Canon PowerShot A570 IS
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 1773B001
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Despite excessive noise at higher ISOs, Canon's A570 IS offers an excellent value and an impressive feature set in its category.
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CNET editors' review
Canon PowerShot A570 IS
price range: $122.99
- Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
- Reviewed on: 03/21/2007
The good: Optical image stabilization; manual exposure controls; good performance; optical viewfinder
The bad: Noisy at higher ISOs
The bottom line: Despite excessive noise at higher ISOs, Canon's A570 IS offers an excellent value and an impressive feature set in its category.
As the least expensive Canon camera to include optical image stabilization, the PowerShot A570 IS will no doubt receive a lot of attention this year. Its 7.1 megapixel CCD sensor and 2.5-inch LCD aren't remarkable among the current crop of compacts, but its 4X optical zoom lens provides a bit more reach than the usual 3X lenses that continue to dot the competitive landscape. While we would've liked to see Canon go wide, the lens covers a 35mm equivalent of 35mm to 140mm. While this isn't as versatile for group portraits, or the close quarter situations that most average snapshooters find themselves in, larger, longer zoom numbers still tend to sell better. If image stabilization doesn't float your boat and you never use manual exposure controls, you may want to step down to the A560, which is otherwise very similar to this model.
Like a lot of Canon's new cameras, the A570 IS includes a Digic III processor chip, which means it also has Canon's face detection. In our field tests, the system quickly and accurately identified faces. Once it identifies them, the system uses your subject's face to focus and meter the scene. Another feature that comes along with Digic III is in-camera red-eye removal. In this case, Canon lets you pluck the red pupils from your portrait victims in playback mode. Canon's a bit late to this game, since most of its competitors, such as Hewlett-Packard, Kodak, and Nikon, have included similar functions for a while now.
In addition to image stabilization, the biggest difference between the A570 IS and its little sister, the A560, is the A570 IS's manual exposure controls. If you're used to being able to shoot in aperture- or shutter-priority mode, or choose your own manual exposure settings, then you should pay extra attention to the A570 IS, since it's also the least expensive A-series camera with full exposure controls. Canon includes 12 scene modes (5 of which can be accessed directly from the mode dial), in addition to stitch assist and movie modes. Speaking of movie modes, this camera includes four. Two standard modes let you record at either 640x480 or 320x240 pixel resolutions with your choice of 30 frames per second (fps) or 15fps. Fast Frame Rate movie mode lets you record at 320x240 pixels and 60 fps, while Compact movie mode records at 160x120 pixels and 15 frames per second to keep files as small as possible so you can more easily e-mail the clips to friends.
Grouped conveniently on the right side of the camera, you can easily reach all of the A570 IS's controls with either your thumb or forefinger, making one-handed shooting a definite possibility. As usual though, it's best to use two hands, for stability's sake, if at all possible. Canon divides the camera's menus between two buttons; the function/set button and the menu button. You'll find commonly used shooting settings, such as white balance, metering mode, and ISO, grouped under the function button. The menu button leads to less frequently changed items, such as image stabilization mode, digital zoom on/off, and artifical intelligent auto-focus (AiAF) mode, which also lets you turn the face detection on or off. We would've liked to see a dedicated face detection button, since it's a bit unintuitive to look for it under that menu item, and since the face detection system does more than just auto focus.
While not a rocket ship with the flash enabled, the A570 IS performed well in our lab tests. The camera took 1.78 seconds to start up and capture its first JPEG, and captured subsequent JPEGs every 1.82 seconds with the flash turned off. That shot-to-shot time slowed considerably to 4.82 seconds between shots with the flash turned on. Shutter lag measured an alacritous 0.5 second in our high-contrast test, which mimics bright shooting conditions, and 1.3 seconds in our low-contrast test, meant to mimic dim shooting conditions. Continuous shooting (aka burst) mode yielded about 1.6 frames per second regardless of image size.
Image quality was impressive, especially at lower ISOs, though we noticed some slight artifacts even at the camera's lowest sensitivity of ISO 80, which seemed to become exacerbated by the noise caused by higher ISOs. Still, colors looked accurate, there was plenty of shadow detail, and our images turned out very sharp. The A570 IS's automatic white balance returned yellowish images with our lab's tungsten lights, so you'll want to switch to the tungsten preset, which provided pleasingly neutral results, if shooting indoors around incandescent lights. Canon keeps noise under control through ISO 200. While noise is noticeable at ISO 200, especially on a monitor, it is fairly minor and shouldn't be a problem in prints. At ISO 400, noise turns grittier with more discrete speckles showing up, though shadow detail and sharpness remain fairly intact. Noise rises precipitously at ISO 800, creating a dense snowy covering over the entire image, obscuring much of the shadow detail and softening finer details. By ISO 1600, most shadow detail and sharpness is lost and images are covered in a blizzard of white and colored speckles. We suggest sticking to ISO 400 and below whenever possible, especially if you plan to make prints larger than 4x6 inches.
Overall, the PowerShot A570 IS is a solid compact camera that offers a lot of value for your money. We were a bit disappointed with its high ISO noise, but you'll be hard pressed to find a compact camera at a price like this that has manual exposure controls, optical image stabilization, flash output control, and speedy performance. Plus, similar to all the A-series cameras, this one runs on AA batteries, so if you run out of power, you don't need to wait for charging.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance.)
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Typical shot-to-shot time | |
Time to first shot | |
Shutter lag (typical) |
(Frames per second: larger is better)
User reviews
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Nearly perfect for a compact camera
by sdeetz on April 11, 2007
Pros: Great image quality, excellent image stabilization, fast f2.6 aperture, great low light shots, scene modes work great, AA batteries were a savior when ripping off hundreds of shots a day on vacation
Cons: nothing major. Would have liked to see a 28mm wide angle lens, but at least you can add one on with the adapter
Summary: For the price and size, it is hard to imagine a better camera out there. This baby has fantastic image quality, it is very fast, has the new digic 3 ...
Summary: For the price and size, it is hard to imagine a better camera out there. This baby has fantastic image quality, it is very fast, has the new digic 3 processor, the best aperture of any compact digital I've found (f2.6) excellent image stabilizing, and on and on.
I especially liked the quality of low light photos. This has been a problem in every compact camera I've ever used. But the night scene mode worked very well, and with the ability to manually override settings that other compacts do not, I was able to dial some shots in even better than the default settings. They also included a ton of great settings for things that all of us take pictures of when on vacations, such as fireworks, aquariums, museums, etc. When you are somewhere that doesn't allow flash photography, the low light and high iso settings work great.
The movie modes are the best I've seen as well. They even have a 60fps setting, where most cameras max out at 30fps.
Better than many other cameras out there at twice the price!42 out of 42 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Amazing camera
by jpenny43 on April 3, 2007
Pros: manual controls, video quality, battery life
Cons: battery door a little difficult for me to open
Summary: After my nikon point & shoot broke I went online to review cameras and this one struck my interest because of its price and features, manual controls & photo quality,...
Summary: After my nikon point & shoot broke I went online to review cameras and this one struck my interest because of its price and features, manual controls & photo quality,I was really surprised with the video quality, shoot 1 hour with a 4gb card.I burn them onto dvd and they are great.
13 out of 15 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great Camera at Good Price
by jdun87 on July 18, 2007
Pros: Easy to operate. Automatic and scene modes produce good quality images in most conditions. 4x optical zoom instead of 3x. Optical viewfinder. Image stabilization and face detection. Uses AA batteries.
Cons: AA batteries add weight and bulk, but is a good trade off.
Summary: Canon has earned an excellent reputation for quality and the Powershot A570 IS digital camera is no exception. Although, competitors have cameras with similar technology for less, in my opinion ...
Summary: Canon has earned an excellent reputation for quality and the Powershot A570 IS digital camera is no exception. Although, competitors have cameras with similar technology for less, in my opinion Canon just does everything a bit better and it is worth the price. For example the camera includes an optical viewfinder, which is useful if there is a lot of glare on the LCD. Also, the camera packs a little bit more zoom, 4x optical instead of the 3x that most of the competitive landscape has. In addition to the auto and scene modes Canon gives you controls over the exposure, white balance, and shutter speed. If you just want to use it as a point and shoot, the camera usually does a great job at automatically adjusting to the shooting conditions. Although, the AA batteries add a little bit of bulk and weight, if you run out of juice for a few dollars you can pick up some spare batteries and keep on shooting. Or, if you you are going backpacking you can throw in some spare batteries. The lithium ion batteries found in the super compact cameras work great, but you are burdened with always having to recharge the batteries and when you run out of juice you are stuck. I would recommend the Canon A570 to anyone looking for a solid, easy to use camera, with a good set of features, and the option to manually control settings.
11 out of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.
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GREAT Camera for the price
by damian5000 on August 9, 2007
Pros: Manual Controls / Price / Image stabilization / Image Quality
Cons: Noisy at higher ISO's
Summary: This is the second Canon A series camera I've owned. I had the a510, which was great for me for a couple years. The a570 has an impressive set ...
Summary: This is the second Canon A series camera I've owned. I had the a510, which was great for me for a couple years. The a570 has an impressive set of features for the price ($188).
The image stabilizer is a nice feature. I can shoot indoors at 1/5 of a second with low/medium light and get relatively crisp shots. You really can tell a big difference between IS on and IS off.
Size is nice. Relatively compact. You can put this camera in a medium size pocket easily. I like the looks of it too. Sleek silver.
Having manual controls is great a great feature. ESPECIALLY if you're planning on growing with the camera and aren't just going to point and shoot daylight photos. While you may not use them often, when you do want them, they are there for you. [Example: I wanted to take a picture of my GF by candlelight w/o flash and had to leave the shutter open for 10 seconds. The shot would of been impossible with auto or preset settings]
The only real issues with this camera it's pretty noisy beyond ISO 200. This probably won't be a problem for 90% of the people out there and to be honest, most all of the other compact / point and shoot cameras (Fuji excepted) are the same with this ISO issue.
The other thing is flash recharge time. You can help this by getting high mAh, (2500 or better...I have 2700) and high quality (Lenmar recommended) batteries.
One more thing. The 7 I gave this camera is relative to all camera groups. If I was rating the camera WITHIN the point and shoots and megazooms it would get a 9.Updated
Image quality is very good and the camera is easy to hold in one hand to take shots.
I like the new digital zoom. It can be used during movie mode also, which is nice.
The flash settings are great. You really have control over it. You can have it auto adjust (default), adjust manually, or use a combination of the 2.
Also, the new red eye remover in camera is a cool option. Would be better though if you could set it to auto remove upon shooting.
The camera's resolution options step down from 1600x1200 (Too big for most computer screens) to 640x480 (Too small for good viewing). It's not a huge deal, as you can use bulk image resizing with photo software, or the amazing Picasa 2 which you can set to automatically resize upon emailing. But would be nice if I didn't have to. This is a small gripe. I just don't understand why 1024x768 and 800x600 aren't options.10 out of 11 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Please Ignore negative Reviews of this Camera!!!
by laudiedaudie on August 31, 2007
Pros: So easy to use for those who have minimum knowledge of cameras yet has very self explanatory options if you want to experiment with it's fabulous bells and whistles, easy to hold, sturdy design
Cons: Absomutely Naddah!
Summary: I am one of those people who doesn't know a ton about computers and cameras, but I know enough to know when I have found a gem. This camera ...
Summary: I am one of those people who doesn't know a ton about computers and cameras, but I know enough to know when I have found a gem. This camera is IDEAL for first time digi owners and seasoned vets. I researched the hell out of digital cameras (I read about 240 reviews on this website of cameras within $150-$250) and after noting about 8 with the best reviews, I went to Best Buy to check them out for myself. When the gentleman helping me saw my list, he immediately told me that the Canon Powershot A570 is the best one for the price and quality I wanted. After a few days of using it, I realized he was right. It's SO easy to use, takes unbelievable pictures, and has so many options. BUY THIS CAMERA! Who ever says anything negative about this camera is smoking crack. Cheers!
6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great basic / intermediate camera
by Claude Vermillion on June 20, 2007
Pros: Image stabilization, ease of use, short start-up, face-finder
Cons: shot-to-shot time when using flash, battery life (both minor issues)
Summary: Great camera, especially for the price. It's small enough to be easily portable, without sacrificing picture quality. The image stabilizer is amazing. In outdoor light, at full digital zoom, ...
Summary: Great camera, especially for the price. It's small enough to be easily portable, without sacrificing picture quality. The image stabilizer is amazing. In outdoor light, at full digital zoom, I (intentionally) shook the camera and still got a stable image! After several weeks of use, the only bad shots I've gotten were of people sitting in front of a bright window-- where any camera would struggle.
I recommend this camera for:
- Someone who wants an easy-to-use camera that yields great pictures
- An intermediate user who sometimes wants to use manual settings
- Someone who wants a decent zoom but not the size of a super-zoom (4x optical / 16X digital zoom works suprisingly well with the image stabilizer)
I DO NOT recommend this camera for:
- An advanced user who might not like what I consider small annoyances: screen goes black while the flash recharges, battery life could be better, optical viewfinder does not reflect digital zoom (I think this is the case with any optical viewfinder, though).6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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For the point-and-shoot crowd
by areiman on September 5, 2007
Pros: Image Stabilization, crisp/clear photos, durability, movies
Cons: Would like more zoom
Summary: To start, I was used to tossing 20-40% of photos from my old cameras becuase my hands are shakey, and the resulting photos were blurry. The Image Stabilization sold me ...
Summary: To start, I was used to tossing 20-40% of photos from my old cameras becuase my hands are shakey, and the resulting photos were blurry. The Image Stabilization sold me on the camera, and today, I get maybe 2-3% blurry photos! I just switched from an ultra compact to this slightly larger camera. I like the extra weight in my hand, further making it easy to steady the camera.
I like the fact that the camera has both a manual viewfinder and the screen. I broke the screen on my last camera and it had no viewfinder, so there was no way to accurately capture photos. Even if the screen goes on this camera, I always have the viewfinder for backup.
I don't really understand or care about manual controls since I am usually capturing kids or action shots on the fly. The automatic settings work great. I particularly like the portrait mode. If I want to use more controls, they are there waiting for me.
This camera is DURABLE! I dropped my last Cannon SD camera from 2 feet and the view screen was destroyed. I just returned from a mountain biking trip to Vail, CO. On one run, I lost control in gravel at 30 MPH and my camera, which was in a small case around my neck, was between me and the rocks and dirt. I got up, shook off the blood and dust, and was happy to find that the camera was in perfect condition! (on top of that, the camera took terrific action photos and movies).
The movie mode works very well. The movies are crisp and clear, and the audio is excellent.
Overall, for the point-and-shoot person, this camera can't be beat! This is the best camera I have ever owned.5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Over all I think this camera is sharp, takes clear crisp pictures, and is easy to work.
by smokey011385 on July 22, 2007
Pros: Sharp clear pictures, easy to transfer on a pc or mac, over all awesome camera for any occasion
Cons: Tends to get a little louder at higher ISO
Summary: Great camera, I love it. Exactly what I was looking for when I went shopping for a digital camera. Has many features, takes awesome clear pictures, and is a decent ...
Summary: Great camera, I love it. Exactly what I was looking for when I went shopping for a digital camera. Has many features, takes awesome clear pictures, and is a decent price. I would recommend this camera to anyone who wants great pictures for a good price.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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570 IS Battery Life problems
by canonpoweruser on November 20, 2007
Pros: Image stabliser, large screen,
Cons: Battery life (lasting only 5 to 20 shots ! !!!! )
Summary: Although I have been a strong advocate of Canon camera, this camera has not lived up to expectations on one acccount.. Battery life ! .. With fully charged battery, it can simply ...
Summary: Although I have been a strong advocate of Canon camera, this camera has not lived up to expectations on one acccount.. Battery life ! .. With fully charged battery, it can simply show the low battery sign after a few shots.
I have had low battery signs with a new Energizer Alkaline(many brands also tried)and Chamolein 2300Mah full charge. After shooting about 2 to 20 pics .. some with the flas the low battery comes right on.. very exasperating !
The problem apparently is not isolated as many 570 users seem to have the similar issues http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/canon-powershot-a570is_question.html?qid=157016 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great buy, you won't be disappointed.
by kapteynbok on October 16, 2007
Pros: great features for a bargain price
Cons: A little bit bulky
Summary: My last digital camera is a 2 mega pixel kodak . I have been planning to replace it for months, but can't find one that I really like. Its either ...
Summary: My last digital camera is a 2 mega pixel kodak . I have been planning to replace it for months, but can't find one that I really like. Its either too expensive for me or I don't like the features. An important occasion is approaching fast and I really need a replacement for my aging cam. I quickly searched the web and found the canon a great buy for my limited bucks. Ive had it for 2 weeks and I am really amazed of its great features. Manual settings are available and really takes great pictures with or without flash. thanks to its 1600 iso, I can take pictures in almost zero lighting. Buy it, you wont regret it.
4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 1773B001
- Description: Even when the kids can't sit still and the light is less than ideal, the amazing PowerShot A570 IS lets you capture life's special moments perfectly. Optical Image Stabilizer Technology keeps images crisp even when you're zoomed way in. The ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto settings reduce blur when the lights are down low. Plus, the A570 IS is packed with easy-to-use creative and convenient features you'll love.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Weight 6.2 oz
- Width 3.5 in
- Depth 1.7 in
- Height 2.5 in
Main Features
- Resolution 7.1 megapixels
- Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom.
- Sensor resolution 7.1 megapixels
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Effective Sensor Resolution 7,100,000 pixels
- Total Pixels 7,400,000 pixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/2.5 in
- Light Sensitivity ISO 200, ISO 800, ISO auto, ISO 400, ISO 80, ISO 1600, ISO 100
- Digital Zoom 4 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Aquarium, Beach, Portrait mode, Macro, Foliage, Kids & pets, Underwater, Snow, Fireworks, Indoor
- Special effects Vivid, Black & White, Sepia, Custom Effect, Neutral
- Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
- Exposure Metering Center-weighted, Evaluative, Spot
- Exposure Modes Aperture-priority, Automatic, Program, Shutter-priority, Manual
- Exposure Compensation ?2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- White Balance Custom, Automatic, Presets
- White Balance Presets Tungsten light, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Fluorescent light (daylight), Underwater, Daylight
- Digital video format AVI
- Still Image Format JPEG
- Continuous Shooting Speed 1.7 frames per second
- Color support Color
- Image Stabilizer Optical
- Face Detection Yes
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 320 x 240 - 22 sec - With 16MB card, AVI - 160 x 120 - 107 sec - With 16MB card, AVI - 320 x 240 - 43 sec - With 16MB card, AVI - 640 x 480 - 7 sec - With 16MB card, AVI - 640 x 480 - 11 sec - With 16MB card
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 16 MB Flash - SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage Super-fine JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 4 - With 16MB card, Fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 10 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 16 - With 16MB card, Fine JPEG 3072 x 1728 : 10 - With 16MB card, Fine JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 7 - With 16MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 5 - With 16MB card, Super-fine JPEG 3072 x 1728 : 6 - With 16MB card, Super-fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 56 - With 16MB card, Fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 26 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 640 x 480 : 138 - With 16MB card, Fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 88 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 50 - With 16MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 9 - With 16MB card, Super-fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 14 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 33 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 3072 x 1728 : 21 - With 16MB card, Normal JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 21 - With 16MB card, Fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 16 - With 16MB card
- Flash memory 16 MB - SD Memory Card
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 5.8 mm - 23.2 mm - F/2.6-5.5
- Focal Length 5.8 mm - 23.2 mm
- Lens Manufacturer Canon
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 10 sec, 2 sec
- Additional Features DPOF support, Face detection, Audio recording, Safety zoom, PictBridge support, AE lock, In-camera red-eye removal, 16:9 widescreen mode, Digital tele-converter, RGB primary color filter, Digital noise reduction, AF lock, Direct print, Digital image rotation, Camera orientation detection, Auto power save, Histogram display
Camera Flash
- Effective Flash Range 1 ft - 11.5 ft
- Type Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Flash OFF mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Auto mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective flash range 1 ft - 11.5 ft
- Features AF illuminator
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type Optical - Real-image zoom
- Color support Color
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.5 in - Color
- Mounting Built-in
- Resolution 115,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x USB
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card