Which one? A95, A640, or A590IS?

I've narrowed my wants to one of these 3 Canon P&S cameras. I've visited various

reviews of them as well, and still can't decide the one to get. The A640 might have

a narrow lead right now, but that could easily change. I must decide on one of

them very soon or risk the chance of losing all 3. Which one would you suggest I

get, and why? I do have a decent DSLR outfit. So the P&Ss would be for those

lighter-travel, go-anywhere occasions. Thanks for your comments.

I'd go for the A590 IS. The IS makes a big difference with these small cameras. It's

the latest technology. It's the most compact. It has very good image quality. The

A95 is oldest technology, very slow. The A640 is also a very good camera. Bigger,

heavier. I'd assume also more expensive.

I second Howard's remarks. I used to use an A95 and found it to be an excellent P&S camera, but it's quite old now and I imagine things have moved on. I don't know how much shutter lag has improved; I used to find that a problem with the A95.

Sounds good. I'll take the A95 out of the running then.

Now, which one of the 2?

Thanks

The A640, as far as I know, has been discontinued in favor of the A650 IS (which I own).

 

My parents have the A590 IS and have had no problems with it. The recycle type for flash photography leaves something to be desired (This is my complaint, not theirs. They're happy with how the camera operates). The A650 IS, having 4 batteries instead of 2 recycles more quickly.

 

Either one is a good choice based on my experience.

So now we're dealing with 2 4X optical cameras. A used A640 and a new A590IS. Is there an obvious "winner" here? Maybe not. Maybe theses 2 are too close to call?

Don't forget to check out the A720IS...it has 6X optical zoom along with all of the features of the other two. I would easily favor it over the A590IS for its focal range, but would strongly consider the A650IS. I have the A720IS and absolutely love it, except for the same flash recycling time issue that Rob mentioned regarding the A590IS.

A720IS? I forgot about that one. Good choice. Thanks

It might come down to a choice between light weight, compactness and portability

vs. more size, weight and battery power, unless you're into the fine points of image

quality comparisons. I mention this because I had an A620 and an A530 which I

liked better for landscapes because it wasn't as likely to blow highlights in landscape

shooting as was the A620. The sensor aficionados could tell you about the fine

points between the cameras' sensors. Canon buys them from Sony and Sony's

different sensors do have slightly different image characteristics. But that might be

lost in the user's post-processing or commercial printing if small prints will be your

end product. If you were to read tests of your finalist cameras from the same online

site and enlarge samples taken of the same subject at 100% size, you might see

what I mean. The Comparometer at http://imaging-resource.com puts them side by

side for you.

I've narrowed and changed my search to either the A590 or A720. If the IQ is similar, and the extra 2X zoom on the 720 is not important, I'm not opposed to saving a couple dollars and getting the 590. But is it?

I have the A570IS, basically the same as the 590 except for a megapixel. I like it a lot. 8MP in a point & shoot is plenty. Optical viewfinder, manual , shutter-priority, and aperture priority...... So, I vote for the 590 (use the extra bucks for some memory cards). AA batteries also a plus IMO (suggest rechargable Eneloops).

I have the A590IS and it's not a bad camera at all. However, I would spring for something more compact/flat if it's to complement another camera -- it's not all that compact and not a good pocket camera.

We have an A640, the wife and daughter are very happy with it. I see no reason to not like it. It works well for them. So I'd certainly consider it's successor. I have had a few ergonomic problems with changing settings on purpose (or accidentally perhaps?). I'd consider any extra zoom range a plus - assuming that the real test results don't show that the iq falls off badly.

 

The camera shape isn't necessarily going to impact images, it may impact the way it's carried or when it's carried. But that's really an individual thing. If one of them happens to go wider than 35mm equivalent, I'd certainly give that some weight.

I have owned the A80, A95, A620 and now own the A650IS. All are fine cameras and I past the earlier ones onto relatives. The cameras all have optical viewfinders (a must for me), flexible LCDs, and take 4 AA batteries. Put lithiums in them and they seem to last forever. The 620 and 650 both are very easy and comfortable to grip You can get a good deal on new 650s at Costco. The 650 was listed best in its class in the latest Consumer reports.

I opted to go with the A720IS basically due to it's being about equal to the other A-series cameras being considered, and for the extra (6x) optical zoom. Will play with it over the weekend to see if I made the right decision.

 

Thanks to all for your opinions and feedback.