| Canon PowerShot A540 6MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom | ||
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by Canon  Powered by 2 AA-size batteries; stores images on SD/MMC memory cards (16 MB card included) Accurate focusing with FlexiZone AF/AE1 and 9-point AiAF1 ISO 800 shooting; widescreen (16:9) stills recording 4x optical zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display 6.0-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 14 x 19-inch prints |
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| From the Manufacturer The PowerShot A540 combines ease of use with creative flexibility. The PowerShot A540 delivers 6.0-megapixel resolution and a high-performance 4x optical zoom lens. It also features an extensive range of creative shooting modes and is compatible with optional converter lenses for extended versatility. The PowerShot A540 packs a vast array of additional high-end features into a remarkably compact space, including: The versatile PowerShot A540 is the replacement to last year's popular PowerShot A520. Optics The camera also has optional wide (0.7x) and telephoto (1.75x) converter lenses to extend the focal length range, for an effective 10x optical zoom. It is also compatible with optional close-up lenses for detailed macro photography. (Wide, telephoto, and close-up lenses are optional accessories and are not included; they must be purchased separately.) Designed for creativity The PowerShot A540 features a new Widescreen mode (2816 x 1584 recording pixels) for capturing still images in 16:9 format--perfect for viewing on widescreen television or printing wide photos with a Selphy Compact Photo Printer. Low-light shooting Instant photo prints The handy Print/Share button on each camera allows one-touch printing and hassle-free uploads to Windows or Macintosh systems. A new Print menu makes it easier than ever to organize print jobs direct from the camera. The menu system on this camera also features support for 23 languages, including Arabic. What's in the Box fantastic balance of size, speed, photo quality, capabilities
After many years of fantastic pictures (as long as the subject was stationary!) my trusty Olympus D40-Zoom died - luckily at the end of a vacation. I spent about 30 hours researching a replacement that would satisfy my goals of (a) compact size, (b) standard AA batteries, (c) full manual controls, (d) outstanding image quality, (e) speed, (f) optical viewfinder. In my opinion, the Canon A540 fits the bill almost perfectly. It's small enough to fit in a coat pocket or small belt case yet uses 2 AA batteries. Overall processing speed is blazingly fast unless you're taking flash pictures (and then you should expect about 4-5 seconds between flashes). Note that flash time is significantly better with rechargeable NiMh batteries than with standard AAs. And, unlike some other cameras I tried, the speed of the user interface (especially during playback) is very fast. Picture quality in general is excellent, even in night situations. You have the option of ISO 80 - ISO 800 with the latter being noisy but usable. (Would you rather miss a shot completely or have a little noise? How about the ability to take a picture in low lighting without the flash?) And, you have full manual controls, in addition to the 21 predefined scene types. I'm not sold on the usefullness of the Color Swap and Color Accent modes, but the other modes are well thought out. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the movie mode, which offers up to 30 fps VGA quality 640x480 continuous shooting up to 1GB per clip, to the maximum size of your SD card. This is still no substitute for a high-quality camcorder, but it's a nice option to have in those situations where you just have the camera. (And note that unlike this camera, most camcorders offer some form of image stabilization.) Note that the movie mode on the A540 is significantly more capable than the lower-megapixel twin A530 (which is limited to 2 minute clips at 15fps). I was close to getting the Canon A700, which uses the same 6MP sensor and user interface but offers a 6x optical zoom instead of a 4x zoom. In the end, after trying both cameras in the store, I settled on the A540. Why? The A700 is ever-so-slightly larger (about 0.25 inches wider and slightly taller), and the more complicated lens takes longer to startup and to zoom. Maybe it was the lighting, but the noise quality on the A700 seemed higher than the A540, although they use the same sensor. Perhaps this has something to do with the different lenses? Finally, the A700 doesn't offer an underwater case which I'd like to have as an option some day. In summary, Canon A540 Pros: - very fast startup and shot-to-shot speed (flash not withstanding) - excellent and speedy auto-focus even in low light (although the AF assist light can slow this down) - extremely fast user interface and playback performance, even zooming in on photos - outstanding photo quality, even in relatively low light (good color balance, noise levels at high ISO are acceptable, almost non-existent chromatic aberation) - 6 megapixel sensor, 4x optical zoom - ISO 80 to 800 (800 has noticeable noise but still usable) - surprisingly usable movie mode (unlike the A530, can record up 30fps of continuous video at 1GB sections up to size of the SD card) - outstanding user interface: options are well laid out and easy to locate, very well thought-out record and playback options - full manual controls (shutter priority, appeture priority, full manual) - custom white balance option in addition to presets - flash adjusts angle based on wide-telephoto zoom - well built case, very comfortable grip - uses SD cards (and takes advantage of high-speed SD) - uses 2 AA batteries - unbelieveable battery life (approx 350 shots on 2 rechargeable NiMh AA, with the display on) - supports optional conversion lenses and underwater case Cons (to me, all very minor): - screen while large isn't very high res (85k pixels) - flash recharge time is acceptable but not great (4 - 5sec between pictures using NiMh batteries) - preview display blanks while flash recharges - it's possible to insert the SD card upside down and you don't realize until you try to close the cover (would be easy to break the cover if you force this) - the markings for the battery orientation are difficult to read - no RAW image support, but you can select from 3 different compression ratios for image quality - dubious color accent and color swap modes Great camera, bad flash
I bought this camera and used it for 2 weeks before having to return it. At times the flash took 10 seconds to cycle, this is unacceptable when trying to take pictures, for instance at a wedding or just trying to catch my child in action doing something silly. If the flash took half as long to cycle, I would consider it t be the best digital camera I have ever had. I Love It !!!!!!
Actually, I was not really interested in another camera. I have an Olympus Camedia 3020 that still performs well. I decided to check out the smaller cameras for traveling. The clerk at Office Depot, who is into photography, recommended the Cannon 540 with a $[...] rebate ending that day and 15 day return policy. I have to tell you I bought this camera on a lark and just love everything about it. I took one picture in a dark room with just the TV on in auto mode and it came out beautiful. It even takes good pix with subjects sitting in front of a window. Also took some shots at a stadium of an outdoor graduation and they came out better than my old automatic 35mm ever took. One had a little noise, but other distance picture was clear as could be. Took 3 outdoor foliage close ups and they are totally awesome. Mind you, I am still on auto here. Can't wait to read the manuals and get into some fun stuff. This camera looks to be easy to figure out. I can't believe I bought this camera without doing extensive homework and am so HAPPY!!!! Size is perfect....you pay [...]more for the same thing in a SLIM Model and have to use a battery that costs $[...] to replace. I like the fact that you can use regular batteries in emergency and don't have to travel with a docker. It is still small enought to fit into my purse. I only bought this camera 5 days ago and loved it from the get go.While I loved my Olympus, I never got off of Auto because it was so complicated. This is a great little camera for the buck!!!!!! Excellent camera
Basically what everyone else has said - great quality and clarity, fairly compact, the ability to have wide angle lenses, etc. One complaint I do have, however is that the screen is quite low-res and appears pixelated. Not a major issue. Overall a great camera Great camera
I had a friend who had the A510 and I loved it but it was only 3 megapixels, so I was going to buy the A520 but I decided to wait for a higher megapixel version to come out. The A610 was too big, so I continued to wait. Finally the A540 came out. I read online reviews for it before it was in stores and decided that I was going to buy it. I've had it now for a little over 2 months, I haven't had any problems with it. I've dropped it twice and I haven't noticed any defects with functionality...like with my last digital camera, after I dropped it the 1st time it stopped working properly. Anyway this camera is great for beginners and has some stuff for people who like to go beyond using the auto button. The start up time is good. If you take a picture with the camera horizontally, when you're viewing the pictures, the camera automatically rotates the image to be right side up, so you don't have to turn the camera. There are many different settings but I haven't really explored all of them. So far I only really have two complaints: - Flash recharging time, and battery life If in conditions where you have to use the flash a lot, be sure to carry extra batteries because it kills the battery much faster. regular betteries die quickly in this camera...be sure to buy rechargeable. If the battery is dying the flash takes what seems like an eternity to recharge which is really inconvenient at parties and other functions where people are not standing and posing to wait for you to take the picture. Oh yea and sometimes when viewing my images, the camera toggles between two images before settling to the next image. I consider this a minor problem because it rarely happens. I don't experience that problem with the memory card that was mentioned in one of the other reviews, if i am putting it in incorrectly it will not go in the slot, then I quickly realize that I am inserting it wrong. The newest and best Powershot A in the series!
I began, years back, with Canon's Powershot A20 2MP), then promoted myself up to the A70 (3.2MP) about two year ago. Three days ago, I received my newest self-indulgence: the new Powershot A540 (6MP). So far, I have used it to take 40=50 shots, indoors and out, day and night, using both the Automatic and Custom settings. In every instance, I have been more than simply pleased. The 2 1/2 inch LCD display is a particularly welcome feature for me at nearly age 60 - everything is a LOT easier to see. I bought a 1GB Secure Digital card for it (Canon insists in shipping their cameras with a useless 16MB card) and a set of 2500s (NiMH batteries.) Compared to the A70, this camera is easy to manage, quite light (requiring only two batteries, not the four needed by earlier models.) A simple delete button also simplifies the immediate dumping of bad shots. The 4X optical zoom is also a welcome change to the older format. I am purely an amateur photographer. Other criticisms I have seen re the poor definition on the LCD screen are, I feel, kind of 'nit picking' - looking for something to criticize about a really good camera. I found this one online for $223. (Shipping included), sold the A70 used through Amazon for $160 in 24 hours - so the upgrade cost me about $60 net. Well worth every penny. The pictures themselves are clear. The white balance is great and I leave the setting at 1600x1200 - unless I feel I will need a poster size print. This setting allows over 1700 images on the 1GB card! I think it will do quite nicely. Light, easy to handle and good quality images. What else could we realistically hope for at this kind of price? I recommend it heartily. Canon PowerShot A540 Review
The picture sometimes turn out blurry. The auto fucus is not the greatest. Overall I am happy with the camera. A wonderful point and shoot camera
The short version: This is a great camera for people who want an easily portable camera that is FAST and takes great pictures out of the box (but has some versatility for those who want to be able to do more). The long version: I'm a decidedly novice photographer, although it is something of a running joke in my family about just how many photos I take. I was looking to replace my previous digital camera, which took great pictures of stationary objects but wasn't fast enough to catch the shot I wanted if the subject wasn't holding still-- e.g. kids at play. I've now had this camera for a month and taken approximately 450 photos in various conditions. Some things I've noticed: 1) Battery life: not great, but frankly better than I expected. I'm on the third set of disposable batteries; the set that came with the camera lasted about 100 photos, and I switched out the second set a couple days ago before leaving on a trip-- they weren't "dead" but I figured they were close to the end of their usefulness. Partially charged batteries are most noticable when using the flash, when they can really delay getting that next shot. And it is GREAT to be able to use AA batteries. 2) Red eye: Wow!!! What a dramatic improvement from my old A95! Yes, I still occasionally have to correct red-eye, but far less often. I do have the built in red-eye reduction set to "on" 3) Speed: again, WOW!!! There is virtually no shutter lag-- I press the button, and get the picture I wanted. Ok, I've also learned to partially depress the button to focus the camera and wait for the shot I want-- but even when my subject is in motion and I don't want to pre-focus I can virtually always catch the moment I meant to catch. Assuming I either have fresh batteries or am not using the flash, I can take the next photo just a few heartbeats later-- and I understand that there is a "burst mode" I haven't used which takes 2 photos a second until terminated or out of memory. 4) Ergonomics: There are smaller cameras out there, but this will fit if awkwardly in my pants pocket. It is significantly lighter weight than my old camera. Controls are logical and easy to use; they don't get bumped accidentally but aren't hard to adjust on purpose. 5) Settings: There are a multitude of pre-determined settings on this camera; I've just scratched the surface and have been impressed so far. This lets those of us with skills best described as "push here dummy" get better shots under special circumstances-- on the beach, snow scenes, indoor shots, objects in motion. The manual settings are wasted on me, but I understand they are there, too. 6) Zoom: the 4x optical zoom means is more than you'll find most anywhere else (with a few notible exceptions). This camera also has a on-screen icon that will blink at you if there is camera motion that might compromize your shot. I have noticed that I just plain can't hold the camera still enough at maximal zoom to avoid having this warning flash at me. I haven't noticed that snapshot quality was affected, but I suspect that if you blew it up to 8x10 (or perhaps larger) that you might notice it. It does make me wonder if a 3x zoom would have been adequate for my needs, since the odds of me hauling around and using a tripod are virtually nil. I have the digital zoom turned off on the camera; I figure I can crop if I want to after the fact but am starting with a maximal resolution. 7) Memory: get another card. Period. I have a 1 GB card that I've never come close to filling despite setting photoquality at maximum resolution, but I download frequently and haven't used burst mode or video. 8) Photo quality: Great! I can see the individual water drops glisten in mid-air in the shots of my son splashing my husband, colors are rich and accurate. Some shots, especially if I'm using the "kidsnpets" setting, are a little "soft"-- not quite crisp images, but I only notice this when I really blow the image up on my computer screen and I doubt I'd appreciate it otherwise. I think if you are ordering an 8x10 or smaller you wouldn't recognize it at all. The one thing I liked better about my old canon A95: The rotating LCD display, which was also a bit more visible in bright light (possibly because I could adjust the angle) Good all-around point and shoot
Just after buying this camera, I took it on vacation. I used the beach scene mode at the beach. Pictures are beautiful. I used the night-shot mode on a cave tour and got some unexpectedly good pictures in the low light. There were a couple occations I had to wait for the flash to recycle (a bit slow). At the zoo, it would sometimes focus on the bars instead of what was behind them, but most pictures have beautiful color and detail. I find the mode dial on top makes setting up a shot easy. Love the big LCD. Overwhemed by overchoice
This device very user unfriendly. It comes with three (COUNT THEM-THREE) separate manuals plus a couple of brouchures. I am still on the-how-to-use-the camera manual. The camera has literally hundreds of features but the manual is incomprehensible. I had to call customer service to figure out how to make selctions but I still don't know why I would want to make them. The manual is completely silent on why/when/for what purpose I would want to use these features. I won't even discuss how could I remember all those features if I were out actually taking pictures of something--which I haven't ventured to do. I've just stayed home taking practice shots of my cat and erasing them. Huh After several weeks, I have not yet ventured into the how-to-print manual or that computer disc that comes with the third manual. I asked customer service if Canon sponsors classes in how to use these little suckers. No. I am not at all pleased with this purchase. Wonderful camera and easy to use!!
I found this camera very easy to use right out of the box using the beginners setup guide that comes with the camera. It's been a great point and shoot camera and maybe someday when I have time, I'll explore the rest of the options. Good digital camera
It is not campact, but it is small enough for me to carry it around. I like the fact that it is 6MP with 4x optical zoom. The quality of picture is awesome. Besides, the stitch sofeware that comes with the camera is very intuitive and easy to use. In fact, the stitch sofeware helped us to create a fabulous paronomic photo of Grand Canyon. Lota Bang for your buck!
This camera exceeded my expectations 10 fold. It may be lightweight, (perfect for traveling) but it is heavily armored. Its capability to act as a macro lens (2 inches from a subject) and 6 mega pixel, night vision, and cool feature "stitch mode" to create panoramic...and all for under $240---folks, it doesn't get better than this at that price. I specked this for an office camera. After using it, I bought one for myself! The sweet spot in Canon compact digital cameras
This was purchased to replace our stolen A520. I shoot thousands of photos per month with a Canon DSLR system, and have used other super-compact Canon and Sony digital cameras for their small size, but the sweet spot in value and performance is the Canon A5xx series, even over the A6xx series. The A6xx series (or possibly the S2 or S3) would be my recommendation for someone who wants more manual controls and is not also carrying around a DLSR (like the Rebel or 20D/30D) and knows how to shoot more creatively. But for 90% of our needs, the A5xx series is ideal for 1) its outstanding performance in Auto mode -- rarely need any post editing, 2) its compact size but large LCD display that works fairly well in daylight, 3) good performance on two AA batteries, making it ideal for traveling overseas without needing proprietary battery chargers --- does particularly well with AA Lithium batteries, 4) SD cards in 1GB-2GB are fairly inexpensive now and you get enough storage to capture an entire vacation's worth of photos on one card, 5) flash works very well indoors to 15-20 feet for normal snapshots of groups without a lot of noise (smaller cameras like the Powershot 700 or other Casio/Sony super compacts tend to have weak flash that gets noisy photos when shooting beyond 10'. Additionally, the 4x zoom is nice and can give decent 'portrait shots' with background softening, macro is decent enought for most needs, and it has easy to learn controls. One downside over the older versions: the batteries share same compartment with SD card, so it's easy to forget, when getting the SD card out, that you can also drop the batteries which isn't good, especially for NIMH, if dropped onto pavement. I've probably sold 7 of these via recommendations in the past 6 months and every single person has called to thank me. They are thrilled with the images and ease of use and the price point. One person went with the A620 on sale, and it, too, has been a good camera thus far, although it has smaller LCD -- though it flips out, and has some nice features if it's your only camera and you want to be more creative in your photography. (I would probably skip the A6xx series though, and move to the S2/S3 Canon if I wanted more pro-features in a less expensive, less complicated camera and it's not all that much bigger than the A6xx series.) Very satisfied
I bought this camera to my brother and, according to him, it's such a good camera. He told me he can apply many effects using the camera that he was only able to do before in Photoshop. It's lightweight and powerful. I'd say he'd recommend it. :) Works good..
Picture quality is good.. I don't think the product quality is good... when I opened the package it is making very low level rattle sound when I rattle...which I expect not to behave like that....Software is good and nice features where we can play with many ideas. Wonderful starter camera
For the price of $200-$300 and the quality it provides, this is an excellent camera for a beginner as well as a professional. I research online for a few months trying to find a decent camera. The main thing for me was mobility, and price. I wanted to buy a camera in the mid 200s but that still had a good quality picture. This camera more than delivers. --- Pros --- 1. Small and light weight 2. Uses 2 AA batteries 3. Very good feature set in camera 4. SD memory 5. Amazing photos and videos 6. Very well packed box (with lots of manuals in case you want to read them) --- Cons --- 1. Only comes with a 16MB SD card (not really a problem, but something to know) 2. Flap on side with USB and media plugs is covered by a soft rubber piece that doesn't feel all that secure (not bad, just that I wish it moved a little easier) 3. In automatic mode you can't take too close of photos, about 4 inches when zoomed all the way out and 12 inches zoomed all the way in (I am sure that if you play around the manual settings you can get better result) 4. A small thing about the optical viewfinder, seems to be a little zoomed in (this could be a feature though, just to make sure you don't miss the corners you were trying to line up with) This Camera is TERRIBLE in low light conditions
I can't believe all the people raving about this camera. All I can figure is that these are the kind of people whose idea of photography is to line the family up from tallest to smallest in the driveway on holidays and flash away. This camera appears to me to have been designed by an egghead who values pixels far above f-stops. The camera's programming is guaranteed to give blurry pictures anytime you shoot without a flash in anything less than full sunlight. Let me give you an example: I just stepped outside at 4pm on an overcast day. It's daylight outside, but no direct sunlight. I turned the flash off and pointed the camera at grass, light colored wood fencing, and a white dog. You know what the camera used? f 5.6 & 1/12. In daylight conditions, it chose 1/12 sec exposure!!! Canon, hire a photographer to advise your code monkeys. Reader, do not buy this camera if you have any intention of ever turning the flash off. NOVICE LOVE'S THIS CAMERA!
Based on all the wonderful reviews I read on the A540 I choose this as my first digital camera, and glad I did! Awesome camera for the money, and the most important factor to me was the big 2.5 LCD, I love it! Simple to read instruction manuel had me ready to start shooting in minutes! Believe me,if I can do this anyone can! The first week I took it with me to "Bobby Q's" birthday bash and it took fabulous pictures in a dimly lit restaurant. I passed the camera around for everyone to review photo's and they could't get over the quality of the pictures it took. I could use more zoom so I'm purchasing the Opteka 2.2 Telephoto lens, well worth the $30 extra dollars! Too Much Corner Cutting
I guess that this camera does the most important thing well. The images that it produces are very good. I wouldn't have expected less from Canon. However, given how much digital technology supposedly has progressed over the past 3 years, I'm somewhat disappointed. Let me explain. First off, the A540 is a replacement for a Canon A70 that finally died after 3 years. Unfortunately for me, I learned that Canon was replacing non-functioning LCD screens due to a known product defect. I only found this out after I tossed the A70 into the trash. I think that the least Canon should have done was to send an email notice to its registered A70 owners. On the subject of LCD screens, the screen on the A540 is very low in resolution. Like most screens, it's hard to see in bright light. However, even under dimmer light the image is quite grainy. Fortunately, Canon is one of the few manufacturers that still provides an optical viewfinder on some of its cameras. By far the worst problem with this camera is battery life. Compared to the A70 (with it's supposed older technolgy)battery life is very poor. I use the same NIMH batteries that I used in the A70 but don't get anywhere near the performance. Granted, the A70 took 4 batteries while the A540 takes only 2, but I would gladly have put up with the weight of the two additional AA's to get the same performance that I got with the A70. For what I intend to use it for, the A540 will serve the purpose, but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. I'd instead suggest the slightly higher-priced A620 which takes 4 batteries and has a higher resolution LCD screen. It's what I would have bought if anyone had it in stock. its a good choice
i think this Canon PowerShot A540 is a good choice for non-professional & low-budget photographers. When I opened the package, i was like "what!, It is very light." It is easy to carry and hold. Included software is good. Night shots are not so professional, but it's still ok. I think this is a reasonable machine. Good Photos if you can focus
We bought this camera after our A70 died. The smaller size of the camera & larger screen are nice features, although the overall feel is lighter & seems much less sturdy - not sure how long the cover on the a/v slot will last as it seems very flimsy. The auto function is the only mode in which the camera doesn't blink a motion warning without being on a tripod or solid surface - the kid/pet mode is a joke as far as we can tell. That being said, the photos taken in auto mode have been awesome. We haven't done much low light/dark shooting yet, but I'm expecting more focus issues. Haven't tried the movie mode yet, either. The wait time after use of the flash is significantly more than the A70'w was, probably due to there being 2 batteries now rather than the 4 the A70 used. We're disappointed that this camera isn't a huge improvement over the old A70 - the only major difference is in clarity of the photos taken in auto mode & that would not have been worth the purchase price if our A70 had not died. If only the digital options for IS weren't so much more expensive! Oh, well, maybe in a couple of years.... What a great little camera!
I was looking for a camera with more features and capabilities than my Fuji FinePix Z1. Though my Z1 is small, easy to use, and takes great pictures, it does not do well in certain lighting conditions. After some dreadful shots at a wedding last week I went on the prowl for a better camera. From the second I started shooting with the Canon PowerShot a540 I was in love! One of my favorite features of this camera is the ability to quickly change between Auto, Programmed, and the various Image Zone special scene modes... and I can have separate size and quality settings for each one! (though the 10 or so special scene modes share a common size/quality setting.) The custom timer with options for delay and number of shots is another nice touch. I'm not throwing away my Z1, but it may get some dust on it... Get It While You Can!
This jewel of a camera is a steal at as low as $165.00 online. I've got several more expensive Canon digital models like the S3 IS & SD550, but none of them seem to take pictures as sharp as this one does. You can dress them up with all the bells & whistles you want, but in the end, image quality is what matters to me & this one just gets it done. Plus it is a pleasing compromise in size between the tiny easy-to-shake Elphs & the larger Canon models that you can't carry in a pants pocket. And even though it's the bottom of the line price-wise, it still gives you the option of attaching a wide-angle lens to it. And it runs on AA batteries/rechargeables for even more flexibility. In this case, cheaper is better. Took too much time
I bought this camera for action stage shots. I was not impressed with this camera. The time it took between shots to process was way too long. Especially in a busy photo shoot. Returned it my Sony was much faster. Canon PowerShot A540
This is my first digital camera and I find it entirely satisfactory. The manuals are clearer than most. The pictures are very pleasing. Disappointment
I already owned a Kodak 4 mega pixel Easy Share camera, but bought this Canon to get better close shots. Because the manual is so poorly written, instructions about taking close ups and manipulating the camera in general are almost impossible to comprehend. I would not recommend buying this camera which I find to be a great disappointment and no improvement over the Kodak model I already own. Happy customer
This is my 2nd digital camera. I researched intensely before buying, Amazon was awesome in that respect, I saved $30 using the Amazon card. I bought directly from Amazon and shipping was very fast. I have had it for about a month; taken pictures, transferred them to computer and had them printed. I am very happy with the Battery Life, performance, and price. Shutter speed is much better than my old Kodak. I also like the optical viewfinder and don't understand why anyone would make a camera w/o one. The LCD screen on this camera is great! The only negative - i have a hard time with all the options. I have not and probably won't use the movie features or many of the other features this camera offers. Clicking sound
I didn't even get a chance to test the photos this camera took when I discovered that the one I had has a tendancy to record the sound of the camera itself when making a movie. It would record the moving parts within the camera, so you get this weird clicking sound on top of all the static one normally gets...for me this was a bit too annoying. It is also a tad slow when using flash....but as a start up camera, for someone with larger hands, it should suffice....so I had to return mine. Hopefully the replacement I get doesnt do this.... Excellent point and shoot camera
The LCD screen could have done with a bit more resolution, but other than that it is an excellent camera. Not Bad At All
I use the A540 mostly for insurance photography, and it's well suited for that work, as it has an optical viewfinder (great for daylight photography) as well as an LCD finder. It makes a good snapshot camera too. In most cases the Auto setting does the job. If circumstances require, there are other settings available. You have the option to specify a shutter speed, or an ASA equivalent (though ASA 800 is really grainy). As others have mentioned, the cover over the AA batteries and SD card is a bit flimsy, but otherwise the camera is solid feeling. One other minus: visible time and date stamps can be printed only at 1600 X 1200 "Postcard" resolution. Auxiliary lenses are available from Canon for this camera, though I haven't bought any--yet. Suggested accessory: a tripod or monopod if you're doing pictures in low light. Great versatile digital camera
My three year old digital (2 MP) camera's battery door broke (pretty cheap plastic) and the search was on for a more modern camera. My daughter recently got a very small slim Canon and I was impressed with the features and quality. However I wanted a camera that could use AA batteries and small size was not a top priority. I also wanted a good size LCD display and an optical viewfinder (yes, I know I'm old fashioned). This Powershot A540 seemed to have all the features I wanted. I have had it for a few weeks and have taken it on a trip where it worked flawlessly. The image quality has been very good. The movie feature is nice as long as you don't use the zoom. I recommend getting a 1GB SD card right away. The 16 MB one that comes with the camera is a joke. One of the most pleasing discoveries was that regular AA batteries lasted quite a long time. I typically don't use the LCD screen when I'm taking pictures so I'm sure that helps. I recommend taking the time to read the very detailed and complete manual as this little gem has a huge amount of features and capabilities to please any amateur/family photographer. Last but not least, Amazon offers this camera at a very attractive price not found on the street. Based on the pictures I've taken, I'd say that the quality is very good. Outside pictures are outstanding, and colors well balanced (you can always touch that up in Picasa or other). If you're looking for a versatile, low priced digital camera this one fits the bill. My A540 wasn't so hot
It sounds like most people on here like their Canon A540s. I wish I did too, but I had to return it yesterday. I'm no photographer, but I can follow directions, point-and-shoot, and use the automatic functions. But this camera took poor photos--flash photos had no depth or contrast, and the appearance was grainy and washed out at all resolutions except the highest. And I had to replace the batteries after each 35-40 photos. A photographer friend looked at the photos I'd taken, and said "Your camera should be taking better photos than this." There was no way to take photos without flash without having them come out blurry, even in bright light. I might have been able to take better photos were I to quickly learn what combos of f-stops and apertures would be best, but I needed pretty photos now. An old Sony Mavica I have used, at 2MP, takes better photos than this did. I suspect there might be some quality issues that compromised a small percentage of these cameras, because so many people (and Consumer Reports) are overall satisfied with this model--I wish I were among them. If you don't seem to be getting good photos out of your camera, I wouldn't waste any time returning it. You won't find a better camera unless you spend hundreds more.
This is a fantastic camera, especially for the price. The optical zoom of 4x is more than most cameras that cost $100 more and is invaluable for getting the perfect shot especially when coupled with 6 megapixels. Close ups are very nice and the picture quality is very good. The features go on and on. It can be pure point and shoot in "Automatic Mode" or it can replace a full-sized SLR in "Manual Mode" when you can't lug around a big camera. And with it's stitch assist and variety of lighting options, it can be anything in between. Though I haven't done so yet, you can apparently buy a variety of lens attachments for it, including a 10x optical zoom and a wide angle adapter. I cannot, however, vouch for these, though Canon's reputation for lenses would indicate good quality. I pretty much use it in place of a regular video camera now. It picks up sound as well as any camera without a boom-mike. I originally thought that the 1 gb limit on video clips would be too much of a limitation, it turns out that this gives you about 25 minutes (depending on your settings) of good quality video in one single clip, which is more than I ever use for one clip anyway. I tend to shoot shorter shots and edit them all together later. Though I don't use them much, there are also editing features for video on the camera itself. This is fine if you need it in a pinch and it lets you do just enough to do on-the-spot editing if you really need to. The one drawback, as others have stated, is the relatively low flash refresh time. I have found this to be tedious only in the darkest of circumstances. In medium light, it's fine with the flash. Also, because of the great amount of exposure and aperture control you have (especially for a 'point and shoot') the flash isn't always as necessary as it would be with other cameras. Finally, I used regular batteries for exactly two days before I bought rechargeable ones. I went through 6 batteries in 2 days, though admittedly these were not high end batteries designed for digital cameras. Still, spending $20 on batteries and a charger is a no-brainer, espeically when you end up using the camera as much as I have. And with all its great features and picture quality, it's hard not to. Finally sold on digital
With so many options out there this is a great choice for the average consumer. All the extras and easy to use. This is only my second digital camera and I love it. Until now I always reverted back to my 35MM. Only complaint is the inability to turn off the flash for night shots. Maybe I missed that in the advanced manual. Very happy overall! Outstanding camera and value!
I have an "ultra-zoom" (12x optical) camera. It's size/shape makes it anything but "compact". Was looking for a second camera to be able to carry in a pocket. Did a fair amount of research before selecting this camera. Was amazed at all the advanced features on such a small camera and the fairly inexpensive price. Takes great pictures on full Auto mode, have also used some of the advanced features to test them out and they work great as well. One thing I definitely wanted was a camera that used the same SD media as my other one so I could share cards between them. Like the flexibility to add different lenses, though I'll probably never buy one. Heck, you can even buy a waterproof case if you want to take pictures underwater! Pretty neat, if unlikely to be useful to most buyers. Great Camera for beginners!
Earlier in the year I was given a Canon PowerShot from my employer for work purposes. This was my first experience with a digital camera. Yes, I was still in the dinosaur age of the film camera! Nobody showed me how to use the camera and no instruction booklet came with it. The Canon PowerShots are easy enough to use that you can pick one up and start snapping away. After using a digital camera for almost a year now, I don't want to go back to a film camera. I bought the PowerShot A 540 for personal use and I LOVE it. My parents were so interested in my camera that they purchased one for themselves from Amazon. One negative I have about the camera is that sometimes the screen is a little fuzzy when reviewing what you have just photographed but it's by no means enough of a problem to prevent someone from purchasing the camera. If you want the camera to do all the work for you, all you need do is put it on "Automatic," focus and snap. Oh, the card that comes with the camera is basically useless, plan on getting a card that will hold more pictures. A++ batteries are used in the camera and even come with the camera when purchased. You can't go wrong with this digital camera! | ||