Canon PowerShot A520 - UK Digital Camera Review

Canon PowerShot A520 Review

This 4.0 Megapixel PowerShot A520 with 4x zoom is so easy to use that everyone in the family will be able to have a go. At the same time, however, it also offers a variety of advanced uses and manual modes to interest a more seasoned photographer.

Nothing is too complicated as the camera works with you to achieve great results. The 9-point AiAF keeps everything focused and Canon Visionary Technology ensures correct colours and high clarity images by utilising the quality lens, super fast processor and precision sensor. In fact, the PowerShot A520 reviews the scene and makes its own adjustments before you have pressed the shutter release.

Canon PowerShot A520 Front
Canon PowerShot A520 Back

The A520 offers 20 shooting modes which include Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Fast or Slow Shutter and Stitch Assist as well as having 8 special scene modes. With this choice available it is possible to cover a variety of shots both panoramic and close-up. If shooting conditions are difficult and you would rather not use the manual controls then this is when the special scene modes come into their own. Underwater shots can also be taken if you take up the optional waterproof case.

3 minute movie clips with the addition of sound recording can be taken with the Canon PowerShot A520 and these can be played back on the 1.8" monitor. The camera can also record up to 30 second VGA clips for high definition playback on a TV.

Optional extras include large capacity rechargeable batteries, wide and tele-converter lenses, High-Power Flash (to extend range when shooting at night) and the 40m depth waterproof case mentioned above. These could all help to extend your creative abilities.

Printing can be easily made to any PictBridge or Canon Direct Print compatible printer and the Print/Share button facilitates uploads to any Windows PC. Movie clip frames and ID photos can be printed when connected to a Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printer.

If access to CANON iMAGE GATEWAY is available to you then images can be shared with family and friends on the 100MB free storage space included within the package. The use of ZoomBrowser EX (Windows) and ImageBrowser (Mac) software will assist you in the arrangement of photo albums, cropping and adjusting contrast and brightness.

For the Canon PowerShot A520

Canon PowerShot A520 Specifications & Features

  • 4 Megapixels
  • 4 x Optical Zoom
  • 3.6 x Digital Zoom
  • 14 x Combined Zoom
  • 5cm Focusing Distance
  • Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H and Custom White Balance Settings
  • 1.8" P-Si TFT, approx. 115,000 pixels
  • Auto, Manual, On and Off Flash Modes
  • Red Eye Reduction
  • Maximum Image Size 2272 x 1704 Pixels
  • 640 x 480, 10fps Movies up to 30 seconds
  • PictBridge Compatible
  • Secure Digital (SD) or MultiMedia (MMC) Card
  • 2x Size-AA Alkaline or NiMH Batteries
  • Approximate Weight 180g

Canon PowerShot A520 User Reviews

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Reviewer: JFK - UK
Well, there may be loads of features, but not at all accessible for user who needs reading glasses! The image quality sucks and I have not had any luck with getting faults repaired by Canon via Comet (the retailer). They repaired the shutter which was sticking but not the "overexposure" problem. It has been an expensive and frustrating gift which also meant missing important shots like 50th birthday and grandchildren... Not impressed!

Features
Rating 9/10
Image Quality
Rating 1/10
Usability
Rating 5/10
Reviewer: C. Turner - Canada
a great camera,until the computer upload feature doesnt work.
Canons after sales service is dismal and really of no help. Ive tried new usb cables, loading and unloading software etc. All I have is a good picture taker that has to go to the mall to be unloaded. Great pictures I cant share by email.......not mmuch use really.
I wont be buying "Canon" again.

Features
Rating 8/10
Image Quality
Rating 9/10
Usability
Rating 8/10
Reviewer: James - UK
I bought this camera as a christmas present for my daughter, although this does'nt have all the features that my Canon PowerShot G6 has, it does manage to take some great photos, and is so easy to use, my daughter had no trouble working out what all the buttons did. She has also managed to use the bundled software without any help.

Features
Rating 8/10
Image Quality
Rating 10/10
Usability
Rating 8/10
Reviewer: Ollie - UK
Taken some nice pix with this camera, its sooooo easy to use. Wicked!

Features
Rating 7/10
Image Quality
Rating 9/10
Usability
Rating 7/10
Reviewer: David Jones - UK
The canon a520 is quite a compact and lightweight camera and it does have some really good features like the movie mode. However it is very slow at Focusing and taking the shot, I used to have an A75 and this was much faster. The quality of the photos is about average for this price range but it has quite a big zoom range. You will need to buy a larger memory card straight away unless you only plan on taking a handful of photos at a time. The overall build quality is good but the rubber flap that covers the USB cable socket feels a bit tacky and can be orkward to fit in place. I would also recommend buying some rechargeable batteries.

Features
Rating 7/10
Image Quality
Rating 7/10
Usability
Rating 6/10
Reviewer: Sally - UK
What a wonderful camera, I take it everywhere with me, it fits nicely in my handbag without weighing me down. All the pics I have taken have come out fantastically, I can even print them up to 8 x 10 without them looking blurry.

Features
Rating 8/10
Image Quality
Rating 9/10
Usability
Rating 9/10
Reviewer: Matt - UK
This is absolutely the best camera I have ever owned, I have not had one problem in the 4 months that I have had it. I use it mainly for family photos and am always pleased with the quality of the pictures it produces.

Features
Rating 10/10
Image Quality
Rating 10/10
Usability
Rating 10/10
Reviewer: Gary - UK
Really good camera, bought it as a second camera so I could take it fishing. It takes really good pictures and is easy to use.

Features
Rating 9/10
Image Quality
Rating 10/10
Usability
Rating 10/10
Reviewer: Barbie Hopper - UK
The Canon powershot A520 is a really good camera, it's photo quality is good and is quite easy to use. As I am not very techy I thought I would have trouble figuring out how to use it, but it is very intuitive, even my kids have been able to get the hang of it.

Features
Rating 7/10
Image Quality
Rating 8/10
Usability
Rating 8/10
Add a ReviewAdd a review for the Canon PowerShot A520
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Canon PowerShot A520 Review & Features - © UK Digital Camera Reviews 2008
For the Canon PowerShot A520
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