Canon Powershot A520, Olympus C5500

[bbford]

Researching for my first digital camera. Looking for complaints and
comments on the Powershot A520, Olympus C5500, Sony DSC S90 and the
Panasonic DMC-LZ2.

I've read the online reports and test results. But now, I'm looking for some
reports from you!

[Blob]

bbford wrote:
> Researching for my first digital camera. Looking for complaints and
> comments on the Powershot A520, Olympus C5500, Sony DSC S90 and the
> Panasonic DMC-LZ2.
>
> I've read the online reports and test results. But now, I'm looking for some
> reports from you!

Bought an A520 about a week ago. First impression was that it's smaller
and lighter than I thought it would be. A good thing, in my book. The
controls and menu layout are well-designed and intuitive, compared with
various Sony cameras that I've used (DSC-F55, DSC-V1, DSC-T1, DSC-T3).
Easier to use, much less fumbling, especially outside of Auto mode.

The quality of the images is very good -- well-exposed and colours are
bright and smooth. The B&W mode produces good results. While I avoided
the B&W mode on Sony cameras (preferring the channel mixer), I will be
using it on my A520.

One thing I liked on the Sony DSC-V1 was the realtime display of
under/over-exposure info. On the A520, this is shown to you only after
you press the shutter button half-way. However, it hasn't been a big
problem, as the LCD is bright and well calibrated, so I've been able to
predict exposure easily.

The Stitch Assist function, together with the PhotoStitch software,
works very well.

Flash recycling is slow. OTOH, the Indoor Scene program is excellent for
casual party snaps, as it prefers large apertures over firing the flash.

Overall, I'm quite pleased with it. It's a camera that you want to pick
up and use.

Detailed info:
http://web.canon.jp/Imaging/psa520/overview-e.html