Budget Camera Grouptest - Canon A495

Canon's PowerShot A495 follows the Editor's Choice A480, offering a similar range of features in an AA battery-powered body. The 10MP sensor is small compared to the 12MP versions of its peers, and a 2.5in LCD screen and a relatively limited 3.3x optical zoom lens is featured.

Also present is a Smart Auto mode, which alters the scene mode of the camera dependent on the conditions or subject, such as changing onto the macro mode if a flower is particularly close to the lens. Image stabilisation is ‘digital', i.e. achieved through increasing the ISO, theoretically making it possible to capture movement by catering the camera for the limited amount of light at the expense of final image quality. This has the downside of increasing the grain, or noise, in each image, so red and green specks become visible. As the magnification is limited at 3.3x, or 37-122mm in 35mm equivalent terms, the amount of potential camera shake when using the zoom is already minimised.

The images produced by the Canon are excellent, offering sharp and well-exposed shots across the board. The fact that occasionally the flash charging causes the camera to become unusable for that period, and that the LCD's resolution is quite poor, are minor annoyances when the images are viewed off-camera. Some of the colour quality belies the supposedly inferior sensor size by being eye-catching and faithful tonally, and thankfully the A495 doesn't take any longer than required to shoot the images.

Even when taking macro shots the focus was rapid, although the lack of physical image stabilisation means anything in motion can prove an issue. Annoyingly the body also feels ‘cheap', so on first impressions the A495 perhaps doesn't communicate the level of picture quality attainable.

PRICE            £100
MEGAPIXELS    10MP
LENS    37-122mm (3.3x Zoom)
APERTURE    F/3-5.8
STABILISATION    Digital
SCREEN SIZE        2.7in
ISO    80-1600
MODES    Auto, P, 13 Scene modes
MEMORY CARDS    SD/SDHC
SOCKETS        USB, AV
DIMENSIONS     93.5 x 61.7 x 30.6mm
WEIGHT        175g

Summary

The A495 feels far cheaper than it should, though the image quality is excellent showing impressive tone and range.