Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)The Canon Photoshot A430 is the replacement for their entry level digital camera the A410. Canon upped the megapixels to 4.0 from 3.2, enlarged the LCD to 1.8" from 1.5" and added more zoom (now is 4X optical and 14X combined.) Even though this is the lowest priced Canon digital camera you can buy it is in no way cheap. The camera feels solid when you use it and yet the plastic body keeps the overall weight down.
Like all the A series digitals from Canon this model still uses standard AA batteries (2 to be exact.) So when you are at the amusement park with the family and your batteries go dead, stop off at the gift shop and pickup a couple of alkalines to get you through the day. I highly recommend investing in a set of good quality NiMH rechargeable AA batteries though; they last about 4 times longer than their alkaline counterparts.
Like the A410 the A430 also has the DiG!C II processor. This fabulous processor allows the camera to power up and shoot its first picture in less than 2 seconds and keeps shooting the next pictures approximately 1 second each. There is a burst mode too but I haven't had time to play with that feature yet. The DiG!C II processor also uses less battery power than older digital cameras so your are able to shoot more photos, and view them on the LCD, before you need to swap them for a fresh pair. I took about 150 pictures, with the LCD on, on a set of alkaline AA batteries before they needed a change. That was a "WOW" for sure.
Having owned two previous digital point and shoot cameras and one digital SLR model, I can say that I am most impressed with the A430. Some online reviewers have noted that the camera lacks independent zoom buttons. What Canon did on this camera was make one set of buttons do multiple things. The same toggle button you use to move up and down in the menus is the zoom in and out control when taking photos. I applaud Canon on this design. Why include more buttons that you need. You aren't using the menu buttons when taking photos, so why not use them for the zoom control. They aren't confusing to use and actually simplifies the design of the camera.
This camera is great for grandparents, young kids and someone on the go. It's is simple to use and takes great photos. I'd recommend it for anyone who wants a digital camera that plain and simple just works. I may just buy two of them so I don't have to share this one with my wife.
Warning: Personal rant follows! Before I bought this camera I read several online reviews. The most deceiving was one from a noted electronics review website. Their resident computer geek stated that there was nothing special about this camera and it was larger than most. Having owned and used this camera I suggest their reviewer stop playing online video games and get out in the sun more, because there is something wrong with his head. True, this camera isn't the smallest model around, but it is very small. And to buy a camera that is smaller you must pay two to three times the cost of this model. "Nothing special?" gamer boy? I'd really like him to qualify that statement. The A430 comes loaded with over 14 shooting modes, an impressive 0.4" Macro mode and the best photo quality in its class. If that is nothing special I'd like to know what is special. I don't expect a sub $200 camera to out perform my $1400 digital SLR. Perhaps gamer boy needs to RTFM.
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Canon PowerShot A430 4MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical ZoomThe PowerShot A430 puts high-performance specs and a wide array of advanced capabilities at your command. With 4.0 megapixels of resolution, 4x optical zoom and a variety of shooting modes, the A430 offers better image quality than any other introductory-level digital camera.
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