Canon has announced two new cameras for it's consumer-friendly A line of digital cameras. The Canon Powershot A550 and Powershot A460 are follow ups to the A530 and A430, respectively. Canon has bumped up the resolution as well as working on making the controls more intuitive to use. For example, the A550 gets a redesigned mode dial that provides quick access to the most common scene modes. Both models will be available in February. The A550 will retail for $199 and the A460 will retail for $149.


Canon Powershot A550 (view large image)
(view large image)

The Canon Powershot A550 is essentially just a resolution bump up from the previous A540 model. It features a 7.1 megapixel sensor, 4x optical zoom, and 2 inch LCD. It will be available in February at a price of $199.

Addtional A550 features:

  • DIGIC II processor
  • Up to VGA (640x480) resolution, 30 fps movies
  • 9-point AiAF (or center point AF)
  • ISO range: 80-800
  • Auto and manual exposure modes (as well as the usual set of scene modes)
  • Redesigned mode dial to provide easy access to most common scene modes
  • Dimensions: 3.6 x 2.5 x 1.7 in
  • Power: 2 AA batteries
  • Memory: SD/SDHC/MMC cards

Canon Powershot A460 (view large image)
(view large image)

The Canon Powershot A460 is an update to the very compact, entry level A430. The A460 features 5 megapixel resolution, 4x optical zoom and a 2 inch LCD. It will be available in February for $149.

Additional A460 features:

  • DIGIC II processor
  • Up to VGA (640x480) resolution, 10 fps movies
  • 5-point AiAF (or center point AF)
  • ISO range: 80-400
  • Auto and manual exposure modes (as well as the usual set of scene modes)
  • Dimensions: 4.2 x 2.0 x 1.6 in
  • Power: 2 AA batteries
  • Memory: SD/SDHC/MMC cards