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Canon Powershot A470

74

Good

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Pros
Quality images for a rock-bottom price
Fast shutter speed
Cons
No image stabilization
Too thick to put in your pocket

$89.00 - $119.99
From 6 Merchants

Pricing: Very Inexpensive: $120 (12/19/2008)
Performance: Good: 75
Features: Fair: 66
Design: Good: 73

Find out how these four scores, and their relative weights, combine to produce the PC World Rating.

Pricing

Very Inexpensive: $120

Performance

Good: 75

Battery
Battery Life Score	Fair
Number of Batteries	2
Number of Shots	177
Battery Life (minutes)	96.75

Image Quality Tests (Max. points = 100)
Image Quality Score	Good
Image Quality, Color	65.4
Image Quality, Exposure	59.8
Image Quality, Exposure--Flash	55.2
Image Quality, Exposure--Normal	61.8
Image Quality, Sharpness	42.7
Image Quality, Distortion	56.1
Image Quality, Overall	61.8

Features

Fair: 66

Imaging
Max. Megapixels	7.1Megapixels
Maximum Resolution	3072 by 2304
Optical Zoom	3.4X Zoom
Zoom Range Min. (mm)	38
Zoom Range Max. (mm)	132
Highest Shutter Speed	2000
Lowest Shutter Speed	15
Wide-Angle Aperture Maximum	3
Telephoto Aperture Maximum	5.8
Manual Focus	No
Interchangeable Lens	No
Accessory Lens	No

Hardware
LCD Screen Size (inches)	2.5LCD Screen
Dimensions	4.1 by 2.2 by 1.6
Weight (ounces)	5.82
Viewfinder	None
Image Stabilization	None
Media Slots	SD Card
Starter Media or Internal RAM	Yes
Battery Type	AA
Charging Dock	No
Remote Control	No
Flash Shoe	No

Controls
Scene Modes	10
Aperture Priority	No
Shutter Priority	No
Full Manual Exposure Control	No
White-Balance Calibration	Yes
White-Balance Bracketing	No
Exposure Bracketing	No
ISO Range	ISO 80 to ISO 1600
Flash Slow Sync	Yes

File & Printing Formats
File Formats	JPEG

Other
Included Hardware	Two AA Alkaline batteries, 32MB SD card. wrist strap, USB cable, AV cable

Warranty & Support
Labor Warranty (years)	One
Parts Warranty (years)	One
Weekday Support Hours	16
Saturday Support Hours	10
Sunday Support Hours	0
Toll-Free Support	Yes

Reliability & Service
Summary of results for all of brand's products in this category	Canon was the star of the show, with excellent reliability and support grades overall. If you want to nitpick, Canon's tech reps aren't the fastest at answering the phone.

Reliability of brand's products in this category
Reports of product arriving with problems	Better than Average
Reports of products with any significant problems	Better than Average
Reports of problems that render a product unusable	Better than Average
Buyers' rating of product's	Better than Average
Overall satisfaction with reliability of brand's products in category	Better than Average

Service & Support Quality
Time spent holding for phone support	Average
Overall quality of vendor's phone support	Better than Average
Reports of problems unresolved after contacting service	Better than Average
Overall quality of service	Better than Average

Design

Good: 73

Canon PowerShot A470 Review

by Donald Malouf

- My three-year-old son thinks he's Ansel Adams, so it's important for me to buy a camera that works for him as well as for me. The Canon PowerShot A470 fits the bill.

Read Complete Review »

User Reviews for Canon Powershot A470

Reviewed by:

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: 7.1 Megapixels, 3.4x optical zoom, great picture quality, feature rich, inexpensive, uses AA batteries (in terms of availability and cost effectiveness)

Weaknesses: no image stability, uses AA batteries (in terms of battery life), no internal memory of its own

Overall Evaluation: This camera overall is an excellent performer. It is also inexpensive especially coming from a trusted brand like canon. The image quality is jaw-dropping comparing to other similar priced cameras. This camera is a great bang for the buck for people who are in a budget.
Reviewed by: notiparts

Duration of ownership:

Strengths: Low-cost, Brand-Name, Above-Average Picture Quality for the $, Great Ergonomics, AA Battery Power

Weaknesses: Not Enough Shooting Modes, Largish, No In-Camera Charging

Overall Evaluation: It's my first digital camera, so I didn't want to spend too much and/or get too much camera. I was initially attracted to the Canon name in addition to wanting a 2008 model, since the industry updates models 1-2 times/year. I did some online research before making a decision and this model got pretty good reviews for a entry-level. It's on the chunky side (due to it's AA battery power), but with anything smaller I had trouble manipulating the controls, and besides, the controls were very intuitive for me on this one. At 129.99 MSRP some things had to left out, but it could use a few more shooting modes and some type of image stabilization, ect. Even though this is considered a basic camera there is still much to learn as a beginner, but I do think I made a good choice since it's a breeze to learn on and it's confidence building picture quality helps too.