Canon PowerShot A520

-Manual control is complete and easy to use
-White balance system offers custom setting
-Small and light while remaining substantial enough to handle
-Produces vibrant, accurate colors
-Excellent software
-Accessory lens and flash options Dislikes-Construct is questionable – it squeaks when you squeeze it, and the plastic parts have manufacturing blemishes.
-Images are extremely noisy (ISO 200 and 400)
-Video mode is atrocious - barely usable
-Runs on AA batteries, rather than a high-capacity Lithium-ion pack
-At the telephoto setting, there are only two aperture settings: f/5.6 and f/8.0.

 

Conclusion
With a 1/2.5-inch 4.0 megapixel CCD, 4x optical zoom lens, and full range of exposure modes, the A520 has a lot to offer consumers for less than $300. While there is significant competition within this price bracket, the manual controls are what set the A520 apart from the rest. The typical features touted within this segment of the market - large LCD, long battery life, internal memory, and strong movie mode - are relatively void on the A520. Rather, Canon has opted to cater to a niche demographic of compact camera consumers and design a camera that appeals to those seeking a portable sub-$300 alternative with extensive control. For those users, the A520 will provide custom settings, manual control, accessory flash and lens alternatives, and can even shoot with the camera tethered to a computer. If manual control appeals to you, there really is no greater value out there in this price range.