While aimed at the technically minded, the Canon PowerShot A560 is easy to use and offers great image control. A fine choice – even for a first compact

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The 7.1-megapixel Canon Powershot A560 features full manual control, face detection and a 4x digital zoom.

Feature Set

As expected from Canon’s Powershot range, manual control and handling are the key selling points of the A560, but coupled with a 4x optical zoom lens and a DIGIC III processor make it even more of an appealing proposition.

Performance

Of course, not everyone will favour the additional bulk of the body, but then again this camera isn’t targeted at the masses, more the enthusiastic beginner. The camera sports a viewfinder, the layout feels comfortable and doesn’t infringe on usability, while the feature set offers pretty much all that might be expected. The icing on the cake, however, comes in the form of face-detection technology and the processing engine, with the latter displaying a notable performance in terms of operational speed.

Image Quality

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Images produced by the A560 are hard to fault: bursting with detail and a displaying a fantastic dynamic range, while maintaining great edge and corner-detail and showing minimal fringing. This is another fine compact for Canon to be proud of.

Score

Score in detail

  • Features 90
  • Image Quality 90
  • Design 85
  • Performance 90
  • Value 90