Canon PowerShot A510 3.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

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.

VERY VERY VERY slow shipment. It took just short of two weeks to arrive. Camera works well and takes fairly good pics. Happy with the product not happy with the shipping and "handling"

Let me start with the bad, and get the complaining out of the way.First, the CCD is a little bit on the noisy side, especially in low light situations. That said, I'm still surprised at the number of low-light, no-flash pictures that can be salvaged in Photoshop.Second, it has an artificial limit on video length - 30 seconds at 640x480 and 3 minutes at lower resolutions. I cannot see any good reason for this, as the A530 and A540 can record video until you run out of power or memory. Also, those later models will let you do "digital zoom" while shooting and this camera will not. The zoom ratio you start with is what you are stuck with for the entire video.Third, the flash recycle time is longer than I would like. This is probably due to the choice of two AA batteries as a power source, and it does not seem to be any better on my mother's A530.Fourth, the display is small. It's a small camera, deal with it. You can zoom in on a picture if you feel it's necessary to check it on the spot.Finally, it has significant barrel distortion at the wide end of the zoom range. Most of the time you aren't going to notice, but it is visible and somewhat bothersome in architectural photos.These flaws rule out a five-star rating, but the camera still has plenty going for it.First, the optics are sharp, although I noted the distortion issue above. I do not get the purple fringing I have seen on some other cameras. I believe these optics went unchanged into the A530 and A540, which means they are probably overkill for a 3.2MP sensor. The f/2.6 maximum aperture is quite usable.Second, the flash is surprisingly good. The red-eye reduction doesn't work particularly well, but it never does with a flash this close to the lens axis (and you can fix that in the bundled software). I noted the cycle time issue, but I can't complain about the amount of light generated once it does charge.Third, it's not as hungry as some other cameras I've tried. I would tell you how long one set of NiMH AA batteries last, but I can't -- I've never been able to run them flat. I just pop in freshly charged batteries before every adventure and I'm good to go. The fact that it uses AA batteries also means you're never more than a trip to 7-11 away from a fresh charge, if the situation calls for it.Fourth, it's very versatile. The "Auto" mode is dead simple to operate, enabling macro focusing is a single button press, the zoom is very intuitive, the pre-focusing behaves exactly like you would expect from a larger camera, and it does shoot video with sound. At the same time, it has manual mode, Av and Tv modes, a rear-curtain flash sync mode, and many other ways to bend it far beyond mere snapshots. Simple when you need it, complex when you want it -- perfect balance. The mode wheel is a good, old-fashioned click wheel, so once you memorize where your favorite click stops are, you don't even have to look. As you would expect from a Canon camera, it also has 2-second and 10-second self-timer modes, so you can line up a family photo and have time to sneak yourself into it. The camera sits quite stably, so you can usually improvise a platform to use if you don't carry a folding tripod.Fifth, the included Windows software is pretty good. You don't absolutely have to use it, but if you don't want to, you pretty much have to use a card reader to transfer. Thus it's fairly important that the software is both easy to use and flexible enough to do most of the things you want.Sixth, it uses a standard "mini USB" cable to connect to the computer. This means that if you ever lose it, or wish to have a spare, you do not have to get a special part. Also, since so many other devices use the same style cable, you can (as I do) leave the cable permanently attached to the computer and attach devices to it as necessary. I have a webcam and MP3 player that use the same type of cable, so there's usually something attached.Finally, it has a removable ring around the lens to attach an adapter, allowing you to attach all manner of filters, wide and tele lens extenders, or whatever you would want to attach. The Canon adapter is also threaded to 52 mm, which is a very common filter size. If you have an old SLR, chances are you already own some 52 mm filters.If you are wondering if 3.2MP is enough and you wouldn't be better off with more megapixels, all I can say is this: If you don't know exactly why you need more than this resolution... you probably don't. I have been able to run 12" by 18" color laser prints from my pictures with quite acceptable quality -- do YOU have access to a printer bigger than that? I would not mind an upgrade to the A530, but only because of its significantly better video capabilities. More pixels in the same size sensor usually means more noise and longer save times between pictures, though admittedly you do not have to run at maximum resolution at all times. It generally is easiest though to shoot at the highest resolution and worry about reducing it after you get home.If you feel you need the enhanced capabilites of the A530 or A540 (for an additional $50-120, last I checked), then by all means buy one. You won't be disappointed. But if you want an inexpensive, pocketable camera that doesn't take cheap-looking pictures, you can't go wrong with the A510. All the accessories are the same, so if you decide to upgrade later, it is only the camera you have to buy.

I have been a film photographer for about 30 years and dabbled with digital for about the past 5 years. Recently, I decided to dive in completely. The challenge was to satisfy both high and low end requirements and to enable printing WITHOUT having to connect to a computer.Here's what I bought for my wife and kids:-A510-Epson PictureMate DeluxeHere's what I bought for me:-350D (Rebel XT) with all the gismos (battery grip, filter, extra batteries, chargers, etc).We purchased the A510 for low end usage. And while the A510 has nearly as many options as the 350D, it can be 'automated' for everyday use. Because it comes with only a 16MB card, you will need to visit every menu option to select the appropriate defaults for your usage (most of ours is just for 4x6 prints). Once you've done that, I suggest simply keeping it on the AUTO or P modes for everything. The 2 main differences between AUTO and P is that AUTO selects the ISO (with P, you set it) and always uses a flash if needed (with P, you can turn off the flash). In any case, the A510 is compact (fits in a purse), light (only uses 2 AA batteries) and does not burn through batteries like I've seen some other digitals do (but you will still need a battery charger - I suggest using NiMH instead of NiCd). The autofocus is smart and the images are noise free (even at ISO 400). Bottom Line: if this is your low end, every day family camera, it's perfect; there is no need to wait for the 'next' version. In fact, I would recommend jumping on this model as you will probably find good prices while they phase it out.As for the Epson printer and the 350D, they are working out as well (but not the subject of this review).Here is the BUYER BEWARE part (and the part Amazon will probably remove from this review). I still have not received the camera from Amazon. Because it was taking them so long to ship it (as of this writing it has been 13 days and delivery is not expected for 4 more), I ordered it elsewhere (and even saved another $25).