I liked the last year's
4-Megapixel Canon PowerShot A430 and got an updated 5-Megapixel Canon PowerShot A460 to see how much of an improvement it is. I got this A460 for $136, which is a pretty low price for a good camera. But is it a good camera?
What is Canon PowerShot A460? The Canon PowerShot A460 is a 5-Megapixel compact digital camera with a 4x optical zoom (38-152 mm equivalent), 2-inch LCD screen, zooming optical viewfinder, acclaimed Canon DiG!C 2 Image Processor (DIGIC II), 9-area AiAF auto focus, 1-point auto focus, a variety of shooting modes including Auto, Camera M, Scene Modes, Super Macro, Movie.
You can also adjust parameters like Exposure Compensation, White Balance, ISO, etc. The A460 stores pictures on SD (Secure Digital) or MultiMedia memory cards (16 MB MMC supplied) and features USB connection to PC and Mac computers. It also supports direct printing (without computer) with PictBridge compatible printers. It is an update on the last year's successful Canon A430 (4 Megapixels).
The camera is powered by two AA batteries (alkaline batteries included, rechargeable NiMH recommended). In comparison with the last year's A430, the A460 has higher resolution (5MP vs. 4MP) and larger LCD (2-inch vs. 1.8-inch). The changes from A430 to A460 are similar to changes from A410 to A430 (also increase of resolution and screen size, as well as sensitivity and optical zoom).
Features The Canon PowerShot A460 features a 4x optical zoom (38-152 mm in 35mm equivalent with maximum apertures f/2.8-f/5.8). The camera uses 2 AA-type batteries. Canon claims that you can take 120 photos using the supplied alkaline batteries or 400 photos on one battery charge if you use rechargeable NiMH batteries (the previous model could take 90 and 360 photos respectively).
The camera has a bright low-light focus assist illuminator that helps it focus in low light. The camera features selectable Evaluative, Center-Weighted Average and Spot metering modes. It has a shutter speed range of 15-1/2,000 sec and selectable ISO of 80-400 as well as Auto ISO.
The camera also has a Macro mode where it can focus as close as 2 inches (5 cm) at wide angle or 9.8 inches (25 cm) at telephoto. The Super Macro mode lets it focus as close as 0.39 inches (1 cm) at wide angle! The available movie mode records movies with sound at 640x480 10 fps., 320x240 30 fps. or 160x120 15 fps. for up to 3 minutes. The sound is mono.
Getting Started The A460 comes with 2 disposable AA batteries and a 16 MB MMC memory card. I never use disposable batteries with digital cameras and reserve them for things like remote controls instead, where they will last much longer. I inserted my own Rayovac 2300 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries and a
Kingston Elite Pro 2 GB 50x Secure Digital Card, set the date and time and was ready to shoot.
The A460 is very easy to use. You power it by using the on/off button on the top deck use the shutter release button (also located on the top deck) to take pictures. The Auto mode takes care of the rest.
I have not read the manual but was able to use all of the camera's features since it is very easy to use, especially if you are familiar with Canon menus, which are similar for different models. The fast Digic 2 processor makes operation a breeze. It is fast and provides excellent menus and legible icons.
About the Camera The camera is inexpensive. Generally, inexpensive cameras lack something. Sometimes it is optical quality, which reflects on the picture quality. Canon never skimps on that. But one of the areas where the money was saved is the zoom control/buttons. Or lack of thereof.
Just as its predecessor, the A460 has no dedicated zoom control, but reuses the menu control disk. You zoom in and out by pressing on the upper or lower part of the disk. Not very convenient, but it works. The camera still has niceties like an optical zooming viewfinder, focus assist light and a physical mode wheel as well as a USB, DC power and an A/V jack. How much would it add to the price of the camera if Canon added dedicated zoom control?
Not a very big deal however, and the some Fuji cameras use an even worse arrangement where you have to use a little joystick to zoom (same control is used for menu navigation), which I find much worse.
The camera has a nice-looking and durable metal/polycarbonate body that is compact and convenient to hold. The camera has a retractable lens that extends and has a lens cover that opens when the camera is powered on. When the camera is powered off, the lens retracts and the lens cover closes. The body is not as compact or sturdy as metal bodies of Canon Digital Elph line, but it is much cheaper and features better optics.
The camera has an on/off button on the top deck as well as a large shutter release button. The bottom of the camera has a threaded tripod mount. The side has a battery and memory card compartment lid as well as rubberized USB and DC power compartment door. The other side has a door that covers an A/V out.
The rear has a mode wheel, which can be set to Review mode, Auto mode, Manual Mode (which is really Program mode), Scene Modes or Movie Mode. The back of the camera also houses a 2-inch LCD monitor, an optical zooming viewfinder and control buttons, including the menu control disk. The buttons are clearly marked and have good tactile feel.
Performance The camera takes about 2 seconds to power on and can capture images at about two-second intervals without flash or about 7-9 seconds with flash. The focusing takes less than a second at either wide angle or telephoto in good light. In dim light, the camera still focuses in under a second, using its bright focus-assist light.
In its burst mode, the camera can take photos at 1.5 fps rate (about 1.5 frames per second) with no flash use. Flash recycle takes 7-9 seconds and depends on the battery charge.
The shutter lag, when pre-focused, is almost non-existent. The zooming from wide angle to telephoto (or back) takes about 3.5 seconds and is responsive, but has fewer steps than I would like. The 4x optical zoom is versatile but I wish for more of a wide angle (even if Canon would have to sacrifice some telephoto ability).
Generally, the performance feels good. The flash recycling time is slow overall, but is the same as other cameras that use 2 AA battery. It seems that you have to either use a camera with 4 AA batteries or a proprietary battery pack to get better flash performance.
Flash The camera has a built-in flash that has an effective red-eye reduction mode and is sufficient at up to 10-12 feet away. It has a recycle time of about 7-9 seconds.
Power According to Canon, the camera can take more than 400 pictures on one charge of high-capacity NiMH batteries. I was able to take more than 120 photos using my 2300 mAh NiMH batteries and the low battery warning has not appeared yet (the camera has no real battery status indicator since it is difficult to figure out what battery you are using and how long it will last, unlike using proprietary batteries with some other cameras).
I expect that you will be able to achieve the number of photos per charge that Canon claims and maybe even beat at if you use high-capacity NiMH batteries, use flash only when you have to and do not keep the camera on for long periods of time for no good reason.
Ease Of Use The camera can be used by any member of the family and by photographers of all levels of expertise from novices to advanced ones. It will not give you direct control over aperture of shutter speed and will not even show them to you. But you can use the exposure compensation to make the photos brighter or darker.
The camera can be used in full auto mode (by rotating the mode dial to
Auto position), where it is extremely easy to use. In this mode the camera sets all parameters automatically and you only have to point and shoot.
You press the shutter release button halfway to make camera focus and the camera shows you (on the LCD screen) where it focused by displaying one or more green rectangles. Then you take the picture by pressing the shutter release button all the way. The camera uses the AiAF system by default, where it chooses where to focus among 9 areas within the frame. You can also disable the AiAF in the menu and uses the center-point focusing.
You can go one step further and select an appropriate scene mode (e.g. Portrait, Landscape, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Kids & Pets, etc.) to let camera know what effect you want.
You can also use the A460's M mode, which is not really a Manual mode, but rather Program mode with control over White Balance, ISO, Exposure Compensation, etc. In fact, in most modes you can use Exposure Compensation to make pictures the camera takes brighter or darker.
Just as the DigitalElph cameras (e.g.
SD700 IS,
SD800 IS, etc.), the A460 has no manual focusing, no Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority or Manual mode. But you can select the ISO is you want. In any case, that does not prevent one form taking good pictures.
Picture Quality I usually take photos that contain all primary colors at different focal lengths, apertures and compression ratios. Some photos are taken outdoors, some indoors with and without flash.
Oftentimes, I take a bunch of photos from my balcony. Those photos features all colors: blue sky, green foliage, red curbs, yellow fire hydrant and cars of different colors.
Taking photos at different focal lengths and apertures reveals the camera's optical quality: corner sharpness, chromatic aberrations, overall sharpness.
Taking photos at different ISO settings shows how well a given camera can keep noise levels low in dim light. I mostly evaluate the image quality using my computer monitor, but I also print some photos at different sizes using either my printer or online services like Shutterfly, Snapfish and Sam's Club's online photo center.
The A460 produces excellent, sharp, contrasty and richly-colored photos. Unlike some other cameras (including Canon SD Digital Elph series) that have noticeably softer edges of the frame, the photos taken with the A460 are sharp corner to corner. Although the camera is inexpensive, it does not reflect on the sharpness of the optics.
The camera produces photos that have a pleasing
"Canon" color with slight oversaturation and the kind of color consumers like. There is a fair amount of chromatic aberration (purple fringing) in the areas of high contrast.
The camera uses a 1/3-inch CCD, which is physically smaller than the sensors used in more expensive models and it shows in the noise levels. Even at ISO 80 I can see some noise in shadows as well as even in patches of solid color (when viewed at full resolution). The noise gets progressively worse at higher ISO settings. I find 5-Megapixel ISO 400 photos barely acceptable for 6x4 prints, but ISO 80-100 is acceptable for enlargements (e.g. 8x10).
Image Quality Settings Just as the rest of the Canon cameras, the A460 lets you select between
SuperFine,
Fine and
Standard compression levels (regardless of resolution). The Standard JPEG can be safely used for smaller (6x4) prints. The Fine and SuperFine are larger in size and can be used for enlargements.
White Balance The camera's automatic white balance is usually quite accurate with the exception of the incandescent lighting, where you are better off either selecting Incandescent white balance setting. This is rather typical situation for compact digital cameras.
Focusing You can let camera focus using its AiAF 9-area focusing system and the camera will show you green rectangles over the areas where it focused so that you can confirm the focus areas. You can also switch to the 1-point focusing.
The
arrow left button switches the camera to Macro mode when pushed once, and to the infinity focus mode when pushed again.
Build Quality and Ergonomics The camera has a solid feel and good build quality. The rotating mode dial requires good amount of effort. Even the memory card/battery compartment door is solid. The camera is convenient to hold and its compact size lets you put it in a jacket pocket or a purse easily. The major controls are within easy reach and the tactile response is good. The lack of a dedicated zoom control takes some getting used to but once you get used to it, you will have no problem.
Tripod Mount The camera has a plastic tripod mount that is only slightly offset. It is useful if you want to take macro pictures or pictures with long exposures (e.g. nighttime - camera lets you use shutter speeds up to 1 second). The camera has a timer, which you should use to avoid blurry images when the camera is on the tripod.
Since the battery and memory card compartment door is on the side of the camera, you can replace the batteries or memory card while the camera is still attached to the tripod.
Menu System I have not read the manual, yet was able to use the camera in all modes. I find the menus less easy to use than Panasonic's (e.g.
Panasonic DMC-FZ7). But the menus are self-explanatory and still fairly easy to use. Plus if you use the camera s Auto mode (which is a typical use for the camera s target user base),. You do not have to use menus.
LCD and Viewfinder The camera has a 2-inch non-articulated (fixed) LCD screen and an optical zooming viewfinder. The LCD coverage as about 100% - you can see exactly what will be recorded. The viewfinder, however, cover only about 85% of what will be recorded. The LCD has good visibility and fairly low resolution. It increases brightness in low light (gains-up) and is rather fluid.
Computer Connectivity The camera uses USB 2.0 connection to transfer pictures to a computer. You can also remove the SD memory card and use a memory card reader (if you have one), which I do. I do not use the software that was provided with the camera since I have Adobe Photoshop CS2.
Bottom Line I highly recommend the Canon PowerShot A460 if you need an inexpensive yet capable compact camera that produces very good photos with print sizes of up 8x10 inches, has 4x optical zoom and uses two AA batteries. It is easy to use. But if you need more manual control or faster flash recharge times, check out the Canon A630 or Canon A640. 
