Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Reviews

• A camera that's powerful and a great value

  
  By A1B3H3YVW67074 on 2008-03-05
  I own a DSLR and consider myself a photography enthusiast. I wanted a small compact camera with me when I don't want to lug around my DSLR + lenses and equipment. After a previous good experience with the Canon A720 IS, the new A590 IS seemed like a good choice. Since I'm an advanced photographer, I'll focus on the advanced features of this camera. The auto modes work as well as any other camera in its class, but the extensive manual features is what sets apart the Canon A series. What I like about the camera:
  
  + Compact, stylish. It's smaller than older A Powershots, and the dark grey color gives it a seriousness compared to the typical bright silver finish.
  
  + Image stabilization works very well, it allows me to take blur-free photos 2-3 stops below the recommended shutter speed, that means at 35-50mm f2.8 1/10 sec shots are CONSISTENTLY possible indoors without using flash.
  
  + Good image quality. Expected from Canon, but even better is adjustable contrast, saturation, and sharpness settings, along with the typical JPG compression and resolution sizes.
  
  + Fast and responsive. I was surprised how responsive this camera is even compared with my DSLR. Shutter lag is very low for a compact digicam, and when I pre-focus with manual focus, it's even faster.
  
  + Manual modes. Aperture priority and shutter priority are great, the M mode is even better than other A Powershots such as the A720 because now there's a light meter on the right side that adjusts live based on what the camera thinks is the optimal exposure setting. And you can adjust aperture/shutter speed and see how it affects the final exposure. Ideally a live histogram would be even better, but this is very handy.
  
  + Manual focus. Although the LCD resolution is not good enough, even with the point zoom option, manual focus helps in close-up work and pre-focusing for action or creative photography.
  
  + Manual flash modes. In addition to automatic flash. The manual flash allows me to adjust the flash power in 3 levels, and prevents a pre-flash. This last part is important for using a remote optical slave flash. I can basically take professional looking studio pictures with this camera with my external flash equipment.
  
  + Optical viewfinder. I don't use this much yet, but can come in handy in bright sunlight conditions, or when battery conservation is needed.
  
  + Battery performance seems improved over previous A powershots too. The official specs give it 220 shots on regular alkalines and 500 on rechargeable NiMHs. Good news is they use common AA batteries that you can buy anywhere instead of proprietary models with specific chargers.
  
  Now the negatives. I hope Canon can improve these aspects in their future models.
  
  - Slow flash recycle times. This is to be expected from a camera that takes AA batteries. Would be nice if the LCD didn't blank out after a full flash discharge. Not a big deal since I use an external flash anyway, and the camera's flash is manually set to medium output as trigger (so recharge is faster). I would not want to give up the AA battery convenience for a faster flash recycle time though.
  
  - Higher resolution LCD. The 2.5" 115k resolution LCD is ok for framing and casual browsing, but higher resolution would be nice.
  
  -Live histogram while shooting. This feature is available when reviewing a photo, but not live. Other manufacturers have implemented this, and Canon should also, especially since the unofficial CHDK software mod allows such a feature.
  
  - Larger aperture would be nice. Such as f/2.0 (instead of f/2.6) at the wide end, and f/4.0 (instead of f/5.5) at the telephoto end. That way a lower (& less noisy) ISO can be used in dim conditions or when fast shutter speeds are needed to freeze action. All the electronics in the world can't replace a good large lens. Also allows more creative depth of field control.
  
  - A wider wideangle would be nice, 28mm instead of 35mm (35mm equiv). I'd rather see a wider wideangle than a longer zoom.
  
  - Video feature is not ideal. Optical zoom is not available during recording of video. And the more efficient MPEG4 compression is not used, so video files tend to be large. Also noticed at 640x480 resolution, the highest fps is now 20 instead of 30 from other A models. A definite step backwards.
  
  - Noise at higher ISOs. This is due to the smaller sensor on compact cameras. But 8 MP is probably the most pixels that can be crammed into a small 1/2.5" sensor. I'd rather have a cleaner picture at 6-7 MP than a noisy 8 MP picture. And if in-camera noise reduction is used, I'd like to see an adjustable setting for how much is being applied.
  
  - And if I were to be really critical: There's no indicator of what optical zoom level I'm at. Slight image noise is noticeable even at ISO 80 when I zoom in really close on a monitor view. When at the widest angle & aperture, there's slight barrel distortion and blurriness on the corners. Not many compact cameras can do better in terms of image quality, but I'm pointing them out here because even though this camera beats most of the competition, it still has room for improvement.
  
  So overall it's a great camera for the price. Offering great image quality with the auto settings for the casual user, but also a powerful set of features for the more advanced photographer.
  
  

• Nice features but way too much noise

  
  By A2343JT2XAY5U5 on 2008-04-04
  I bought the A590 as a camera to keep with me in the book bag/briefcase that I carry around most every weekday. You may recall the old saying that the camera you have with you (when you see a photo op) is your best camera. The A590 fills that role by virtue of its small size combined with full exposure control. The big problem is that the noise generated by putting 8 mpix on a tiny (1/2.5) sensor chip can overwhelm the image and render detail moot.
  
  I use Imagenomic NoiseWare combined with Photoshop Elements to reduce noise and sharpen the image as best I can. If possible I shoot at the lowest ISO setting, 80, which lowers the noise. I never go over ISO 100 if I can help it, and usually at -2/3 on the exposure control. It's much better to have the photo-editing software brighten up the image than the amplifier boosting the signal (and noise) from the sensor. When you play back the image on the camera's LCD, it should look a little dark -- never overly bright (which can also blow out details).
  
  Here are two other items about the Canon A-series cameras. My 15 year old son uses a Canon A720 for what are essentially snapshots and is very happy with it. If you don't crop substantially and aren't too picky about sharpness and noise, the camera is quite capable. From what I can tell, the A720 uses the same electronics (including the sensor and image stabilization) as the A590. The A720 has greater zoom capabilities (and hence a different lens system) and is a little bit larger and heavier. If I were going to get just one of these, I would go for the A720 because of the zoom.
  
  The second point is that the other camera I frequently use is a Canon A650, and it is far more capable than either the A590 or A720. The A650 has 12 mpix on a larger sensor (1/1.7). Comparing sensor sizes (available at www.dpreview.com/learn/?/key=sensor+sizes) and mpix shows that the A650's sensor has 1.75 times the area as those of the A590 and A720 with only 1.5 times the pix -- hence pix density is lower and the noise generated by the A650 is much better controlled. And because there are more pix, the noise gets smoothed over as a result of more little points covering the same area in the image. (FYI: Greater pix density on a sensor chip creates more noise.)
  
  I did a noise and sharpness test with all three of these cameras plus my Nikon D40 DSLR. I set two shoes, one black and one brown (the latter with lots of texture) on a rug, just beside a sunlit spot inside my house. The shoes were well lit but not in direct sun. I shot all of the cameras at 200 ISO (because that is as low as the Nikon would go) and f/5.6, with the exposure control at -2/3 of an f/stop.
  
  The results surprised me. For whatever reason, and despite several tries, I could not get the Nikon to focus adequately on the shoes -- this from a distance of about four feet. I know from experience that the Nikon D40, with 6 mpix on a 2/3 sensor (2/3 the size of a standard 35mm film frame) has extremely well controlled noise and excellent sharpness, but the inability to focus here took it out of the comparison.
  
  The superiority of the A650 to the A590 and A720 was startling. Keep in mind that I "zoomed" in on the images in Photoshop after I had transferred them to my 24" iMac (a great computer for photo editing). This made different sections of the shoes appear much larger (the laces were really telling), and the 12 mpix A650 (vs. 8 mpix of the others) had more pixes to work with for any particular area I looked at. Nonetheless, the other two cameras had so much noise that the details were overwhelmed and no amount of noise reduction and sharpening could change that. The A650's image was far sharper and clearer.
  
  The A650 has one other big advantage so far as I'm concerned and one drawback. The advantage is the articulating LCD, which I find extremely useful for many shots. Yesterday, I had to lay down on the cold, damp ground to get a shot with the A590, but with the A650 I would have put the camera at foot level and looked down into the cocked LCD. That is really nice, almost addicting. However, the A650's drawback is that it's bulky and surprisingly heavy, which is why I don't carry it along all the time.
  
  So you pay your money and take your choice -- or, like me, pay your money twice and have it both ways. Remember, the camera that you have with you is the best camera you own -- so think about what size and type of camera you want to carry plus when and how you will use it. For some people, that means owning more than one camera.
  
  
  
  

• Hard to beat

  
  By A10G4BPT5MGBHY on 2008-03-11
  These PowerShot "A" cameras are Canon's attempt to deliver the quality and features of its more expensive PowerShot "G" and PowerShot Pro "S" lines (such as full zoom lenses) at a budget price. The results are pretty good. (How do I know? Because I've actually gotten to use all of these cameras. I earn my living at Walt Disney World writing a travel guide, and nearly every day guests ask me to take photos of them with their own cameras, which most often are Canon PowerShots.)
  
  Here's my opinion of the top-selling "A" series cameras:
  
  A580. This 2008 model is an A590IS (see below) without image stabilization and with semi-automatic instead of manual controls. I'd spend the extra bucks for the A590IS, because those two features can make quite a difference.
  
  A650 IS. You can do a lot with this sweet little camera, though it may be more than you need. It has a flip-out LCD panel and the option of manual controls. The shots I've seen from this model look great. Keep your ISO under 800 and you won't get any noise.
  
  A720 IS. This fully-loaded 2007 model has all the toys, including a 6x zoom (35mm film equivalent of 35-210mm), image stabilization, adjustable flash power and optional second-curtain flash. This last feature means you can make the flash fire at the end of a long exposure, instead of the beginning, so moving subjects streak into focus instead of out.
  
  A470. This 2008 camera is great for kids or anyone just looking for a good basic camera. It includes Canon's face detection technology and has a zoom lens, 14 shooting modes and the ability to set exposure compensation, ISO and white balance manually. Plus it looks great, and is a good bargain.
  
  Finally, the A590IS (the camera on this page) is a 2008 upgrade to an older model, the A570IS. The face detection system works a little better than the one on its predecessor, and the new model is slightly rounder and easier to grip. I personally like that it has automatic and manual controls, though I haven't seen anyone using the manual set yet. Overall this camera is a fine performer, a great bargain and I think the best buy of the bunch. I bought one for myself.
  
  

• Worth the extra $30 over the A570is with mostly same or better features

  
  By AH1C9R4X8ZRVH on 2008-03-20
  Pros:
  The A590IS is the best point and shoot under $200 today (closer to $155 most places). I own an SD600 and my wife, friend, and father (all different people mind you!) own A570IS's. The A590IS is the new version of the A570IS, 2007's best selling camera. Generally, see the rave reviews of the A570IS if you want to know the major pros and cons (in summary: Image Stabilization is amazing, noise is limited, features of all there including manual controls [though no auto-bracketing which no other cameras at this price point have regardless], final picture quality is superior to all other brands at this price point and type, [i.e., point-and-shoot], good size). Rather, here I'll address the main improvements over the A570IS (which is about $30 cheaper):
  
  (1) The A590IS has 8mp vs. 7mp on the A570IS (negligible difference)
  
  (2) The A590IS is slightly faster between non-flash shots BUT slightly SLOWER before the first shot can be taken and slower between shots where flash is used (less than .5 second difference according to CNet)
  
  (3) It's charcoal/gray - minor change from silver, but I like it a lot.
  
  (4) It's "rounder" on the edges but no less stable in your hand, neither camera is too slippery like other overly polished cameras (also, no finger smudges as a result).
  
  (5) There is sometimes increased noise with higher MP cameras, this is NOT the case here - noise levels are similar.
  
  (6) there are some minor additional shooting modes and improvements to other shooting
  
  Cons:
  The only change that is not an improvement is the lowering of the frames per second in the video mode.
  A570IS: 640x480 = 30fps --- 320x240 = 60fps
  A590IS: 640x480 = 20fps --- 320x240 = 30fps
  
  Frankly, this is a bummer and cannon should correct it with firmware ASAP; however, the lower FPS is still quiet good, but this was a pointless change that is not appreciated -- the reality is that most people don't use video often and those who do will see a minimal difference ... if you're paying that much attention to the video you may be more interested in a different camera or a video camera.
  
  Conclusion:
  This will be the best selling camera of 2008 and it's a VERY safe purchase you won't regret (unless it gives you such a new found love for photography that suddenly you wish you had a Canon S5 or G7 ... which are more than twice as expensive!).
  
  

• Takes a licking....

  
  By A2JAVHCPG3CYI on 2008-03-28
  There are already great reviews out about Canon's A590is. I'd like to add that I bought this camera just before a 2-week trip to China. Well, it performed like a charm and I couldn't be more happy with my purchase, especially for such an affordable camera that has so many features. On the second day of my trip I was fumbling with the camera and dropped it from a height of 4 feet onto concrete. My heart was in my throat. Everyone stared. For the remainder of the trip the camera was just fine; not even a crack or scratch. I'm amazed. And because I had almost no time to look through the camera manual before I started taking photos, I'll add that this camera is very user-friendly and easy to figure out right out of the box. I especially like the image stabilization and video capture features. I was also pleasantly surprised by the long battery life. I took about 700 pictures on one set of batteries. Overall, a great camera.
  
  
• Great Camera with a Major Problem
  By A2R4EM300D3TNC on 2008-04-21
  I wanted a small camera that took decent photos in available light and had high ISO sensitivity. Image stabilization and a wide range of manual setting were also high on my list. This camera delivers all of that. I was pleased with the quality of the shots even up to ISO 800. ISO 1600 was roughly equivalent to what ISO 400 was on my previous small Canon camera so the A590 IS can cover a lot of range in lighting situations. What caught me almost totally by surprise was the extremely poor battery life. Even without using the flash it seems abysmal. I have taken approximately 60-70 test shots and gone through 2 sets of alkaline and one charge from a pair of NiMH rechargeables. Admittedly this was using the flash about 30% of the time but that's still totally unacceptable. I realize that AA batteries don't have the life of a proprietary lithium ion, but this camera's battery life is so bad it makes it almost unusable to me. Seemed like whenever I turned around it was telling me that the batteries were low and needed replacement. I used a battery tester to check them and found that they still registered pretty good so I'm wondering if the camera's battery level sensitivity is just wrong. Either that or this thing sucks power worse than any camera I have ever owned. Whatever the case, I am truly sorry I purchased this otherwise fine camera. I would much rather have decent battery life than the dubious "convenience" of replacing AA cells all the time.
  
  Update: With freshly charged 2500 mAh Ni-MH cells I am seeing an improvement in battery life, at least initially. So far I've taken 36 pictures and no low battery message yet. My previous usage was more intermittent so we'll see if these higher capacity rechargeable bring the camera up to what I consider reasonable battery life. My experience with alkalines is still totally unacceptable in my opinion.
  
  
• New Yorker
  By A2TDO5V8CPR3C on 2008-06-25
  Buyer beware! The A590IS requires two alkaline batteries; however the batteries last approximately one to two weeks or less than approx. 75 photos. The low battery indicator appears way too often.
  The A590IS has 8MP packed into a small sensor chip which causes the photo details/sharpness to be less than say a 5MP on the same size chip (it's called "noise" in a photo). Advice when buying a digital camera; more MP is not necessarily better. Look at the ratio of MP to chip size/capacity. The lower the ratio of MP to chip capacity = more noise, because the MP take too much space on the chip thus blurring the photo with more pixels. If you buy the A590IS, Canon packs 8MP on a small chip thus creating noise. I had a Canon A610 for two years; 5MP on a small chip but alot less noise than the A590. My A610's sensor chip died after two years (black LCD screen). Bottom line, digital camera technology is not reliable; the life expectancy is not long. At least film cameras lasted more than two years . . .
  
  
• Excellent Value!
  By ANVMWKAHO15E4 on 2008-03-20
  The Canon 590 takes fantastic photos! I've had trouble in the past with shaky pictures from other digital cameras. But with the built-in image stabilizer, they are clear and beautiful, even up close! I've gotten some great shots. I can even take close up photos of books to show on computer monitor and the text is clear and readable. Love the movie mode, too. I like the ease of point and shoot, but if you want to change manual settings are available too.
  
  
  
  
• Super Camera - Great Price
  By A294PVV990FBTV on 2008-06-03
  I have had this camera a little less than a month and have already taken 1200 pictures on it! 1089 of these were on on a trip to Alaska, while the rest were "practice" shots to become familiar with the camera. I am very impressed with the results as the beauty of our trip comes through perfectly in the photos.
  
  I bought this camera as a backup to my aging Canon S2IS with its 12X zoom, just in case it decided to quit during the trip. The S2 survived and was used almost as much as the 590 - just the opposite of what I expected. The size and convenience of the larger LCD screen on the 590 quickly made it a favorite of mine, and my wife's. Because the Canon controls were very similar on both cameras, it was easy to learn, and switch between cameras. The newer Zoom Browser software is better than the S2's, but similar and was easy to learn.
  
  I have not figured out how to disable the flash on the Auto setting, other than after I turn the camera on. The camera takes great shots inside with some light, and the flash washes some of these out, if used. I feel the default setting should be "Off" for the flash, even in the Auto setting, but can understand why it is "On". I just have to remember to turn the flash off whenever I turn the 590 on.
  
  The only complaint I had of the 590 was the slowness of taking a picture. However, I discovered in my haste to get a new memory card before the trip, I had picked up an SD card, rather than an SDHC card. I feel the new SDHC card I ordered will solve that problem.
  
  I used the Landscape setting for many shots of Mt. McKinley, Denali, glaciers, and others with great results.
  
  Thanks to Amazon and the reviews submitted by other 590 owners, I am really enjoying this PowerShot and the unbelievable beauty of Alaska that it captured!
  
  
• The Canon A590IS has it all.
  By A1HGXLP6WATS4B on 2008-09-07
  The A590IS, based on price, is considered to be a budget or entry level camera. However, especially at this price point, it is feature rich including many not found in more expensive models. The feature set will appeal to a wide variety of people from those who want nothing more than an auto-focus point-and-shoot to the camera buff who wants a full set of manual controls, including manual focus, and to everyone in between. I was especially pleased that Canon included a viewfinder on this model, something that is being dropped from many product lines in favor of only an LCD screen. Anyone who has ever tried to compose a shot in bright sunlight only to find the LCD screen washed out or impossible to see will appreciate this feature.
  
  I applaud Canon for developing a small camera with more attention to function rather than to style and minimal size. Many cameras can be found with dimensions smaller than a playing card or credit card but lack even basic controls, much less easy to use buttons. While the A590IS may not fit in the pocket of your jeans, it will fit into a jacket pocket or a moderately sized shirt pocket. Rather than being a flat or rounded rectangle this camera design feels good in your hand and feels secure during use.
  
  Performance and picture quality was another pleasant surprise at this price point. Picture noise is not noticeable until ISO 400 and degrades rapidly at ISO 800 and above. Translated to laymen's terms, this means your shots will be crystal clear unless you specifically set the ISO to a high number for non-flash, low-light shots. Image stabilization is excellent throughout the three settings (off is also selectable). There are three auto-focus modes plus off including face detect which will automatically detect up to 9 faces in a shot and adjust the camera settings automatically so that faces are correctly exposed in your shot. Unless one of your subjects is moving fast, the camera detects the movement and adjusts according. The 4X optical zoom is a rarity in this price range with most not exceeding 3X. Combined with the 4X digital zoom you have a camera that is capable of mild wide angle to moderate telephoto. Color rendition is excellent and I have read a number of technical reviews that place it as nearly perfect. One of your many shooting options is "vivid" which increases contrast and heightens the colors in your shot. The camera's ability to shoot movies with sound is better than expected. However Canon did reduce the performance from the A590's predecessor to only 20 fps in 640x480. To get 30 fps you must drop down to the 320x240 size. Unlike my old digital, you can continue to shoot in movie mode until your memory card is full, not in shorter segments. Redeye reduction is accomplished with two methods which can be combined or shut off entirely, a redeye light and digital correction. Unfortunately, no camera manufacturer I am away of offers something that will work with pets so their eyes will often come out glowing green or gold in a flash shot.
  
  Canon's decision to power the A590IS with AA batteries was sound. Avoiding a proprietary battery aided them in keeping the cost low. Replacement of a proprietary battery can cost upwards of $40. I would recommend purchasing a set of 2500 mAh NiMH rechargeable batteries and a good charger if you use your camera a lot. If you find your batteries dying and unable to plug in your charger, you can always pick up a set of AA batteries nearly anywhere. Battery life with the A590IS is reportedly one of the best with up to 450 shots. But if you are like I am and use all the bells and whistles as well as flash, expect battery life to be much lower, typical with any camera.
  
  As with anything, there are always some cons. Writing to the memory card is a bit slow, especially in continuous shooting mode although still respectable for a camera in this class. I found that it did improve when I upgraded to a faster SD card (class 6+). As with all of Canon's A-series PowerShot cameras, flash recycle time leaves something to be desired approaching 5 seconds. Unless you are someone who wants to take rapid-fire shots using a flash, performance is acceptable. The LCD view screen is pretty low resolution and displays a lot of noise. Much to my relief the actual shots turn out much better than what you see on the view screen. When in movie mode with sound, I found that using the zoom or other buttons translates into an audible sound during playback.
  
  In summary, I suppose it is possible to find a budget camera that will exceed the A590IS in one or two categories but the Canon has good, solid, balanced performance in all areas. I'd much prefer solid performance over stellar performance in one or two areas and below average performance everywhere else. It is by no means a high-performance SLR, but at $149 I can buy 10 of these before approaching what I paid for my SLR 10 years ago and I don't need to drag along 2 camera bags to take good quality shots. If I'd paid over $500 for the A590IS I'd probably rate it at 4 stars, but at $149 it earns a solid 5 stars for performance, features, and quality with the Pro's far outweighing the Con's.
  
  A note about using SDHC (high capacity) memory cards. The a590IS comes with a regular 32mb SD card but can utilize the SDHC format. Make sure your computer (or other device) can utilize the SDHC format before buying a SDHC card as the format is not the same as an SD card. The SDHC is nearly idential in size and shape to the SD card which has led to some confusion. However, all is not lost. There are plenty of very inexpensive card readers out there that can read the SDHC format and upload to your computer or other device. SCHC cards are most often found in 4gb, 8gb, and 16gb capacities.
  
  
• Optional Purchase
  By A1N1J5DQULM1TZ on 2008-04-04
  This camera is really nice. I like that you can add external lenses (sold seperately) to the camera. If you are interested in this option, check out the bundle package from 49 St. Photo (sold through Amazon) that includes two lenses and lots of other goodies for only $100 more.
  
  My favorite features of this camera include manual mode (or shutter or aperature priorty), auto rotates pictures, long battery life, great movie quality w/ sound, can turn off digital zoom, has an easy mode, face detection is cool, and you can add an external lens.
  
  Cons to the camera include a little bit bulky, slow recharge time after each picture, and that's about it. I never write reviews but I felt I needed to for this since I liked it so much.
  
  
  
  
• Nice Camera for More Professional Use - Not Necessarily Personal Use
  By A2LU1XQU394ZL3 on 2008-07-09
  When it came time to buy a digital camera I wavered between the Cannon and the Sony CyberShot. I bought the Cannon for three reasons:
  1. more megapixals
  2. 4x zoom
  3. price was right
  
  And make no mistake, this is a nice camera. BUT...for what I was wanting, just a basic, personal use camera, it's not ideal. It has a lot of nice features on it that I will never use. It's not the easiest camera to figure out and use. The dials/menus take some studying.
  
  My mother bought the Sony Cybershot and after seeing her camera, I wish that I had too.
  
  If you are looking for just a good basic camera, shy away from this model. Don't get pulled in by the extra features...unless you have some training in photography and know how to use the manual settings, most of the extra features you won't use. And the basic features are not as "user friendly" as you would expect.
  
  
• Canon Powershot A590IS
  By A1451WNQDLL505 on 2008-05-04
  This is an excellent camera for the money! It is small enough to carry in a pocket but still large enough to feel good and have a viewfinder so that you can turn the viewing screen off to save the battery. We have taken several hundred photographs so far and are still on the first set of batteries. The photos are excellent quality and the camera is easy to use but sophisticated enough to allow a wide variety of individual priority's such as aperture or timing. It also has the image stabilizer so that unfamiliar people can take photos without blurring them. I would buy it again without hesitation.
  
  
• Great point and shoot
  By A20A3ULZ746RGP on 2008-04-11
  I bought the A590 as our first digital camera. We just came back from a trip to England where we took more than 300 pictures. We haven't printed them yet, but they look great on our computer. We even took some action shots during a soccer/football match, and most of those look great also. We took all our shots in the auto mode.
  
  When we were considering buying this camera, it was a bit confusing to read all the reviews about the more exotic features of this camera. I suppose it's nice to have all those features available on this camera, but I'm not sure those features are relevant to someone like me who is simply looking for a good "point and shoot" camera. I'm glad I bought the A590, and would recommend it to my friends.
  
  
• Big Disappointment
  By AY6HLF3VRZDJ5 on 2008-06-09
  I did a fair amount of homework before buying the Canon Power Shot A590 IS with face recognition technology and image stabilization. Although it received many good reviews, my experience with the camera was very disappointing. Thw first big surprise was that although this is labeled a point and shoot digital camera, it has many features that allow an experienced photographer to modify the settings and make custom modifications. I'm not an experienced photographer and was easily overwhelmed by the choices, especially since the instruction manual jumped right in discussing these things before it even explained the basics of how the camera worked. The book didn't get to the basics until page 40! I have 2 other digital cameras that I've used for several years so I am familiar with how many digital cameras are set up----not that this helped. This model Canon represents some significant design changes in digital cameras which I wasn't prepared for. To make things worse, the instruction manual in many cases was incomplete or inaccurate. I quickly became best friends with Canon's technical support department just to learn how to use the camera! Although the tech reps were pleasant and tried to be helpful, sometimes they didn't know the whole story either. I also had problems with the software that comes with the camera for downloading pictures to my computer and editing them. When I first installed it, it worked fine. Then everytime I used it something went wrong and I had to call tech support for assistance. The problem would get resolved only to reappear a few days later and the prior solution wouldn't work any more. Even the tech reps couldn't explain why While the camera worked OK most of the time, it didn't function correctly all of the time which was really frustrating. Also the picture quality was inconsistent. Some pictures came out good, others (taken the same way) were lousy. I had so many problems with both the camera and software, even though they were brand new, I came to the conclusion that maybe I got a defective model so I returned it. After everything the camera put me through, I didn't want to waste my time trying another one so I am looking for a different digital camera to replace my older ones. If you are considering buying this camera, I wish you luck. You'll need it!
  
  
  
• Nice, But Not What It Should Be
  By AMF9A7V2KG839 on 2008-06-09
  I have a Canon A570, it has always turned out great results, very consistant, very very pleased with it. Highly recommend it,I used to be into 35mm photography for years ran around all over with a bag full of lenses, becoming a senior citizen changed all that, so, the Canon A 570 arrived, does a beautiful job, allows me to fool around somewhat.
  My wife saw a 590, loved it, we bought it, well, its a beautiful thing, from the start up, the photos were not as good as the 570, in fact, just not that good, period. We were unhappy with it and returned it, I firmly believe the 590 we received was defective, yeah, even Canon goofs,, photos were not clear, flash did not work right, lens was bad, other than that it was great, have seen tourists here in Manhattan using the 590, spoke with them, saw their results, gorgeous, soooooooooo,I think we may reorder it from Amazon for my wife, firmly convinced I got one that slipped through, Canon is a great company, but we all goof occassionly
  
  
• Not great, not bad
  By A27VE8S9PEXAZ4 on 2008-05-19
  I read reviews on quite a few cameras before purchasing this one, so I had high hopes that it would live up to my expectations. My usual camera of choice is a Canon digital SLR, but I wanted a small point-and-shoot digital for times when I can't carry my big camera around.
  
  This camera is okay. The photos taken indoors with flash are often dark and a bit grainy, especially if the zoom is used at all. I'm rarely happy with the way my indoor shots turn out. It does best outdoors - those photos have much better color and brightness. However, in auto mode it does a poor job with moving objects - they always blur. I have to play around a bit with the other modes to see if I can get better action shots with it.
  
  In summary, this camera isn't as good as I hoped, but it's better that having no camera at all.
  
  
• I'm Happy
  By A1P4RH7KMJ1SV2 on 2008-08-25
  I purchased this camera as an upgrade/companion to my Canon Powershot S2IS because I needed a smaller camera to carry in my purse, and the A590IS to be very similar to the S2 -- so I thought I wouldn't have to rely too heavily on the owner's manual to learn how to do everything (this has turned out to be mostly true). The A590IS is superior to the S2 in many ways. It's lighter. It's smaller (about 10% smaller in length and height, and half the size of the S2, depth-wise.) It uses 2 AA batteries instead of 4. It has 8 megapixels instead of 5. Best of all, it doesn't have a separate lens cap that likes to fall off all the time! (It has an automatic lens cover instead.) However, the optical zoom is considerably less on this one (4x instead of 12x) and it's a bit more difficult to take videos (you have to put the camera in video mode with the A590, whereas with the S2 you just had to press the record button.) One thing I really miss on the A590 is the rotateable LCD screen that the S2 had; but I guess if this camera had one of those, it couldn't be as small as it is!
  
  One of the reasons I chose this particular camera, as opposed to selecting one of the many other, smaller cameras currently on the market, was that this camera has a viewfinder in addition to the LCD screen. Viewfinders on digital cameras are hard to come by anymore, but they are very useful if you're trying to take a picture when it's bright outside (making the LCD picture almost impossible to see.)
  
  Overall, I am happy with the A590IS. I like the fact that it's small (by no means the smallest camera on the market, but small enough for my purse or even a coat pocket). I like that it can take good photos in many different conditions. I am most impressed with its ability to get good shots outside at night, even without the flash. I took a photo of some friends in front of a Ferris wheel at the fair. The sun had just set, so the sky was dark, and while there were lights around from the rides, the lighting conditions weren't ideal. The photo still came out beautiful and bright, with the lights from the Ferris wheel noticeable, yet my friends weren't washed out or too dark in the photo. I also took "experimental" shots of the different rides at the fair. Depending on which mode I used, I could either get a clean shot of a lit-up ride with the black sky in the background, or I could get an "artsy" shot (while the ride was moving) using a setting where the shutter was a bit slower.
  
  A few cons: The battery life isn't anything to write home about; I had to change the batteries twice during a recent 5-day vacation (to compare, I only had to change the batteries once on a 10-day vacation with the S2 a few years ago.) Also, I still get blurry photos from time to time, for no apparent reason. The subject is still, my hands are steady, and yet photos can still turn out blurry. This can be kind of frustrating. This used to happen with the S2, too, though, so maybe it's just me.
  
  If you want the smallest camera on the market, or one with the most megapixels or zoom capabilities, then the A590 may not be for you. If you want a camera that's kind of in the middle of everything (except picture quality), check this one out. For the amount of features it has and the quality of the photos, I think the price is good.
  
  
• point-and-click simplicity
  By A2G05P7VY5PRNH on 2008-06-02
  LOVE this camera! I'd never even held a digital camera in my hand before purchasing the 590IS in April '08 for a May Mediterranean cruise. This wonderful piece of technology produced amazing shots, many postcard-perfect. There are so many settings that I have yet to learn about but in the meantime, the "Auto" setting works just fine for me in any photo situation. No disappointments there. Great price, great product.
  
  
• Canon Powershot A590IS
  By A1EVQWTP1LHNOC on 2008-07-02
  Fourth digital camera I've owned and one of the best. I'm not into a lot of gadgetry so I haven't used all the features but for a quick point and shoot it's a nice piece. Upgraded to 2GB SD memory card and that gives me plenty of space for over 500 photos even at the highest resolution.
  
  
• Good Camera - Good snapshots
  By A13INHN7UX7JY5 on 2008-07-22
  I bought this camera to take with me when my DLSR or my super zoom is just too heavy or too bulky to take along. The old saying is that the best camera for the job, is the camera you have!! I did not wish to spend a lot of money but wanted to still have image stablization, control over exposure and aperture, and decent image quality, all while using SD memory cards since I have many. This camera is a reasonable compromise. The images are acceptably crisp and can be made even sharper in post processing, the manual controls work great, and the size certainly allows me to put it into my pocket. If you are looking for a snapshot camera the Canon A590 can certainly produce the goods. I haven't found the slow recycle time of the flash to be a problem and and the rechargeable NiMH batteries I'm using are still going strong after a couple of hundred pictures with about a third being taken with flash. You can adjust the vividness of the color along with the sharpness and the contrast to taste. The exposures seem accurate and exposure conpensation can be used to help with "blown" skies, a problem with many digital cameras, it seems.
  
  Having the memory card located with the batteries certainly saves in manufacturing cost (only a single door) but when I remove the card, sometimes the batteries also fall out, but this isn't really a serious issue - I just have to be careful.
  
  
  I do wish that this camera had a wider angle lens (maybe 24 mm equivalent in 35 mm camera terms) since there are times I want effects that these wide angle lenses produce. Of course I knew that the camera did not do this when I bought it and many casual users would probably not miss this feature unless they previously had a camera that a lens of this type.
  
  In summary, given this camera's price point, it's an excellent value.
  
  
• Outdoor pics always overexposured
  By A3BZCL16RNC6T3 on 2008-09-19
  I had a Canon camera before and was very satisfied with it. It was old and I decided to buy a new one. I decided for this model after some research. I took into consideration its new processor (DIGIC III) because it is a compact camera and most of time I use the auto configuration.
  
  BUT for my surprise almost all (about 90% I'd say) of the pics I take outdoors get over exposured. I have missed hundreds of good shots because of this problem. If I was supposed to manually adjust all the parameters, I'd go for a professional camera.
  
  I am completely unsatisfied with it.
  
  There are some "cool" features like the face detection and bla bla bla, but the important part (I mean, to take good pics), this camera is not able to.
  
  After this experience, I won't go for Canon any more.
  
  
• Bigger than I expected
  By ANRIIXKO1L40Y on 2008-05-19
  Camera seemed nice enough, but I was looking for something significantly smaller. I only turned it on once, but I noticed a significant delay between shots when using the flash. Not a great feature when you are trying to take pictures of kids. I returned it for the Canon SD1100is, which I love.
  
  
• easy to use digital camera
  By AYRS87PMQYEDR on 2008-06-05
  Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
  
  We got this camera because our A620 failed to work right before my daughter's 5th Birthday. I opted for another Canon because we really liked the ease of use and quality of pictures from the A620. We'd used that camera almost daily with 5 y/o and 2.5y/o kids.
  THe A590IS works OK. The pictures are adequate, but seem to be less defined than the A620. My only other real complaint is the recharge time from picture to picture. THe A620 is faster (maybe two extra batteries helps?). The decrease in battery use (two from four) makes the A590IS lighter, but also 'feels cheaper'. We ae overall satisfied, but we went ahead and got the A620 fixed since we really like it's design and functionality.
  Mike
  
  
• I love this camera!
  By A3Q82A8PNL3180 on 2008-07-26
  I purchased this camera after doing quite a bit of research. I really wanted something that would allow me to learn a bit and do more then just point and shoot. well, I'm learning alot and having a great time with it! Have taken some absolutely awesome shots! Caught a bumbly bee in flight! I'm sure there are some features that will never be used, but look forward to trying out some others. Was warned about the AA battery annoyance, but purchased the rechargeable batteries and pack so have been just switching them. Also purchased a card reader ($9.00) which saves your batteries from downloading. Am very glad that i decided against the other Canon model that did not have a viewfinder, even though that one seemed like it would also be an awesome choice. this camera comes with a computer disc that has great options for organizing and editing your photos. Overall, I am thrilled with this camera and think it was well worth the price.
  
  
• Fabulous! Just what I wanted
  By A31CI768J1LYZZ on 2008-07-27
  Just a short note to let you know that I had some reservations about this item because of the claims of short battery life. I looked at a lot of other cameras and was hoping for some great features without having to go to the fancy schmancy cameras. For the price, I think it's a great buy. It is easy to use, it has a lot of great features and you can use manual functions but I haven't needed to yet because of all of the options including "night scene", "kids and pets", "foliage" and so on. The camera came with two basic alkaline batteries and I've literally taken a couple hundred pictures and they're still working. I don't use the flash very often, so this may contribute to the longer battery life, but I generally use rechargeable Ni-MH batteries, so I'm not too worried about the future battery life once these freebies wear out.
  
  
• More than your money's worth!
  By AJ7413ZDW3VQO on 2008-05-31
  I bought this camera as a gift for my girlfriend because it satisfied my two main requirements: 1) it could be operated by someone who is not interested in learning the basics of camera design and features, and still produce reliable, quality photographs and 2) be capable of doing much more if one should so desire.
  
  Apparently, the model one step down (the 580, I believe) is void of manual override controls, so for a small amount more one can get that capability in the 590. After using the camera for a few weeks I have determined that it actually does produce very sharp, nicely color toned pictures if you simply put it on AUTO or P, point, remember to hold the shutter half way down for a second to focus, and shoot. Perhaps learning when to force the flash to provide fill would be a handy, not too complicated step to learn, one which would greatly improve most backlit shots. I'm still trying to teach that :-) (it's only one button, hey!!)but I think I will eventually succeed. All in all, you can carry it anywhere and use it quickly and easily and without any real knowledge or skill manage to eke out a decent (if not really lovely) exposure.
  
  If you understand something about how modern cameras are programmed, the manual controllability of this little demon will delight you. In bright light situations, it's a good thing to be able to use the traditional viewfinder which is not always provided these days in many other point and shoots. And if you wanted a quality shot, understanding how to use the many features intelligently, I think you will be amazed that the file produces such a high quality photograph. Five years ago it would have cost many hundreds more to achieve this quality, and now it's available for a pittance. Progress.
  
  I haven't delved into the technical aspects of this camera here because I am assuming that most people who are looking for this kind of one would not be that interested. Suffice to say, this little camera does lots of stuff and it does it all with ease and grace and for a low price. Sounded good to me, and I'm glad I bought it. You could do different for the price, but not, I don't think, better. Highly recommended.
  
  
• Wow!
  By A55F5TJZ2732H on 2008-06-19
  Don't you just love it when you spend the time to shop around and really go after something that does what you want and you find it? at a great price?? I love this camera!! I just recently purchased it so I have a long way to go on trying all the settings and options this camera offers... BUT! so far I am very much "wowed".
  
  The ability to "play" with the settings and experiment was what drew me to photography when I was younger. Those options, the versitility that goes with 8MP, along with ability to change lenses (I got the 3.2x telephoto and .45x wide angle) plus filters? It's what drew me to this camera and setup.
  
  Real easy to use and I've already gotten compliments on the photos I've taken. And when they do mention the pics they get an earful of praise directed to the reason the photos are so good with a quick demonstration of my new toy! ;) Love that nice big crystal clear LCD!! and easy to read and understand menu. With a brand new grand daughter I will be trying real hard to wear the buttons off this one! :P Did the research and I found a real winner.
  and the price! 5 stars, 2 thumbs and 2 big toes up! Sweet little camera with big results! Can't be beat IMO! Did I mention I love this camera?
  
  
• Great Camera!
  By A16NRHWBZCEBGL on 2008-07-22
  I really like this camera. It is easy to use, takes great pictures, and has plenty of zoom. I looked at so many cameras before purchasing this one. This one had the best features and quality of all the cameras in this price range. I was really impressed with the quality of the video it produced, as I didn't expect very much from a digital camera.
  
  I am glad I got a camera with a view finder as I have found on very sunny days at the ballfield, the LCD can be a little difficult to see details of what you are capturing. The viewfinder, though, shows you enough of what you are shooting and comes in handy.
  
  The night scene mode really is a blessing as I have taken night shots with and without this mode, and it makes such a huge difference in night photography.
  
  Speed is not an issue as well. I took a picture of my son jumping into the pool and I caught him just as he was entering the water. There was relatively no blur and it looks as if he is standing on top of the water!
  I also took pictures of him throwing a baseball and there was no blur in those photos as well.
  
  Again, this camera exceeded my expectations and I doubt that anyone would be disappointed in purchasing this camera. Plus it's hard to go wrong with Canon's quality.
  
  
  
• Not bad
  By A1CNLT51WTZG9 on 2008-05-28
  Let me start by saying I returned this camera already. The main reason was because the wife wanted to go back to something smaller aka a subcompact camera. I had to agree with her there after a few days of using the camera.
  
  Second, she did not like the recharge time between flash pictures. I didn't time it, but it seemed like at least 5 or 6 seconds. I guess that's fairly typical of cameras with 2 AA batteries, but I could be wrong.
  
  The subcompact we had before (Canon SD600) seemed alot better in this regard. It used a proprietary lithium rechargeable battery though.
  
  My beef with the camera was the video wasn't as good as our previous SD600 camera. And I guess the specs don't lie because they state 20 fps for 640x480 video instead of 30 fps with most other Canon digital cameras. The IS seemed like it made the video more stable, but it also made panning with the camera more choppy. It wasn't a huge beef as I don't take alot of video with a digital camera, but it was annoying they made the video worse.
  
  I also thought the construction was a bit cheap with the shell of the camera being plastic instead of metal. The zoom lever seemed a bit cheap too.
  
  Now the good. I like the dial on the camera. It lets you quickly select a shooting mode. Very handy. On a subcompact you have to select modes through the menus at least on the old Canon we had. The pictures seem fairly nice. I wouldn't say they were better than our previous camera, but certainly I didn't notice they were that much worse either. The fact it uses AA batteries is convenient because AA batteries are everywhere and the access to the batteries, memory card and ports are easier to work with. (It's not as tiny as on a subcompact.) And this camera has lots of manual settings.
  
  ULtimately though the camera wasn't as sleek and small as the subcompact we had before. It didn't take as nice of video and it seemed slower in between pictures specifically flash pictures.he only advantage to this one over a ~$200 CAnon subcompact would seem to be the convenience of AA batteries and a slightly greater zoom although perhaps some would find a larger camera easier to hold.
  
  

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