:: Intrepid Spaniel ::

Those who know me know I’ve been a big fan of Canon’s A series digital cameras. They offer a nice mix of size, point and click functionality and they take standard AA batteries so you don’t have to replace the $40 battery pack down the road when you get an new camera and want to give this one to a relative.

For those of you looking to upgrade your aging Canon A series camera for a great price this looks like a good deal. the Canon A560, which has Canon’s new, improved DIGIC III image processor, for $130. The deal might not last, but my recommendation for the camera will until next spring when something better comes along. http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=204230694 The A560 would be a great camera if you want to mostly point and click, If you are a more experienced photographer, or want to add more features like optical image stabilization, read on for my recommendations for upgrades. With the prices coming down and and an A570 available for less than $160, I’d recommend the upgrade

A review for the A560 is available as part of the A550 review, where the reviewer recommends upgrade to the A560 from the 550.

If you want to add image stabilization, manual controls to help with shaky handy and those blurry zoom shots, I would recommend upgrading to the A570IS, or the A710IS (only if you want more zoom). Image stabilization allows for sharp photos at shutter speeds that would be blurry on other cameras. It won’t work miracles, but it definitely helps you take better pictures.

The PowerShot A570 IS is the definition of an excellent value. It’s packed with virtually every desirable feature, it adds image stabilization to manual controls to conversion lens support. And you don’t have to pay through the nose for it, either — it can be found for much less than $200. I can highly recommend the A570, whether you’re a beginning or more experienced photographer.

Read the DCRP review of the A570 for all the gory details.
I haven’t shopped around a lot, but this looks like a great deal on the A570IS. (updated 9/07/07)

I recently bought the A710IS for my son Andrew, and we are very happy with it so far.