Canon PowerShot A510 review

[jmcarp]

I've had my A510 for about 3 months. It replaced a Nikon CP3200 which was stolen due to my own carelessness. I originally meant to replace the CP3200, but saw the A510 for the same price, so I bought them both to compare -- I kept the A510 and returned the Nikon. It is a second camera to back-up my DSLR and to take along when I don't want to haul the bigger camera around. It works well in Auto mode, yet has enough manual features to satisfy those who wish to control their shots themselves. All in all I have been very pleased with the A510 and would recommend it to anyone looking for for a first digital camera that will allow some room to grow or for a second camera to complement a DSLR.

Pros:
* Good battery life
* Small size, light weight -- easily fits in a pocket
* Sufficient manual control features to satisfy advanced users -- Aperture/shutter priority, ISO, white balance, etc.
* 4x optical zoom

Cons:
* Zoom control is very coarse and easily overruns intermediate settings
* Low-light shots seem a bit under-exposed
* Shutter lag (common to most P&S digicams)
* Flash recharge time

Compared to CP3200 the A510 has:
* Slightly larger and heavier (but not much)
* More manual control features
* Better battery life
* 4x vs 3x optical zoom
* Nikon menu/user interface is more friendly IMO

Problems:

No problems per se. See Cons above for areas of potential improvement.