3.2-megapixel effective recording * 1-13/16" color LCD viewscreen * 4X optical/3.2X digital/13X total zoom * JPEG options: resolution up to 2048 x 1536; 1600 x 1200; 1024 x 768; 640 x 480 *
1 Great starter camera
Given this camera is not as small as others, it offers great value for money in the starter camera genre. With a 4x optical lens and a 3.2mp resolution it gives me great pics for a fraction of the cost of similarly equipped smaller cameras.
This is a nifty little thing that you can carry around anywhere and snap pics with. The portrait function is especially nice. I've taken quite a few stills that came out awesome!
2 Canon a510
I bought this camera of Amazon. When I received the camera, the box wasn't sealed. The camera is nice, and it does have a lot of options. The sad part was that when I received it, I received a damaged item because the camera kept telling me that the batteries are dead and it kept shutting off. Amazon sent me the replacement, so hopefully once ill receive the new one I will fully enjoy it.
3 Flash recycle way too long
I used this camera for 3 days, and returned it back (to Amazon) yesterday.
Why I returned it:
- Everytime you take a picture with flash, the camera displays the picture for 3 seconds, after which it goes blank for 8-10 seconds. You can not take another picture till that time.
- It takes 3-4 seconds to achieve focus
So imagine you're taking a picture of your kid cutting his birthday cake, and someone stepped right into your frame... you can not take another picture till 8-12 seconds until the flash is recharged, and it tries to focus again. By that time, the scene and moment are gone.
I used to own a Canon A75 before (and a Canon A70 before that), so I'm a hard-core Canon user. But I am very disappointed with this camera. I would advise folks to check other forums on digital camera sites and then decide if they want to buy this camera or not. The user reviews are not pretty.
4 The best camera in this class (Entry level camera)
In the entry level class of digital camera, Canon A serie is the best for design, quality, feature and price.
Design - Canon redesigned the A serie to be smaller, lighter, thanks to the use of SD memory card and only 2 AA batteries instead of 4 previouly. The battery compartment allows the camera to be a little bit thicker on the right side and it allows you to have a firm grip on the camera with one hand. The shooting mode dial on the top of the camera allows you to switch modes quickly, no need to navigate thru menus to switch modes.
Quality - Even thought the camera body is plastic, I find the fit and finish excellent. And of course Canon legendary lens quality. Start up time seems faster than the previous A serie generation.
Features - Starting with a 4X optical zoom, most other brands give you only 3X optical zoom. The A510/520 gives you a full range of shooting modes (Full Manual, Semi Manual - Shutter & Aperture, Automatic, Presets), no other brands give you the manual mode. Macro mode can snap pictures as close as 2 inches. A wide range of accessories, particularly the external flash which allows to extend the flashlight to 30ft.
Price - The A510 is cheap for what it is capable of doing. I got mine for $160 at OfficeMax. Is it worth spending more to get the 4 megapixels A520? Not unless you want to print picture size bigger than 8x10.
So far my A510 takes very sharp pictures and I don't have any problems with this camera. An excellent price/value purchase.
5 An excellent Camera at an Amazing Price!
This camera is an incredible value for the price.
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.
6 Are you kidding me, only $170 for all this?
I did countless hours of research on Digital camera's before settling on the A510. I can't stress enough how impressed I am with all of the A510's features for only $170. Picture quality is great, lcd viewer is easily viewable, multiple settings, and manual control of focus, exposure and shutter speed, plus movie mode!. Takes awesome pictures in near complete darkness (with flash on)...in focus and vibrant colors.
Cons: None really, considering the price but if I had a choice:; I would like the movie length to be only limited by the size of the sd card, instead of 3 minutes, also to be able to adjust zoom level in movie mode. However, I consider this a camera with the added bonus of 3 minute movies, if I had wanted something for movies more than pictures I would have purchased something else.
If you want an awesome digital camera at a lower -end price...look no further, you can find cheaper, but not with these features and quality.
7 Cute advanced 3 MP camera
This is my first digital camera.I took some 50 snaps out of this little camera. The pics came out crisp.
Pros:
1.4x zoom lens- more than enough for non-pro users.
2.Lots of features than the other cameras of this class.
3.Big 1.8 inch LCD screen.
4.Uses AA alkaline/NiMh batteries.
5.Color reproduction is really good.
Cons:
1.Flash recharging takes too much time , sometimes more than 3 secs.
2.The viewfinder is very small and the image looks blurred in its view.
3.AA alkaline batteries drain very quickly.
4.No internal memory and also only 16MB MMC card is supplied with the camera.That will hold only 8/9 pics in the highest resolution.
5.Images look dull in low-light.
6.Flimsy battery lid.
Although I have written more cons than pros , the camera is really cool out there in the 3MP class.Iwould recommend this camera to anyone.Also look out for the canon PSC-60 camera bag when u buy this camera which fits this camera fine.Definitely u need to buy an NiMh charger/batteries.
8 Good Camera, but cheaper at other stores
My sister got me this camera for my birthday. The images are rich in color without any distortions.
I am thinking of buying it for my cousin but found that there are a lot cheaper deals elsewhere. hope Amazon lowers down it's price so that i can use my gift certificate to buy this cool product.
Note: I saw an online store offering same product with price $173 (inclusive of shipping). What amazon shows is the lowest price for some other authorized seller (which later adds shipping charges). Educate yourself before you buy. The quote "Amazon.com=lowest price" is not at all true.
Hope my review helps you save atleast a dollar.
9 Remarkable value at under $200.
A superb camera that yields brilliant pictures: This camera is simply stunning in both design and function. Also capable of taking digital movies. The camera conveniently takes two AA alkaline batteries; however (per the instruction manual) you'll get much longer battery life (per battery cycle) if you instead use rechargeable batteries. A 3.2 mega pixel digital camera (such as this one) is the ideal pixel size for almost all photography needs. For all of its many features and multiple shooting modes, at under $200 the Canon PowerShot A510 digital camera is a remarkable value.
10 Big performance for a little price
Wow!!!!!!!!! That would be my best description of this camera. I picked it up for $189 at Best Buy the other day and I can't stop taking pictures. I like how it has the simplicity to allow for point and shoot for the rookies, but also has manual controls for the more advanced shutterbugs. The picture quality is great, the flash is more than adequate, and the features are plentiful. This is a great beginner to intermediate camera that will still be relevant as your knowledge and skills in digital photography grow. The one thing I don't like is the delay when you press the menu or function button, it takes a second for the menu to pop up, whereas on my Konica Minolta DiMage xT, it's instantaneous. The cameras viewfinder is a bit on the small side as well, but that's not an issue for me as I don't use it ever. So all in all, great camera, great price, great quality.
11 This camera is an overpriced POS.
I bought this camera March 1, 2005 from Best Buy, brand new (with a protection plan, thank god). On the 14th, it gave me an E18 error, and I returned the camera -- it was exchanged for a new one. Today, I received an E30 error. What do these E errors mean? God only knows -- it's not even listed in the manual.
The focusing on this camera is disgusting, if you've ever used a "manual" camera. It does not focus on the correct object 50% of the time.
Battery life is a complete joke. Expect to spend the price of the camera on batteries within the first six months of purchase. I've been through five sets of the AAs, rechargable and non, alike. The LCD screen depletes these batteries even worse, don't use it.
I never even had a chance to explore the full uses of this camera -- it broke everytime I tried. I'm returning this for something reasonable!
12 The Best Pocket size Digital Camera
This is my sixth digital camera. Though I am not taking pictures for a living now, I used to at one point of my life, and still know, humbly, better than many people that I encountered in the profession. I am now a web developer and often have to take pictures for the albums of the sites I manage; one is for a local newspaper, and the other is for a church governing body. I wanted a camera that I can carry with me all the time and I want it to be able to take good pictures in the meeting rooms without flash. A510 meets both of my needs.
Some meeting rooms are not well lit. I like to take lots of pictures, then choose the best ones out of them. (Most high end magazines choose one picture out of a thousand. That's my style.) So if I use flash, the room will be flashing like a news conference. They don't like it. If I don't use, I need a $1000 camera to get good pictures. But A510 gives me good indoor picture without flash.
This should provide enough of my impression of this camera. As for other features, other reviewers have already done a great job.
13 excelent package at low price
If you were wondering which one to buy - Canon A510 (the compact) or Canon SD200 (the ultra-compact), here is the bottom line - A510 takes a bit sharper pics, has manual controls and longer battery life than SD200. On the other hand, SD200 is tinier and its movie mode is superior. Details below:
++ A510 is about $50-$100 cheaper than SD200 (get lowest prices with www.pricegrabber.com).
++ A510 has manual controls for focus, aperture and time of exposure (shutter speed); SD200 doesn't have any of these.
++ A510 takes a bit sharper pics than SD200. A510 doesn't have blurry pic conrners or pirple fringing, SD200 has both. The white balance on both cams is equivalent. The above differences would matter ony to experts - for most consumers both cameras produce really excellent pics - low noise, proper exposure and white balance even in dim light without flash or at night.
++ A510 uses two AA bateries (rechargeable or not); SD200 uses rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NB-4L);
According to Canon, the battery life of two rechargeable AA's in A510 is:
......300 shots (LCD on, CIPA test standard)
......800 shots (LCD off),
......300 minutes playback time.
The battery life of NB-4L in SD200 is:
......140 shots(LCD on, CIPA test standard),
......400 shots (LCD off),
......180 minutes playback time.
From the above data A510 has two times longer battery life.
-- A510 is compact (like a wallet full of cash lol) and you can carry it in your jacket or purse but not in your pants pocket. SD200 is ultra-compact (like a pack of cigaretts or a deck of cards) and you can really carry it in your jeans pocket but that is not advisable cause you may damage it - many people complained of easily cracked LCD screen.
-- A510 has 1.8 inches LCD, SD200 has 2.0 inches LCD.
-- A510 uses the older processor DIGIC I; SD200 uses the newer and faster DIGIC II, hence the differences below ...
-- A510 is a bit slower in responding and autofocusing than SD200 but the difference is less than 1/3 sec and doesn't matter much.
-- A510 records movies with limited length (30 sec at 640x480 resolution, 3 minutes at lower resolutions); SD200 records till the memory card is full.
-- A510 records movies with 10 frames/sec (at 640x480 pixels) and 15 frames/sec (at 320x240 pixels). SD200 lets you choose 30 frames/sec or 15 frames/sec (at both 640x480 and 320x240 pixels). If you are recording at 320x240 and 15 frames/sec, then the size of the file is about 230 KB/sec for both cameras.
-- A510 can produce a properly exposed movie ONLY if lighting conditions remain relatively CONSTANT during recording - the exposure is locked to the first movie frame and if you move around to a little darker corner or a little brighter lit room, the A510 movie will get unacceptably dark or bright correspondingly. SD200 doesn't have that problem since it adjusts the exposure continuously to match the changing light conditions during recording.
--- A510 uses USB1.1 to download pics/movies to a computer (download speed is 450 KB/sec on my computer), SD200 uses USB2.0 that is two times faster (900 KB/sec on my computer).
14 My First Digital Camera
If you are looking to buy your first digital camera at a good price, buy this one.
The Quick Start Guide is very easy to read and got me up and running immediately. In less than 15 minutes I was able to load the batteries, insert the memory card, turn the camera on, set the date and time, take my first picture, load the software onto my computer from the CD, download the image to my computer, and finally e-mail it to a friend.
Documentation that is included in the box:
- Quick Start Guide (2-sided, poster size, step-by-step pictorial)
- Camera User Guide (160 pages, pocket-size)
- Direct Print User Guide (49 pages, pocket size)
- Software Starter Guide (102 pages, larger pocket size)
- System Map (2-sided, A4 size, diagrams how all the accessories fit together)
- Warranty Card (postcard)
- "For Windows¨ XP and Mac OS X Users" Leaflet (2-sided)
- "Canon Customer Support" Leaflet (2-sided)
Two accessories you should definitely buy are a larger memory/SD card and NiMH batteries with a battery charger. The 16 MB card that comes in the box does not hold many images. (I want to purchase a 256 SD Card, but the documentation does not specify how many recordable images it would hold.) Also, you will save money and trips to the store in the long run by using rechargeable batteries.
As someone who has been using a six year-old 35 mm camera, I am writing this as a novice user without the ability to compare other digital cameras. However, at this price and with 3.2-megapixels, I am happy to finally get away from my 35 mm camera.
15 Best selling digital camera!
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. 3 MP and 4x optical zoom is the perfect combo for most people.
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.
I guess you gotta spend more money to buy Elph series for more pocketability. I am almost sure this will be THE best selling camera of 2005, just like A60 and A75 in past. With a price this low for a fully loaded A510 there really is no reason to buy slightly cheaper but vastly inferior cameras from HP, Kodak, Olympus, Fuji or Samsung.
16 Slightly better than A400
This camera is my 3rd Canon digicam. My first Canon digicam was Canon a60 which was great but it was a bit too bulky for me. I bought this camera as a alternative option next to my canon a400 and I'm definitely satisfied.
Pros:
-4x Zoom ( Can't beat that!...many digicams only come with 3x)
-Big and bright 1.8 screen which gains light in the dark
-It's canon! Great lens and brand. Very reliable
-A bit faster shutter speed compared with Canon A400
-Very Comfortable to hold and very firm (has hand grip)
-Movie mode at 640x480 for 30sec and 320x240 for 3 mins max
-Use only 2 AA batteries. Last over 100 pics with flash and screen on at all time(I tested it with 2300mAh rechargable batteries)
-Fast start-up time(less than 3 second once you turn the camera on)
-Easy to use for anyone who familiar with canon digicam(same board which is Digic!...too bad this cam does not come with Digic2 which works faster and allows user to record longer movie clip)
-Great printing quality as usual for Canon
Cons:
-Still has slow shutter speed when taking picture at best quality with flash(up to 5 secs which isn't so bad compared to Canon A400)
-A bit bigger than other brand for the same price and pixels(but you get canon camera that uses AA battery + 4x zoom)
-The dial swich and capture/view switches are a bit hard to turn at first but it got easier after a month)
Overall, I love this camera as Canon seems to know what they are doing when they make their cameras. I'm one happy canon's customer. Buy it and you won't regret it.
Also, you can buy canon case psc60 which designed for A60-A95 models, it sure fits this canon a510 just fine. Or else, try the psc65 which designed just for Canon A510 and A520.
Hope this review will help someone who is deciding which camera to buy. Cheers!
