by Dan Feildman

One of the latest editions to the Canon family is the 4-megapixel Canon PowerShot A520. This nice little camera is smaller and lighter than the PowerShot A85 that came before it. By adding a longer zoom lens and additional new scene modes, this camera is nicely equipped.

The Canon PowerShot A520 still offers features for both novices and seasoned photographers. In the same lines as with the A85, the Canon PowerShot A520 is a great value-for-money purchase and without doubt one you should think about if you’re in the market for a camera.

In terms of design, the Canon PowerShot A520’s body resembles a compressed version of the A85, mostly because Canon opted to make this model run on two double-A batteries instead of four.

Outside of size, the only other obvious differences are that the AF assist lamp on the front has been relocated to the opposite side of the optical viewfinder and if you look close, you will notice the microphone is slightly shifted.

The LCD is still the same 1.8 inches diagonally but does have some differences. The LCD is now an f/2.6 to f/5.5, 5.8- to 23.2-mm (35- to 140-mm, 35-mm equivalent), 4X optical zoom lens.

The optical system of the Canon PowerShot A520 has obviously been carefully thought out to enable one to take great photos. The digital camera comes with a 4.2 megapixel resolution and a 4x optical zoom. It also features an impressive ISO range of 50 to 400, along with a shutter speed range of 15 - 1/2000 sec.

The Canon PowerShot A520 retains the excellent level of manual control of previous A-series models, including Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, and Manual modes, accessible via the top-mounted mode dial. The dial also offers five common shooting modes (Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Slow Shutter, and Fast Shutter), as well as Stitch Assist and Movie mode.

A comfortable ease of use with many options is still found in the unchanged menu system. The only improvement to be found here is perhaps to illustrate the scene modes with some on-screen help and sample images along the same lines as what you would find on the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z55 for example.

The Canon PowerShot A520’s battery life using the two included alkaline double-A batteries is quite good, and the camera is rated for up to 300 shots according to the CIPA standard (using NiMH double-A batteries).

Pictures are stored in SD memory cards with the Canon PowerShot A520. Most cameras today come with at least a 512 MB memory card, some even a 1 GB card. You can also transfer pictures from the camera to the PC with ease using the USB 2.0 interface.

There have been confirmed reports that the Canon PowerShot A520 is generally quite slow. The controls are not responsive enough - frequently one had to press a button more than once to perform the desired operation.

Hopefully, this review of the Canon PowerShot A520 has been of help to you. If you’re looking for a decent digital camera to start your photography adventures, the Canon A520 might be tough to beat. Of course, do your own research first before shelling out your cash.

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