Canon PowerShot A590 IS Reviews: Digital Compact Camera

Photo of Canon PowerShot A590 IS Digital Camera

13 Real Customer Reviews - In Summary

“Excellent camera with a wealth of features packed into a small easy to handle…” Les, Musselburgh View all 13 real customer reviews

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Product Details

2.5" Screen, 4x optical zoom, MMC Card storage More »

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Real customer reviews

13 verified purchasers have reviewed this product.
92% of people recommend it.

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All purchasers (13)

Build Quality	8.6
Ease of use	8.7
Features	8.6
Image quality	8.6
Value for money (at time of purchase)	9.0
Overall rating	8.8

*not all purchasers provided a score or review

Les, Musselburgh , “First time digital user.”

Score 10.0/10

+ Excellent camera with a wealth of features packed into a small easy to handle unit. For the price it is hard to beat especially the fact that it is powered by 2 AA batteries which makes it easy to use as they can be replaced without having to take a charger on holiday. Would recommend it to anyone especially as a first time digital camera.

- No real problems found.

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2 of 2 people found this review helpful

purchased 29 Aug 2008

Lord , London , “general snapper”

Score 8.0/10

+ Easy to use.Good quality video. Easy to download to pc.Good one handed ergonomics, if you are right handed.

- Should come with carrier pouch to attach to your belt. Could be a bit slimmer .

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

purchased 24 Jun 2008

Mark, Selkirk

Score 7.0/10

+ Very easy to use, simple identified features

- Slightly disappointed in the quality of the images, seems to take a bit of time to reload itself after a photo has been taken

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1 of 1 people found this review helpful

purchased 19 Jun 2008

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 9.0/10

+ Nice size, easy to use, can use additional lenses

- Poor battery life especially with flash, no mains adapter or case included.

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purchased 01 Sep 2008

Nick, Bradford

Score 10.0/10

+ Manual control, good build quailty, price. - I bought the camera as a carry everywhere alternative to my dSLR, I wanted manual controls for more creativity and something reasonably small. Image quality is great upto about ISO 400, after that noise becomes a bit of a problem, but pictures are still usable and you can always convert to black and white foa grainy film effect!

- Not as slim line as some so not quite as pocketable, small price to pay for the features though.

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purchased 19 Sep 2008

Anonymous verified purchaser , “Old Git!”

Score 9.0/10

+ Optical Viewfinder. (Essential)

- None found as yet.

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purchased 26 Sep 2008

John, Luton , “Oldish but not senile”

Score 9.0/10

+ Simplicity of use

- Rechargable battery pack needed

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purchased 26 Jun 2008

Anonymous verified purchaser

Score 9.0/10

+ Small & lightweight - ideal for my wife
Easy to understand and use

- none that I have found yet!

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purchased 13 Oct 2008

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£442 at 1 retailer

Expert reviews for Canon PowerShot A590 IS

PC Advisor expert review - by Alexa Wriggins, PC World"

For a bargain-bin price the Canon PowerShot A590 IS has a lot of features: 8Mp resolution, 4x optical zoom, optical image stabilisation, face detection and a small-but-serviceable 2.5in LCD screen.

This Canon PowerShot A590 IS review continued on PC Advisor

reviewed 20 Aug 2008

Product Features

Camera Type	Compact
There are 2 main types of camera: The SLR and the Compact. SLR stands for Single Lens Reflex. SLR cameras use a prism to reflect the exact image as seen through the lens and so offers a more accurate viewfinder. SLR cameras have detachable lenses offering greater flexibility if you wish to take a variety of different photographs. Compact cameras have a built in lens and an ‘above lens’ viewfinder which is less accurate but they are often cheaper, more sleekly designed and easier to carry anywhere with you to capture that moment perfectly without having to fiddle with complex settings or a bag full of lenses.
Optical Zoom Ratio	4
The amount by which the camera optics (lens) can bring the subject closer.
Screen Size in Inches	2.5
Screen size is measured diagonally from corner to corner.
Digital Zoom Ratio	4
Not to be confused with optical zoom, digital zoom enlarges a portion of the image thus simulating optical zoom. In doing so, some image quality is lost.
Image Stabilisation	Yes
If a photo is taken at a slow shutter speed, or at a long focal length, the effects of ‘hand shake’ will be amplified. Some cameras come with built-in image stabilisation which is designed to act against this to produce sharper images. It’s great for low light shots without a tripod, like at a gig.
Colour	Black
The main colour of the product.
Memory Card Slot	Yes
Having a memory card slot allows you to save data to a memory card and then transfer it to another device. For example you may put a photo from your camera or mobile phone onto a memory card and then plug it into your printer to print directly. Memory card slots come in many formats: Compact Flash Card Memory Stick Duo Micro SD Card MMC SD Card SDHC Card
Media Format	SD Card
This is the type of storage that your digital camera or camcorder uses to save images to. The main types of card media format: Compact Flash Micro SD MMC (Multi Media Card) SD Card (Secure Digital) SDHC (Secure Disk High Capacity)
Media Format	MMC Card
This is the type of storage that your digital camera or camcorder uses to save images to. The main types of card media format: Compact Flash Micro SD MMC (Multi Media Card) SD Card (Secure Digital) SDHC (Secure Disk High Capacity)
Media Format	SDHC Card
This is the type of storage that your digital camera or camcorder uses to save images to. The main types of card media format: Compact Flash Micro SD MMC (Multi Media Card) SD Card (Secure Digital) SDHC (Secure Disk High Capacity)
PictBridge	Yes
An industry standard allowing images to be printed from camera to printer, without needing a computer. CIPA PictBridge Standard Website
Macro Mode	Yes
This mode allows close-up photograpy of small objects such as insects and flowers.
Video Recorder	Yes
Video recording functionality allows the capture of videos in mpeg or avi format which is great if you want to capture a whole scene, not just one moment.
Manual Focus	Yes
Almost all modern cameras have autofocus. Manual focus allows you to override the autofocus and set the distance yourself. This is especially useful if your camera is struggling to focus in a low-light or confusing scene.
Timer	Yes
Having a timer function is essential if you want to get into the shot yourself. Make sure your camera has this feature if you plan to go on holiday and capture photos of you and your friends or family having fun together.
Under Water	No
An under water feature means your camera is safe to dive with, usually between 3 and 5 metres. Most dSLR cameras will require expensive separate housing so consider investing in a waterproof digital compact first.
Weight (g)	175
The weight of the product in grams.
Flash	Yes
Whether or not your camera has an in-built flash. Flashes are essential for fully capturing a low light image.
Body Only	No
dSLR cameras have detachable lenses and are sold in a variety of combinations. This facet lets you know whether the package your are considering comes bundled with a lens or whether it is just the body of the camera.
Shortest Shutter Speed	1/2000
This is the fastest speed at which the camera can take a photo. Faster shutter speeds really freeze the action and are great for sports photography.
Longest Shutter Speed	15"
This is the longest exposure your camera will take. The longer you take a photo for, the more light is let in and the more motion is captured. Long shutter speeds can give fantastic, artistic results. Try photographing the night sky at 30s or longer to see how the rotation of the Earth causes the stars to curve through the scene.
Dimensions (mm)	943x647x408
The size of the device in millimetres, in width x height x depth.
Resolution (Pixels)	3264x2448
A camera sensor, that captures the photograph, is measured in pixels. The number given here is the horizontal amount of pixels followed by the vertical quantity of pixels. The more pixels a camera sensor has, the bigger and higher quality the image will be.
Max. Aperture Lens 1	f2.6-5.5
Measured in f-stops the aperture of a lens dictates the maximum amount of light captured. If you want to do low light photography look for something with a wide aperture like f2.8. The widest aperture is given as a range as it changes when your lens is zoomed in.
In-Built Memory (MB)	32

USB Port	Yes
Socket for connecting devices such as a computers and other components
Release Date	13 Feb 2008
The date the product was originally made available for purchase.