Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Purchased this to replace another Canon Powershot which was stolen. We've been very impressed with this camera. Excellent images, good stability control, plenty of detail allowing for cropping of pictures for scrapbooking. Highly recommend this camera!

I bought this camera to take with me when my DLSR or my super zoom is just too heavy or too bulky to take along. The old saying is that the best camera for the job, is the camera you have!! I did not wish to spend a lot of money but wanted to still have image stablization, control over exposure and aperture, and decent image quality, all while using SD memory cards since I have many. This camera is a reasonable compromise. The images are acceptably crisp and can be made even sharper in post processing, the manual controls work great, and the size certainly allows me to put it into my pocket. If you are looking for a snapshot camera the Canon A590 can certainly produce the goods. I haven't found the slow recycle time of the flash to be a problem and and the rechargeable NiMH batteries I'm using are still going strong after a couple of hundred pictures with about a third being taken with flash. You can adjust the vividness of the color along with the sharpness and the contrast to taste. The exposures seem accurate and exposure conpensation can be used to help with "blown" skies, a problem with many digital cameras, it seems.

Having the memory card located with the batteries certainly saves in manufacturing cost (only a single door) but when I remove the card, sometimes the batteries also fall out, but this isn't really a serious issue - I just have to be careful.


I do wish that this camera had a wider angle lens (maybe 24 mm equivalent in 35 mm camera terms) since there are times I want effects that these wide angle lenses produce. Of course I knew that the camera did not do this when I bought it and many casual users would probably not miss this feature unless they previously had a camera that a lens of this type.

In summary, given this camera's price point, it's an excellent value.

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.

The A590IS is the 8-MP sibling of the 7-Megapixel 570IS. I've played with both, and at an almost equal price, the 590 is the way to go.

- "Automatic" mode makes it easy as pie for point-and-shoot. Photo novices will find the Automatic -- and above that, Easy -- modes a welcome way to "just take the picture already!". The auto-focus, facial recognition, and adjustment features all respond quickly at half-depress... lining up a great shot is simple and quick.
- "Manual" mode gives you reign over everything about the photo, from the white balance, to the aperture, flash output, and even the part of the screen it uses to calculate gamma compensation. When you've got time to make the picture turn out just right, this little camera won't disappoint.
- The lens isn't half bad either, giving you focus-adjustment down to 2 inches from the end of the lens, and incremental up to 10 feet.

As with most new Digital Cameras, the viewfinder has been long-since replaced by the back LCD, which provides a helpful and adjustable HUD. The color spectral graphs are especially nice to have on-hand if you're worried about balancing multiple shots against each other.

The only cons are inherent in the design: the viewfinder and flash are almost useless when the camera is fitted with an optional lens hood / adapter. The buttons and dial adjustments are also small, so it pays to familiarize yourself with the user interface.

All in all, a fantastic camera for the price. Image stabilization, a 4x zoom, optional attachments, and a trim pricetag make this a great deal for anyone looking to upgrade to a non-SLR picture snapper.

If you want to learn how to use manual camera exposure controls, it's a good place to start. (Tiger Direct has a good video) Auto exposure works great as well. Slightly bulkier than a SD750 but still very compact. A great alternative to the heavy DSLR, when there's no room. The cable and download software work great, no glitches on Win XP, not sure about Linux. Download *Gimp(freeware GNU advanced image processing)for what the Canon(works well)software can't do. I want an XSi or a D80 (DSLR) but I'm keeping my money right now. Also, I used Super Saver shipping and I live in Massachusetts, I got the thing in two days !