- 10.1 effective megapixel, 1/2.3-inch high-sensitivity CMOS sensor
- 3-inch TFT PureColor system LCD with wide-viewing angle
- DIGIC 5 Image Processor
- Full 1080p HD video with stereo sound and dedicated movie button
- 28mm wide-angle lens (12x optical zoom, approx. 4x digital zoom and 48x combined zoom) with optical image stabilizer
- World’s thinnest camera with a 12x Optical Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle lens with Optical Image Stabilizer
- Canon’s HS SYSTEM with a 10.1 MP CMOS Sensor with DIGIC 5 Image Processor (up to 3200 ISO)
- 3.0-inch PureColor System LCD
- Smart AUTO with 58 predefined shooting scenarios and the new Face ID function
- Full 1080p HD Video in Stereo Sound with a dedicated Movie Button and HDMI Output for HDTV viewing
The Canon 6171B001 PowerShot ELPH 520 HS 10.1MP Ultra-Thin Compact Digital Camera, in red, is a mere 0.76 inches thick and the world’s thinnest 12x zoom camera. Canon’s pursuit of perfection has driven the development of miniaturization including a lens and 10.1 Megapixel CMOS sensor that, powered by Canon’s DIGIC 5 Image Processor, create images as breathtakingly beautiful as the camera itself. The camera’s 12x Optical Zoom and 28mm Wide-Angle Lens is a marvel of optical technology. The Wide-Angle lens gives you more to work with in every shot, adding depth, perspective and grandeur as called for. The camera’s sensor was specifically designed for this lens, so even at the long end of the zoom images are bright and clear.
seems a winner,
I purchased this camera a few weeks ago after having a canon powershot 710 is for 5 years. That camera had many attributes such as an optical viewfinder and AA batteries, but was only 6X optical zoom. I had tried other cameras over the last 1-2 years but the quality of the pictures was not good. This camera seems to be a winner. The pictures are nice and clear, the new cmos sensor works great in low light, it’s very small so fits well in your shirt pocket, and it has 12X optical zoom. I’m not real enthused about the image browser software as the older canon zoom browser seemed easier to use but it’s new for me. I had to by a micro SD card, there is no optical viewfinder, and it uses a rechargeable lithium battery, which seems to hold its charge well. It would be nice to have a printed manual rather than a CD for more in depth discussion of the camera but this is an industry trend. The movies are also quite good. I bought the camera at BJs where it was a little cheaper but had to buy the micro SD card which can be gotten cheaper online. All in all this camera seems like a winner and will update if my intial impression changes
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|I love this little camera!,
I received the 520HS on Saturday. I am coming from the Canon SD1000, so I loved the fact that the 520HS is the same size, but 3/4 of an ounce lighter. You can read about the features on Canon’s website. I really want to comment on the face recognition feature. I took some photos on my computer to set up the face recognition. Today, I took pictures of my daughter’s three month old twin girls. I was amazed that the camera recognized their faces. The camera did not use flash even though we were indoors. I must say the pictures are truly amazing. They look like a professional photographer took them. I have read some negative reviews that claim the camera gives poor low light pictures. Some reviewers did not even have a micro SD card in the camera. Well, that is not the case. The DIGIC 5 processor is exceptional for indoor shooting without a flash. The reviewers complained that they already had SD cards and did not like the fact that they would have to get a Micro SD card. I got an 8GB, Class 10, micro SD with the Amazon name for $11.99. I can’t comment on the battery life yet because I have not had to recharge it. I didn’t get the 530HS because I had heard negative feedback about the touch screen. The only thing other than the touch screen that is different is that the 530HS has wi-fi. The 520HS cost at least $50 less. I am leaving on a cruise and will report back when I return.
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|An interesting camera. I like it.,
A tiny little brick of a camera. I took a few shots with it in my dim living room and compared them with both the Canon A620 and the Canon Rebel XTI…all in “auto”. The 520 HS took noisier pictures, yet they were much better to view than the others, which were less noisy but much darker. Which is better, a black frame or a noisy picture? I switched to Program mode and started playing with the settings and menus. The first thing I noticed was that JPG compression was set at “fine”…not “very fine” which is an option. File size went up, but noise decreased quite a bit. Much of the noise was in fact jpg compression artifacts.
The IS seems to work quite well.
The zoom is fantastic for a camera of this size.
The lens is not “flat”…you can achieve quite nice bokeh for a point and shoot.
It has user defined white balance, which I believe is one of the most important features to getting good photos.
The super slow motion is cool, but kind of a gimmick. I got some great video of hummingbirds around the feeder, but it is low resolution.
There is no printed manual, just a PDF file on the included CD ROM.
Flash is unobtrusive, but semi-weak.
Overall, I’m quite happy with my purchase. I think you’ll get way better pictures than most point-and-shoots if you switch to the “Program” mode. Your best camera is the one that you actually use to take pictures. The availability of an inexpensive Ikelite underwater housing and the camera’s ability to take HD video mean that the Canon Elph 520 HS is going on vacation with us, while the Canon DSLR is sitting at home. My Canon A620 took fantastic underwater video and stills, but alas, after many scuba trips and several dozens of hours underwater (and many years) it doesn’t like humidity any more.
I’d give this 5 stars based on what it is and what it’s intended to be used for, but in the end I rated it 4 stars because it is a bit noisy in “auto” mode. I’ll update this review after we get back from vacation where I’ll really get to test the underwater mode and low light performance of stills and video.
Update June 10th -The more I shoot with this camera the more I like it. It is able to capture fantastic images in natural lighting with true to life colors. The myriad of scene modes makes getting the right shot on the first try very easy. I really wouldn’t call this a point and shoot…the images in auto mode are good, but when you switch into scene mode you can get fantastic images if you select the appropriate scene. I’m upping my rating to 5 stars.
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