Canon A480

Viewfinder

As previously noted, the A480 doesn't have a viewfinder. Read on to learn about the LCD that will become your BFF.

LCD

The A480's LCD display acts as the viewfinder, measuring 2.5' diagonally. It's not the largest display we've seen on a point-and-shoot, but it's sizable enough to be able to see what you're framing without any issues. Screen brightness cannot be adjusted, but you can choose to have a grid or 3:2 overlay to help you frame up your image. It has a decent viewing angle though a solarization effect is visible at the more obtuse angles.

Look at me!

Flash

The A480's flash is in the top right corner above the lens, which is not entirely ideal to reduce the potential for red-eye. It does have a red-eye reduction mode, as well as a slow-synchro mode that slows the shutter speed and illuminating the background in nighttime shots. The flash operates at a distance of up to 9.8 feet on the Auto ISO setting and recycles in 10 seconds or less when the battery voltage is at least 3.0V.

A little too close to the lens for comfort

Lens

The A480's lens has a focal length of 6.6-21.6mm, equivalent to a 37-122mm in 35mm photography, with an aperture range of -f/3.0-5.8. In normal mode, it will focus from 1.6 ft to infinity, and in macro mode, it will focus as close as 1.2' at its widest setting. 

The A480's lens

Jacks, Ports & Plugs

The A480 has an NTSC/PAL AV-out port, and a cable is included with the camera in the box. The mini-USB port can be used with the included USB cable to connect the A480 to your PC or Mac. There's also a DC-in jack for connecting an optional power adapter.

What you'll find behind Door #1

Battery

The A480 comes with 2 alkaline AA batteries, which will power it for approximately 200 still images or 480 minutes of video, according to the specs. Using rechargeable Ni-MH batteries will get you a bit more usage, up to approximately 470 still images or 600 minutes of video.

AA batteries, meet the SD card slot

Memory

The A480 has no internal memory whatsoever, and you'll be greeted with a 'Cannot record!' message if you try to take a picture without an SD card installed. The cameras comes with a measly 128MB SDHC card that's only good for about 50 pictures or just over a minute of video. You'll want to upgrade immediately to at least 1GB, probably 2GB.