Canon PowerShot A570 IS Easy Digital Camera Review

The Canon PowerShot A570 IS brings trendy technology at an affordable price. This camera has optical image stabilization and face detection technology along with a full range of exposure modes that cater to those who enjoy manual control and those who prefer the camera to do it all. The 7.1-megapixel A570 sells for under $200.

Most point-and-shoot cameras come with a standard 3x lens, but the Canon A570 comes with a 4x lens equipped with optical image stabilization. Few cameras in this price range offer image stabilization, Panasonic offering most of them as all of its Lumix models have image stabilization. Canon’s technology keeps videos stable and reduces the number of blurry pictures.

The camera’s 3.5 x 2.5 x 1.7-inch shell isn’t very sturdy. It’s made of plastic and it shows scuffs and dings. If you want it to remain flawless, you should invest in a small carrying case to protect it. Though it’s a bit too thick for most pants pockets, it is still very portable.

On the back of the camera body is a 2.5-inch LCD screen with only 115,000 pixels. This resolution isn’t very good, so you will be able to see the individual red, green, and blue dots. Only when you look at the screen from afar will it look halfway decent. Other components include a miniscule optical viewfinder, which should be avoided because it doesn’t accurately depict what the picture will actually look like, and a flash that is effective to about 11 feet in front of the camera.

The Canon PowerShot A570 IS takes great pictures, considering its low price. The colors in photos taken with the camera look just as you see them and it can even handle low light situations quite well. The camera has an accurate auto focus system and face detection technology to help photographers snap perfect portraits. Face detection works by detecting faces in the view and adjusting the focus and exposure accordingly so they’ll always look great.

Exposure modes range from the fully manual, with access to a 15-1/2000^th of a second shutter speed range and f/2.8-8 apertures, to the 13 scene modes – and everything in between. Canon includes all the familiar faces in the scene selection and throws in a few interesting ones like Underwater and Aquarium (although this camera isn’t waterproof, so an optional underwater housing is required to actually shoot underwater).

Canon PowerShot A570 IS - THE BOTTOM LINE.... Rating: 407.86

Likes

- Face detection - Image stabilization - Excellent color performance - Manual controls - Low price

Dislikes

- Cheap plastic body - Shutter lag - Slow burst mode - Eats AA batteries

Canon PowerShot A560 Rating: N/A	Fujifilm FinePix F40fd Rating: 384.58	Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7 Rating: N/A	Pentax Optio W30 Rating:368.86	Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W35 Rating: 344.94
Better	Better	Better	Better	Better
- Wider f/2.6 aperture - Slightly faster 1.7 fps burst mode - Sells for about $170, a little cheaper	- 8.3 megapixels - ISO up to 2000 - Accepts xD and SD cards - Cleaner nearly noise-less pictures - LCD has twice the resolution at 230k pixels - Flash reaches 21 ft - Comes in silver, blue, and gunmetal - More compact at 3.8 x 2.3 x 0.9 inches - IrSimple wireless transfer technology - 300-shot lithium-ion battery	- Cheaper by a few bucks - 6x optical zoom lens - Brighter f/2.8-4.5 max apertures - White balance adjustment - Powerful flash reaches 17 ft - Smaller 3.9 x 2.5 x 1.3-inch body - 3 fps burst mode - Widescreen movies - 21 scene modes including Aerial Photo - Wider 60-1/2000 shutter speed range - f/2.8-12.7 aperture range	- Much more durable aluminum alloy body - Waterproof - More compact 4.2 x 2.1 x 0.9-inch measurements - ISO to 3200 - Voice recording mode - 20 scene modes - 200-shot lithium-ion battery - 22 MB internal memory	- More aesthetically pleasing body - 56 MB of internal memory - 380 shots on battery - Cheaper: it retails for $179 - Wider f/2.8-13 aperture range - Flash effective to 12.8 ft
Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal	Equal
- Looks identical - 7.1 megapixels - Face detection - 4x optical zoom lens - 640 x 480 movies - Powered by two AA batteries - Optical viewfinder - 2.5 inch LCD with 115k pixels - 15-1/2000 shutter speeds - ISO up to 1600 - Flash effective to 11 ft - SD card compatible	- Face detection technology - Max aperture of f/2.8 in wide - 2.5-inch LCD screen - Mode dial - 640 x 480 movies - 13 scene modes including Underwater - Manual ISO settings to 1600 - f/2.8-8 aperture range	- Optical image stabilization - Manual, priority and automatic exposure modes - 7.2 megapixels - 2.5 inch LCD with 115k pixels - Plastic body - Mode dial - 640 x 480 videos at 30 fps - Runs on two AA batteries	- 7.1 megapixels - 2.5 inch LCD with 115k pixels - Flash effective to 11 ft - 640 x 480 videos at 30 fps - PictBridge compatible - Compatible with SD, SDHC, MMC cards	- 7.2 megapixels - 640 x 480 movies - Optical viewfinder - Black & White and Sepia color modes - PictBridge compatible
Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse	Worse
- No image stabilization - No manual exposure modes - LCD doesn’t fold out and rotate	- No image stabilization - Shorter 3x optical zoom lens - More expensive with $299 retail - Colors not as accurate - Burst mode only saves two shots at 1.3 fps - No manual exposure mode - Shorter 4-1/2000 shutter speed range	- No face detection - No optical viewfinder - No manual exposure mode - ISO to 1250	- No optical image stabilization, digital only - No face detection - More expensive at about $270 - Internal 3x optical zoom lens - LCD doesn’t fold and rotate - No mode dial - No manual exposure mode - Small f/3.3 max aperture	- Smaller 2-inch LCD screen with 85k pixels - Shorter 3x optical zoom lens - ISO up to 1000 - Requires Memory Stick Duo Pro card for 30 fps movies - No manual white balance - Only 7 scene modes - Slower 1.1 fps burst mode - Limited shutter speeds from 1-1/2000