Canon has come out with another point-and-shoot camera in the form of the Canon PowerShot A590 IS. This 8-megapixel camera has image stability, a 4x wide-angle optical zoom, full manual controls and many other great features. Best of all, it isn't as expensive as some digital cameras but still gives great value for your money.



At first glance, the Canon PowerShot A590 IS may look bulky and uncomfortable to the hand but it is actually very compact. The AA battery compartment gives users a good handgrip and a thumb rest is conveniently located and the upper right corner of the camera's backside. This camera can also fit in purses and even pockets so it can be taken anywhere and everywhere. The smooth and round body of the A590 also adds a comfortable feel whenever it is held by the hand. Of course, even though this camera provides a fine grip, a wrist strap is always a good idea.

Like most additions to the Canon PowerShot series, the AF90 IS has a user-friendly and no-nonsense interface. New users can easily navigate the menu and if you've had experience handling a digital camera made by Canon before, the process of browsing through the interface should be a walk in the park. For intermediate photographers , the A590 has different functions and settings that can be tweaked to get the desired effect and adjustment on the shot. For beginners, there is a mode that allows them to just point at the subject and take shots while the camera does the adjustments on its own. This mode is marked by a camera outline in red with a heart inside.

The Canon PowerShot A590 IS has numerous shooting modes. Now you might get confused with the difference between the Easy Mode and the Auto Mode. The Easy Mode is similar to the Auto Mode in the sense that both lets the camera does all the tweaking and modifying the setting while the user just snaps away. The difference is that in Easy Mode everything is left for the camera to decide, except of course the flash. There is also a Continuous Shooting Mode for moving subjects. According to Canon, the camera captures action in 1.4 frames per second, hardly enough to get a clear image of an object moving at high-speed but good enough to capture moderately paced actions.

One gripe many users have about the A590 digital camera is the memory card that comes with the unity. The starter card only has a memory of a pathetic 32 MB, which can hold about 20 photos. Of course the memory is expandable so it would be a wise idea to buy a 1 GB memory card instead to hold more than 200 large images in your digital camera. Another issue with the A590 is the basic video display. Sure, it has that feature but it's really not that impressive and you'll rarely use it if ever at all. It isn't bad; it's just not great.