Canon A530?? Or what do I buy?

[tornerito]

Hello,
As you can probably see, I'm new on here. And I have a question, What is the reputation the Canon A530 has in the photography world? I am interested in buying a better camera than the one I have(HP Photosmart 433) ,and for the price I see it as a good option. I have used one some(a friend has one) and have been really impressed by the Macro mode and the picture quality in general. But, I want to know, do they have any notorious "glitches" or trouble spots? Is there a better buy in the range of 200$? What do you think of the new "bonus kits" available on Ebay that include: 4 rechargeable batteries,charger,carrying case,and 1GB SD card, and go for around $190? Is it worth paying the extra and getting the A540?
Thanks, and looking forward to your answers!
Tornerito

[firef0x]

You may want to consider the a620. Side by side reviews are here:

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_post.asp?method=sidebyside&cameras=canon_a530%2Ccanon_a620&show=all

The a620 is a great camera for appx $225.00. It shoots macro plus the lcd is 2.0" not 1.8"

[TMR Design]

Go with the A620. Better battery life. The card slot is it's own compartment instead of sharing it with the battery compartment, and you can not get the card in or out if on a tripod. Also, response time on the 530 is slower thant the A620.
I know there are more differences but those were the obvious ones when I got to play with a 530. I own a 620 and absolutely love it. Right now they are on sale all over the place.

[Stefan A]

I don't know anything about the HP camera you have, but my wife owns the 530. As the price suggests, it's an entry level camera. It's good for someone who mainly wants to take quick snapshots. Someone who is not concerned about technical photography applictions or the best results. It's just something to record events. It's fine for my wife, but if your talking about upgrading, my guess is that this will not be a huge upgrade other than the fact that it's a Canon. The 620 that others have suggested is a good place to start.

Stefan

[Nugo]

Not to question these other guys, which likely have more expertise than I, but I've used my A530 to capture some amazing macros and low-light flowing shots of traffic and people (tripod absolutely necessary). I read all of the magazines and I look at the pictures and this little camera does it... obviously if you want commercial-level resolution for poster-sized prints you need to move up, but this is an excellent camera and combined with some skills in Photoshop and/or Elements, you can make some small miracles. Best of luck, either way!

(shot below obviously has reduced quality to fit, but still...)

[TMR Design]

I don't think anyone here has any doubs that the 530 takes superb pictures. I own an A620 and have used the 530 myself and have seen what the camera can do. My only point was that since I have worked with both I can see some obvious differences in operation, features, and conveneince.

As I said in an earlier post, it was things like the battery compartment and the card slot behind one door on the bottom of the camera, which means you can't have the camera on a tripod and have access to the card. I know that battery usage will depend on what you are doing and whether you are using the flash and/or LCD display but again, when I had the opportunity to work with the 530 I could see a clear difference in battery life. The 620, using 4 AA's really goes a lot further than the 530 on 2 AA's and I always have the LCD on and use the flash quite a bit.

I am in no way saying anything negative about the 530 or implying that the A620 takes better pictures. I am simply giving you some info based on 'in-hand- experience.

[SuzyView]

My son is taking his A510 with him to college, leaving me with no P&S and it's making me think I need a A510 or spring for a S3. All those cameras do well, but the battery life is a problem on all those small cameras if you use the flash a lot. That's why having rechargeables is the answer.

[tornerito]

Hello again, My apologies for posting this then abandoning it till now. Thanks for all the input. I like info both for,and against, that way I can judge more equally.

Firstly,nearly any Canon would be a BIG upgrade.

About the A620, I like the 7.1 MP,but otherwise the settings seem to be the same except for "shutter speed priority" and "Aperture priority"(which the 6MP A540 also has for a cheaper price). As to LCD size, The one I have is only 1.5" I think, certainly no bigger, I like the swivel feature,but I don't really need it so that would probably not affect my decission.
I am noticing that the A620 has a closer marco range (1cm vs. 5cm).

Battery life... I must laugh long and loud here. If you people knew how fast my HP eat batteries (2100 MaH Panasonics and 2300 Mah Duracells) I don't think you would call what the A530 battery hungry. I don't really know how many shot it will take,but using the LCD full time for a half hour would about shoot a fresh charged pair. And besides,if I put in a pair of brand new non alkaline batteries it won't even start up. Besides the friend to whom the one I used belonged to says they last a long time.

Suzy View, you must remember that the A510 and A520 use the old DiGic processor whereas the the newer ones use the second generation Digic II which uses less battery power,(or so I am told). And I always use reghargeables By-the-way. And if you are looking for a camera buy a newer one than that.

About card compartments, I seldom take the card out of cameras,just use the cables, also I don't usually use a tripod either.

Nugo: could I be so bold as to ask you to post a night pic on here for me if you have time?

Also how good is the ArcSoft Photo Studio software that comes with it?

Soooo here I will sign off and wait for more answers...
Tornerito

[dunker]

i wouldnt be too bothered about the bundled software, GIMP is free and is awesome i reckon. i did have a quick look at the bundled software with my a620 and i spose its ok for free, cant complain about free stuff :)

[lakiluno]

Any DigicII camera would be good, although I'd recommend getting the A540 simply because of the Av and Tv modes - they make a big difference for night shots (you can't take long exposures if you can't set the shutter speed).

anyway...any camera with Av, Tv and Manual will give you a lot of room to grow!

[cool_dude07]

Well, if you like the S2, I'm willing to sell mine as I am looking to upgrade to a digital rebel. Send me a PM if you're interested at all.

Thanks,

Ty

[SuzyView]

I just saw the A530 at Best Buy and it's a nice little camera for $199. You can probably do better on the net, though.

Amazon http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000EMU888/ref=nosim/002-2900988-0372018?n=502394

[Nugo]

I'll post a night shot as soon as I have a minute, Tornerito.

[tornerito]

Thanks Nugo, I'll be looking forward to seeing that.

I just thot of something else. How good is the finish on these cameras? I maen like does the finish(paint) wear off from use or is it pretty well stuck on ?
Thanks Tornerito

[Bodryn]

My A70 still looks as good as new; no wear on the finish; as I recall I bought it almost 3 years ago. I recently bought the A540 as a camera I can carry in my shirt pocket. Its other main attraction for me is the large LCD screen in back. The larger screen means I now often use the camera also as a viewer when away from home. For that reason I would recommend the A540 over the A530 because of its too small screen. Having said that, overall I would prefer to have the new A710 because it has 6x optical zoom, a large LCD and IS! If the IS on the A710 is as good as on the S1 IS, i would want the A710 as a good all around camera - good enough to where I would probably leave the S1 IS with its 10x optical zoom (and noticeable chromatic aberration) at home. However the S2 and S3 are supposed to do a much better job limiting the chromatic aberration, so I hear. Even so I love the great shots I've gotten of wildlife at 10x, often handheld.

[tornerito]

Thanks, I asked on the finish because the camera I have (not canon) is all worn off and looks pretty bad.

[Nugo]

Here's one I tinkered with in photoshop, following this is the original, then a passing car shot.

[Nugo]

it was darker outside than it appears; i rarely use flash for anything so I do lighten in photoshop for detail... so anyway there are a few nightshots like you asked for :)

[tornerito]

Thanks a million ;)