Canon PowerShot A560 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.6 x 2.5 x 1.7 inches ; 8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000NK3NBA
• Item model number: A560
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (261 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,290 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: January 1, 2007

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

The PowerShot A560 gives you the freedom to shoot high resolution images you can enlarge, crop and print -- big. With its 7.1-megapixel CCD, the camera records every detail -- like a baby’s delicate curls -- in razor-sharp, astonishingly clear, natural color that will make every picture something to cherish. And the A560 is equipped with a high-quality Canon 4x optical zoom lens that brings you in close at the touch of a button. So you can capture special moments like a child’s first homerun with clarity and brilliance --even if you’re sitting in the bleachers.

PowerShot A560 Highlights

DIGIC III Image Processor With DIGIC III, you get images of superior quality, the camera functions at top efficiency and battery life is significantly enhanced. What’s more, DIGIC III enables Canon’s newly improved Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction to give you better, more true-to-life people shots. Simply press the Shutter button halfway down, and the PowerShot A560 automatically pinpoints the faces in the scene and chooses the ideal focus point. To keep every face looking bright and natural -- without scary red eyes -- the camera controls exposure settings and flash, so every shot is just what you were shooting for.

DIGIC III features Face Detection AF/AE, which finds multiple faces in the frame and sets the most suitable focus point, when the shutter button is pressed halfway. And an additional new feature, Face Detection FE adjusts the flash, based on a person’s face on the screen. Exposure and flash are controlled to ensure proper illumination of both the faces and the overall scene, eliminating the common problem of darkened or overexposed faces.

Red-eye Correction detects and automatically corrects red-eye during playback for both regular and flash photography. In unusual cases where red-eye is not automatically detected, it can easily be corrected manually during playback mode from the LCD screen.

iSAPS Technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the fast DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

Clear, high-resolution 2.5-inch LCD for easy on-camera viewing The camera’s 2.5-inch LCD screen gives you the big picture, whether you’re shooting, reviewing or showing off your images. This high-resolution screen offers a crisp, clear picture to make shooting, playback and using the camera’s menu functions especially convenient. Clear and bright, it also features Night Display for easy viewing in low light.

Shooting Modes With 14 Shooting Modes, including 6 Special Scene Modes, you’re ready for whatever shot comes your way.

• Auto The camera chooses all the settings so you can concentrate on your subject.
• Manual The ultimate in creative control, you set ISO speed, exposure compensation and white balance.
• Portrait The camera sets a large aperture, focusing the subject and artistically blurring the background to make your subject "pop."
• Landscape For front to back sharpness, the camera sets a small aperture.
• Night Snapshot Get natural-looking pictures with brighter backgrounds and subjects lit by flash.
• Indoor Reduce blur and improve color accuracy when shooting handheld indoors.
• Kids & Pets Reduced focusing time freezes fast-moving subjects, so you won’t miss those special shots.
• Movie Shoot in VGA and QVGA (30 fps/15 fps for up to 1 hour or 4GB), Fast Frame Rate (60 fps for up to 1 minute) or QQVGA (15 fps for up to 3 minutes).

Special Scene Modes

• Night Scene For impressive sunset or nightlife shots, the camera properly exposes the background and uses slow-sync flash for the subject.
• Foliage Capture brilliant shots of autumn foliage, greenery and blossoms.
• Snow Shoot clear snow scenes without darkened subjects or an unnatural bluish tint.
• Beach Get clear shots of people at a sunny beach without darkened faces.
• Fireworks Grab brilliant images of skyrocketing fireworks.
• Aquarium Achieve proper flash-free exposure and natural hues at indoor aquariums. A variety of movie-making options.

A variety of movie-making options Four movie modes including 30 fps VGA and 60 fps Fast Frame Rate. With a highly flexible movie mode, you can create the movie that’s perfect for any application. Select from VGA (640 x 480 pixels) and QVGA (320 x 240 pixels), with frame rates of 30 fps and 15 fps for recording up to 1 hour or 4GB. Also Fast Frame Rate (QVGA; 320 x 240 pixels) recording at 60 fps for up to 1 minute, and Compact Movie Mode (QQVGA; 160 x 120 pixels) recording at 15 fps for up to 3 minutes. The PowerShot A560 also supports the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed standard, so you’ll enjoy the fastest possible data transfer speeds when using a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed compatible computer.

Get new batteries anywhere Power on the go with two AA-size batteries. You don’t need to worry about running out or recharging batteries. Since AA-size batteries can be purchased at any store, simply get new ones locally.

The complete print solution The PowerShot A560's Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the A560 Digital Elph to a Canon CP, Selphy or PIXMA Photo Printer or any PictBridge-compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).

Print your own ID photos in 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon Selphy Compact Photo Printer.

For desktop large-format printing, try one of the Direct Photo Printers that allow you to print without a computer in one of two ways: plug your compatible PowerShot camera into the Direct Photo Printer using the supplied USB interface cable, or simply insert a memory card into the supplied adapter. You can also connect the printer to your computer for more options. Print high-resolution, borderless images as postcards or 8.5 x 11-inch sheets within minutes.

Compact Photo Printers let you produce versatile, fun 4 x 6-inch postcards, 4 x 8-inch wide greeting cards or credit card size prints in just two easy steps: connect and press/print. Control the printer right from your camera's LCD screen. You get durable, dye-sublimated prints quickly with or without borders.

Product Description

The PowerShot A560 frees you to capture your precious moments as unforgettable images. Loaded with easy-to-use Canon features, the A560 is made for those who don't want complexity to get in the way of their creativity. A high-quality camera you'll be proud to own, the A560 has a 7.1 Megapixel CCD, 4x Optical Zoom Lens, DIGIC III Image Processor with Face Detection Technology and many other impressive features. It's a camera that let's you do more, more easily.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

73 of 73 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Canon knows digital, October 18, 2007

By	citywulf (Atlanta, Georgia USA) - See all my reviews

Although my "big" camera is a Canon, I went through several cameras before finding this wonderful gem. I was very fond of my seriously outdated Nikon Coolpix, so I tried a new one - every shot was blurry, and I have a very steady hand (years of taking low-light and no-flash shots). I moved on to a Panasonic due to the many features, including awesome 6x zoom and a very handy "backlight" option. But the noise, even on as little as ISO 200, was unacceptable. Took a shot at the GE850 with even more features, but found a harsh flash and odd color.

Exasperated with the point-and-shoot market, I finally returned to Canon and decided on the 560. I couldn't be happier! It may not have the highest optical zoom, or the most formats (it makes up for the lack of 3:2 with an overlay that allows you to compose a shot within a 3:2 grid, excellent!), or the most modes (although several of the modes on other brands are so specialized - silly even - that they are worthless). But it has what counts - the most-used settings up front on the dial, excellent color representation, the least flash-fallout of any I tried, and exceptional quality even without image stabilization. And unlike the GE, the face recognition works on pets :) This camera does have a Manual setting that allows customized white balance, metering, color options, and exposure compensation.

I will not be trading this one in!

74 of 75 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Point and Shoot, August 29, 2007

By	P. McGuire (USA, California) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I've had various point and shoots over the last 5 years (mostly Canon and Olympus). After selling my old Olympus SP-350 - I purchased a Canon Rebel XT (DSLR). However, I do a lot of family shoots (birthdays, events, etc...) and didn't want to lug a DSLR around just to take some shots for the grandparents. So I got this little camera. So far, I am *VERY* impressed with it. The Canon A560 takes amazing photos and the number of features are crazy (compared to my past Point and Shoots). Like any other P&S it is a little slow when using the flash - but a LOT faster than my previous P&S. I have taken over 50 photos (about 4 hours worth) and I'm on the original AA batteries that came with the camera!!! My old P&S would suck up 4 AAs (The A560 uses 2 AAs) in less than an hour of shooting. The LCD screen is HUGE. This camera is definitely a keeper. Would recommend this to anyone.

My sister bought this exact camera and loves it.

48 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent, But Average Camera, December 2, 2007

By	Cap'n Stoob "Stoob" (USA) - See all my reviews

This camera is a good compromise in price between the next level up and the lowest level of camera. However, the imaging chip is the same 1/2.5 CCD as can be found in any other comparable camera. The main difference is apparently in the DIGIC III chip, which processes the images to make them look good. Canon has a reputation for solid photography, so I chose this camera to take good photos without having to think a lot about them.

Image Quality: Good

This camera, in the ISO 80 and 100 range, takes great photos. In daylight and bright indoor light, it's nice. At ISO 200, some noise pops up and that's due to the tiny image sensor. ISO 400 and above are super noisy. All in all, a decent performance. However, the color misses a bit of saturation and this can easily be fixed by post-processing.

Build Quality:

Cheap and plasticky. The zoom rocker is hard to control in fine steps. The buttons are well-placed and easy to push.

Hand Feel:

This camera is a delight to hold, even for people with larger hands. It has the battery compartment on the right side, so you can really get a hand on it. Wonderful!

Convenience:

100% awesome. It uses cheap SD cards and AA batteries. This means that you will ALWAYS be able to find batteries in a pinch. The importance of this cannot be underestimated! You can also get a cheap set of AA Ni-MH batteries and carry a spare set just in case. The battery life is great. Where this camera falls a little short is in the case department. The grip is nice for the hand, but this won't fit slimline bags, at all!

Big Flaws:

The camera's BIGGEST flaw and the major reason for losing 2 stars. The screen quality has to be seen to be believed. You won't believe that it can be as low in sharpness and color as it is! The screen is almost useless in composing photos, especially since it washes out in bright light with purple vertical bars on the highlight parts. It's not sharp enough to show you whether something is perfectly in focus, so you have to trust the camera. It's not viewable in sunlight, at all. Big minuses to Canon for cutting corners on the most CRITICAL part of the camera! This screen just doesn't have enough pixels to show the detail from the imaging chip!

Another huge flaw is the softness in the zoom lens at 4x. I turned off digital zoom and took some shots at max zoom. It looked like I had a thin layer of grease on the lens! The blurriness is not acceptable for my photos, so I had to keep myself to about 2.5 to 3x zoom, only.

The movie mode is OK, but doesn't seem as smooth as offerings from other manufacturers. The "smooth" movie mode takes a tiny (320x240) movie at 60fps, but the playback just makes it look like an old silent movie with the unusual speed.


This could have been a 5-star camera with just 100000 more pixels in the LCD screen. As it is, now, this is just an average camera, but should serve well as a pocket or everyday camera.