Canon PowerShot A530 Digital Camera

Category: Review on Canon Powershot A530 Digital Camera

Posted by: 25-Oct-2006

Strengths: 5.0 megapixels, ISO 800

Weaknesses: Not an advanced level camera

Offering a few more features than the A430 the Canon PowerShot A530 digital camera is a slight upgrade in the line of “A” series cameras from the company. The optical zoom ability is increased to 4.0x, with a combined zoom ability of about 16x, and with 17 shooting modes, you have even more options in your camera usage. The ISO 800 speed allows for picture taking in low-level lighting without use of the flash that both blinds the subject and causes nasty red-eye. The camera contains the DIGIC II processor and iSAPS technology offered by Canon for rapid processing speeds and excellent image quality.

The PowerShot A530 incorporates a bright 1.8" LCD screen with selectable Grid Line Display, as well as a night display mode. The screen is large enough to make point and click easy for any level of photography. However, for the price, you can actually find cameras with much larger LCD screens.

A big upside of the A530, as with all of Canon’s A-series cameras, is that there are no special batteries required. Standard AA batteries actually have a long life, meaning that you don’t run out of juice at the most important snapshot moment. You can also use lithium batteries or rechargeable batteries to increase the life of the batteries.

Video mode captures up to 60 minutes or 1GB of space, whichever it reaches first, with amazing quality. However, it is debatable if the space is worth the PowerShot A530’s bulk. There are cameras much slimmer and lighter with the same capabilities for a few dollars more. For casual photographers simply looking for a good vacation camera, the Canon PowerShot A530 digital camera is an excellent choice to fulfill this capacity. Its ease of use is perfect for an inexperienced shooter or for a youngster learning to shoot for the family album.