Canon Powershot A520: a great everyday camera

Author's Rating:

Pros: Easy to use, special shooting modes, movie mode with sound, great pictures.

Cons: Delay between shots, slow to upload to computer.

The Bottom Line: 
A great everyday camera with some nice special features for those who want to go further.

Author's Review
When I was told that I would receive the digital camera of my choice for my 18th birthday, I started doing some serious research. I found that the A520 had more of the features that I wanted than any other camera in the price range, and Canon is at the top for reliability and customer service.
Ease of use:I took the camera out of the box and immediately began taking pictures- this is a very easy camera to use. There's Auto mode, which makes for easy shooting, and there are also specialty modes like portrait and night mode for specialized shots. Installing the camera software is easy, and when I plug the camera into the computer, I just press one button to transfer my pictures.
Cool features: One of the main reasons that I chose this camera is the large collection of extra features. When you hold down the shutter button halfway, a small lamp illuminates your subject and the camera shows you what you will be focusing on. I get a clear result every time. There is also movie mode. Just flip the dial to movie, press the shutter to start, and press the shutter to finish the movie, which can be up to 3 minutes long. With photo stitch, I can take a series of photos as pan around the room, and when I connect the camera to my computer the computer can automatically stitch them all together into one big seamless panorama.
Speed: The drawback of the A520 is that it uses older technology: the D!GIC 1 image processor and USB 1. There is a slight delay from when I press the shutter button to when I see the picture- this is due to the slower image processor. This is only a problem if I am trying to take pictures rapidly, because the camera cannot keep up. Loading pictures onto the computer also takes longer than I would like, about three seconds per photo, due to the USB 1, not USB 2.0.
Picture quality: This 4.0 megapixel camera takes pictures with amazing clarity, color, and detail. After I take a picture I can zoom in to see small details, and it is all very clear.
ConclusionThis camera may not be suitable for the professional, or those who like to shoot photos rapidly, but it makes a great camera for everyday use.