I have owned a A590IS for quite a while. As a professional photographer, I came across many cameras, including this one. This article is meant to show this camera's pros and cons, to help you decide whether it will work for you. The auto modes work as they should, I will focus on the advanced modes. So, here is what I like about this toy:
- It's compact, light, much smaller than other models in the PowerShot A series.
- Image stabilization works perfectly. I can take great shots indoors without a flasher
- Great image quality, with lots of controls over the contrast, saturation and sharpness settings.
- It's fast, even compared to my DSLR. Not many consumer cameras come with such a low shutter lag time, and pre-focusing with manual focus does miracles in terms of speed.
- Manual modes. Aperture and shutter priority settings work great, sometimes I keep forgetting that it's not a DSLR.
- Optical viewfinder. Pretty handy in cases of very bright sunshine where you can't see anything on the LCD or if battery saving is necessary.
- Batteries seem to last longer than previous A series PowerShots, the technical specs advertise 500 shots on rechargeable NiMH batteries. Another good thing is that this model works on common AA batteries that can be found everywhere, so you no longer have to worry about finding specific proprietary models.
Like every camera I've seen, this Canon comes with its downsides. Here are a few that I came across, and I sure hope Canon will take care of them in the near future.
- Low resolution display. The LCD is alright for framing shots and displaying the menu, but I wouldn't mind a higher resolution.
- Live histogram is only available when viewing a photo, but not when actually taking that shot. There is unofficial software that implements this feature, and other manufacturers have already implemented this in similar models. Let's only hope it won't be long until Canon does it too.
- The video feature is awful. You cannot use optical zoom during recording, the compression method is inefficient, so the video files tend to be large.
My overall impression of the camera is good. You get what you pay for. It has a set of great features which make it usable for both the occasional shooter and the more advanced photographer.
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