Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 536
 Uniquely awesome camera August 17, 2007
T. Kerrigan
21 out of 21 found this review helpful
This is the perfect all-around compact camera:
* Just about the best image quality you can get from a compact camera (see dpreview.com's review of the similar A710IS)
* Full manual control over exposure, focus, white balance (usually only found on cameras costing hundreds more)
* Optical lens-shift image stabilization
* Pretty small (although not ultra-compact)
* Uses convenient AA batteries
* Great movie mode (640x480 at 30 FPS with IS until memory is full)
* Big screen (low resolution, but who cares?)
* Good battery life (with rechargeables)
* Good performance (quick startup, focus, etc.)
* Good optical viewfinder for a compact camera
* Can even get lens converters (zoom, wide-angle, etc.)
You can't get this combination of features from any other camera or company unless you step up to Canon's own [much larger] S-series. I like photography but don't want a DSLR because it would be too big and I'd never take it anywhere; this is the only other camera I would ever consider. Not that you have to be a photography buff to use it--it has a great Point and Shoot mode too.
The only disadvantage of this camera is the flash recycle time, which is typically 4-5 seconds but up to 10 (!!) seconds in my experience. This is the price you pay for using only two AA batteries instead of four (or a custom high-voltage lithium ion battery like the kind that come with ultra-compacts).
People complain in their reviews about high noise at high ISO settings. A couple years ago, compacts only went up to ISO 400 and took noisy pictures. Now Canon is simply giving you the choice of using a higher ISO (800 or 1600) and getting correspondingly more noise. If you don't like it, don't use these new settings.
ADDENDUM: After several days of use, I have noticed that the "Auto" mode almost always selects an unnecessarily high ISO (200) for indoor shots. I believe this is the cause of all the "indoor noise" complaints. This is easily solved by using the "P" mode instead and fixing the ISO at 80.
ADDENDUM 2: I may have been too hard on people complaining about blurry pictures. This may be a result of AiAF--Canon's "Artificially Intelligent Auto Focus" system--which occasionally focuses on the wrong thing. Again, set the camera in "P" mode and use the menu system to disable AiAF. Your pictures should be razor sharp.
 Red Eye Express June 18, 2007
digitaldan (Georgia)
19 out of 22 found this review helpful
I have owned the Canon A540 for a year and recently purchased an A570IS as an upgrade. The 540 had performed admirably, but I wanted image stabilization to allow shots with a slower shutter speed for pictures shot in rooms with low lighting using a low ISO setting for quality. I took over 200 shots at my son's wedding. The IS worked well, but the pics were too dark, so I reverted to flash shots to maintain the low ISO. To my great disappointment, MOST of the pics had redeye even when the subject(s) was not facing the camera. The in-camera redeye fix did not do well, especially when 6-8 people had redeye in the same frame. The 540 was never this bad.
The outdoor photos, on the other hand, were extremely good with nice color and exposure and good focus. I couldn't be more pleased with those shots.
But I really wanted a camera that could at least take decent indoor flash photos but preferably non-flash with medium ISO settings. In my experience, the 570 is not that camera. At this time there are digicams that excel at indoor photos and others that take great outdoor shots. I'll wait for a great all-arounder before my next purchase.
P.S. Most of the shots were made in AUTO or PROGRAM mode.
To avoid disappointment with the A570 IS ....... December 26, 2007
K. W. Cash
18 out of 18 found this review helpful
This is a fantastic camera. But to avoid a number of "problems" reported in other reviews, consider the following :
A) Memory Card : Memory cards are cheap enough these days that one should pony up for a 2 GB card. This will be good for 6 to 8 hundred shots in maximum resolution, minimum compression mode, and thousands of shots when shooting with lower resolution, higher compression. DO NOT get the standard performance card ( often labled 10x ). These have a maximum write speed of 1.5 mb / second, so a high resolution shot could take 4 to 5 seconds to offload to memory. Instead, purchase a medium performance card ( often labled 50x ) that has a write speed approaching 7.5 mb / second. This should get your maximum resolution shots offloaded in a second or less. The ultra performance cards ( often labled 120x ) are overkill for this camera, but a good candidate for 10 to 12 megapixel cameras.
B) Batteries : By all means get a set of 2500 or greater mah NiMH rechargables. Be advised that these batteries do not reach their full potential until they have been through 2 to 5 full charge/discharge cycles. I conditioned my batteries by fully charging them, then discharging them in an old style 2 cell pen light flashlight. By old style, I mean one of those old guys with the large incandescent bulb.
Do not use an led flashlight ( too low of a current drain ) or those using a "grain of wheat" bulb ( these bulbs have a lifetime of only 5 hours or so ). If you want NiMH that do not self discharge while just sitting around, look to the Sanyo eneloop batteries. Be advised, however, that these have a maximum charge of 2000 mah.
C) Charger : I can not recommend the chargers that charge these NiMH batteries in 15 minutes. To do so, they have to pump 10 amps into the little guys, causing excessive heating. This will lead to shorter battery life ...... how much I simply don't know. Get the simple overnight ( 6 to 8 hour ) charger with a set of 4 batteries. This will give you a set for your camera with a back up set when those get exhausted. I use an Energizer 4 cell charger ( $7.95 on sale ) which is 3"x3" and an inch thick. Can be packed anywhere.
D) Battery Door : Yep .... the battery door can be a challenge when one first gets the camera. But when you know the process, it's a snap. Hold the camera upside down with the lens facing you. Slide the locking tab toward your body and at the same time slide the entire battery cover to the right. Tada ..... its open. And when you close the door, be sure to follow the same procedure in reverse. One MUST do this to insure the door is fully closed and locked.
E) False Low Battery indication : There are really two low battery indicators on this camera. The first is the red "low battery" icon, and the second is the following message ..... "change the batteries". Use the "change the batteries" message to change out the batteries. I have found that one can minimize false red "low battery" icon displays by :
fully conditioning the batteries ( see B above ), making sure the battery door is properly closed and locked ( see D above ), and wipeing the battery terminals with a dry cloth before inserting into the camera. This removes any oil contamination from your fingers.
Part of the problem here is that NiMH batteries have a maximum battery charge of 1.2 volts per cell, compared to 1.5 volts per cell for conventional AA batteries. This problem is helped by the Sanyo eneloop batteries, which have a full charge voltage closer to the 1.5 volt per cell value.
F) Prevent lens damage : ALWAYS store the camera with the mode switch in the Playback position. This way, if the power switch is inadvertantly pressed when the camera is stored ( storage bag, pocket, or purse ), the lens will not deploy. If stored with the mode switch in the shooting position, and the power button is depressed, the lens will try to deploy and may very well jamb against something in the storage bag, pocket, or purse.
Hope these hints help you to fully enjoy an excellent camera.
It may be small but it is big on features! April 8, 2007
Karen L. Olson (West Central Wisconsin , USA)
15 out of 21 found this review helpful
I cant say enough about the ease of operation, and results of this camera... The photos are superb, and it handles nicely.
I cant wait to get the telephoto conversion lens for it.
Not to be advised, but It dropped off my side table without the case and was none the worse for wear, thank goodness. A sturdy camera well worth the price.
 beautiful outdoor pics/good indoor pics August 20, 2007
M. Young (LAs Vegas, NV)
15 out of 16 found this review helpful
I'm an amateur photographer, and bought this camera to replace my old HP Photosmart 850 that cost $400 4 years ago (and took fantastic pics until it died). This Canon fit all my requirements:
1) takes regular AA batteries
2) simple point-and-shoot, but with manual adjustments when I want them
3) image stabilization
4) takes an SD card
5) smaller than the HP, so I can carry it around easier
My initial pics were a little disappointing. In low light on Auto mode, the camera adds enormous amounts of noise in dark areas, and in some cases the pics were way too bright. I did get some pretty good pics by turning the flash off and playing with the manual controls, and it was clear that the image stabilization was helping. Still, that first night I considered sending the camera back for the much cheaper A530.
The next day I took some outdoor shots and was totally blown away by the quality of them. Unbelievable clarity for a point-and-shoot, with very true-to-life, vivid colors.
Now that I've spent a few days experimenting with the manual controls, I can say that I'm VERY pleased with the A570. If you're just hanging out with friends or family and want decent pics, go with something a little cheaper and smaller like the A530 -- you'll still get great pics in good lighting, and acceptable pics in low lighting. But if you are interested in photography and want more control (but aren't ready for to invest in a DSLR), this camera's a steal.
Pros:
* manual controls
* beautiful photos in good lighting
* image stabilization
Cons:
* unremarkable low-light shots on auto mode
* not as small as some point-and-shoots
* zoom control is not as easy to reach as most cameras
* battery/memory card door is bizarrely designed, and I'm not confident that it will last the life of the camera
* some convoluted picture mode choices, like not allowing users to control ISO settings when shooting on Auto -- you have to choose a different mode to get the noise down to an acceptable level in low light. It would seem easier just to make the Auto setting a little more configurable, and have fewer overall mode choices (this is how the HP was -- WAY easier).
Nice little bonus: I recently started scuba diving, and the underwater housing for this camera is much cheaper than for many others I've seen.
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