Canon PowerShot A520

Value (7.5)
The PowerShot A520 competes in a crowded area of the digital camera market – an abundance of cameras are available for between $250 and $300, with many of them offering a variety of very strong automatic modes. The A520 is an attractive, small camera. Its particular advantages in this field are its 4x, rather than 3x, zoom, its excellent software, and its complete and easy-to-use manual controls in exposure and white balance. If you are seeking that level of control, the camera might be the strongest value available; however, if your preferences lean towards a competent movie mode, visible LCD screen, and internal memory, the A520 won't do you much good.

Comparisons
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-S90 - The Sony DSC-S90 lists for $300, and sells for about $40 less online, just about the same price as the A520. Its significant advantage over the A520 is a 2.5-inch LCD. That’s much bigger than the A520’s 1.8-inch LCD, but size is the only advantage – they’re both 115,000 pixels. It may be easier to read the menus on the large Sony screen, but the display is not any sharper or more detailed. The S90's zoom has a 3x optical range, shorter than the A520’s 4x. The Canon zoom is better at both ends – it goes a bit wider than the Sony, and offers significantly more telephoto. The other significant difference between the two models lies in the type of shooting they are optimized for; the Sony offers far greater video recording capabilities, but does not have the manual controls available on the A520.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W5 - The Sony DSC-W5 lists for $350, well above the A520’s $300 list price. Its online price is also around $50 higher. The primary advantage to the Cyber-shot DSC-W5 is the added resolution - it’s a 5-megapixel camera, so its pictures ought to be a bit sharper when printed as an 8 x 10 or larger. The W5 has the same 2.5-inch, 115,000 pixel LCD as the S90 mentioned above, which again, will offer a bit more in the way of visibility, but certainly not clarity. Frame wise, the DSC-W5 and the A520 are essentially the same size, although the Sony W5 is almost an ounce heavier. This will offer far more in the way of durability, but does sacrifice something in the way of portability.

Nikon Coolpix 5900 - The 5900 has a suggested list price of $350, but is available online for as little as $270, just about what the A520 costs. The Nikon 5900 is a 5-megapixel camera, which should yield sharper enlargements. The 5900 has a 2-inch LCD, again with only 115,000 pixels. Like the Sony DSC-W5, the 5900 has a 3x zoom, rather than a 4x. The body of the 5900 is about the same size as the Canon A520, but it’s about two ounces lighter. The 5900’s video mode can record at 30 frames per second, which is far superior to the A520's movie mode.

Kodak DX7440 -