The eubstance is too bulky to qualify as a pocket camera and , while its contoured grip produce it comfortable enough to hold , it feel slightly cheesy . The tripod mount is plastic . The Playback / Camera shift is knockout to move , and the musical mode dial clicks rigidly into place . The placement of the button and controller on the back of the television camera is a bit clumsy , command both thumbs for comfy operation . There ’s no live histogram , something I ’d expect in a camera of this class . But like most Canon models , the PowerShot A520 ’s bill of fare are easy to read and navigate in its bright , 1.8 - in LCD .
The A520 offers full manual control , as well as being a flexible compass point - and - shooter . The mode dial is chock up with option , including an Auto mode and twelve extra modal value , which are divided into two zones . The Creative Zone includes Program , Shutter Priority , Aperture Priority , and Manual exposure modes . The Image Zone let in Portrait , Landscape , Night Scene , Fast Shutter , Slow Shutter , Special Scene modality ( eight mode for everything from Foliage to Fireworks , get at via a carte du jour ) , Stitch Assist ( for creating panoramic photo ) , and Movie mode .
The 4x optic zoom offers a number more range than most photographic camera in this class ( most tender 3x opthalmic zooms ) , and is a fast f2.6 at the wide conclusion , slowing to f5.5 at the telephotograph end . Macro mode allow you focus as close as 2 inches , which is about median in this form . you may focalise manually , or habituate 1 - point autofocus ( focusing on the center of the frame ) or 9 - power point AiAF ( stilted intelligence autofocus ) , which automatically attempts to find your national in the soma , even if it is off - center . An AF - aid shaft helps you focus in low sparkle .
The PowerShot A520 ’s startup time is about average ( a distich of seconds ) . In continuous shot mode , I snapped eight shots at the high quality in about six seconds before the camera begin to stutter .
The image I shot with the PowerShot A520 had fantabulous , accurate color and very good detail . ISO rate from 50 to 400 , but noise became detectable at 200 ISO .
The A520 can becharm VGA tone video at 640 - by-480 pixels ) , but only at a “ Keystone Cops”-like 10fps , and clips are limited to 30 seconds .
Macworld’s Buying Advice
While I like the Canon PowerShot A520 ’s images , its handling is disappointing . For a small more hard cash , I recommend the 5 - megapixel Olympus C-5500 SportZoom (; July 2005 ) , which offers swell images , good ergonomics , and a 5x visual rapid growth .
Jury Tests
scurf = Excellent , Very unspoiled , Good , Flawed , insufferable
