9.3 out of 10

Canon PowerShot A590 IS

8.0 megapixels

Information found in: from 113 sources in 20 countries.

Best Price: $127

  • User Score (279)
    8.9 8.9 from 279 reviewers
  • Expert Score (21)
    8.3 8.3 from 21 reviewers
  • Design (7)
    8.7 8.7 from 7 reviewers
  • Value for money (88)
    9.5 9.5 from 88 reviewers
  • Features (89)
    9.2 9.2 from 89 reviewers
  • Ease of use (5)
    9.1 9.1 from 5 reviewers
  • Performance (21)
    9.3 9.3 from 21 reviewers
  • Picture quality (106)
    9.2 9.2 from 106 reviewers

Freak Rank

  • Buzz Index: 4/5
  • Activity: 5/5

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Canon’s new compact, with a weight of just 8 ounces and at 3 x 2 inches packs a lot of punch. It offers a maximum resolution of3264 x 2448, and a minimum of 640 x 480, with an image ration of 4:3, 16:9.

With a CCD sensor and changeable ISO Sensor type, as well as a 4 x digital zoom and some fairly decent image stabilization, manual and auto focus, and face detection technology, is is, a reasonably priced family or beginning digital compact. The aperture range is about F2.6 - F5.5 with variable shutter speeds of 15 seconds to 1/2000 seconds, a build in flash and red eye reduction capabilities.

With the use of an adapter there is the ability to expand its use with multiple lenses, continuous drive for sequential photos and movie clips.

It is USB 2.0 high speed capable, and is powered by 2 AA NiMH batteries, will take about 500 photos give or take, dependent upon flash and other factors.

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Manufacturer's Specs

Type of Camera

  • Type of Camera
    Compact digital still camera with built-in flash, 4x Optical/4x Digital/16x Combined Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer System

Image Capture Device

  • Type
    8.0 Megapixel, 1/2.5-inch type Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
  • Total Pixels
    Approx. 8.3 Megapixels
  • Effective Pixels
    Approx. 8.0 Megapixels

Lens

  • Focal Length
    5.8-23.2mm f/2.6-5.5 (35mm film equivalent: 35-140mm)
  • Digital Zoom
    4x
  • Focusing Range
    Normal: 1.5 ft./45cm-infinity Macro: 2.0 in.-1.5 ft./5-45cm (W), 12 in.-1.5 ft./30-45cm (T)
  • Autofocus System
    TTL Autofocus, Manual focus (shooting standby only in movie mode)

Viewfinder & Monitor

  • Viewfinder
    Real image optical zoom viewfinder
  • LCD Monitor
    2.5-inch amorphous silicon TFT color LCD

Review Summary

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The PowerShot A590 IS will astound you with its power-packed performance and impressive value. It’s got 8.0-megapixels, a 4x optical zoom, an Optical Image Stabilizer and a large 2.5-inch LCD. A ra…

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  1. Reviewer: Imaging Resource
    13 August 2008

    The Canon PowerShot A590 IS is a good all-around digital camera, capable enough to perform well under most shooting conditions. Its range of manual and automatic exposure modes will set any user level at ease, and its healthy selection of shooting tools and image adjustments will keep experienced users from getting bored. The A590 IS performs well in low lighting, with its maximum 15-second shutter time, and its range of preset Scene modes is useful in normal day-to-d... Read more

  2. Canon Powershot A590 IS

    Reviewer: Neo Camera
    14 July 2008
    Overall 10
    10
     

    This camera is so similar to its sister models that we reviewed that the conclusion is no different. The main options are getting a higher zoom with the Read more

  3. Canon PowerShot A590 IS

    Reviewer: Digitaltrends
    12 May 2008
    Overall 8
    8.0
     

    Canon has another winner on its hands—this camera will sell by the shipload. At less than $179 USD, the 8MP PowerShot A590IS takes the type of shots casual photographers need captured (landscapes, people and so on) and does the job well. Although there are a few flaws such as a limited high-end video mode and some loss in shadow detail, this digicam does what it’s expected to do with a minimum of fuss and bother. Other camera companies are going to have a tough time c... Read more

  4. Reviewer: Dc Resource
    04 April 2008

    The Canon PowerShot A590 IS is a entry-level camera that doesn't skimp on features. It offers a 4X optical zoom, image stabilization, a 2.5" LCD display, full manual controls, and a VGA movie mode. Not a bad deal for a camera selling for around $160! Read more

  5. Canon PowerShot A590 IS

    Reviewer: Steve's Digicams
    11 March 2008

    The newest "A" series model from Canon is the PowerShot A590 IS, upgrading the A570 IS from last year. With many of the same features as before, the A590 IS includes the same 2.5" LCD screen, AF assist lamp, Face Detection AF/AE/FE Technology, VGA sized movie mode (20fps instead of 30fps) and multiple shooting modes from full automatic with multiple scene modes to full manual for complete control. The main upgrade added to this model is an 8-Megapixel imaging sensor... Read more

  1. The Canon Powershot A590 IS is amazing.

    Reviewer: Larisa, Circuit City
    1 week ago
    Overall 10
    10
    Value for money 10
    10
    Features 10
    10
    Picture quality 10
    10
     

    I have wanted a Canon camera for sometime now and this one is everything I expected it to be. It's an awesome camera. It only took me a week to fill up my SD card so needless to say it's a joy to photograph with. Read more

  2. Reviewer: AlanRein, Ritz Camera
    2 weeks ago
    Overall 8
    8.0
     

    It was smaller in my hand than expected, but I like the simplicity of the 2, AA batteries. There are more user-controlled manual functions than I expected. I am looking forward to learning them all. Read more

  3. Canon A590IS

    Reviewer: Buyzillion.com
    2 weeks ago
    Overall 10
    10
     

    This is a great camera. I haven't had it very long but it takes good pictures and I like it that you can use regular AA batteries. Read more

  4. Great Camera

    Reviewer: Genocide, Newegg
    3 weeks ago
    Overall 10
    10
     

    When taking night pictures it is best to set it at Night Portraits than Night Scenes. Night Scenes doesn't seem to work to well. Read more

  5. Disappointed

    Reviewer: Digitalcamera HQ
    3 weeks ago
    Overall 4
    4.0
     

    I am a professional, but love having a point and shoot for parties and vacations. I always use Canon and purchased this on the fly when I dropped my Powershot A610 while on vacation. This was the 4th time I dropped this thing and it worked great until this last time. I bought the A590 on a whim, trusting that since it was Canon, it would be fine. The pictures that I got off of this thing were washed out, as another reviewer said, and the delay time from the flash is g... Read more

4 in English | 5 in all languages

  1. any recommendations?

    If you're a beginner looking for a camera with manual exposure modes, the Canon PowerShot A590 IS that's coming out soon should be a great choice (it's a mild update of the popular A570 IS ). The only flaw most users can find with this camera has been the time it takes the flash to recharge between shots. Take a look at our Canon PowerShot A570 IS review...

    forum.digitalcamerareview.com: 02 May 2008 Read more

  2. Canon PowerShot A590 IS Review

    ...an imitation as time goes on. Put differently, a successful performance is often a hard act to follow. Following up on Canon's highly successful performance with the A570 and building on a long line of well-regarded, moderately priced Canon A models, the Canon PowerShot A590 IS offers a few more features and a little more style at a price that comes in fully $100 less than its predecessor's MSRP. ( view large image ) Given this lineage, it's hard to approach the A590 as anything other than the mid-priced compact camera to beat in 2...

    forum.digitalcamerareview.com: Read more

  3. Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3 Review

    ...ile far from clean (the noise reduction comes on strong here), really hold onto a lot of detail for a compact camera. As an example, compare the FS3's level of noise and detail at ISO 1600 to what we saw recently from another sub-$200 compact camera, the Canon PowerShot A590 IS. Canon PowerShot A590 IS, ISO 1600 Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3, ISO 1600 The FS3 wins this one to my eye, which is made all the more impressive by the fact that the A590's performance, if not quite as good as some of the previous Canon A models, still looks rath...

    forum.digitalcamerareview.com: 03 May 2008 Read more

  4. Which camera is better....

    ...sing your camera like you always have - having them around means that if you decide you want to explore them at some point, you don't need yet another camera. If you haven't already checked them out, I recently review both the Panasonic Lumix FS3 and the Canon PowerShot A590 IS. The reviews: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3 Review Canon PowerShot A590 IS Review Take a look and see what you think. Hope this helps, dr

    forum.digitalcamerareview.com: 03 August 2008 Read more

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