Canon allows comfort with A540

One up from the low end of the camera models announced by Canon, prior to the Spring 2006 PMA show, the PowerShot A540 comes in just above the A530 model. The extra money you spend on this A540 will be well-spent though.

The A540 features six-mega pixels of resolution together with a retractable 4x optical zoom lens with a focal length of 35-140mm (35mm equivalent). This model incorporates 22 shooting modes from fully automatic to fully manual to achieve optimum results for any photographic application.

The maximum movie frame rate is a full 30 frames/second, even at 640x480 resolution. But the pinching part at that resolution is that all you can click is some six frames.

ISO light-sensitivity ranges from 80 to 800. But one will have to tolerate more noise as the price of higher sensitivity.

The camera also features a large 2.5- inch 85,000-pixel LCD color monitor, making it easier than ever to review captured images and even to do limited in-camera image editing. Shutter speed ranges from 1/2,000 to 15 seconds, depending on aperture.

The Canon A540 stores its images on SD memory cards, which is rapidly becoming the dominant memory card format for digital cameras. Consumers benefit from accelerated image transfer speed thanks to the inclusion of a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port.

‘My colors’ mode has been enhanced by Canon. Where previously, users could only enable ‘My Colors’ while shooting, the current model permits captured images to be retouched as well, without the need for special software applications or tools.

It’s pretty lightweight at 7.8 ounces. “Canon has used the space intelligently, turning it into a hand grip with most of the A540's weight in the grip. That makes it easier to handhold in low light, giving it a little more resistance when you press the shutter” Said Andrew Wilson, a user.

The digital camera kit includes a USB cable, audio and video cable, wrist strap, 16MB MultiMediaCard and two AA-size Alkaline batteries as well as the Canon Digital Camera Solution Disc Version 22. A540 can be a good choice for budding photographers and can be yours for $299.99.