Canon Powershot A590 IS

Though perhaps not as well known as Canon's sexy ultracompact Digital Elph series, the company's A series of entry-level cameras are equally worthy of attention for their ease of use and high quality. The new 8-megapixel PowerShot A590 IS ($179.99 list) offers face detection, image stabilization, and manual exposure settings—features not typically found in budget cameras and sometimes missing even in some higher-priced ones. Throw in a 4X optical zoom, a 2.5-inch LCD, an optical viewfinder, a 5.8mm-to-23.2mm lens (equivalent to a 35mm lens with a 35mm-to-140mm zoom), and you've got a great bargain shooter. The A590 IS does have a few drawbacks: With its boring, gray body, it's not as stylish as the Digital Elph series, and although it's not heavy, it is bulky. And I would have preferred a wider lens, possibly a 28mm equivalent, for larger shots, but at this price I'm not complaining too much.

Even though the A590 IS weighs roughly the same (7.7 ounces, with batteries and an SD card) as, say, the higher-end Canon SD870 IS, it feels much lighter. Without the two AA batteries, it feels even less solid. At 2.6 by 3.7 by 1.6 inches (HWD), it's chunkier than the SD870 and probably won't fit easily into many shirt pockets.

Next to the LCD, within easy reach of your right thumb, is the main control center. There, you can use the function button to change white balance, ISO modes, and resolution, among other settings. The menu button grants access to functions such as face detection, flash settings, and formatting the memory card, while the mode dial at the top right navigates shooting modes. More advanced photographers will be pleased to find a manual mode that lets you make aperture and shutter speed settings—more than I'd expect from a camera that rings up for less than $200. There's also an auto mode and scene mode as well as five scene selections (the other seven must be accessed through the LCD while in scene mode.) Since you can access the shutter button and zoom lever with your right forefinger, it's easy to hold the camera with one hand. The smallish 2.5-inch display leaves room for an optical viewfinder. Although the LCD is bright and clear for framing images, you'll need that viewfinder in bright, direct sunlight.

When using the manual exposure settings, you can set the shutter speed or aperture by selecting one or the other and then moving the directional pad on the back of the camera forward or back. At the same time, the camera calculates the optimal exposure and shutter speed for the shot, based on brightness. If your settings vary by more than two stops (plus or minus), the exposure levels appear in red, indicating that your shot may be over- or underexposed. This feature, which isn't found on other budget shooters, is great for advanced users, but if you don't want to fiddle with these settings, auto mode will make all the decisions for you.

One feature that has been improved from the A570 IS, the model the A590 IS replaces, is face detection. White balance is now automatically configured based on faces rather than on the entire scene. As such, in my test shots, faces were more vivid and focused, with correct lighting when face detection was enabled. With the feature disabled, faces were muted and the color wasn't quite as accurate.

The A590 IS also has Canon's new motion-detection technology, which combines face detection, image stabilization, and the metering system. The camera can detect motion in a frame as well as camera shake, and should compensate to produce less blur and better images. I didn't notice any real difference when tracking a person outdoors. When I turned off image stabilization, though, there was a noticeable difference in my shots. Given the camera's proven talents, I had great expectations for its higher ISO settings, but in a low-lit restaurant and in the lab under low-light conditions, I saw noise starting at about ISO 100, although it was acceptable until about 400 or so. ISO settings go all the way up to 1600, but I recommend staying at 400 or below.

In the lab, the A590 exhibited average to better-than-average results. Boot-up time from when the camera is powered on until I was able to snap the first shot was only 2.7 seconds, better than expected. One caveat: The lens took a little longer to open than with other cameras. Recycle time and shutter lag were excellent at 2.8 and 0.39 seconds respectively, which means you won't miss quick-moving action.

The A590 IS also did extraordinarily well on our resolution test, averaging an impressive 2,150 lines, which is very high for an 8MP camera. In my subjective testing, the camera produced accurate colors and clear images. I saw a normal amount of barrel distortion and a little fringing in images of tree branches. Daylight shots were bright and clear, but flash shots were slightly underexposed and turned out a little bit dark, but not distractingly so.

The A590 IS can record movies in three different modes: 640-by-480 at 20 frames per second, 320-by-240 at 30 fps, and 160-by-120 at 15 fps. I found the A590 to be best shooting at 640-by-480, although I experienced some stuttering during playback.

That the A590 IS uses AA batteries is both good and bad: They're easy to replace when you run out of juice on the road, but they also don't last as long as rechargeable cells. During my testing period, I had to replace the batteries once. The package also includes a 32MB MMC card, but the camera takes SD and SDHC cards as well.

With face detection, manual exposure settings, image stabilization, and good-to-great image quality, this camera is an entry-level star. Its low price is the real story, however. At about $180, you'll be hard pressed to find a better bargain. The only cameras we've reviewed recently that come close are the Panasonic DMC FX-55, which offers a number of features but falls short on image quality, and the Sony T70, which has slightly better image quality and a touch screen. Neither model is anywhere near the A590 IS in price. If you're looking for an inexpensive yet highly capable point-and shoot-camera, the A590 should be at the top of your list.

Check out the Canon PowerShot A590 IS's test scores.

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