in the computer world: They used to mean a lot, but with today's cameras, it doesn't mean that much anymore. More megapixels do NOT mean a better image. They mean a larger printable image. In this case, the A510 has a maximum resolution of 2048x1536 pixels, or an 8.5x11 picture. The A520 has a max resolution of 2272x1704 pixels, or a picture slightly larger than 8.5x11.

Unless you need a slightly bigger picture, the A510 is a better buy.

When it comes to the Axxx or an SDxxx, it depends on what you need. The Axxx series will give you a better picture quality, manual controls, and standard AA batteries which actually last twice as long as the SDxxx series' proprietary batteries. The SDxxx series will give you better movies, the new Dig!c 2 processor, and a compact, cool looking camera, at a higher cost and with a very fragile exposed LCD screen.

Features:

Pros:
-Beautiful image quality, better than any other camera at this price range (no purple fringing like on the SDxxx)
-4x optical zoom! It's very hard to find another camera in this class. This alone makes the camera superior to most of the competition
-Excellent, intuitive manual controls
-Easy to hold naturally - no fingers in the way of the lens
-Beautiful 1.8 inch lcd that looks great under various lighting conditions
-The lcd is protected by a plastic layer, unlike the exposed and easily broken SDxxx lcds.
-Uses AA batteries, which are cheap and easy to find instead of expensive proprietary batteries
-Uses widely available and cheap SD or MMC cards (SD are faster)

Cons (most of these are minor quirks):
-Movie mode isn't as good as the SDxxx series
-Only USB 1.1 transfer speed (SDxxx have usb 2.0)
-Uses the still good, but outdated Dig!c processor, instead of the Dig!c 2 in the SDxxx series and some newer Canons
-A historical problem for Canons still shows in this camera in the flimsy battery/Memory card covers

If you do choose this product, the first thing you should buy is a larger SD memory card. The camera comes with a 16mb MMC card, which is pretty much useless. MMC cards are slower than SD, and 16mb will fill up very quickly.

You should also consider a case, such as the very affordable and custom fit PC-65.

Also, as with any camera, rechargeable NIMH batteries are a must. You don't need to pay for the expensive Canon set however, similar offerings from Energizer, Rayovac, etc. will work fine.

Canon has fully redesigned the Powershot A series to make it lighter (uses only 2 AA batteries now), smaller and with 4x optical zoom.

Pro's,
1. Very good image quality.
2. 4 MP and 4x optical zoom (A510, the 3.2MP version should be fine for most though).
3. Priced right, unlike some overpriced digicams out there.
4. Works on 2 normal AA batteries (buy rechargeable ones for extra life and lower cost), unlike expensive & hard-to-find propreitary batteries.
5. The menu on the Canon cameras is light years ahead of most other manufacturer's. Lots of manual options and scene modes.
6. Battery and SD card doors seem to be of above average quality.
7. 1.8" LCD screen is bright and fluid.
8. Uses standard SD cards, unlike propretary memory cards like Memory Stick or xD card.
9. Can attach extra lenses if one buys the adaptor for it.
10. Actual LCD screen looks nicely protected below a plastic plate.

Con's,
1. The camera is still quite thick (although not bulky).
2. It uses Digic instead of Digic2 processor in other new Canons.
3. Tripod mount is on the corner and made from plastic.
4. Doesn't have that cool-ness like iPod or Elph series.
5. Nothing else different except extra MP from A510. Save your money and get the other one.

I guess you gotta spend more money to buy Elph series for more pocketability & style. I am almost sure this will be THE best selling camera series of 2005, just like A60 & A75 in past. With a price this low for a fully loaded A510/A520 there really is no reason to buy slightly cheaper but vastly inferior cameras from HP, Kodak, Olympus, Fuji or Samsung. Just check out the top sellers list right here on Amazon!

First of all, let me explain to you why I narrowed it down to two Canon digital Cameras. After extensive research on the net looking at prices and reviews, I really thought that their wasn't a camera for me, one that I would be happy with. Most Digital cameras on the market, for consumers, are these really small things that are fully automatic and have limited capabilities. And to add the to the previous statement, really really expensive. Olympus offered some nice cameras with 10x Zoom lens, at a reasonable price, but if you look deeper you'll find that it uses these tiny rechargable batteries. Two reasons why I do not like those, the main reason is cost. They cost a bit and you cant do with just one, you have to atleast buy several. Another reason, (which is quite big) is that if you somewhere were you're not going to get access to a power source then you're screwed when you run out of batteries.

O.k. so I finally got two decent cameras that fit basically my needs, and they both happen to be Canon. The Powershot A520, and the PowerShot A95. So now to explain why I chose the former. The main reason was "Cost". The A520 was quite allot cheaper than the A95, (err, around $80-$100/¥8,000-¥10,000). The secound thing that I was looking for was Image quality, both are great, i mean really! But the A95 came out slightly higher. Next thing was Manual controls. Both met that one with flying colors. And then there was Optical Zoom, A520 was the winner here. Then there was which one was newer? (not a big deal but still, the newer the better) The A520 was newer. Which one felt nice in the hands, looked nicer? The A520 in my opinion. Which one was lighter/smaller (I never really looked for that, but when it came down to the A520, and A95 it did) the A520 was.

So those were the main reasons that I looked to compare with the two cameras. The main reason was which one was cheaper, and in the end I decided to go with the A520, and I deffinetely think I made the right choice.

I was able to buy the A520, with a 512mb High Speed (the fastest one there was, read 20mb/s) Buffalo SD card (around 220 pics, Large and Superfine). A520 Case, 4 rechargable NiMH batteries (one of the, if not the best there was). And a A520 Lens Adapter, for the same price if Id bought the A95 by itself (the SD card was the expensive one).

The major difference between the A520, and the A95 besides the extra megapixel is that the A95 was faster at taking and saving pictures. Thats is why I bought the extremely fast SD card, making the A520 a fast little bugger. The major downfall of the A520 which is the only reason I see customers going for other cameras is the time that it takes to reload the flash. Its quite allong time.... But really if you think about it, and if you get to know your camera better and its manual controls, the only time you need your flash is at night or indoors. Neither of those settings requires you to quickly capture a little critter jumping from one shrubbery to another. You can take great pictures with-out using the flash, and just adjusting the shutter speed and Aperture, and if you really need to the ISO.

So I chose the A520 and I love it! (Pros)
I love its small size,
I love its great quality pictures,
I love its manual controls and many pre-settings.
I love that it takes only two batteries and has great battery life with the NiMHs.
I love its 4x Optical Zoom.
I love that you can get other lenses to atach on.
I love its design.

I also dislike (Cons)
I hate its really really slow "flash charging".
I dislike its Optical View finder, it only covers 81% of the actuall picture!

I've just taken the first 133 pictures. They are all great! The flash is incredible for such a small camera. The picture quality is real good, even when zooming in on my computer display screen. I am really impressed with the color and light balance in the interior pictures I took, which usually challenge many 35mm automatic cameras. Outdoor pictures are not usually a problem with any. I bought a 512 MB SanDisk memory card. I took the 141 pictures on the first set of AA batteries. So I am going to get some rechargeable ones. The nice part about AA, is that if I am out somewhere, and need some working batteries fast, I can just buy them. Otherwise, recharge is cheap. I've got $214.94 in the camera plus $44.99 for the extra memory card ($265 total, including shipping). The camera comes with a USB cord to instantly download picture to the internet. It also comes with an A/V cord, so you can just show the pictures directly from your camera to a TV. This is a great feature when you are on vacation, and want to look at full size pictures before returning home to your computer. The camera screen is 2", and does fine. I had no trouble holding the camera still enough to get excellent pictures. And it is small enough to fit in my jeans pocket - although I wouldn't want it there all the time. Add a small $5 gadget bag to put the cords, extra batteries, charger, and camera in - you're ready to go! BTW, this is my second digital camera.

I was really excited to get this camera because all of the features it has, and it has a ton. I liked the feel of the camera in my hand, though the camera itself is smaller than I would have liked. Still, the controls were easy to access, and the weight of it felt good in my hand. It looks to be quite a sturdy camera. The 4X zoom is great, the colors are brignt yet natural, and the screen quality is pretty good.

But despite all the strong points this camera has, the negatives were enough that I returned the camera. I found ALL the images were overprocessed and needed sharpenening when editing the photos on my computer. One of the reasons I am in the market for a new camera is because my current digital camera now produces images that need to be shaprened, and it is annoying to go through every single picture and adjust it. Many (%80) of my pictures needed red-eye adjustment when a person was not looking directly at the camera. I found the start up to be too slow, the focus was too slow, shot-to-shot lag time was too slow, and (the biggest negative in my opinion) the flash recycle was WAY too slow. The screen goes black for 6 to 12 seconds after taking a shot with a flash, depending on your battery charge. It was incredibly annoying, and one of the major reasons I returned the camera. I missed a lot of great shots waiting for the flash to recycle.

Overall, the camera has a lot of great features that I really liked. However, the negatives were so major that I couldn't see spending money on a new camera that would just frustrate me, especially when I am buying new camera to replace the one that is breaking down...and frustrating me!

I researched for weeks before picking up the Canon PowerShot A520, and I must say I'm really having fun with it. It's my first digital camera - I've used regular film for years. I was able to take pictures with it straight out of the box, 2 minutes after buying the camera.

I like how it has a lot of manual controls but you don't need to use them unless you want to because "Auto" does a pretty good job with photos. At first I stuck to Auto mode but I've been using the manual controls more and more as I learn them, and I'm sure I won't be able to go back to a camera without them ever again. This camera is flexible enough for creativity, but easy enough to hand to a friend to take a quick snapshot.

The 4x optical zoom is great - more than the standard 3x offered on most cameras. The image quality is top-notch and is truly stunning for a camera in this price range. The LCD "gains up" in low light and is easy to use to frame shots, but you still have the useful optical viewfinder as a backup. The camera is 4 megapixels, which is a good "compromise" size because it allows cropping and still good prints up to 8x10.

I've seen complaints about redeye and difficulty in low-light focusing on other review sites, but I have yet to encounter any major problems. My indoor flash shots at a restaurant had some redeye, sure, but it was WAY less than I used to get with my my old film camera, and I found the photos came out clear and sharp. Night shots without the flash are also easy to take, because you can slow the shutter speed right down. All the scene modes seem to do what they're supposed to.

A few minor gripes: the LCD is difficult to see in bright sunlight. The camera literally eats AA batteries, so I recommend picking up some rechargeable NiMH batteries instead. And the movie mode - while cool - isn't all that wonderful because you can only take 30 second clips and they look grainy. But hey, it's a film camera, not a digital one. Also, the recharge time after flash photos is a bit slow. And images are a bit noisier than I'd like, especially at ISO 200 or above.

To summarize:

Pros:
-Fantastic image quality
-Compact, portable and ergonomically designed
-Uses 2xAA batteries, which is really convenient especially for travel
-GREAT battery life with NiMH rechargeables
-4x optical zoom
-Lots of scene modes
-Full manual controls (aperture, shutter speed, white balance including custom, ISO, exposure)
-Pretty powerful built-in flash that "zooms" with the camera to focus light on the subject at telephoto end of the lens
-AF-assist lamp for better low-light focusing; LCD visible in low light
-Nice software packaged with the camera that's easy to use

Cons:
-Camera literally eats AA alkaline batteries; rechargeables are more or less a must
-Movie mode leaves something to be desired
-Uses DIGIC processor instead of newer, faster DIGIC II, which leads to slightly sluggish performance, especially on flash recycle and shot-to-shot delay
-Images a bit noisier than I'd like to see at ISO 200 and above
-4 megapixels is adequate for most needs but most newer cameras have 5-7 these days

As you can see, I'm very happy with the camera. I think it offers a great range of features and quality for the price, and I recommend it highly to anyone looking for a good all-around usage digital camera.

This camera and all Canon A-series cameras should be avoided. Do a search for "canon e18" on Google and you will see complaints from thousands of people talking about an error these cameras experience that renders them useless. Essentially what happens is the retractable lens gets stuck and the camera ceases to function. I have recommended a Canon A-series to two friends and both have had this problem. The worst part is Canon refuses to acknowledge the problem and won't do anything about fixing your camera if it's out of the one-year warranty period.

I am a huge Canon fan and this is a really great camera until it has the E18 problem. You are taking a gamble if you buy this camera.

I've owned this camera for six months now, and a lot of my happiness with this camera has faded. Others have discussed many of the reasons I bought this camera - great size, great zoom, great price. I especially like how it autofocuses in portrait mode.

However, as I look over the photos I've taken, the photos aren't even close to the quality of the five-year-old Kodak DC4800 that this camera replaced. The photos aren't as sharp, even when on a tripod, and when I handheld the camera I had a lot more blurry pictures. Worse, the camera has to save each picture as it is taken, you can't snap two or three pictures rapidly, then let the camera save it. I'm constantly waiting for the camera to catch up with me.

Perhaps I'm expecting too much for the price, but five years in the technology industry is a long time and I was disappointed that this camera was such a step backward. I'll be giving this camera to the kids and buying something else to get the picture quality and speed that I'm looking for.

After a long hold out, I bought this as my first digital camera.

This camera is worthwhile for a entry level digital photo enthusiast. I got this for $159 from [...] (including some coupons).

Tips:
1.Buy atleast 512mb sdram from online(example: newegg)
2.Need to buy rechargable AA batteries, since this camera runs with 2 AA batteries. This is mandatory because digicams uses lot of juice while LCD is used.

Following are the haves and have nots for the product.
Has:
1. Comes with Wrist strap,USB cable,A/V cable
2. Comes with CD-ROM featuring Canon Digital Camera Solutions, ArcSoft Camera Suite, and drivers
3. There's a built-in lens cover on the A520, so there are no messy lens caps to worry about.
4. Despite having a more powerful zoom lens, the A520 is quite a bit smaller than their predecessors.
5. Support for optional conversion lenses, external flash, underwater case
6.Excellent photo quality, period.
7.4X optical zoom lens
8.Full manual controls, unusual for a camera in this price range

Negatives:
1. Takes a long time(about 10 secs) to move onto next snap, due to having only 2 AA batteries.
2. Poor low light focusing, despite having an AF-assist lamp (worse than old models)
3. Redeye.
4. Movie mode still needs some work
5. Noisy images at ISO 200 and above
6. LCD doesn't "gain up" very much in low light

For the price and picture quality it provides, you can not go wrong with this Canon product. Sure suitable for casual digital snap requirements.

I think this camera takes great, clear pictures, and its really easy to download them on to your computer. It is pretty easy to use, although all of the different settings can be kind of confusing, even after reading the manual a few times.

My critiques of this camera are:

1. It eats through AA batteries really fast. Would be a good idea to use rechargeables and always have fresh batteries on hand.

2. The memory card it comes with does not hold many pictures. Plan on buying a bigger memory card.

Overall, I'm pretty pleased with this purchase.