Canon's PowerShot A460 has a sophisticated and durable look to it, yet it costs just $130 (as of 5/10/07). Though nicely designed, its boxy and chunky shape prevents it from being carried comfortably in a pocket. It will fit nicely into a small bag, however.
Canon Powershot A460 Digital Camera (5MP, 1592x1944, 4x Opt, 16MB Removable Flash Memory, MMC/SD/SDHC Slot)

Pricing
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- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 5 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 2592 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 1944 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Lens
| Accessory Lens | No |
| Lens Model | 4X Canon Zoom Lens |
| Telephoto Aperture Maximum | 5.8 mm |
| Wide-Angle Aperture Maximum | 2.8 mm |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 2000 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 15 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 8 |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
4X zoom
Exposure compensation
Cons
Lacks separate zoom control
Bottom Line
Offers controls such as exposure compensation, and has a super macro mode, though you're limited to ISO 400.
Canon PowerShot A460
Powershot A460 Digital Camera (5MP, 1592x1944, 4x Opt, 16MB Removable Flash Memory, MMC/SD/SDHC Slot) Review, by Tracey Capen June 14, 2007
The 5-megapixel A460 offers a 4X optical zoom, whereas most cameras at this price level have a 3X zoom. Plus, the A460 has three metering modes (evaluative, center-weighted, and spot); most competitors have only one. The function-set menus offer exceptionally quick access to settings and are easy to use. Key controls are grouped together in an intuitive list.
The zoom control is a little unusual--instead of having a separate wide-telephoto toggle, the camera uses the top and bottom positions of the four-way thumb control for zooming. The thumb control works well enough, though its function won't be obvious to a first-time user, and its placement on the back makes the camera a bit awkward to operate one-handed.
The A460 starts up quickly, in 2 seconds, and offers both an eye-level viewfinder and a bright 2-inch LCD screen. A simple mode dial lets you select full auto (with a limited selection of menu options), manual (still automatic, but with some user settings, such as ISO and white balance), scene modes, and movie mode.
You get a choice of eight scene modes--a typical set that includes portrait, night scene, foliage, beach, snow, and fireworks. But oddly, you'll find no sports or action setting. The camera also lacks a built-in help system to explain the modes, though for most people they should be self-explanatory. However, it does have a super macro mode that lets you get really close to your subject (up to just 0.4 inches away).
A separate menu button pops up a list of less-common camera settings, such as a date stamp and digital zoom on/off. You'll also find grid lines and red-eye settings there. The menus are short and only one layer deep.
The Canon A460 earned an overall image quality score of Good from the PC World Test Center, with roughly average ratings for color and exposure accuracy, and below-average points for sharpness. Photos I took outdoors at a waterfront area showed good color saturation and image sharpness--better than photos from the comparable Kodak EasyShare C653 and Nikon Coolpix L10 cameras I tried at the same time. Unfortunately, the Canon's images also showed significantly more noise or speckling than images from those two competing models; this noise was obvious in areas of solid black, such as a ship's hull, and in a clear blue sky.
Canon bundles its flexible ZoomBrowser utility on a CD with the A460; you use it to organize, edit, print, and share your photos. The editing tools are not extensive, but they work well and include a very helpful Photoshop-like before/after preview button. Also on the CD is PhotoStitch, which you can use to merge photos into a panorama, though the camera lacks the panorama-assist mode, found on other Canon models, that helps you line up successive shots.
The A460 runs on AA cells and delivered roughly average battery life in our tests, lasting 253 shots.
Overall, the Canon PowerShot A460 is a nice package and a great value.
Tracey Capen
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- Rating Breakdown
-
72
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67
-
74
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Cameras
72
85
71
77
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 138.75 |
| Battery Life Score | Good |
| Image Quality Score | Good |
| Image Quality, Color | 64 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 48.3 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 58 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 44.3 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 63.9 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 56.2 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 33.3 |
| Number of Batteries | 2 |
| Number of Shots | 253 |
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
-
Reviewed by: ycc971
Strengths: Good image quality and cheap
Weaknesses: None.
Overall: I bought this camera for my work needed. I don't need high image resolution, but need image quality and cheaper. This camera fits most of my requirements. I have tried other brand camera with just a little bit cheaper, but the image quality is very bad, too bright. Now, I own three Canon digital cameras (G3,SD800 and A460), all of them are good. When I need to upgrade my DSC, I will first consider "Canon" again. It has good image quality even at low-end product.
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Reviewed by: larry504
Strengths: It seems to be well built. The camera has a multilingual menu and it is very user friendly.
Weaknesses: Slow flash recharge
Overall: I bought this camera for my young daughter in France and she is able to use it with ease. She has sent some of her photos and they are grate - a combination of her abilities and the camera's features.
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Reviewed by: jmandry
Strengths: Fast Shutter SpeedExcellent Flash
Weaknesses: Flashless pictures a bit weak. Would prefer better aperture.
Overall: Overall, an excellent camera. Much better than my old HP. The pictures are clear and the camera is simple as compared to others which have too many options. Will stick to Canon.
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Reviewed by: honda7909
Strengths: Zoom
Weaknesses: Not easy to shoot a movie
Overall: After losing my first Powershot A460 that I had for a year, I didn't hesitate at all to order another one. I still haven't taken the time to learn how to shoot movies, or use a lot of the features the camera comes with, but it's nice that they're there. I like how it tells you how many pictures you have remaining on you memory card and the zoom is great too.
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Reviewed by: savy001
Strengths: 1. Takes very good pics.2. Shoots usable movies (640x480).3. Uses 2 AA batteries.4. good price.
Weaknesses: A little thick if nitpicking.
Overall: Easy enough for the beginner. Decent amount of features for a cheap camera, including canon's Asic II processor. Takes good pictures right out of the box, with a little practice it takes great pictures. Battery life isn't too bad. Suggest buy 1GB SD card and get a pack of at least 4 rechargeable batteries with charger.
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