PowerShot A590 - Delivers As Promised!

Introduction

Let me start by providing some background on my experience with digital cameras. I bought my first 1.3 Megapixel digicam back in 1999 for $219.99 when digital cameras were just starting to gain popularity in the marketplace. It was a Fuji MX-1200 and it took surprisingly good photos for a fixed focus 1.3 megapixel model. I began to outgrow it after a few years and proceeded to step up to an Olympus C-3040 "on sale" for $549.99. Undeniably better than the original Fuji I had purchased, but years later (seven to be exact), I felt the need to once again expand the scope of my camera collection. Over the last several years, the cap of 128 megabytes on the smartmedia card that the Olympus takes began to wear on me. Not to mention my new HP laptop came equipped with a media slot that accomodates five different card types, but smartmedia wasn't one of them.

I began looking at Nikon's, Olympus', and Canon's, feverishly comparing one model to the next and reading countless reviews on a number of different sites (Epinions being one of them, of course). I figured out very quickly that one feature that was important to me was the battery configuration being a AA or AAA format, rather than a proprietary format that requires plugging the entire camera in to be charged. I have an Energizer 15 minute charger along with a number of 2500 mah AA's, which means I can always have a set of charged batteries in the camera and a spare set on hand (or even two, for that matter). What appealed to me about the A590 is that it maintains a very comparable set of dimensions to some of the slim line models with the only deviance being the extension in the front that holds the second AA battery, but that works out great given that it doubles as a finger moulding to hold onto.

I began reading a lot of reviews, and the A590 consistently held up very well, particularly in its price range. It became obvious that it's impossible to please everyone, as even the most popular and the most expensive cameras all had their fair share of negative reviews. I began to put less emphasis on the negative reviews and rather focus on the overall ratio of positive to negative reviews, which the A590 faired very well in.

Another aspect of the A590 that appealed to me is the incorporation of Canon's "DIGIC III" image processor into this model. This processor is the same brain used in all of their new cameras from the Powershot A series to the Pro models. It lends itself to faster startup times, improved image quality, and extended battery life. It's a real selling point to know that I'm getting the same brain in my $150 A590 as the $1000 EOS 40D.

I ended up purchasing the camera from Amazon, as they had one of the lowest prices I could find combined with free shipping and no sales tax in my state.

When I first got my hands on the A590, I was eager to try it out, but faithfully read the entire manual before doing to much with it. This was a big undertaking, as the manual is 208 pages (English only), and has a lot of technical detail that required re-reading some sections several times to fully grasp the concept.

The A590 has a nice style, almost a miniaturized version of a much larger camera, such as my Olympus 3040. Pictures can be deceiving, as the camera is smaller than what you'd expect based on photos. The 2.5" LCD is a nice size and about double the size of what my Olympus has. There's a gyro mechanism built into the camera that serves a few purposes, but primarily shifts the orientation of the picture you're viewing based on which way you're holding the camera. Pretty slick. I have read some negative comments about the battery/media card door being flimsy, but I can definitely say after countless sessions of opening and closing it to either switch batteries or remove the SD card to download pics that it's not going to break if you're relatively careful with it. It has a metal hinge mechanism and slides in and out of its position solidly.

The layout of the buttons are well placed and should be very manageable for everyone but those with the biggest of fingers. I immediately took a liking to the toggle switch that allows you to manually switch between viewing photos and taking photos. By setting it for viewing photos, it takes away any concerns of accidentally pressing the power button while it's in a case or your pocket and risking the lens coming out and damaging the gearing mechansim. I've noticed some reviewers don't think about this angle of the toggle switch and end up seeing such a switch as a negative.

Resolution: 8.0-megapixel
Zoom: 4x optical image-stabilized
LCD: 2.5" with Face Detection Technology
Battery Format: AA
Media Card Compatibility: SD/SDHC
Sensor: 8.0 Megapixel
Size: 1/2.5-inch
Image Resolution: 3264 x 2448
Movie Resolution: 640 x 480
Memory Included: 32MB Internal Memory
Storage Media: MultiMediaCard
Storage Media: HC MMC Plus Card
Storage Media: SD/SDHC Memory Card
Storage Media: MMC Plus Card
Compressed Format: DPOF 1.1
Compressed Format: JPG (EXIF 2.2)
Movie File Format: AVI motion JPEG
Optical Zoom: 4X
Digital Zoom: 4X
Combined Zoom: x16
Focal Length: 5.8-23.2mm
Focus Mode: Manual focus
Focus Mode: TTL - AF
Dimensions: 3.7 x 1.6 x 2.5 inches
Weight: 6.2 ounces

Performance

After thoroughly reading the manual and adjusting several of the settings, I began putting the A590 to the test. I'm a gadget guy, so figuring out which combination of settings would produce the best picture was high on my priority list. When I first began taking pictures and downloading them to the computer for review, one of the first things that struck me was the softness and rather "smoothed out" look that every picture had. Probably wouldn't be noticeable to most, but I focused right in on it. After doing some reading online, I figured out rather quickly that this "smoothness" is a literal trademark quality to many of Canon's models. Fortunately, for people like me who prefer a sharper, more detailed picture, there is a sharpness adjustment under the "My Colors" settings that can be adjusted up or down. I maxed this setting out and it made a noticeable difference in the pictures I took moving forward.

I found very quickly that I preferred using the "P" setting, rather than Auto, as I can adjust the ISO when necessary, White Balance, etc. Auto ISO and Auto WB are still options within the "P" setting, but they can also be adjusted manually, unlike taking shots in Auto Mode.

After taking identical photos with all of the various settings, I found that I personally prefer the following: Auto ISO, Auto WB, Flash 0.75, Evaluative Mode, Superfine, 8 Megapixel, and Center Focus (unless taking portraits). I've read some reviews that indicate that the sensor on the A590 is just too small to fully register an 8 megapixel photo, but after taking identical pictures with all of the available resolution settings, I did find that 8 megapixels provided some noticeable detail advantages even at zoomed out levels over the other resolution settings. With my Panasonic 2 GB SD card, I'm still able to take over 550 photos with those settings, which is more than enough for me.

Compared to some of the other models I looked at, the macro mode works very well, probably about as good as my $550 Olympus from years ago. Some models I looked at had literally non-existent macro capabilities, even though the setting was available.

The flash has an advertised 11 foot range, but can certainly make an impact in most shots beyond that distance. I found it to be slightly less impacting than my Olympus, so I have mine set to increase flash output by 0.75 on the menu scale. I also read some mixed reviews about the recharge time on the A590. With my 2500 Mah Energizers, I'd say it's about 4-5 seconds, which I have no complaints about. It takes me that much time to strategically decide what my next shot is going to be and from what angle. I suppose this could be a point of contention for those that want to take consecutive flash driver shots, but I'm not one of them.

I have taken quite a few photos with the A590 over the last few weeks, and now that I've tailored the settings to my liking, I am consistenly taking good pictures that impress me even when compared to my Olympus 3040. I feel as though I still have some learning to do that will further refine my picture taking abilities, but as I stand now, I can tell that I'll be getting plenty of use out of this digicam.

Movie Mode

A review wouldn't be complete about this camera without touching on the 640x480 movie mode that enables me to take a movie just shy of 25 minutes in the highest quality setting on my 2 GB card. By moving into 640x480 LP mode, I can double that figure, but not without sacrificing overall quality. I first got introduced to digicam movie making on my 3040, but with a maximum capacity smartmedia card topping out at 128 megabytes, you were either dealing with extremely limited duration or acceptable duration and dismal quality. Either way, the A590 was a breath of fresh air in this respect, as a 24 minute movie is rather lengthy by comparison and the quality at that level is impressive. Canon lowered the frames per second on the A590 to 20, down from 30 on last year's A570. I didn't have the luxury of playing around with last year's model, so I can't compare the two, but even at 20 fps, I was pleased with the results when viewing the videos on my 21" desktop monitor. It would be a perfect solution for someone looking to capture a moment when only their digicam was available or using it to post a youtube video. I was also very impressed with the audio in the videos. I tested my first video on my neighbor's dog and there were two other people in the room talking at normal levels, about 8-10 feet from the camera, and their voices were loud and clear with little to no distortion. When playing back, you can clearly hear the conversation without any problems.

I am pleased with my purchase of the Canon A590 and honestly feel as though it would be hard to beat the price to performance ratio here. Given the inclusion of Canon's "DIGIC III" image processor, this camera really is a bargain at its pricepoint. I doubt if you'll ever find perfection any time soon in a digital camera in the $100-200 price range, but as for now, the A590 is about the best you'll find!