Canon PowerShot A510

Ok, first off, I'm not a hardcore photographer who is taking courses in photography, and to be honest I don't know all the technical terms and what not of this camera.

However, what I do know is that this camera is ideal for people like me. People who need a camera to capture an image any time of the day. And this camera is the perfect one for that.

Firstly, the price is relatively good. It may be a tad too expensive for just a "normal camera". Fair play, you can buy a camera which takes digital pictures for much cheaper. However, this is a perfect digital camera, but with extra features added on to make your pictures even more interesting.

The camera has 13 different shooting modes. I honestly haven't used every single one, however I have browsed over a few, like motion capture, where you can take a picture of moving objects (such as racing cars) yet the image focuses on the car, so the car is not blurred yet the background is, this can be reversed either way and proves to give excellent pictures. There is also the timer mode, close up mode, landscape, portrait, distance shot and of course video. There are many more, which make this camera very versatile.

This camera is so versatile that it could actually be used by a professional photographer. I'm not sure if the professionals have stopped reading by now as this is being reviewed by a camera amateur, yet I am positively sure that this camera has enough functions and quality to apply to professional photographers out there who are always on the move.

Talking of being on the move. The size and shape of this camera is crucial to its success as well. It is easily travel friendly as it is very small and extremely compact. It is not that heavy, and is the size of a cigarette packet if not smaller. There is a very comfortable curve on the body design as well, so that when held, the curve fits snugly into your hand and creates a comfortable and peaceful feeling.

The general functions of the camera are stellar. The zoom is 4x optical, so you can zoom in a fair way. Admittedly this zoom is nothing compared to some on other cameras, however it is suffice to this camera. It also has a further digital zoom, yet this is not as efficient as the optical zoom. It does zoom in further however it distorts and pixellates the image when in use. Also, obviously it is harder to take a picture with steady hands on high zoom as it is tough to centre the camera exactly.

The video capture is top quality. I have taken many videos and it records the sound nearly perfectly and the quality of the video is superb. I cannot fault this in any way. It is no video camcorder quality, yet for a camera it is top quality. Also, if you change the 16mb memory card, to say a 256mb or even a 512mb card you can record for as long as you can, and fill up the card. There is no limit to how much you record on the card.

Changing the card couldn't be simpler, as the batteries. The camera comes with a 16mb card, which can hold a fair few pictures. However I strongly advise splashing out on a larger card to enable you to take extended videos and lots of picture, before you need to take off the pictures onto your computer. To change the card it is a simple push and pull episode. Changing the batteries is also a very simple affair. The ergonomics of the camera are excellent, and the batteries and card are stored very nicely, and the compartment they are located in can easily be accessed and the opening mechanism has a very satisfying 'click'. The general functionality of the camera is sound. All of the buttons have a satisfying feel when pressed, and the turn wheel to select the taking mode is smooth and easy to operate. The 'take picture button' (if that's what they call it these days) is satisfying to behold, and the zoom function is handily built around the capture button so minimal fuss is obtained by not having the across to the other side of the camera to zoom in.

Satisfying is the right word for this camera. Every function, button, look and feel of the camera is very satisfying. The flash is excellent and captures everything in the dark. You can shoot with or without the flash, either way; the image is bound to be of a high quality. This is another strong point of the camera; it has a very high quality, detailed image. The image produced is of great detail. You can pick out minute details and the colours are perfect and the image looks lifelike. You can easily change the resolution of the pictures, obviously, higher resolution, the better image, but the lower the resolution the more pictures you can take on the memory card. Either way, you're bound to get high quality images.

The software which comes with it is also excellent. One certain piece is a photo browser which when you plug you camera in via USB, transfers the files to their own folder which is dated and organised efficiently. It also allows you to view all your pictures in their folders and the layout is very easy and comfortable to use.

There are many other pieces of software that come with the camera, I have not used them all yet as some of them seem quite confusing. However I am sure that they will apply to different people, by their editing values and fiddling capabilities to get the best from your camera and pictures.

Overall, I recommend this camera all the way. It is small, handy, versatile, easy to use, strong, can take a few knocks, has excellent functions, easy software, excellent picture quality and also it looks fantastic. Taking pictures couldn't be easier through the view finder or the LCD screen (which you can easily navigate and view pictures just taken etc).

The price is a fair one. For a decent quality camera that is guaranteed to last, I recommend this one all the way.