Overview
The Canon Powershot A495 is one of the best starter cameras you are likely to find. Picture quality is hard to beat for the price. There were no obvious weaknesses in my test shots and the Powershot A495 comfortably outperforms many more expensive digital cameras.
As you would expect the features available are fairly basic, but it you want picture quality you can rely on without paying a fortune then add this camera to your shortlist.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
10
3.3x
2.5 inches
93.5 x 61.7 x 30.6mm
175g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
1cm
No
No
AA
SD / SDHC / SDXC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
All four of my test shots are of a high quality. Colours are striking while sharpness is surprisingly good. When the lens is zoomed all the way out the Powershot A495 does noticeably well and produces shots that retains a great deal of its sharpness towards the edges. Zooming in is no problem either and the level of detail showing is some way above average.
Portraits
All three of my portrait shots work well. There are no problems with focusing. Once gain the Powershot A495 produces sharp photos. Flash levels are controlled well. This means that colours are retained in shots and a washed out look is avoided. For my indoor portrait shot taken without flash the camera manages to keep noise levels down.
Macro, Colours and Noise
For close up shots the Powershot A495 is able to focus from 1cm away from the subject. Detail levels are very impressive. This is another area where this camera sets the standard for cheaper digital cameras.
I found the colours to be rich and vivid. In my view they add a bit of vitality to the shots. There is a good balance to the colours as well.
Noise levels are in line with my expectations. You should not experience problems unless you are shooting in very challenging lighting conditions or there are very shady areas in your photos.
Summary
As I mentioned in my introduction the Powershot A495 is a hard act to beat when it comes to picture quality at this price.
Style
The Powershot A495 has a plain, simple design. It is not really a pocket sized camera at over 30mm wide. It is available in silver, red and blue
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.42 seconds
1535 seconds
1.17 seconds
22.23 seconds
2.44 seconds
Ease of Use
Although the Powershot A495 is not difficult to use there are more basic digital cameras around.
Points I Like
Picture quality
Where it Could Improve
Shutter delay with flash
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
Top Rated Cameras in this Category
Canon Powershot A4000 IS Rating 84/100
You get quite a lot for your money with the Canon Powershot A4000 IS. If you only plan to make small sized prints or share your photos on the Internet you may not see a great deal of difference between the photos taken with this camera and those taken with other models available at around the same price. What you might notice is that the pictures have a touch more clarity. This is likely to become more evident if you make larger prints. To sum up, if you are looking for a handy compact camera, at a reasonable price, that can cope very well with most photo opportunities this camera is hard to beat.
Read Review: Canon Powershot A4000 IS Review
Panasonic DMC S5 Rating 84/100
If you are looking for a cheap pocket sized digital camera it is difficult to find one offering better picture quality than the Panasonic Lumix DMC S5. It is such a small camera and very easy to use. It is almost the ideal snapshot camera if you do not want to spend a great deal of money.
Read Review: Panasonic DMC S5 Review
Panasonic DMC S3 Rating 84/100
The Panasonic Lumix DMC S3 is an excellent value for money pocket camera. It is very hard to beat when compared alongside its direct rivals. Picture quality and features have an edge over many of its competitors while the rapid response times are also a big plus point. If you are looking for a cheaper compact digital camera then you can’t go far wrong with the Lumix DMC S3.
Read Review: Panasonic DMC S3 Review
Related Pages
Canon Powershot A495 Review Canon Powershot A495 Specification Canon Powershot A495 Sample Images Canon Powershot A495 Features Canon Powershot A495 vs Nikon Coolpix L22 Canon Digital Cameras
Review Date
March 2010
