3.3X Item ID: #224Canon PowerShot A480 10 MP 3.3x Optical Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black)
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Item DescriptionSimplicity in controls, interface and overall design are some of the striking features that you will notice when you use the Canon PowerShot A480 Digital Camera! The second thing you will notice is that you can take pictures with surprisingly good tonal details and clarity with this camera! Overall good value for money if you are looking for a down to earth camera that takes good pictures with, well a few bells and whistles! The Canon PowerShot A480 has the compact sophistication and relaxed simplicity that make it a natural for beginners. The DIGIC III image processor keeps it all looking sharp, while a bright, bold 2.5-inch LCD makes shooting and playback a genuine pleasure. No items matching your keywords were found. Item Reviews5 Responses to “Canon PowerShot A480 10 MP 3.3x Optical Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black)” |
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I love this camera and never go anywhere without it. It’s small and portable enough to keep with me all the time, for great photo ops. The picture quality is really very good for a point and shoot (I have had two photos published from shots taken with this camera, so resolution is superb at close range.) There are features I haven’t even tried yet, but the auto focus works quite well. Long distance shots in mediocre light can produce poor resolution, but better light = decent long-range shots. Night shots are superb – I’m amazed by how well night lights and street shots are captured with this thing.
Rechargeable batteries are an absolute must, as is the camera case.
The one gripe: The camera lens mechanism is somewhat busted after 8 months of constant use, and now requires manual assistance to open and shut (loud clicking sound). As another reviewer posted on 3/20/10, I also keep mine in its case and care for it very carefully. Still takes great photos. Given the volume of picture I have snapped, and the fact this camera has gone with me everywhere, I know I have gotten great return on my initial investment. Will be purchasing another one very soon (did Canon just drop the price in half to $99?) to wait in the wings until this one finally stops working.
Highly recommended for anyone with the slightest interest in hobby photography, to complement your DSLR with this one’s easy portability.
When my sony started to eat batteries, I started to look for a replacement. Good price, good size, and works great. Very pleased.
I’ve had this camera for 3 children’s birthday parties. The pictures are very good, some could be even better if I was better at using it. Very detailed pictures with great quality when I really take my time and all conditions are good. I’m anxious to spend more time learning all the things it can do. Would be nice if it was a little more compact. Also, when you take a picture it only stays in view about 2 seconds before the screen goes blank. It would be nice to have a longer time to take a look at your shot without having to go into review.
Since I owned a few Canon Cameras over the years, I decided to purchase a pocket camera so I can snap some great pictures when I visit places. I can surely say that this camera is the best value that I have purchased in a long time. It’s easy and simple to use and very light weight and small. It can even fit in my jacket pocket. For this price, I can definitely take a really good picture. The only thing lacking is those special features for viewing but you probably have to pay more for those.
It all comes down that you pay is what you get and same goes to durability.
Just think of a work horse camera and at a very reasonable price. Well, then get this Canon Camera. Amazinly, it also has Image Stabilizing make this a really bargain.
I realize that other sites mention this model does NOT in fact have image stabilization. (and A470, A490, A490 don’t either, by the way).
But the Amazon.com text description of the A480 – as of 3/27/2010 says:
“…and an advanced Optical Image Stabilizer …” so it’s possible some bought this camera based on that piece of text. For those posting negative comments about others who’ve complained about “blurry” pictures, check the description again, it might have been false expectations and not their fault.
You could argue that someone at Canon took the A590IS or some other Canon camera description *with* image stabilization and cut-and-pasted it for the A480 and made an honest mistake. It happens all the time. It happened on the Sharp TV I bought off Amazon (4ms vs 6ms response time).
I knew up-front this camera didn’t have image stabilization and bought it anyway on price. The LCD does show the “red camera shake” in low-light and the user should know this means the picture is more likely to be blurry in these cases. Buyer beware.
Now, to the review. I have several Canon’s – A520, A590IS, A470 – as well as a Pentax k-x SLR and a Fuji E900 – so it’s on this experience that I base my review.
Pros:
- It’s cheap and like most Canon’s – it’s great on batteries.
- AA batteries always a plus for on-the-go
- Decent video in medium to good light conditions
- Pictures good in good light. (10MP setting used)
Cons:
- Cheaply made. Too light. Seems like it would be easy to break if dropped.
- low-light pictures aren’t great. Move out of the A470,480,490 models into something else if your indoor picture taking is low to very low light.
- Weak documentation in this beginners camera (just a slim user guide) Had trouble putting it in “MACRO” mode, for instance. Nothing on the CD that’s useful (a PDF of the same printed users guide)
I think Canon makes some good entry-level cameras for around $100-125. But, to get the best value, if you can, buy at the time of the year when they’re heavily discounted. (I think November and sometimes February).
Then you may get a GREAT camera (like the A590IS) for only $40 more than what I paid for the A480 at a bad buying time (because of a birthday). I think the $150 range (bought at the right time) gets you a lot more camera for the money.
By the way, I bought the Canon PowerShot A590IS 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom – a far superior camera – for $110 on December 8th, 2009… about what the A480 retails for now… and you can’t even compare the build quality.
The A590IS has the bulk of the old A520 (4MP) – back when Canon made cameras you could throw against the wall…