Canon A510 Vs Canon A520 Vs Canon A95

[abhishek_b]

Hii Everyone,

I've planned to buy my first Camera........ :)

I'm down to A510/A520/A95 from Canon. Initially i was inclined towards Nikon, but i got to know from the forums that it doesnt offer any manual controls and as i grow as a photographer i'll regret on missing on the manual controls.

After a lot of thinking i'm down to the above mentioned models from canon.

Which one i should go for?

My primary requirement's Good quality pics that i can print plus descent movie capturing abilities.

Is it worth spending some extra money on additional 1.8 MP of A520 when all its features are there in A510.

Also, should i think of A95 as well, consider me a novice in photography?

My budget's upto 350$ (16000 Indian Rupees) including all the accessories (memory card etc.).

Please help in picking my first cam.

Any ideas about other cams other than the ones mentioned are welcome.

Thanks,
Abhishek.

[Newbie]

I would definitively go for the A510.

There are differences in play mode where if you want to magnifie the picture, the A510 is twice faster: 0.9s vs 1.8s.

The time to display each image is 0.5s with A510 and 0.8s with A520.
In normal record mode the differences are minimal...

In continuous mode, the differences are pretty big:

In maximum resolution and superfine(least compression), the A510 can take 9 pictures at a rate of 1.95 per second; the A520 can take 4 pictures at a rate of 1.66 per second.

You'll tell me the file size isn't the same. Ok, fine... At 1600x1200 Superfine, the A510 can take 14 pictures at a rate of 2.0 pictures per second, the A520 can take 8 pictures at a rate of 1.6 images per second.

Then, the A510 has the same size sensor as the A520, but 1 less megapixel, so it risks showing less noise.

Knowing all that, I'd see no reasons to pay more for a camera that can do less. Also, you have a limited budget, so you will be able to buy the same memory card and get more pictures on it. Don't forget that you should also buy a charger, batteries and memory cards in your budget.

I don't know how much the A95 sells for where you are, but I'm under the impression that you might be better off going for the A510. Then again, the A95 is a great camera and I do not know your needs at all, so its hard to suggest. So the only thing I can say is don't go for the A520.

[jessie25]

I own the A520 and I love it.

I was torn between the A520 and the A95 for a while, since the A95 sounded "better on paper" and I was all ready to go out and buy one... but I solved that dilemma by picking up both in the store and realizing the more compact A520 just fit my hands better. Sometimes it's the little things.

The A95 has that handy rotating LCD and is 5 megapixles. Then again, the A510/A520 offer more optical zoom, a smaller package, and a few extra features.

I don't think you can go too far wrong no matter which of these three you pick. Note that none of them offers that great a movie mode, though.

How big are you planning on printing your photos? I opted for the A520 over the A510 to give me a bit more cropping flexibility to print a little larger, but for most uses the A510 is probably the better pick.

[abhishek_b]

Hii Guys,

Finally i'm down to A510/A95. For the last couple of weeks i've been going through the reviews of the Canon Powershot series and made up my mind to either buy A510/A95. Please help me in picking the best out of these two.

A95's reviews say it's noisy, also the movie mode's as good as A510. Plus the actual pixels for A95 as per most of reviews are about 3.5mp only, on the other hand for A510 its 2.8mp (diff of only .7mp), plus A510's less noisy.

Also A510 had SD memory card and A95 has CF memory card.

A510 uses 2AA batteries compared to 4AA's in A95.

A510's 4x zoom's also tempting, i think it'll help immensly in good printable pics (my primary requirement).

Also in both the cameras the optical viewfinder's bad.

Budget's not an issue with me.

Please help.

Any hands on experiences with both the cams are most welcome.

Thanks,
Abhishek.

[jessie25]

If budget's not much of an issue, go for the A95. If, on the other hand, you find the A95 too bulky or heavy, then go for the A510. The cameras are very similar; you'll be happy with either one.