Canon PowerShot A590 IS Review Discussion

[David Rasnake]

It's a common sense principle that a successful performance is often a hard act to follow. Following up on Canon's highly successful performance with the A570 and building on a long line of well-regarded, moderately priced Canon A models, the Canon PowerShot A590 IS offers a few more features and a little more style at a price that comes in fully $100 less than its predecessor's MSRP. Given this lineage, it's hard to approach the A590 as anything other than the mid-priced compact camera to beat in 2008. At the same time, the one unanswered question is whether the new model brings enough excitement and innovation to keep this highly competitive market segment firmly in Canon's grasp.

Read the full content of this Article: Canon PowerShot A590 IS Review

[40yearfan]

Great write-up David and as always, very complete and unbiased. I did notice one thing where you said the battery door was so hard to close---I was having the same problem with my A570is and found out that if you press the slide switch into the open position while closing the door, it is much easier to close.

[David Rasnake]

Thanks, 40yearfan. I just gave your tip a try, and you're absolutely right. It still takes a little more force than might be desirable, but it's not nearly so difficult as it seemed to get the battery door closed. Thanks for clearing up my operator error!

dr

[40yearfan]

No problem David. You have a teriffic forum going here. It is really helpful to a novice like myself who can ask questions and get explanations that make sense.

Keep up the good work!!!

[badhacker]

David, I must say that this the is first, and might I add an excellent, review of the A590 IS. You have almost convinced me to buy this camera, but if you would be so kind as to answer this one question (which is the critical factor in my decision)

How good is this camera at night shots? I know it touts a high ISO, but I have had cameras in the past where higher ISO with optical stabilization didn't do jack squat!! I plan on using this camera to take professional night life photos (night clubs, midnight beach-parties, etc.) for a small local magazine and wanted to know if this camera will be suited for that... Thanks in advance!!

[David Rasnake]

I plan on using this camera to take professional night life photos (night clubs, midnight beach-parties, etc.) for a small local magazine

Thanks, badhacker. What grabs me in your question is your interest in taking "professional" photos that are magazine grade. While I strongly believe the A590 to be a better-than-average low light shooter for what it is, I'm not sure that it's ready to take print ready shots in poor lighting. This is a lot to ask of any camera, and too much, in my opinion, to ask of a $180 one.

In the interest of unfair comparisons, I shot a dark room shot of our test scene in our conference room, with all lights off and doors and windows closed, to show you what kind of performance you can expect under these conditions (click the thumbnail for a larger image):

IMG_0140.JPG

Shot is taken at ISO 1600, f/4, 1/13 hand held. Not bad, all things considered. It might even be good enough for (small) snapshot prints.

Compare this to a similar shot (kit lens, ISO 1600, f/4, 1/4 hand held) from a mid-level DSLR - in this case, the Pentax K10D:

Pentax.jpg

Still not tack sharp, and there's some intrusive noise here as well, but in terms of image quality this comes much closer to something that I would consider for professional use.

None of this is to disparage the A590. For what it is, it's excellent; for use in normal light, you could quite possibly use it to produce sale-able images in a pinch. But I'll leave you to make your own judgment about whether its low light performance is up to your standards.

(This isn't so much to try to sell you on a K10, as on the idea of a DSLR in general for this kind of work.)

Hope this helps!
dr

[timby]

David

I've a question for you. I'm currently looking at Digital camera's in this price range. Typically what can I expect quality, performance, feature wise out of these cameras?

I really would like to upgrade from my Olympus 3 meg to something with more resolution. I don't want to invest in a D-SLR but would like to stay in the $150 to $250 range? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

It's so hard for the consumer to get a grasp on which is the best bang for the buck with so many offerings. I'm leading towards brands from either Canon or Nikon.

[40yearfan]

Hey Timby, I'm sure David can recommend some great cameras for you. Right now I am using a Canon A570is which is the earlier model of this A590is that David just did a review on. You can get an A570is for around $150 right now and I truly believe it is a great bargain.

It is very simple to use and takes great pictures. You might want to consider it. Good luck in your quest.

[timby]

40yearfan

Thanks for the input. The more I look the more confused I get. I want something that will provide good pics with some emphasis on outdoor pics. The camera have two users. My wife and myself. She wants it to be a point-n-shoot while I want to be able to get some nice scenery photos as well.

My brother-n-law highly recommends the Nikon's but I think they're a little small for my big hands. Personally I think the pics from the Canons are better.

Thanks again, I'll try and get my hands on one to see.

[David Rasnake]

Hi Timby,
I, and several others here, are glad to offer camera recommendations. To make sure that we have the info we need to make a good rec, I'd ask that you take a look at the What Camera Should I Buy FAQ, answer the questions, and post a new thread in the What Camera Should I Buy forum. That will make sure your question and our recs get seen by everyone.

dr