Canon A520 or A610 or a used A80, which to buy?

I can't decide which is the best bang for the buck.

A610 @ $215 (new @ beachcamera.com)
A520 @ $158 (new @ beachcamera.com)
A80 @ $130 - $150 (used @ eBay)

Any suggestions/comments?

What are you thinking to use your camera for? A80 its a great camera, with the swivel LCD (A610 also has it).

For realworld photo examples take a look @ pbase http://www.pbase.com . Do a search by camera and look for these models.

regards

KoRn Kid said:

I can't decide which is the best bang for the buck.

A610 @ $215 (new @ beachcamera.com)
A520 @ $158 (new @ beachcamera.com)
A80 @ $130 - $150 (used @ eBay)

Any suggestions/comments?

Click to expand...

I loved mine, but replaced it with the A610 because:
1) the lcd on the A80 is tiny
2) the response of the A610 (for focus lock) is much, much faster
3) the color is better on the A610 - especially auto white balance
4) function menu is better

Only thing better about the A80 is the construction is more substantial - it also weighs more because of that.

I can't tell you much about the A520 because I didn't have one, but I can tell you it doesn't have a swiveling lcd.

In my opinion there's only one outstanding camera in the group, very well worth what it costs: the A610.

Isabel

--

'Twelve significant photographs in any one year is a significant crop' Ansel Adams
http://www.pbase.com/isabel95
http://www.pbase.com/digipets

Hi Korn,

The A610 for the following reasons:

1. 4X Zoom.

2. Great Movie mode, in case you only want to carry around one piece of equipment. 30FPS (vs. 10 or 15FPS on the A80)
3. Less purple fringing
4. Faster overall
5. Bigger/better LCD.
6. More intuitive menu and function buttons.
7. Ability to + - flash output depending on the situation.
8. Ability to go to 1CM in Macro mode. I think the A80 is 5CM or more.
9. Batteries last, I would guess, twice as long, as say the A95.

I love the camera.

I owned the A95 and upgraded to the A610 last year.

Good luck,

PL

KoRn Kid said:

I can't decide which is the best bang for the buck.

A610 @ $215 (new @ beachcamera.com)
A520 @ $158 (new @ beachcamera.com)
A80 @ $130 - $150 (used @ eBay)

Any suggestions/comments?

Click to expand...

I can't speak for the A80 but other posters have, so I'll deal with the A610 and A520 since we have both in our family. The A520 has no swivel LCD, it recovers slowly between shots especially when using flash. Even the responses while navigating the menu takes time, and batteries don't last as long since there are only 2 AA's, but that also makes it more compact. It's a decent camera and produces decent results.

In my opinion the A610 is the best value at these prices for all the features and options it has and the quality results it produces. The swivel LCD is worth the price difference alone. You won't be disappointed.
--
Regards,
Hank

I also owned the A80 and I agree with others who post here... definitely worth it to get the A610 over the A80. the only thing i liked better about the A80 was it seemed to up the saturation more, but that' nothing I can't do myself post processing on the A610.

go for it!! you'll love it.
--
Canon S410

I've had my A80 for about 2 years and it has been solid as a rock. I've been thinking of giving it to my daughter and upgrading to the A610 or A620. Is there enough difference between these two to warrant the higher price of the A620 over the 610?

I decided to go with the A610, it looks to be the the best valued of the bunch.

Also, does anyone if they will be a price drop sone?

(The last thing I want to do is buy the camera at todasy price and see a price drop the next day/week)

FYI I originally was thinking about getting the A80, since the last time I was interested in a digital cameras the A80 was the top choice, but I guess this is no longer true with todays newer models.

PS, Thanks everyone for your comments,