Canon PowerShot A580
In general, it's best not to expect too much from a budget camera: the 8-megapixel Canon PowerShot A580 exemplifies this philosophySure, it's got a clunky design, feels cheap, and doesn't have all the latest features (in fact for about the same price or a little more you can get the A590 IS, which adds image stabilization)However, it does take great pictures for its class with minimal effort
The A580 has a decent selection of Canon's shooting technologiesIt offers no fewer than 16 shooting modes, including seven special scene modes such as Foliage, Fireworks, and Aquarium, the latter for capturing images of indoor aquariums without a flashIn Easy mode the camera makes all the decisions, Manual mode gives full access to all menu settings, exposure compensation, and white balanceBut most important, the A580 has a face-detection-and-tracking system that worked as promised, keeping the selected face in focus even as the person moved among other people
Though it lacks the sleek design of a compact model, with its bulky plastic body and bubble-like curves, the larger body does accommodate features like an optical viewfinder, support for AA batteries, and a comfortable gripBut it does look and feel like a toyIt measures 2.6 inches by 3.7 inches by 1.6 inches--a little too big to fit comfortably in a back pocket--and it weighs 7.7 ouncesFortunately the right-side handgrip is comfortable and just deep enough to securely wrap fingers aroundIt also houses the two AA batteries and the SD/SDHC card slotAt the front end of the grip is the shutter button surrounded by a zoom ring to control the 4x, f/2.6-f/5.5 35-140mm-equivalent (4x) lensThe lens is a touch wider and longer than its competitors
The power button and Mode dial are on the top of the body with the rest of the shooting options and menu navigation controlled by a directional pad and miscellaneous buttons on backThis aspect of the design works for meEverything is easily recognizable--from turning off the flash to switching modes to setting the timerThere's a serviceable 2.5-inch LCD for framing your shots as well as playback (a slider to the screen's right lets you jump between shooting and playing)
All in all, even if I don't care for the look and feel, they are definitely in line with the A580's low price tag and obviously a plus for those that can't comfortably handle a more compact cameraBesides: who cares as long as it takes good pictures? Which it doesThe A580 shines at ISO sensitivities below ISO 200Grain becomes readily noticeable at ISO 400, but for the most part details remain unexpectedly goodActually, you can get up to ISO 800 and still have a usable photo at smaller sizesColor, contrast, and white balance all fare better than expected, as well
Running on standard alkaline batteries, the A580 delivers merely average performanceIt snapped the first shot in a reasonable 1.6 seconds, but shot-to-shot took a sluggish 2.2 seconds; adding the flash drove it up to a miserable 6 secondsShutter lag wasn't a problem, though, at just 0.4 second in bright light and 1.2 seconds in dimThe lens exhibits some barrel distortion at its widest
As long as you don't need eye-catching good looks, a slim body, or fast performance, the PowerShot A580 is a pleasing cameraIt's inexpensive and anyone can operate it and still get good results