Why Buy the Canon Powershot A480?
The Powershot A480 offers excellent picture quality for its price.
Image Quality Canon Powershot A480 test shots
Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
There are two factors I really like about this picture. The first is the brightness and the second is the sharpness. Compared to the majority of entry level digital cameras the Powershot A480 is able to produce a very sharp picture. The sharpness is retained up to the edges of the shot.
Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
This is probably my toughest test shot with parts of the scene very distant. The Powershot A480 does well again with most of the shot showing good levels of detail. Not surprisingly as the shot reaches the furthest point focusing does slip and a small amount of noise also shows. This will only be a problem if you are planning to make extra large prints and you will be hard pressed to find a compact digital camera that is perfect in this area.
Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Canon digital cameras routinely handle this photo better than other brands. Even with their entry level camera focusing is great. Like the first test shot I like the colours and lighting.
Outdoor 4 (Building)
Rounding off the outdoor scenic shots the brickwork on the building is in sharp focus. For a digital camera at the cheaper end of the market the Powershot A480 has handled the tests so far very well indeed.
Outdoor Portrait
Outdoor portraits in good light are routine pictures for a digital camera. This is another example of the colours being balanced, without overpowering the picture.
Indoor Portrait with Flash
This photo shows intelligent use of flash. The picture is evenly lit. The face and hair show up well and plenty of colour has been retained.
Indoor Portrait without Flash
With only natural light available the camera struggles to get perfect focus. Be prepared to use flash in most instances when the light is not perfect.
Colours
I like the colours produced by the Powershot A480. They help bring the photos to life and are a fair reflection of the actual colours showing when the photos were taken.
Macro
If you are looking for a digital camera capable of taking the occasional close up shot then this camera is a good choice. It is able to pack plenty of detail in the shot and the subject is well lit again.
ISO 400 and ISO 1600
There is a big difference in the quality of the photos taken at ISO 400 and ISO 1600. Noise increases substantially as you push up the ISO rating.
Overall
In terms of picture quality you will be hard pressed to beat the Powershot A480 without spending more money. The sharpness, colour and brightness of the photos are impressive.
Shutter Lag and Recycling Times
A single picture took 0.39 seconds and five took 10.27 seconds. With flash turned on times were on the slow side at 1.11 seconds for a single shot and 22.79 seconds for five.
Turning the camera on and taking the first shot took 2.75 seconds.
You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.
Style
This is a fairly standard starter digital camera in terms of design. It looks pleasant enough even if it is not one of the more stylish cameras. It is available in four colours: red, blue, silver and black.
Dimensions
92.1 x 62 x 31.1mm
Weight
140g
Batteries
2 AA batteries. Canon suggests a pair of batteries should be able to shoot up to 200 photos.
Memory Cards
Canon supply a 32mb SD card with the Powershot A480. This is enough for around 12 photos. It is compatible with SD and SDHC cards.
Click here to save money on SD cards
Ease of Use Rating
Good. The Powershot A480 can be used in fully automatic mode and it should not take long for you to find your way around.
Points I Like
Picture quality
Where it Could Improve
Shutter delay with flash
Alternatives
Other inexpensive digital cameras include the Olympus FE-20. This camera can also take a decent photo. It is small enough to fit into a pocket too.
Verdict
If you are looking for a relatively inexpensive digital camera that can take good quality snapshots then you cannot go far wrong with the Canon Powershot A480. It does more or less exactly what it sets out to do and can take a good picture in most situations.
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