Name: Keith
Location: Ohio
Date: 2008-07-22
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Great Camera!
Comment: I really like this camera. It is easy to use, takes great pictures, and has plenty of zoom. I looked at so many cameras before purchasing this one. This one had the best features and quality of all the cameras in this price range. I was really impressed with the quality of the video it produced, as I didn't expect very much from a digital camera.
I am glad I got a camera with a view finder as I have found on very sunny days at the ballfield, the LCD can be a little difficult to see details of what you are capturing. The viewfinder, though, shows you enough of what you are shooting and comes in handy.
The night scene mode really is a blessing as I have taken night shots with and without this mode, and it makes such a huge difference in night photography.
Speed is not an issue as well. I took a picture of my son jumping into the pool and I caught him just as he was entering the water. There was relatively no blur and it looks as if he is standing on top of the water!
I also took pictures of him throwing a baseball and there was no blur in those photos as well.
Again, this camera exceeded my expectations and I doubt that anyone would be disappointed in purchasing this camera. Plus it's hard to go wrong with Canon's quality.
Name: Frank L. Morales
Location: Vancouver, WA USA
Date: 2008-09-15
Customer Rating: -
Summary: An all around fantastic camera!
Comment: So allow me to start by saying i'm just your average "joe-user" who enjoys snapping photos while on vacations and out with friends. Recently i owned an Olympus Stylus 810 and was very, very pleased with it. Unfortunately i dropped it damaging the entire lens assembly and it was going to cost $140 to repair. With a week at the beach coming up i didn't have time to research a lot. On a friends recommendation i made this purchase.
Now my goals are to have a smaller sized camera that will allow nice point and shoot photography but has some manual (even minimal) controls as i do enjoy photography and if i decide to go further, i'll be familiar with the manual controls and such. So after getting this camera i did a few test runs to get it all working w/ my MacBook Pro laptop. Here's my experience thus far:
Install on Windows Vista and Mac OS X Leopard were both absolutely flawless. Software went right in, once connected downloading the images and viewing them was a one click event. The software bundled is actually quite nice. I no longer have iPhoto (thanks Leopard) so i was unsure what to use for basic photo management. Not to worry Canons bundled software, "ZoomBrowserEX" does a fantastic job of that.
Now as far as options go i'm by no means skilled in the realm of cameras, however from my limited experience i can say this camera packs quite a large array for such a small price tag. The auto modes work very well, not to mention having the ability to just pop it into "Manual" mode and tweak by hand! All it takes is 20-30min of reading on the internet and you can be messing with the settings and taking some great low light, artistic, etc... photographs. I also found it's quite easy to use single handed. A lot of times on my beach trip i was holding onto a rock to balance myself and only had my right hand available. Switching into say "Macro" mode is very simple. Same goes for things like zoom, flash, etc... overall very user friendly design.
Picture quality has been absolutely stunning! I truly did not expect it from a camera under $160. As with most "point and shoot" cameras when upping the ISO level to take dim light shots without a flash it does tend to get grainy. Although this camera does counter balance that a little, and does a good job, it's still noticeable. That's where the "Manual" mode came in for me. Being able to adjust shutter and aperture etc... really allowed me to take some exceptional low light shots that are not grainy at all.
So my overall impression is absolutely pleased! For the money i doubt you'd find a better camera with as many features that can produce the quality of photos this can. I was impressed to see how small it is in person and exactly just how well constructed it feels. Also the thing i loved is there's a huge wealth of accessories like extra lenses such as telephoto, macro, lens filters, etc... Amazon has a "kit" that looks like a fantastic deal that comes with most of those things including a tripod. That is definitely going to be my next purchase.
So if you're looking for a great camera that can "point and shoot" and has the manual controls if you think you may be interested in getting into photography, this is my recommendation hands down. I posted 11 photos in the "Customer Photos" section. Feel free to check them out to hopefully get an idea of what this camera can do with "default" settings, i was blown away. Lastly as i'm finding out photography is all about your "eye" and knowing enough about your hardware to capture what you "see." I'm not much for taking pictures of people i really enjoy closeups and different angles, so that's what i'm learning to capture with this camera. Hopefully my pictures will be a decent display of what this camera can do. Just remember if you don't like your photos it's probably not the cameras fault! There will never be a one stop solution, but overall this one is fantastic!
Hope it helps,
Happy picture taking,
Frank L. Morales II
Name: Bruce Fields
Location: New York, New York USA
Date: 2008-05-31
Customer Rating: -
Summary: More than your money's worth!
Comment: I bought this camera as a gift for my girlfriend because it satisfied my two main requirements: 1) it could be operated by someone who is not interested in learning the basics of camera design and features, and still produce reliable, quality photographs and 2) be capable of doing much more if one should so desire.
Apparently, the model one step down (the 580, I believe) is void of manual override controls, so for a small amount more one can get that capability in the 590. After using the camera for a few weeks I have determined that it actually does produce very sharp, nicely color toned pictures if you simply put it on AUTO or P, point, remember to hold the shutter half way down for a second to focus, and shoot. Perhaps learning when to force the flash to provide fill would be a handy, not too complicated step to learn, one which would greatly improve most backlit shots. I'm still trying to teach that :-) (it's only one button, hey!!)but I think I will eventually succeed. All in all, you can carry it anywhere and use it quickly and easily and without any real knowledge or skill manage to eke out a decent (if not really lovely) exposure.
If you understand something about how modern cameras are programmed, the manual controllability of this little demon will delight you. In bright light situations, it's a good thing to be able to use the traditional viewfinder which is not always provided these days in many other point and shoots. And if you wanted a quality shot, understanding how to use the many features intelligently, I think you will be amazed that the file produces such a high quality photograph. Five years ago it would have cost many hundreds more to achieve this quality, and now it's available for a pittance. Progress.
I haven't delved into the technical aspects of this camera here because I am assuming that most people who are looking for this kind of one would not be that interested. Suffice to say, this little camera does lots of stuff and it does it all with ease and grace and for a low price. Sounded good to me, and I'm glad I bought it. You could do different for the price, but not, I don't think, better. Highly recommended.
Name: Macro
Location: San Diego CA USA
Date: 2008-06-19
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Wow!
Comment: Don't you just love it when you spend the time to shop around and really go after something that does what you want and you find it? at a great price?? I love this camera!! I just recently purchased it so I have a long way to go on trying all the settings and options this camera offers... BUT! so far I am very much "wowed".
The ability to "play" with the settings and experiment was what drew me to photography when I was younger. Those options, the versitility that goes with 8MP, along with ability to change lenses (I got the 3.2x telephoto and .45x wide angle) plus filters? It's what drew me to this camera and setup.
Real easy to use and I've already gotten compliments on the photos I've taken. And when they do mention the pics they get an earful of praise directed to the reason the photos are so good with a quick demonstration of my new toy! ;) Love that nice big crystal clear LCD!! and easy to read and understand menu. With a brand new grand daughter I will be trying real hard to wear the buttons off this one! :P Did the research and I found a real winner.
and the price! 5 stars, 2 thumbs and 2 big toes up! Sweet little camera with big results! Can't be beat IMO! Did I mention I love this camera?
Name: Brandon Pacheco
Location: Sunrise, FL
Date: 2008-04-07
Customer Rating: -
Summary: Great camera, great price !!!
Comment: I spent a few weeks researching different cameras, because the flash on my sony cybershot had error coded and stopped working. After the cybershot I wanted a camera that had image stabilization. Then I started seeing this new face detection technology, which I thought was very cool and I wanted it. I found the A590IS because, I decided to go with a brand name that is well know with photography and it had everything I needed and more. The shots are crystal clear, the ration of when you push the button to taking the picture is good, alot better than the cybershot, the face detection is cool also. The motion detection technology is another cool feature, which will come in handy when my son starts crawling and walking/running. I thought I might have a problem with the AA batteries over a battery pack but it actually works out good with the new rechageable batteries that are a commone thing in stores nowadays. I can't wait to start experimenting with some of the more advanced features, like adjusting the shutter speed. My only complaint is that since I'm used to the slimness of the cybershot the Canon A590is is a little more bulky than I would like, but I was willing to sacrifice size for quality. Overall an excellent camera for the price.
|
Larger image or other views
