Canon powershot A420 any good?

AlisonChaynes

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5605541.htm



Has anyone used this camera? Is it worth the money, does it drain batteries and what is it like in low light conditions??

I have to get a camera before tomorrows show so all responses welcome!

cc25

I haven't used this particular model Powershot, but the Canon Powershot series of cameras generally gets good to very good reviews.

I can't find a review of the 420, but there is a review of the very similar Powershot 430 here at Steve's Digicams, and it gets a very good review.

If you have to get a camera tomorrow (i.e. in a High Street shop), then I think the Canon Powershot A420 is good value at £74.99.

You will likely need a higher capacity SD memory card (the 16Mb card enclosed will only hold 7 pictures at the highest quality setting!). Sd cards are now much cheaper - at least buying over the internet they are. A set of 4 high capacity NiMh rechargeable batteries and charger would also be very useful

Nilrem

I think i've got the A520, same basic camera just a slightly higher res than the 420, and it's a great camera

Prior to that I had the A60 which likewise was a very good camera, so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the 420 (although i'm not certain what would be a good price for it).
The 520 is reasonably good in lower light conditions, although it does have it's limits, given the similarities between the two models i'd expect that to be the same with the 420.

Both the A60 and A520 tend to last a good hundred or more (I think i've had 200) pics with a decent set of NIMH rechargable batteries, although the 520 can be a bit picky about them (it doesn't like one set of my nimh's, but works fine with kodak and Hama ones - a problem i've heard echoed with many cameras*).

As CC25 says you'll want a larger memory card, as you're probably looking at about 2mb per pic, you can pick up 1 or even 2gb SD cards for £10-15 now.


*Due to the way rechargable batteries work they can seriously confuse anything that has a battery meter, or supply slightly under the minimum voltage required for an electrical device to operate (a normal battery starts at about 1.5v and steadily drops to 1.2v or less, rechargables start at about 1.2v and hold that level until they are nearly dead)

Patr100

I've had the 3.2MP Canon A510 which cost me twice as much as the £74 a couple of years ago - go for it - you won't be disappointed, specially with a good Steve's Digcam review of the series. I would definitely buy another Canon . Good on battery use but Just make sure you get rechargables.

spuds_2

Here's another review of the 430 (not your 420) - but I'm sure they'll be similar. I nearly bought one for my husband, but he chose a Panasonic instead because it was a bit smaller.

http://www.cameras.co.uk/camera-reviews/canon-powershot-a430.cfm

marixon

I brought one of these cameras for my wife a few weeks ago - again from Argos, and she loves it. It's quite a powerful little camera, and does exactly what she wants it to do, which is keep it in her handbag for those instant snap moments and also to take on holiday for the more important moments.

When we got ours from Argos, they had it with a Selphy CP510 Printer - link below.

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/5605558/Trail/C%24cip%3D50489.Photography%3EC%24cip%3D50681.Clearance%2Bphotography%3EFC%24Brands%3DCanon.Canon.htm

Although this is in the Catalogue Clearance section, I managed to locate a few stores nearby that had them to me....Bedford, Biggleswade, Stevenage etc.

She did try using it on Saturday to take pics of the Lunar Eclipse, but was slightly disappointed that the moon was small in the pics she'd taken - however, if she had bothered to read the book properly, she could have combined the Optical, as well as Digital Zooms to get much closer. I guess she'll have to wait a few more years to see an eclipse as clear as last Saturdays??

As wifey says - If you get it - you won't be too disappointed.

Sharra

Marixon - if you chuck the picture into a graphics package you can zoom in that - the same as a digital zoom

marixon

Thanks Sharra - we did that, but if only she had read the manual, I wouldn't have had to spend my Sunday editing pics?? lol