Reviews for Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Sleek, Compact, Handy, no need of Special batteries

Weakness: 16mb can hold only 16 - 18 pics. Canon could give a min of 32mb SD card

I bought my a400 15 Day's as a slightly smaller alternative to my other camera. I particularly like the quick change between metering choices and the spot metering mode in the right circumstances is very effective. This is a good all round digicam. Results are a little soft at times, but flattering. Only one problem. It will eat up duracells faster than you can breathe - so use re-rechargeables! Looks-wise, it looks smart in silver -A sort of combination of hi-tech and traditional. Canon provides only a 16mb SD card which can hold only 16-18 pics and it would have been good if they would have given a 32mb card instead.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: good picture quality, good price for 3.2M and 4X optical digital camera!

Weakness: small memory card (just 16M in the package),I bought 256M card since nowadays the price is pretty low;rechargable batteries will be must.

this is very nice 3.2M camera with 4X optical zoom, it's cute and fits your pocket, it takes excellent pictures, it's easy to install the transfer program and connect it computer, however you need to buy rechargeable batteries and bigger memory card for it.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Well, it's a Canon - Easy to use, looks sleek and cool, takes great clear pictures, has LOADS of features, perfect size, large LCD screen, comes with equipment to view pictures on TV.

Weakness: Devours batteries, doesn't come with battery charger, comes with only 16MB card, inaccurate viewfinder, flimsy port cover

The A510 is the probably the best deal you'll get. Although it's on the less expensive end of the market (and it doesn't even belong there), you still get all the great stuff that a camera can give you.
After about an hour of checking it out, I was pretty comfortable with it. It's got clear menus, simple buttons and dials, and a user/reader-friendly manual (none of that auto-interpret gibberish.) The LCD screen is bigger than most I've seen on other cameras. The A510 looks pretty cool - silver, and it sits comfortably in your hand while you take pictures or press buttons and change menus. It's not big and bulky, and it's not too small for pressing all the buttons (even for people with big hands). It's got a solid feel, too.
There are 13 picture-taking modes on a simple dial so that you can easily select the perfect settings for the picture you're about to take. There's also loads of internal settings to choose from. The A510 comes with the cables you need to hook it up straight to a printer without downloading your pictures onto a computer first, or hooking the camera to a TV to veiw your pictures.
All my pictures came out fantastic! They are crisp and clear, have great color and look very non-digital. But that's probably because I learned all the options inside-out, and I now know how to choose the settings for different conditions. I would suggest reading the manual really well for the ideal pictures.
One of the downsides - it uses up batteries really fast and there's no battery indicator showing how much juice you have left, until it gets really low. I bought a battery charger and 4 NiMH batteries, so that I can keep a charged pair with me all the time. I also bought a 128MB card to replace the puny little 16MB one Canon gives.
The port cover is definitely form over function. It's this thin strip of rubber that fits over the USB, AC, and Video connection. When you open it up, it stays connected with a thin, almost string-like piece of rubber. I'm sure it'll fall off pretty soon.
An almost insignificant downside - the viewfinder is not accurate - the subjects end up a bit higher than they appeared in the viewfinder. But this is only a problem if you plan on shooting with the LCD screen shut off.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking to find the all-around best camera in the $180-$300 price range.

If you'd like accurate, clear, and thorough research on this or any other camera, imaging-resource.com is a great site. I started out as an absolute no-cluer in digital photography, and after reading Dave's Reviews, I was able to confidently make my purchase.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: The camera is very user friendly with easy adaptability. It represents a transition to a more compact as well a energy efficient state using the SD cards and only 2 batteries. Lots of manual settings.

Weakness: Lag after taking is picture is noticable, as it is while flipping through photographs. I don't know if it is a special case, but my camera is considerably slower than the older CF using Powershots.

Overall it is an excellent starter camera for anyone who likes to play with the manual settings a bit and see what happens as well as someone who wants more than just a point and shoot. The image quality is excellent and I have yet to see red-eye. The controls are a bit on the smaller side but are mostly intuitive, and it is a huge value for the money.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: easy to use point-and-shoot camera with lots of extra features, good value for money

Weakness: takes 2-3 seconds to store image in memory card before you can take another shot

I bought this camera to replace an aging Canon Powershot A40. I've been happy with Canon's line of digital cameras, and I'm pretty satisfied with the A510.

It is an extremely easy to use point-and-shoot camera, that offers a lot of extra features for budding weekend photographers. I like the fact the it is smaller than the A40, and yet has a bigger LCD screen. It also accepts AA batteries, just like the A40. I think this is an advantage over proprietary batteries since you can replace the ones that come with the camera with rechargeable batteries, or if you run out on the road, you can always just buy some more AA batteries in any store.

My only gripe so far is that the camera takes around 2-3 seconds storing a shot, before you can take another one. I would have preferred faster turn around times. But this issue may also be dependent on the SD card that I'm using. Hopefully, replacing the SD card with a faster one will resolve this issue.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Lots of shooting modes, 4x optical zoom, uses standard batteries, it's a Canon

Weakness: none so far

I love this camera!

First off, Canon makes quality products. This one is no exception.

Second, the price is great, but there's no compromise on features.

Second, even at that price, it has features that outpace more expensive cameras, such as the 4x optical zoom.

Third, there's no annoying proprietary batteries. You can use any AA batteries (including rechargeables) you want.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Very easy to set up and take your first shot right out of the box. Very good color and clarity indoors without a flash. Telefoto works great at 4x. Movies are very impresive for a photo camera.

Weakness: Needs NiMH batteries and larger memory. The 16 MB card is too small.

I would recommend this camera to anyone. it is a great all around point and shoot camera and also if your daring, take on the manual functions it has to offer and have fun with your photos. The software is great and very easy to use. The A 510 also has many options to buy like lenses, external flash bar and even an underwater case. It's small but comfortable, yet durable and very functionable. Colors are excellent and bright. Shop around and you could find this for as low as $168. That is an awesome price for such a great camera.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Excellent speed and versatility; full capacity to operate manually - including the potential to add on macro/telephoto lenses!; uses only 2 AA batteries; phenomenal price

Weakness: Battery life (easily solved with some good rechargables); supplied memory card (16MB) is WAY too small; zoom lever seems a bit flimsy, but time will tell

This camera is fantastic. I spent weeks researching my purchase, choosing from several entry-level digital cameras, and the Powershot A510 consistently rose to the top of the pack. The camera is lightweight, relatively small (though definitely not a mini-digital camera) and very versatile.

The automatic funtions are straight-forward and easy to use. With numerous shooting modes for a number of situations, you can customize your automatic point-and-shoot pics for given situations (pictures in the snow, fireworks, kids and pets etc). If you want to get more fancy, adjusting aperture and exposure as well as focus manually, the camera lets you do that too.

There's a ton of features, and I urge you to check out Canon's webpage or one of the many reviews up online to find all of them. Notable among them are the zoom flash, which adjusts the power of the flash to suit the distance of your subject. Also, the "hold" feature is nice - the camera will hold your picture for a few seconds after you take it (time held is adjustable/disable-able) so that you don't need to switch from camera mode to view mode everytime you want to view a shot. It's fast to get going when you turn it on, and between shot timing is quick too.

Aside from the weaknesses listed above (and I really had to reach to name ANY), this camera is quite a find. I will not be surprised to see it set a new standard in affordable, yet quality digital cameras. Canon makes a solid product, and I've enjoyed every film-based Canon model I've owned. The A510 is no exception. And, at below $200, it's even more noteworthy. Strongly recommended.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Great value!! Clear, crisp, colorful pictures with several picture taking options. A lot of camera for a great price!

Weakness: Eats through AA batteries quickly, especially non-name brand - so rechargeables are a must. Supplied media card is too small - time between shots is 2-3 seconds.

I'm very pleased with this camera. I too did a lot of research before buying my first digital which was an older A40 model and buying another Canon was a must for me. I love the A510 and was able to snag it at a super low $149! Can't beat that!! It has a lot of great features allowing you to get more technical with your picture taking or leaving it on Auto takes the hard work out of taking awesome pictures. I like the smaller size, larger bright LCD, speaker and the software that comes with the camera. It's very easy to use and is a great camera!

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: - Excellent photo quality - Uses 2 AA batteries - Good manual controls - crisp LCD - compact

Weakness: - flimsy covers on battery case and video / usb port - video mode could be better

First off, a few reviewers have complained about the delay between taking pictures. This is only a problem when using the flash. If the flash is turned off, the delay is less than 2 seconds with a normal speed SD card. I think this is better than average. However, with the flash on, its about 5 seconds. I think this is because it takes a few seconds to charge the flash with only 2AAs. So don't waste your money on a high speed SD card because that isn't the issue.

I am very impressed by the A510. I first picked up an A85 because it was 4 megapixels and only $30 more than the A510. However, I immediately noticed a weird grinding noise whenever the A85 turned on/off and when focusing. So I took it back and got the A510.

Even though the A510 is only 3 megapixels, 4x6 printouts looked just as good as the 4 MP A85. The pictures look great outdoors, and indoors. The flash does a good job of lighting up the frame pretty evenly w/o flushing out the colors.

I like the size. Not too small, but can easily fit into your pant pockets unless you wear tight jeans like Clay Aiken. If the A510 does not fit in your pocket, you need to stop dressing like a fool and get some looser jeans.

Awesome zoom and manual controls. My wife can take great point and shoot pictures, and I can tweak the shots how I like.

Movie mode has good picture but choppy frame rate. The various covers on the batteries, SD port and USB port are pretty cheap.

Overall, I think the camera is a great deal.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Ease of use plus manual settings. good picture quality, 4x optical zoom

Weakness: Flash charging is too slow. 30 sec. limit for VGA movies

Best camera in its price range. Picture quality is very good even at night (using manual settings instead of the Nightshoot scene mode). Has every thing you can find in higher price cameras (i.e. SONY) plus the hability to get creative if you know the basics of photography. The 4x optical zoom sets this camera appart from the others giving you more control in composition and better image quality in distant objets. The only two bad things i found in this camera is the 30 seconds limit for VGA pictures (180 sec. for smaller resolutions)and the relatively long time the flash takes to recharge after a shoot.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Excellent Picture Quality, Great Video Capability, Lightweight & Small Size, Reasonably Priced, MANY Features :-)

Weakness: Pretty Slow Shutter Lag with Blank Screen :-(

I already own a great quality Sony CD-Mavica digital camera but it is a pain to carry around. I was looking for a "pocket" sized camera, and finally chose this one, after trying about 5-6 others!

I am very pleased with this model - the picture quality is awesome, which I believe is the most important feature for a camera! But at the same time, this low-priced camera provides you with a whole lot of other features and controls!

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Easy to use point & shoot right out of the box! Many manual choices for different shooting situations. Awesome quality for the money.

Weakness: Small memory card included.

This was my second digital camera purchase ever. All I have to say is that I'm amazed at this camera for the price! I would recommend this camera to anyone looking at an inexpensive digital. I feel that it offers alot more than what your paying for. All of the manual shooting features, great computer software, great photos! It blows away my dad's $600 Olympus in photo quality! I can't say enough about it. Awesome camera for beginner to intermediate. Try one out for yourself...

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: compact size,

Weakness: writing to card for 3 seconds after shoot.

I got this camera for 3 days. I very like the design of this one. It uses AA battery. It supports sd card. I was impressed with the power consumable is very good. The picture is very clear and vivid. One point that I dislike is cost 3 seconds to write the picture to card. You has to wait for 3-5 seconds to take next picture.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Ease of use Image Quality Battery requirement

Weakness: Some buttons are slow in response

Just got the new camera! This is my first one and I found it pretty easy to operate. I took several images with the 'auto' shooting mode and the resulting images are satisfactory. I also found it pleasing that it only require two AA batteries, which can be useful when you run out of batteries and just grab some from the groceries.

The downside is that some buttons are slow in response when I push them, not quite sensitive as some other models.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: good resolution, live colors, 4x zoom lens (vs 3x average for point-n-shoot), good AF, manual controls (including manual focus), battery life is good (for 2xAA batteries).

Weakness: images are not sharp enough (though due to very low in-camera sharpening, you're still getting great picture after post-processing), long flash recycling time.

I bought this one for my girlfriend as a replacement of A70. Before giving it to her I ran a week-long test and I must say I'm impressed. The camera feels cheep but it packs a lot of features for such a low price (got mine for about $180 shipped). The only problem I encountered was almost non-existent in-camera sharpening. Pictures still have all the information and it's certainly better not to sharpen if you plan to post-process. However, the camera is intended for total amateurs who would print pictures right out of a camera (that's what my girlfriend does).

To summarize, it's a great camera, best value for money at the moment in point-n-shoot category, not perfect though. My grade is 4+.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Very good Value, Paid $200 and got a great camera. Small and Compact as well.

Weakness: Screen can scratch easily! Only comes with 16MB needs to come with at least 32MB!!!

This is a great camera for anyone who wants a great digital camera and doesn't have $500 to spend. The price is great and the photos it takes are great as well. The new body style is much better than the old style as well(smaller). The new model only uses 2 AA batteries instead of the 4 AA the old model required.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: The Canon PowerShot A510 is very easy to use. My 11 year old loves it! Easy to download. The PowerShot A510 takes clear, crisp pictures. This camera is not bulky, but it's not too small either.

Weakness: None

Most digital cameras I have used have been hard to operate and very hard to download pictures from.

The price is also a great price.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Very please with it. Canon always produces high-quality cameras, I have to admit. Easy to use and you get great results. Reliable performance. Battery lasing is long enough.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Great combination of features and price.

Weakness: size of included memory card (16MB)

Canon has done a great job of combining the features and feel I most desired. I just took it to Maui and it did a superb job of capturing the beauty of the island.

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Dissapointed

Strengths: Great value, easy to use, nice size.

Weakness: Lens protector

Stopped carrying around my SLR digital because it was too large and I wanted a smaller digicam for basic snapshots. A510 was great for 5 months and then all of a sudden the lens would not open. Camera was not dropped or abused and kept in a padded case. After looking at other reviews noticed that many users are experiencing the same problem.
I hope Canon sort this issue out.

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Stay away from this camera

Strengths: Great when it works right.

Weakness: Lense cover

I had 4 of these in a row that had a sticking lense cover problem. Obviously this is a defect in the camera that is not rare. I would recommend a different camera, but not this one.

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A fine camera

This is exactly what I expected. I still haven't used all the features available. I've sent images over the internet to Wal-Mart and had them printed, and I've printed images with my own printer on photo paper...image quality is as good as any camera (digital and non-digital) that I have ever seen.

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Nice Price for a Fully manual digital

Strengths: Full manual controls, good macro mode shooting, dedicated control for zooming, very clear image, buttons well assigned for quick access, clear LCD screen

Weakness: small 16mb SD card, rubber cover for plug ins easy to tear off, bad red eye,

This camera is a good buy for a very nice price... full manual controls, good battery life, dedicated control for zooming (unlike A410), and many more. But then the rubber cover wherein you plug the cables is easy to tear off. Also there's no battery indicator if the battery is wearing out. But overall this is a very good camera.... its a Canon no doubt... and above all of course very good picture quality!

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Excellent camera for minimu price

Strengths: 4x zoom, photo quality, all manual photography, good battery life (NH-MH), good software (better than Kodak),

Weakness: Viewfinder not correct, video limited with 3m.

I owned a Kodak 6330 before. After I lost it, I researched about two weeks for the cameras and read nearly every review about 3-4 mbx range and realized that this camera offered the most with the least price. And I am pretty satisfied with my decision.

I immediately started to use the manual options. Believe me, the pictures you take w/o flash using this features are far more better than w/ flash. Flash blocks the background and emphasizes the foreground. I even made some shows to my friends when I took pictures in totally dark environments w/o using flash. They were astonished since none of them understood photography.

I also found he software of the camera better and realible than Kodak easyshare software. It's more userfriendly and you can sort the pictures according to date taken. Also Kodak sw was resetting the date taken to 1/1/1970 as time passed. You can review inside the folders in one page without browsing.

If you want a great camera with a small price, this camera is for you.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: compact and easy to use and does not reguire special batteries but it needs a bigger SD card for the price that I payed for the camera.

Weakness: nothing that I have found yet butI'll let anybody know if I find something

This is one of the best digital cameras that I have every owned I have owned 1 other camera and this one is the best I would recommend this one to anybody that needed some advice for purchasing a camera. Thanks Kim Gillespie of Vancleave Ms

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: Light weight Lots of features Uses AA batteries Very good colours Pictures are sharp

Weakness: Camera shoot and review button very hard to press.... wonder if it may break Battery door and memory card door look and feel flimsy

Just got this camera as my birthday gift, my first digital camera. Very simple to use and so far the output has been very close to real life.. the colors are excellent.

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Canon PowerShot A510 3.2 Megapixel Compact Camera

Strengths: good resolution for the price, Bright, vivid - though natural - color

Weakness: Focus is slow, seconds of wait between shots

a decent point and shoot camera, with auto-rotate and Manual control with up to 15 seconds exposure @ f8.0. Classic body design, ease of use, compact size, astonishing good photo quality. And how can you beat the value of $199?

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Canon Powershot a510

Canon Powershot A510 receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 2.35 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #219 standard digital camera of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer features, market value, and a...

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Canon PowerShot A510 Digital Camera Review

The PowerShot A510 is a rectilinear-shaped point-and-shoot digital camera crafted by Canon with a (slightly) extended 4x optical zoom lens that leads back to its 1/2.5 inch 3.3 MP CCD. Internally, the camera includes a DIGIC image processor and a 9-point AiAF focusing system to improve image quality and help speed up performance and writing times. The camera packs a surprising number of manual...

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Canon PowerShot A510

The Canon PowerShot A510 offers great picture-taking ability and good-looking photos at a very affordable price. Carrying an initial suggested retail price fully $100 less than that of the 4-megapixel A520 model, this is a great bargain for anyone shopping for a great "all around" camera on a budget. Read our Canon PowerShot A510 review for all the details!

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DCRP Review: Canon PowerShot A510/A520

In most respects, the Canon PowerShot A510 and A520 are nice upgrades to two of my favorite cameras from 2004. However, two things have changed for the worst (low light focusing and redeye). Even so, these two cameras are still arguably the best entry-level digital cameras on the market.

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