Canon PowerShot A510Canon PowerShot A510 ReviewSimon Joinson, April 2005

Review based on a production Canon PowerShot A510Announced just before PMA in February 2005, the PowerShot A510 is the replacement for the PowerShot A75, and continues the line of best-selling budget models that goes right back to early 2001 with the A10 and A20. The changes are evolutionary rather than revolutionary; a reduction in size and weight (its 13% smaller and 20% lighter), the inclusion of a new four times optical zoom lens (the A85 had a three times), zoom-linked flash, a shift from CompactFlash to SD card for storage and a drop to two AA batteries from four.Note: Aside from the CCD itself, the PowerShot A510 is functionally identical to the 4.0 MP PowerShot A520, portions of this review are taken directly from the A520 review.3.2 megapixel CCD4x (35-140mm equiv.) zoom lensManual, semi automatic and fully automatic exposure20 exposure modesNew hold functionZoom flash9-point AiAF focusOptional underwater housing, external flashgun and add-on lensesAA battery powerCanon PowerShot A510 vs A75 (main differences)
Canon PowerShot A510
Canon PowerShot A75
Sensor| • 1/2.5-inch CCD• 3.2 million effective pixels | • 1/2.7-inch CCD• 3.1 million effective pixels |
Lens | 35-105mm equiv. F2.8-F4.8 |
Storage| SD/MMC card | CompactFlash Type I |
Dimensions| 91 x 64 x 38 mm (3.6 x 2.5 x 1.5 in) | 101 x 64 x 32 mm (4 x 2.5 x 1.3 in) |
Weight (inc batteries)| 230 g (8.1 oz) | 315g (10.6 oz) |
Continuous Shooting| 2.3 fps | 2.2 fps |
White balance| 6 presets plus manual | 5 presets plus manual |
Maximum Movie Size/Frame Rate| | • 640 x 480, 30 secs• 320 x 240, 160 x 120, 15 fps, max 3 mins, with audio |
LCD screen| • 1.8-inch• 115,000 pixels | • 1.8-inch• 118,000 pixels |
Power Source| 2 x AA batteries | 4 x AA batteries |
Canon PowerShot A510 Key specifications
Street price| US: $190 UK: £150 |
Body Material| Metal and plastic |
Sensor| • 1/2.5" Type CCD, 3.3 million pixels total• 3.2 million effective pixelxels |
Image sizes| • 2048 x 1536• 1600 x 1200• 1024 x 768• 640 x 480 |
Movie clips| • 640 x 480, max 30 sec• 320 x 240, max 3 mins• 160 x 120, max 3 mins• With audio |
Lens |
Focus| TTL autofocus AF illuminator 9-point AiAF or - point AF (center) Manual focus 5cm macro mode (Wide), 30cm (Tele) |
Shooting mode| • Auto• Program AE• Shutter priority AE• Aperture priority AE• Manual exposure• Portrait• Landscape• Night Scene• Fast Shutter• Slow Shutter• Stitch Assist• Movie• Foliage• Snow• Beach• Fireworks• Underwater• Indoor• Kids & Pets• Night Snapshot AE compensation -2.0EV to +2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps |
Shutter speeds| • 15 - 1/2000 sec• Noise reduction for shutter speeds slower than 1.3 sec |
Apertures| • F2.6 / F3.2 / F3.5 / F4.0 / F4.5 / F5.0 / F5.6 / F6.3 / F7.1 / F8.0 (wide)• F5.5 / F6.3 / F7.1 / F8.0 (wide) |
Sensitivity| Auto ISO 50, 100, 200, 400 |
White Balance| Auto• Daylight• Cloudy• Tungsten• Fluorescent• Fluorescent H• Custom |
Image parameters| Picture adjust (Vivid, Neutral) Sharpness (2 levels) Color effects (Sepia, Black and White) |
Continuous| • Continuous (2.3 fps*)* Large/Fine with LCD off |
Flash| • Built-in• Modes: Auto, On, Off• Slow Sync: On/Off• Red-Eye reduction: On/Off• Range (wide): 0.45 - 3.5 m (Auto ISO)• Range (tele): 0.45 - 2.2 m (Auto ISO)• Zoom-linked |
Storage| SD / MMC card 16MB SD supplied* |
Viewfinder| Real Image Optical |
LCD monitor| 1.8" TFT, 115,000 pixels |
Connectivity| USB 1.1 A/V out DC-IN |
Power| 2 x AA batteries NiMH recommended (alkaline supplied) (Optional AC adapter) |
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Other features |
Weight (excl batt)| |
Dimensions| 91 x 64 x 38 mm (3.6 x 2.5 x 1.5 in) Excluding protrusions |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
| Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window.To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top.DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2004 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.
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