Model Design / Appearance (7.0)
A520 retains the basic styling of previous PowerShot "A" series cameras, but has been ergonomically refined into a smaller, more efficient package. Aesthetically, the A520 has a rectangular profile, with a two-tone satin-metallic finish, accented with circular buttons. The camera is a bit thicker than many recent compact releases, but benefits substantially from the weight reduction. The camera's overall styling is certainly compact and easily portable, while containing a hint of substance. However, there are aspects of the camera's fit and finish that leave a little to be desired - the adjoining seams around the frame aren't entirely even, and the battery compartment door rocks back and forth a bit, even when it's latched. A gentle squeeze - what users will give it when they haul it from an overstuffed bag - elicits creaks and groans. Additionally, the plastic parts that make up the shell of the camera show faint ridges that are artifacts of the manufacturing process. They don't affect the strength or durability of the camera, but they detract from the sleek lines and refined look of the design.
Size / Portability (7.0)
The PowerShot A520 is average in size among comparably-spec’d cameras, although it is significantly smaller and lighter than its predecessor. The restructured A520 dropped 13% off the previous A85’s frame and trimmed away 20% of its mass. The modified body extends 3.6 x 2.5 x 1.5 inches and weighs 6.3 ounces. Canon also reconfigured the camera's power supply, making this camera require just 2 AA batteries, rather than the 4 it took to power the A85.
The A520 is designed to be thrown in a pocket, purse, or backpack, and while the camera will fit most shirt pockets, it will cause a bit of a sag. The camera is probably more suitable for a coat pocket than a shirt or pants pocket, but nonetheless, it can be stowed somewhere in the user’s garments rather than a separate bag.
When the camera shuts off, the lens retracts and is covered by a retractable lens cap. This will help protect the camera’s main optical element and will compress the frame into a travel-friendly rectilinear form. The controls are nearly flush with the surface of the camera, so they aren’t likely to snag on clothing or any other object in a crowded bag, pocket, or backpack.
Handling Ability (7.0)
The A520 is small, which is great when you’re storing it or carrying it, but not quite as beneficial to usage and handling. The camera's primary grip for the user's right hand is a bit small when contrasted with some of the larger ultra-zoom models on the market, but remains in line with cameras of a similar styling. When handling the A520, I found that not all my fingers would fit on the grip, and there wasn’t an obvious place to put them. The options for the left hand are more limited, with only the top and bottom of the camera to act as reasonable resting places - thumb below and index finger on top. This feels awkward, but seems to have become the de facto grip for point-and-shoot digital camera users. This is a bit dangerous though; significantly increasing the potential for the user's left index finger to stray in front of the flash and ruin the image. Those who have never experienced this delightful phenomenon, may never know the joy of watching a brilliant, glowing red radiate through their as the flash discharges. Otherwise, the camera's relative thickness and simplified overall layout make the camera easy to control; however, the lack of any rubber or grip on the surface of the camera other than the embossed Canon logo will make for some substantial shooting challenges in any photographic situation ensuing after the user's hands have gotten wet.
Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (6.5)
Canon found a nice balance between good button size and spacious layout, proving adequate spacing to all essential controls on this relatively small camera. The large dials and selection of buttons take up a substantial amount of real estate on the back of the camera, but it does not feel overly cluttered or hard to use. Still, there is very little vacant space on the back of the camera.
The shutter release on the PowerShot A520 is a large, smooth chrome disk near the camera's front face, with the zoom control revolving around it. The zoom ring has a small bump toward the front to guide the finger. This one certainly comes down to personal preference, as many users seem to be adamantly opposed to placing the zoom toggle around the shutter because it slows down shooting time and takes away the opportunity to take an instantaneous exposure when altering focal length. This is not an issue when the zoom is placed on the back of the camera, as users can then change the focal length with their thumb and are free to capture the exposure with their index finger when the moment emerges. For others, the duel functionality simplifies the process and makes it easier to control the camera with a single hand.
The A520's mode dial is large and recessed into the top of the camera, flush with the frame. There is a slight overhang at the back edge of the mode dial, which is surprisingly enough to access the control; however, the notched dial itself is rigid and difficult to move. This helps to reduce the potential for accidental alteration of the mode, but may be a little more tedious than most users would like.
The four-way controller on the back of the camera is also large, with a “SET” button in its center. As users become more familiar with the camera and accustomed to the layout, it’s likely that these controls will feel natural fairly quickly. Digital cameras which can use a color LCD as both a viewfinder and a display for reviewing the pictures have to be manually switched between shooting and review mode. The A520 utilizes a bidirectional switch for this particular function. The action is a bit tough to move, but it seems pretty durable. Oddly, the switch is significantly larger than most of the buttons on the camera and seems somewhat out of proportion.
One of the camera's more interesting design features is the on/off control, placed alongside the mode dial and pretty much flush with the top of the camera. The button has a collar around it to prevent the camera from accidentally turning on while in a bag or pocket; however, it is only a button and the right sort of bump could obviously turn the camera on. But it's still more resilient than most on/off buttons. I find it a bit odd that Canon decided to make the power control a depressible button and the shooting/review control a switch. Wouldn't it have made far more sense to have it be the other way around?
Menu (7.0)
To help simplify the interface and break up the long list of settings available to users of the A520, Canon has grouped the various options into two menu categories. Shooting settings that directly impact the image are placed under the “Function” menu, accessible by pressing the FUNC. button, while more generalized settings are placed under the more traditional “Menu” heading.
The FUNC. button will bring up major shooting controls that will shape the recorded image. These include: Exposure Compensation, White Balance, Drive Mode, ISO or Sensitivity, Digital Effects, Metering, and Image Size/Quality or Compression. These options are superimposed over the live feed image and allow users to preview the potential alterations prior to rendering the selection. The various Func. headings are represented by intuitive graphics and are listed vertically along the left margin of the frame, while the corresponding options are placed along the bottom. Users can scroll through the various settings with the up and down portions of the directional disk, while the options are controlled with the left and right segments. The Func. menu is clean and easily discernible. A light grey, translucent border is placed around the options to help distinguish them from the displayed scene.
The Menu options are consistent with Canon’s EOS and PowerShot models in terms of interface and design; however, the A520 and PowerShot models in general group the options in three vertical columns, rather than one long, continuous listing. This is done both for simplification purposes and because of the camera’s lack of professional processing speed.
The menu backdrop is a light shade of grey with a small square box of options overlaid in the center. Each setting is placed in a row, with alternating color values between a charcoal and a mid-grey tone to visually separate settings. The options are listed in white and are represented with both icons and text. The four-tone design effectively organizes the dense menu and help increase visibility, even in bright lighting.
The options that appear when the Menu button is pressed depend on the mode the camera is in (Shooting mode, Video mode, or Playback mode), and each mode’s menu has further submenus, each with an extensive array of options. The menus in all three modes have a few submenus in common, such as the Setup and My Camera submenus. Options in Setup include: Mute, Volume (letting the user adjust individual camera sounds), Power saving (providing the option of automatic camera shutdown after a certain predetermined period), Date/Time, Format (to ready memory cards), File No. Reset (to reset the camera’s internal counter), Auto Rotate, Distance Units (feet or meters?), Video System (NTSC or PAL?), and Language (English, German, French, Dutch, Danish , Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.)
My Camera submenu settings control the look and sound of the A520's interface. The first control sets the background image that shows when the camera starts up -- The in-camera choices are a blank screen, the Canon logo on a blue gradient, the Canon logo on a space scene, and a bird in a tree. The camera control software for Windows or Macintosh offers about 41 more choices, and the option to upload an image from the user's computer.
The sound settings are similarly flexible. It's possible to set sounds for starting up, pressing any of the buttons except the shutter release, the shutter release sound, and the self-timer. Any of these choices can be made silent, or set to a simple beep, an odd ray gun sound, or a bird chirping. The provided computer software offers about 40 more choices which have more than a hint of whimsy: are several animal noises, a couple of Kabuki actors, a ray gun sound, and ice cubes clinking in a glass. The software also offers the option of recording new ones.
The Shooting mode has a Record submenu with the following options: AiAF (to allow the camera to select from its nine AF zones), Red-eye (to turn on the red-eye reduction lamp), AF-Assist Beam (to turn it on or off), Digital Zoom, Date Stamp, Review (to adjust the length of time recently captured shots are displayed), and MF-Point Zoom, which magnifies the center of the frame on the LCD display when the camera is set to manual focus. The idea is to aid manual focusing, but the zoom is of such poor quality that it really doesn't help. The Video mode also has a Record submenu, but the only item under the record heading is the control to turn the autofocus assist light on or off.
Lastly, the Playback Mode offers a Play submenu. Options here are: Protect, Rotate, Sound Memo, Erase All, Auto Play (essentially a slide show option), Print Order (which allows the user to set up printing information), and Transfer Order (which selects images to transfer when the camera is connected to a computer).
Ease of Use (7.0)
The PowerShot A520 offers clear, straightforward controls. They are logically labeled, and Canon exercised considerable restraint in leaving out useless and distracting spec padding. However, in terms of beginner cameras, many competing models do a bit more handholding than the A520 does. On some cameras, menus offer explanations of the options available, as if the camera was engineered to have no learning curve at all.
That’s not Canon’s strategy with the A520. Given the level of manual control available, the target user for the A520 is someone who either already has some expertise in photography, or someone who will spend a bit of time learning the camera’s functions and grow into the camera. Herein lies true value for beginners intrigued with digital photography - even completely inexperienced beginners can use the camera right out of the box on full Auto mode. Users can then gradually and incrementally increase their control, up through the full Manual mode, even learning about applying accessory lens and flash units. This will enable users to learn the medium, while constantly photographing along the way.
