I have owned a A590Is for quite a while. As a pro photographer, I came across many cameras, including this one. This narrative is meant to show this camera's pros and cons, to help you rule whether it will work for you. The auto modes work as they should, I will focus on the advanced modes. So, here is what I like about this toy:
- It's compact, light, much smaller than other models in the PowerShot A series.
- Image stabilization works perfectly. I can take great shots indoors without a flasher
- Great image quality, with lots of controls over the contrast, saturation and sharpness settings.
- It's fast, even compared to my Dslr. Not many consumer cameras come with such a low shutter lag time, and pre-focusing with by hand focus does miracles in terms of speed.
- by hand modes. cleft and shutter priority settings work great, sometimes I keep forgetting that it's not a Dslr.
- optical viewfinder. Pretty handy in cases of very tantalizing sunshine where you can't see anyone on the Lcd or if battery salvage is necessary.
- Batteries seem to last longer than former A series PowerShots, the technical specs advertise 500 shots on rechargeable NiMh batteries. Other good thing is that this model works on tasteless Aa batteries that can be found everywhere, so you no longer have to worry about seeing definite proprietary models.
Like every camera I've seen, this Canon comes with its downsides. Here are a few that I came across, and I sure hope Canon will take care of them in the near future.
- Low resolution display. The Lcd is alright for framing shots and displaying the menu, but I wouldn't mind a higher resolution.
- Live histogram is only available when viewing a photo, but not when precisely taking that shot. There is unofficial software that implements this feature, and other manufacturers have already implemented this in similar models. Let's only hope it won't be long until Canon does it too.
- The video highlight is awful. You cannot use optical zoom while recording, the compression method is inefficient, so the video files tend to be large.
My allembracing impression of the camera is good. You get what you pay for. It has a set of great features which make it usable for both the occasional shooter and the more advanced photographer.
