I just wanted a digital camera. Nothing too complex, but with enough features that once I got used to it, I could branch out to new things.
I shopped & shopped. Looked at about 100 or cameras online, read a ton of reviews, and asked friends who had cameras, and finally figured out want I wanted:
Point & shoot - a camera with which I could take basic family photos.
3+ megapixels - enough to get great resolution up to 8 X 10 prints, without having to pay a ton of money.
Features - but not so many options that I would have to take a class to figure it all out.
Hand friendly - small enough to carry along anywhere, but big enough that I didn't feel like a giant trying to operate tiny little controls.
Well, this camera was absolutely perfect. I took my first picture approximately 5 min. after opening the box. Literally put in the batteries and memory card, turned on the power, and hit the shutter. My first attempt at downloading photos to my computer would have been flawless if I had ony remembered to actually turn the camera on. (pesky little details)
The pictures are the best I have ever taken, were incredibly easy to take, and I haven't even begun to explore the possibilities. For the price, which was phenomenal, I am more than pleased. And I didn't have to hang around Best Buy for hours waiting on some teenager with angst. Double bonus!
You might also like
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Reviews with images
the A510 has never, ever failed me
I am an artist who takes a lot of carefully composed photographs. I chose the A510 as my first digital camera, five years ago after many hours of research and review reading. It has, up until very recently, been my main instrument, has never failed me in any way and for a point and shoot - low or higher end - it takes absolutely fantastic pictures in all conditions and has manual overrides for most features, which was an essential for me. I opted for the A series as opposed to the SD series, as image quality was reported to be (and is) better with the As. In addition, I shoot quite a bit in low light, so the fact that it is a little heavier than the SDs is good as it keeps steady. I have perfectly clear images of the night sky using the manual time exposure feature, handheld! The weight is mostly dues to the fact that the A510 uses AA batteries, which although I have to carry extras, it works out better for a traveler like me since I can always get AAs and can't always get an outlet to plug into. It is, however, quite compact and lightweight, enough that I literally always have it with me and never think of it as extra weight in my bag. As reported in many reviews, the A510 has better image quality than the A520, and has superior image quality for most cameras in its class. Prints look great up to 8x10. My only two complaints are the following. 1) The flash leaves a lot to be desired. I typically bounce the flash (when I use it, which is rarely) off of a neutral colored object to diminish washout. The flash is far too strong even on its lowest setting. and 2) The manual focus feature is weak. It works, but not very well. But really, what are you expecting from a lower end point and shoot? I personally was not surprised, nor do I care much. The fully functional macro feature more than makes up for the lack of manual focus. But those are my only complaints, and they rarely have ever affected the way I take pictures. I would consider the newer versions of this camera without hesitation. The A510 has an enormous number of features, all of which work amazingly well with those two small exceptions. After using it to capture nearly 20,000 pictures, I find that it still works just like new. For newer technologies, that is saying something. Nice work, Canon.
