One of the latest editions to the Canon family is the 4-megapixel Canon PowerShot A520. This nice little camera is smaller and lighter than the PowerShot A85 that came before it. By adding a longer zoom lens and additional new scene modes, this camera is nicely equipped.

Those both experienced and new to photography will be pleased with what the Canon PowerShot A520 has to offer. What’s even tougher to beat than this camera’s features is its great value-for-money appeal making it a camera to consider if in the market for a camera purchase.

The only true design change with the Canon PowerShot A520 is in its size. It is essentially a compacted version of the A85 as a result of this model operating on two double-A batteries whereas the A85 operated on four.

Outside of size, the only other obvious differences are that the AF assist lamp on the front has been relocated to the opposite side of the optical viewfinder and if you look close, you will notice the microphone is slightly shifted.

The LCD is still 1.8 inches (diagonal), but the lens has undergone some changes: It is now an f/2.6 to f/5.5, 5.8- to 23.2-mm (35- to 140-mm, 35-mm equivalent), 4X optical zoom lens.

The optical system of the Canon PowerShot A520 has obviously been carefully thought out to enable one to take great photos. The digital camera comes with a 4.2 megapixel resolution and a 4x optical zoom. It also features an impressive ISO range of 50 to 400, along with a shutter speed range of 15 - 1/2000 sec.

The Canon PowerShot A520 retains the excellent level of manual control of previous A-series models, including Program, Shutter priority, Aperture priority, and Manual modes, accessible via the top-mounted mode dial. The dial also offers five common shooting modes (Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Slow Shutter, and Fast Shutter), as well as Stitch Assist and Movie mode.

The menu system is also unchanged and still provides good ease of use balanced by abundant options, though we’d like to see the scene modes illustrated with some on-screen help and sample images, as in Casio’s excellent menus on the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z55, for example

The Canon PowerShot A520’s battery life using the two included alkaline double-A batteries is quite good, and the camera is rated for up to 300 shots according to the CIPA standard (using NiMH double-A batteries).

Pictures are stored in SD memory cards with the Canon A520. It is considered standard in digital cameras today to be equipped with at least a 512 MB memory card and may are supporting a 1GB card. With the USB 2.0 interface, transferring pictures from the camera to the PC is simple.

There have been confirmed reports that the Canon PowerShot A520 is generally quite slow. The controls are not responsive enough - frequently one had to press a button more than once to perform the desired operation.

Hopefully you have found this overview of the Canon PowerShot A520 to be helpful. Should you be looking for a reasonably priced yet nicely equipped digital camera, you may very well find it in the Canon A520. Make sure to check out not only this camera but other comparable cameras to find the best suit for you.