Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (OLD MODEL)

I had a Nokia digital camera for a couple of years. I don't have much knowledge and wanted a camera where I could easily use the auto mode. Well, the pictures always came out too dark even when a flash was used. Luckily I dropped the camera and broke the lens for it made me do in depth research before I purchased this little gem of a camera. I needed a workable camera for a New York City trip and I heard good things about Canon as well as this camera in particular. I am thrilled with my purchase. It is a small camera that is also very sturdy and an excellent piece of equipment. Many electronic items now come with cds to read the manual. This one actually came with many manuals and they were lenghthy and definitely user friendly. Everything is described in full detail from first set up of the camera to the great enhancement features this camera possesses. But luckily for me I was able to go to New York and use the camera in the auto mode and it took amazing puctures whether it be day or night, cloudy or sunny. The detail is amazing and color is crisp. Whem I the pictures to mt computer again there were easy to follow instructions provided. Everything about this camera is A+ and I can't wait to explore the more advanced enhacements it has. No item is perfect and people are complaining about the battery life with the camera. I have had no such problem. I own a 4 AA battery rechargeable kit and I put freshly charged batteries into the camera and went 5 days, taking over 200 pictures without the batteries needing to be changed. Now 2 more weeks have gone by and those same batteries are running strong. With so many oprtions out there with electronics it is very important to go by others experience using the item and really read their opinions to see what applies to you. For me this camera receives the highest grade. I can use the auto mode as I desire for perfect pictures and there are many great additional features to utilize as I progress as a photographer. I now also trust Canon and learned my lesson about Nokia. Canon is reliable and this product comes well packaged with all the instructions you need. Highly recommend this superb digital camera.

I have had this camera a little less than a month and have already taken 1200 pictures on it! 1089 of these were on on a trip to Alaska, while the rest were "practice" shots to become familiar with the camera. I am very impressed with the results as the beauty of our trip comes through perfectly in the photos. I bought this camera as a backup to my aging Canon S2IS with its 12X zoom, just in case it decided to quit during the trip. The S2 survived and was used almost as much as the 590 - just the opposite of what I expected. The size and convenience of the larger LCD screen on the 590 quickly made it a favorite of mine, and my wife's. Because the Canon controls were very similar on both cameras, it was easy to learn, and switch between cameras. The newer Zoom Browser software is better than the S2's, but similar and was easy to learn. I have not figured out how to disable the flash on the Auto setting, other than after I turn the camera on. The camera takes great shots inside with some light, and the flash washes some of these out, if used. I feel the default setting should be "Off" for the flash, even in the Auto setting, but can understand why it is "On". I just have to remember to turn the flash off whenever I turn the 590 on. The only complaint I had of the 590 was the slowness of taking a picture. However, I discovered in my haste to get a new memory card before the trip, I had picked up an SD card, rather than an SDHC card. I feel the new SDHC card I ordered will solve that problem. I used the Landscape setting for many shots of Mt. McKinley, Denali, glaciers, and others with great results. Thanks to Amazon and the reviews submitted by other 590 owners, I am really enjoying this PowerShot and the unbelievable beauty of Alaska that it captured!

I have owned this camera for about a year and a half. I have yet to explore all of the features, and perhaps some of the problems I have would be solved if I did (so if anyone has more experience with this camera and has any suggestions to my problems I would sure appreciate it!) It's been a pretty good camera - certainly good for the money, and though I have had some issues all in all I've been happy with it. I bought it almost exclusively to take pictures of my son - who was about 6 months old at the time of purchase - and while the quality of pictures is certainly better than the last camera I had (dinosaur), the shutter-speed is slow (typical of digital cameras) and the 'ready light' is so bright that most living subjects - especially a baby - have to look away. Likewise I find the flash to be SO bright that many of my pics are ruined by the severity of the light, but without it the quality is pretty bad. Therefore I frequently find myself taking 200 pictures in the hopes that maybe 20 will be decent enough to keep. My son is very photogenic, its just hard to get the pics I want with the speed, and honestly that light is just awful (in order to get a good close-up head-shot, that orange ready-light has to be right in your eyes... Ouch). But again this is all fairly typical of digital cameras in general, so I don't hold it against this particular cam too much (what I really need is a REAL camera, with REAL film, but that costs REAL money which sadly I just don't have. REALLY!). Its small and very comfortable to hold and use, which is great cuz I have small hands. The red-eye-remover function only works maybe half the time -and yes I've tried different settings-, but when it does work its super. And the zoom is decent, although the quality changes completely, becoming a bit fuzzy (I actually really like the effect, its super clear but at the same time fuzzy - hard to explain but zoomed pics look beautiful and vibrant to me) but its not good enough to take a picture of something very small, like a large spider, which is unfortunate for me cuz that's a hobby of mine. But I love the freedom of knowing I can get a better lens for it if I choose, and look forward to seeing how that affects the zoom and picture quality. Anyway some of my favorite features are the view-finder (so rare in a digi-cam) the PHENOMENAL night-shots (some of the BEST pictures I've taken with this camera have been in pitch-darkness, so at those times I praise the flash! It is UNREAL how good a pic you can take when you can't even SEE your subject!), as well as the video feature, which I use a lot (love being able to immortalize special moments in live-action with the ease of pressing a button on something smaller than my wallet)! Also love being able to preview pics -it automatically gives you a quick preview of the last pic you took, which is awesome- and of course you can look at and edit all of them in-camera quickly and easily. Whether I use the video or not though, the battery life is pretty bad. I can't use regular batteries AT ALL anymore, even to take ONE picture - they HAVE to be rechargeable. Frustrating, especially since it wasn't like that when I first got it. Meaning, I guess, that with frequent use something happens internally, which is worrisome. Regardless of the probs though, I give this camera 4 out of 5 stars, simply for value, simple features, ease of use and quality of some of the priceless pics I HAVE gotten out of it. And again there's a lot of features I've never even used yet! Certainly worth the money in my opinion.

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.

I just returned from vacation and I took along the Canon A590IS (purchased right before I left). I never really looked at the instruction book -- since this is my third digital camera (I have an older Sony and a much older Nikon). I originally wanted to buy another Nikon because I liked my older Nikon Coolpix, it was so easy to use and took great pictures -- but some poor reviews kept me from buying another Nikon this time. I was swayed into buying the Canon by the good reviews I read. With that said, I am very pleased with my Canon (so far). The photos I took of scenic landscapes came out great. But, this is not the true test of the camera, in my opinion -- since all the digital cameras I have owned did great on landscapes. What I was after was the elimination of those blurry shots I used to take with the older cameras. This is where the image stabilization comes into play. I am very pleased with this aspect of the new camera. I have very few fuzzy photos this time around. Also, I have a one year old grandson who is the target of lots of my photographs. He is part of the reason I decided to buy a new camera with the Image Stabilization feature. With the new Canon I am capturing him in motion with a lot less blur. Although, I do agree with other reviewers on the long delay between shots when the flash is used. To get around this problem, I try to go outdoors for photo sessions with him -- or at least stay near a window with natural light. I will often turn the flash off so it doesn't fire automatically. I took some great night shots in Bar Harbor with the camera while I was on vacation. Also, the macro setting produces wonderfully detailed and clear close-ups. Overall, I am pleased with this purchase. I know I should read more of the instruction book to get the best results and to use more of the camera's many features (I plan to do this). However, I did pretty well without the instructions -- that tells you that this is an "easy to use" camera. If you are looking for a low-priced, high quality little point and shoot camera -- you can't go wrong with this model.

Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom My one Daughter lost her camera, so I gave her my two year old Kodak point and shoot camera and hit the Internet to find me a replacement for that one. After spending several hours looking and reading reviews, I picked the Cannon A590IS. The things I liked about the camera when I first saw it, was the shape. I don't like those real small flat ones. They are great to stick in your shirt pocket, but are hard to hold steady and shoot. This one had a nice handle like grip where the batteries fit in and you can hold it and shoot with one hand if you want to. It's still small enough to fit into a coat pocket, purse and pants pocket. It had great reviews and the price was great.I sure wasn't disappointed when I got it and got a chance to use it. It was everything people were saying it was. Easy to figure out, took great pictures and had a good zoom. I wanted a camera that used AA batteries, which you can find anywhere if your batteries die on you. The Cannon had that too. But it had something my Kodak didn't have and that was a view finder. Not many cameras have a view finder anymore. It really comes in handy when the sun is bright and washes out your LCD screen.But I soon discovered another great use for it. The view finder can stretch the life of your batteries a long way. On many shots, I turn the screen off and shoot using the view finder. The screen will light up for a second or two and show me what I shot and turn off again. That really is a great battery saver if used and would take care of most of the complaints about this camera. There are so many features on this camera, both automatic and adjustable that it's hard to believe it sells for so little. It should satisfy the needs of about anyone, novice or skilled camera user. A good safety feature you can use, is when putting your camera away, put the switch in (review) mode and not in (shoot)mode. That way if it accidentally gets turned on, the lens won't open up and push against what ever you put it in with and mess up the lens. I liked this camera so much, I just ordered two more. One for my other Daughter and one for my Son. They should get them this week and I'm sure they will love it as much as I do. If your looking for a good point and shoot camera with most of the bells and whistles on it and small enough to put in your pocket, but big enough to get a good grip on it, you can't go wrong with this camera. You will love this Cannon.

My first digital camera was a Fuji MX1200 back in 1999 (1.3 MegaPixel) for $219. In 2002 I bought an Olympus C-3040 for $540. I like the Olympus very much and it takes great photos, but the SmartMedia 128MB maximum began to wear on me. I bought the A590 after doing A LOT of research. I was originally going to buy one of the more compact Olympus or Nikon models, but I really wasn't too thrilled about the idea of proprietary batteries, even if they do contribute to a slimmer camera shell. I have quite a few Energizer AA rechargeables and a 15 minute charger that gets me up and running for weeks or even months at a time on one charge. Always easy to find AA's no matter where you're at too. I've been playing around with the A590 for a few weeks now and I am impressed with the picture quality. I still feel that the Olympus takes consistently better pictures, but it was originally over three times the price, is much bulkier, has major media limitations, and a significantly smaller LCD. I have tried a number of different settings on the A590 to find what produces the best picture, and I've concluded that I like the "P" mode the best with Auto ISO, Auto White Balance, the max sharpness setting in the "My Colors" setting to offset Canon's inherently smoothed out pictures, 8 megapixels, Evaluative mode, and Superfine. Also, center focus generally produces the most pleasing pics for me, unless I'm taking portraits. I've read some reviews that indicate that 8 megapixels is too high of setting for a camera with this size sensor, but I've compared identical photos I've taken with all of the different resolution settings and the 8 megapixel setting does show more detail at the same zoomed out view as the other resolutions. You particularly notice it with objects that have a lot of detail, such as an oriental rug or a bush in the yard that has a large number of leaves. With my Panasonic 2GB card, I can take over 550 pics with those settings, more than enough between downloads to the computer. I'm also very pleased with the videos this camera takes, which my 2GB card maxes out at approximately 25 minutes in length. Canon dropped the fps from 30 to 20 on this year's model, but it still looks very good for a digicam video. The audio pickup is impressive as well. I'd like to stress again the importance, in my opinion, of setting the sharpness (under My Colors setting) to the maximum setting if anyone is not initially impressed with the quality of the pics. When comparing pics to my Olympus 3040, I felt that they were soft and too smooth. Then I read online that Canon pics have a trademark smoothness to them, which caused me to figure out how to adjust the sharpness to compensate for this, given that I prefer a sharper, more detailed photo. Since adjusting the sharpness, I'm much happier. Once you set it, it will remain at the maximum even after cycling the power. Overall, for the price I've paid I'm happy with the camera and would recommend it to anyone looking at a digital camera in the $125-200 price range. I don't think you can do any better.

I wanted a small camera that took decent photos in available light and had high ISO sensitivity. Image stabilization and a wide range of manual setting were also high on my list. This camera delivers all of that. I was pleased with the quality of the shots even up to ISO 800. ISO 1600 was roughly equivalent to what ISO 400 was on my previous small Canon camera so the A590 IS can cover a lot of range in lighting situations. What caught me almost totally by surprise was the extremely poor battery life. Even without using the flash it seems abysmal. I have taken approximately 60-70 test shots and gone through 2 sets of alkaline and one charge from a pair of NiMH rechargeables. Admittedly this was using the flash about 30% of the time but that's still totally unacceptable. I realize that AA batteries don't have the life of a proprietary lithium ion, but this camera's battery life is so bad it makes it almost unusable to me. Seemed like whenever I turned around it was telling me that the batteries were low and needed replacement. I used a battery tester to check them and found that they still registered pretty good so I'm wondering if the camera's battery level sensitivity is just wrong. Either that or this thing sucks power worse than any camera I have ever owned. Whatever the case, I am truly sorry I purchased this otherwise fine camera. I would much rather have decent battery life than the dubious "convenience" of replacing AA cells all the time. Update: With freshly charged 2500 mAh Ni-MH cells I am seeing an improvement in battery life, at least initially. So far I've taken 36 pictures and no low battery message yet. My previous usage was more intermittent so we'll see if these higher capacity rechargeable bring the camera up to what I consider reasonable battery life. My experience with alkalines is still totally unacceptable in my opinion.