Canon Powershot A495

Selecting carefully, it’s possible to buy a reliable digital camera for around £100.

The list price of Canon’s Powershot A495, replacing the A480 model, may be slightly more than £100, but it’s about as cheap as Canon’s range gets. The camera’s construction felt distinctly plasticky but image quality is what counts. On that score we found results from this pocket camera were comparable with better-built and more expensive Canon Ixus models.

The A495 is available in silver, red or blue and has slightly larger-than-average dimensions. It’s bigger than more expensive models. On a positive note the bigger buttons will be a help to both older and younger members of the family.

Likewise the Smart Auto mode, in which the camera compares scenes and subjects with its preset settings and selects the most appropriate match. We found all we had to do was point and shoot to get consistent results.

The resolution of 10 megapixels and 3.3x zoom lens (equivalent to a 37-122mm on a 35mm film camera) are adequate for its class, as is the 2.5in screen at the back, which is used for setting up and reviewing photos, though the screen’s quality was disappointing.

There is no viewfinder. When we wanted to include ourselves in the picture, the camera’s Face Self Timer mode, which waits for an additional person to join before firing the shutter, was useful.

A couple of fun effects are provided: there is a colour-fading Poster Effect and its opposite, the Super Vivid mode which boosts contrasts. Neither was too over-the-top. In addition to photos the camera can take video clips (not in high-definition) all of which are saved to SD, SDHC or newer, higher-capacity SDXC memory cards.

The camera uses two AA batteries for power instead of the longer-lasting rechargeable batteries in more expensive models, which some prefer, but battery life suffered as a result.

We found a couple of operational quirks. The brief wait while the built-in flash charged was irritating, as is the over-sensitive shutter release button. It was too easy to accidentally take a picture while we were still composing it.

However, the evenly exposed, sharp, colourful results that bettered what we were expecting from such a cheap camera prove the old saying that you cannot judge a book by its cover.