Pros: Very good image quality, 4X optical zoom, large 2.5" LCD screen, and AA batteries
Cons: Grainy LCD screen, redeye, some corner softness, and minor chromatic aberration (purple fringing)
The Bottom Line: The new Canon Powershot A540 Digital Camera provides an almost perfect balance of prosumer-like performance and creative versatility in a reasonably priced package.
Howard_Creech's Full Review: Canon PowerShot A540 Digital Camera
Canon's A series digital cameras have been number one in U. S. sales for the last three years because they dependably provide consumers with impressive ease of use, exceptional performance, superb ergonomics, tough as nails durability, excellent image quality, and "best in class" bang for the buck. The newest member of the "A" family is the Canon PowerShot A540 Digital Camera (which replaces last years ultra popular A520 model). The A540 is a mid-sized digicam with 6 Megapixel resolution, 20 shooting modes, an ISO 800 top sensitivity setting, a 4X optical zoom (rather than the standard 3X), a large 2.5" LCD screen, full manual controls, and a new 16:9 (2816 x 1584) Widescreen mode.
The heart of the Canon PowerShot A540 Digital Camera is its second-generation DIGIC (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) II processor, the same processor used in Canon’s top of the line G and S Series digicams and pro and amateur dSLRs. The DIGIC II processor combines most primary camera functions (image interpolation and processing, auto exposure, White Balance, JPEG compression, gain control, and power management) in one chip which improves efficiency for quicker startup, faster processing, and near real time shutter response. DIGIC II image files are optimized for bold, bright, highly saturated colors and balanced contrast. Canon's new six-megapixel CCD sensor works in tandem with the DIGIC II processor to noticeably reduce image noise at higher sensitivity settings.
NUTS & BOLTS
Viewfinder/LCD
The A540's coupled (zooming) optical viewfinder is sharp, fairly bright, and useable - but it is a bit squinty and only covers about eighty per cent of the image frame. There's no diopter adjustment for eyeglasses wearers.
The A540's 2.5" (115,000 pixels) low-temp polycrystalline silicon TFT LCD screen is a bit grainy, but it is sharp and bright enough to get the job done. The A540's LCD screen is hue accurate and fluid; It automatically boosts gain in dim/low light and provides a very useful playback histogram that converts the image area into a graphic readout of the tonal distribution in captured images (to help evaluate dynamic range).
Zoom
The Canon Powershot A540 uses the proven f2.6-f5.5/ 5.8mm-23.2mm (35mm -140mm - 35mm equivalent) all glass 4X optical zoom first seen on Canon’s A510/A520 models. When the A540 is powered up the lens extends automatically and when the camera is powered down the zoom is fully retracted into the camera body and a built in lens cover closes to protect it. The A540's zoom is sharp, hue accurate, relatively fast, and fairly quiet.
There is moderate barrel distortion at the wide end of the zoom range and slightly above average pincushion distortion at the telephoto end. Corners are slightly soft, especially at the maximum aperture. I didn’t notice any vignetting (dark corners) – but I did note occasional vignetting at maximum aperture (at the wide-angle end of the zoom range) with the A520 (and this is the same lens). Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is slightly above average, especially noticeable in high contrast color transition areas. Overall, the A540's zoom is surprisingly good for an entry-level digital camera – slightly better optically than big brother A700's new 6X zoom. While the A540's zoom is not threaded shooters can use conversion lenses and filters (with an optional conversion lens adapter).
Auto Focus (AF)
The A540 features the same TTL Contrast Detection 9-point AiAF (Advanced intelligent Auto Focus) system as its predecessors. In all automatic exposure modes the camera analyzes the scene in front of the lens and then calculates camera to subject distance to determine which of the 9 AF points is closest to the primary subject (closest subject priority) and then locks focus on that AF point. Users can also opt for the 1 AF point (center) AF for classic portraits or traditional landscapes. AF performance is consistently faster than average. In low light the focus assist beam helps illuminate the subject for more accurate focusing.
Manual Focus (MF)
Entry-level digital cameras rarely provide a manual focus mode, but the A540 permits users to focus manually when precise focusing is critical. In MF mode a distance scale is provided (on the LCD screen) to indicate approximate distances and the center of the screen is enlarged to help ensure accurate focusing. The A540's manual focus system (stepped scale focusing) is somewhat cumbersome, but it does provide a bit more individual control than most comparably priced digicams.
Flash
The A540's built-in multi mode flash provides users with the only zooming flash in its class. When users zoom out (toward a remote subject) -- the flash head "zooms" too. What this means in practical terms is that the flash covers a broad area at the wide-angle end of the zoom range and a narrower area at the telephoto end of the range.
Flash options include: Auto (fires when needed), On (fill flash), Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-synch (in Night Scene Mode), and off. Canon claims the maximum flash range is about 12 feet (3.5 meters) and that appears to be a fairly accurate assessment based on my limited use. Unlike most entry-level digicams, the A540 provides flash adjustment options - Flash exposure compensation (+/-2EV in 1/3EV increments) and in manual mode users can adjust the flash output to 1/3, 2/3, or full power).
Overall, the A540's flash is noticeably better than average. The A540 is the only camera in its class with a compatible slave flash unit - Canon's optional HF-DC1 auto (slave) flash extends coverage to 28mm and maximum flash range to about 30 feet.
Memory Media
The A540 saves images to Secure Digital (or MMC) memory media.
Connectivity
USB 2.0 High Speed, A/V out, and DC in (with optional AC Adaptor).
Power
The A540 is powered by two (2) alkaline, NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride), or lithium ion AA cells. My friend and I used the A540 (with a pair of 2300 mAh NiMH rechargeable AA batteries) through a weekend of very heavy shooting. Canon claims 90 shots (full time LCD use) or 240 shots (using only the optical viewfinder) with available anywhere Alkaline AA’s. The A540 is (according to Canon) good for 360 shots (full time LCD use) and up to 800 shots (with the optical viewfinder) when high capacity rechargeable AA's are loaded. I didn't keep track of exposures and we used the LCD screen and optical viewfinder about equally for compositional chores (plus occasional flash use) so I can't argue with Canon’s numbers, however keep in mind that your mileage may vary substantially. The A540's power management is remarkably good.
EXPOSURE
The A540 recycles the remarkably simple and simultaneously very sophisticated auto exposure system that made its predecessors so popular with consumers. Exposure options include Auto (Point and Shoot mode), Program (Auto exposure with user input), Aperture Priority mode, Shutter Priority mode, and full manual mode.
Shooters can also opt for the A540's very useful selection of Scene modes including Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, and Underwater. Canon’s exclusive iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology produces consistently exceptional exposures in all scene modes. The camera instantly matches the scene in front of the lens with an on board database of known scene types and then compares that information with the specific scene's subject distance, white balance, contrast, dynamic range, lighting, and color (just before the image is recorded) to determine the best exposure. In all Scene modes the camera's CPU automatically optimizes all exposure parameters (aperture, shutter speed, white balance, sensitivity, etc.) for the specific scene type selected. The ISAPS system works hand in hand with Canon’s DIGIC II processor and AiAF auto focus system to quickly capture properly exposed images with accurate color, balanced contrast, and tack sharp focus.
Movie Mode
A540 users can record video clips (with audio) at 640x480 @ 30 fps with duration limited to 1GB. The A540 can also record up to 60 seconds of fast frame rate QVGA (60 fps) video clips and several lower resolution video options. There’s also a voice-notation mode so users to add audio notes (up to 60 seconds) to their pictures. A high-speed memory card is required for the QVGA movie mode.
Metering
The A540's evaluative metering system is consistently accurate in all but the most demanding lighting. Neophyte photographers don’t have to worry about metering at all (as long as they stay in Auto mode) and more experienced photographers can opt for either Spot metering or Center-weighted Averaging metering for more demanding/creative compositions or a more traditional "look" in portraits and landscapes.
When Spot metering is enabled, the metering spot can be set to the center of the frame or linked to the active Flexizone AF point, allowing shooters to meter on the spot location that coincides with the most important element of the composition (like the eyes in a portrait) and link the camera's AF system to that same spot---which is a really nifty and very useful option.
White Balance (WB)
The A540 provides experienced users with more white balance options than most currently available consumer digicams. WB settings include TTL Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, and a custom WB (manual) mode that allows savvy shooters to use a white card (or white wall or ceiling) to insure accurate color balance.
Sensitivity
The A540 provides an excellent range of sensitivity/speed settings including - Auto, High ISO Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, and 800 ISO.
The A540's new ISO 800 setting provides photographers with the flexibility to shoot indoors without flash, shoot at faster shutter speeds (to freeze action) outdoors, and in low/dim lighting.
In-Camera Image Adjustment
In-camera image adjustment options are often overlooked by digicam purchasers, but savvy users know the ability to make subtle color/contrast/exposure adjustments is a very important creative tool and a simple and effective way to overcome minor exposure problems. The A540 provides shooters with a very useful range of creative exposure tweaks.
The Exposure Compensation mode allows users to subtly modify exposure parameters. Very light or very dark subjects can trick light metering systems into underexposing or overexposing images. The A540's base exposure can be modified over a 4 EV range ( /-2 EV) in 1/3 EV increments to compensate for difficult lighting and subject/background reflectance/non-reflectance problems or to compensate for environmental exposure variables (by allowing users to easily lighten or darken exposures). Other tweaks include -- Saturation (Low, standard, high), Contrast (Low, standard, high), Sharpness (Low, standard, high), and Noise reduction (Low, standard, high).
The A540 also permits users to select Positive Film (mimics color slide film’s higher saturation and harder contrast), Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Color accent (shifts images to B&W, except for one user selected color), color swap (allows users to switch one color for another), custom color (users can adjust color balance for red, green, blue, and skin tones +/-2 arbitrary steps in full step increments), and Photo effects (vivid or neutral color saturation, low sharpening, sepia, and B&W) mode.
CONTROLS, DESIGN, ENGINEERING, & ERGONOMICS
The Canon PowerShot A540 Digital Camera bears a striking family resemblance to its older siblings. It's an attractive and relatively compact (but a bit too bulky for dropping in a shirt pocket or small purse) digicams constructed of a durable combination of metal and polycarbonate. The controls are logically placed and easily accessed and the ergonomic handgrip provides stability and balance. Experienced photographers will have no problem using the camera right out of the box and beginners should be able to shoot first-rate images after a short scan through of the user's manual.
Technical Specifications
Resolution: 6 Megapixels (2816 x 2112)
Viewfinders: 2.5” LCD screen and Real Image zooming optical viewfinder
Zoom: f2.6-f5.5/5.8mm-23.2mm (35mm-140mm - 35mm equivalent) all glass 4X optical zoom
Auto Focus: 9 AF point AiAF
Manual Focus: Yes
Flash: Built-in Multi-mode
Exposure: Auto, Program AE, Scene modes, Aperture priority, Shutter priority, Manual mode, and Movie mode
Metering: Evaluative, Center-weighted, & Spot
Exposure compensation: Yes +/- 2 EV in 1/3 EV increments
White balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Flash, & Custom
Sensitivity: Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, & 800 ISO (35mm equivalent)
Image Storage Media: SD/MMC
Connectivity: USB 2.0 HS out, AV/out, & DC in
Power: 2 AA batteries
MSRP - $299.00 ("best" price should stabilize at around $250.00 by early Summer)
Included
16MB SD card, 2 AA Alkaline batteries, wrist strap, USB & A/V cables, software CD's, user’s and software manuals.
Optional
Canon Battery charger and four rechargeable AA NiMH re-chargeable batteries, AC Adapter, Lens Adapter (permits the use of 52mm filters and accessories), supplemental lenses (wide, macro, & Tele), Waterproof case, HF-DC1 slave flash unit, and soft camera case.
In the Field/Handling & Operation
I often get together with an old friend who shares my passion for photography. He works in the business (selling new and used digital and analog photographic equipment) so we can almost always come up with something new to play with. Between us we have more than fifty years of hands on experience with hundreds of cameras (digital and film), scores of lenses (zooms and primes), dozens of flash units, and a ton of filters, tripods, and other esoteric imaging accessories.
My friend was recently able to get his hands on a Canon Powershot A540 for us to check out. The first thing we did was to run some color tests. We use a homemade macro stage and a selection of brightly colored (red, green, yellow, blue, orange, and purple) plastic children’s beach toys arrayed on a white background. This test allows us to check color accuracy and the precision of the camera’s white balance system (and compare the results from camera to camera). The A540 showed consistently accurate (hue) color balance, although typically (for consumer digicams) colors are somewhat oversaturated.
Our first outing with the A540 was a trip to Cave Hill Cemetery to shoot Spring scenics. Cave Hill started out as a small heavily forested farm on the outskirts of the city and became Louisville's primary burial ground in the mid 1830's. Since that time the area has been planted with thousands of trees, shrubs, bulbs, flowers, and bushes. Many of these plantings are exotic. Our weather here in the upper south has been very changeable - warm, dry, and bright one day -- rainy, cold, and dark the next . For our Cave Hill visit the weather was dull with overcast skies and intermittent rain.
Cave Hill is a popular destination for local photographers because there is always something to photograph - the place is filled with exotic plant life, thousands of headstones, dozens of ornate mausoleums, a rustic old groundskeeper's cottage, and families feeding the ducks, geese, and swans along the shore of the small lake at the center of Louisville’s oldest cemetery. We were able to shoot a pair of native limestone 19th century headstones still dark from the rain and surrounded by purple Violets and pink/white Spring Beauties. The sky was flat and the light was pretty diffused so there was no glare and no reflections and that made it easy to convey the intense colors of the flowers without having to give up any of the gothic detail in the dark weather worn old grave stones.
After we finished up at Cave Hill we took the A540 to Old Louisville, an architecturally diverse area of late 19th and early 20th century Victorian houses along shady tree lined streets. The residents of Old Louisville are an eclectic bunch and it is not at all unusual to see preppy professionals, aging hipsters, musicians, artists, and tattooed/multi pierced Goths sharing tables at the Dizzy Whiz or sitting on neighboring stools at the Mag Bar.
By the time we got parked safely the sun had come out and the afternoon golden light was working nicely for us. We shot flower filled front yards, a couple of colorful locals, and all sorts of unique architectural details. When the shadows started getting long (as darkness approached) we called it a day.
Sunday morning was absolutely beautiful; warm with blue skies and wispy white clouds - so we headed out for Louisville’s Extreme Sports Park to shoot some action. Local skateboarders, bikers and bladders congregate at the skate park to perfect their moves in the twenty-four foot full pipe, several bowls, a twelve foot half pipe, and numerous ramps. We had to move in pretty close because the A540’s 4X zoom just didn’t have enough reach to allow us to stand off at a reasonable distance. The kids at the Extreme Park make enthusiastic subjects, they love showing off for the camera. We spent about two hours shooting skateboarders. Really good skateboarders move at amazing speeds and optimal framing/timing (centering the boarders in the frame and stopping the action in mid air) is very difficult. The A540 is very fast and that simplifies tracking and framing, so I managed to get a couple of fairly decent shots. I used the A540's optical viewfinder full time since the LCD screen is very hard to use when shooting high-speed action.
After we finished up at the Extreme Park we headed out to look for signs of the spring in Cherokee Park. We parked just down the hill from the Daniel Boone statue and walked into the woods. We've had lots of rain in the last few weeks so we were able to follow a small seasonal creek shooting Eliot Porter style "intimate landscapes" of the small creek, moss-covered stones, and several nice patches of wildflowers.
PERFORMANCE
Image Quality
After we finished up at Cherokee Park we reviewed the images we’d shot (on a 19" NEC CRT monitor) over the course of our weekend long test. We really put the A540 through its paces and it consistently delivered. The Canon Powershot A540's image quality is as good as any 6 megapixel digicam either of us have used to date.
ISO 80 and ISO 100 are virtually indistinguishable, both settings provided excellent color, balanced contrast, very good detail, and extremely low noise levels – ISO 200 images were also very good, but with a little less pop. At the ISO 400 setting noise levels are fairly high and there's a noticeable loss of detail, but they are better than average (and they do appear to be less noisy than ISO 400 images from earlier Canon "A" series digicams). ISO 800 images are way too noisy for anything important, but they'll suffice for e-mail and non-critical 3x5 or 4x6 prints.
Shutter Lag/Timing
The A540 is a very quick digital camera, equal to or faster than any camera in its class. Start up time is about 1.5 seconds, which is pretty fast for a digicam that must extend its zoom. The A540 can move its 4X zoom from the wide angle setting to full telephoto in less than 2 seconds. AF speed is above average, typically it took less than half a second for the A540 to lock focus and trip the shutter. Pre-focused shots are essentially real time since shutter lag is in the 1/10th of a second range. Shot-to-shot (1.0-1.5 seconds) and write to card times are also noticeably better than average.
A Few Concerns
I'm nitpicking here. Reds are a bit warm and blues are a little bright, but most casual/amateur photographers probably won’t consider this a fault. I also noted some minor chromatic aberration (in high contrast color transition areas, especially at maximum aperture) in a couple of shots.
Conclusion
History often repeats itself, so the past can sometimes be a good indicator of what to expect in the future. Canon’s "A" series digicams have been very popular with consumers since the introduction of the groundbreaking little A20 in 2001. The Canon Powershot A540 Digital Camera doesn't deviate from that well established tradition. This is an almost ideal general use digital camera and should appeal to casual snap-shooters just making the jump to digital, advanced amateur shooters on a budget, savvy travelers, and student photographers who want a digital camera that they can "grow into" as their photographic talents develop. The A540 isn't perfect, but it is just about as good as it can be for the asking price.
This is my 300th epinions review.
Links
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If you would like to see a selection of images that are very similar to and typical of the sort of test pictures I shoot for my epinions digital camera reviews, click on the first link under Favorite Links on my profile page (to get to my EPS profile page, just click on my name – top right side of this review). The Favorite Links URL will take you to my forum page at DCR. Click on find all posts by Howard Creech (under Forum Info). My DCR reviews each feature a selection of my images. I receive no compensation from DCR.com for your visit or any subsequent purchase you may make and you can return to epinions at any time - either open the link in a new window - or hit your back button. The Canon Powershot SD500 and the Canon Powershot A520 posts were submitted as text only reviews and the images that illustrate those two posts were shot by a DCR.com staffer.
The observations, opinions, recommendations, and conclusions provided in all my digital camera reviews are based on more than 30 years experience as a photographer and extensive hands on testing of each of the cameras reviewed.
Recommended:
Yes
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