Canon PowerShot A series · on sale 2008 · a retrospective

The Canon PowerShot A590 IS: the family camera that ran on AA batteries

In 2008 Canon put image stabilisation and a full manual mode into a $180 camera with a proper grip, a viewfinder and a pair of AA cells. It was never cool, and reviewers loved it anyway.

Compiled from 2008 coverage by Imaging Resource and PhotographyBLOG, and Canon's published specifications · we have not tested a unit yet

Meet the camera

It is not shy about being a camera. There is a deep grip on the right, a real optical viewfinder, a lens ring that reads Canon Zoom Lens 4x IS, and a mode dial. Imaging Resource called its graphite finish a welcome break from the matte silver that had taken over the shelves.⁶ The grip exists because the camera runs on two AA batteries, which Imaging Resource said made it easy to hold one-handed,⁶ and Canon's museum text lists alkaline or NiMH cells as the power source.¹ The body is 94 by 65 millimetres and 41 thick and weighs 175 grams without batteries,¹ or 221 grams with batteries and a card, according to Imaging Resource.⁶

Canon calls it a standard model of its PowerShot series, "known for the ease of use" of its cameras, and the successor to the A570 IS of the year before.¹ Imaging Resource's launch note on January 23, 2008 described it as largely the same as the A580, with image stabilisation, aperture and shutter priority, fully manual shooting and an Easy mode added. It cost $180, came only in gray and would ship from March.² PhotographyBLOG, in Britain, saw it at £160 that June.³

Why this one was interesting

Manual controls at a bargain price

Imaging Resource found the full range of exposure modes, from Easy up to full Manual, unusual in an inexpensive camera, and felt it suited users at any level.⁶ Shutter speeds ran from 1/2000 of a second to 15 seconds, which it said gave excellent low-light capability.⁶ PhotographyBLOG, noting the camera was aimed at beginners, found its features surprisingly comprehensive for one.³

A stabiliser as standard

PhotographyBLOG was pleased to see true optical image stabilisation included as standard on a camera at this price.³ Canon's own text describes it as lens-shift stabilisation.¹

Easy mode

The newly added Easy mode decided the optimal settings from the shooting conditions, so that beginners could take good shots with ease, said Canon,¹ and it removed every external control except the shutter button, flash button and zoom lever, according to Imaging Resource.² PhotographyBLOG said it was the sort of camera you could entrust to the kids, with the dial twisted round to Easy.³

Was it a new chip or lens?

Neither, really. It used DIGIC III and the 4x zoom its predecessor had, which Canon says won high praise from users.⁶¹ The lens was a standard 35 to 140 mm equivalent, slightly longer than the average compact, as Imaging Resource put it.⁶ The news was putting stabilisation and manual modes into a cheap camera.

If you want an ELPH of the same year, our SD1100 IS retrospective covers Canon's slimmer, more expensive sibling.

The dark, on a budget

This was not a camera for the dark, and the reviews were honest about it. Imaging Resource listed useful ISO only to 400 and high noise at ISO 1600.⁶ PhotographyBLOG found the camera performed acceptably at most ISO settings, with noise obvious at ISO 800 and detail-softening by 1600, though it added that it was hard to grumble at that price.⁵ What helped in dim light was the stabiliser and the long shutter times, which Imaging Resource said let the camera perform well in low lighting.⁶

Real photographs taken with this camera. The sensitivity shown is recorded in each file's own EXIF data.

Like that look? See what A590 ISs have recently sold for on eBay ↗

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The little wins

For $180, the A590 IS had more going for it than its plain looks suggested.

AA batteries you could buy anywhere

Imaging Resource listed AA power, with excellent battery life from rechargeable NiMH cells, among the camera's strengths.⁶ It meant a flat battery was a trip to any shop, not a wait for a proprietary pack.

A viewfinder, and a bright screen

It had an optical viewfinder as well as a 2.5-inch screen, which Imaging Resource found bright and easy to see even outdoors.⁶

Faces and motion

Face detection and motion detection were the headline for Imaging Resource, which said they helped the camera capture better exposed and better focused faces, still or moving.⁶ Nine-point autofocus helped accuracy.⁶

Add-on lenses

Canon's text noted compatibility with optical accessories, including a wide converter and a teleconverter, and Imaging Resource listed support for conversion lenses.¹⁶

The A590 IS's 4x zoom lens ring. · Petar Milošević · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Commons

A grip

The big grip on the right, there because of the battery compartment, plus a thumb rest at the top right of the back, made it easy to hold with one hand.⁶

Room to grow

PhotographyBLOG said the A590 IS offered a little more than the average point-and-shoot and allowed room for growth after snapshot photography got boring.³

Colour that was right

Imaging Resource found very good colour and good exposure in a variety of conditions, along with slight oversaturation of reds and blues and a pinkish tint to some skin tones.⁶

How it drew the picture

In daylight the A590 IS did what Canons of the time did: good colour, reliable exposure. Imaging Resource found slightly high chromatic aberration and blur in the frame corners, though only a short way in.⁶ PhotographyBLOG's ratings were 4 out of 5 for image quality.³

Photos taken with this camera, from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each picture.

Where it let you down

The zoom was sluggish, according to PhotographyBLOG,³ and the continuous mode and flash recharge were slow, Imaging Resource found.⁶ The build was mainly plastic, though PhotographyBLOG said it was well disguised and felt solid with batteries and a card in.³ The camera was not as pocketable as Canon's ELPH range.⁶

What the reviewers said in 2008

The timeline

• 2007The PowerShot A570 IS, which Canon names as the A590 IS's predecessor.¹
• 23 January 2008Canon announces the A590 IS at $180.²
• February 2008Canon's museum lists it as marketed.¹
• March 2008US shipments begin, according to Imaging Resource.²
• 23 June 2008PhotographyBLOG publishes its review.³
• 13 August 2008Imaging Resource publishes its review.⁶

Should you buy one now?

Buy one if you want a simple, sturdy camera that will take pictures of the kids or a holiday with a stabilised lens and no fuss, and you are happy running it on AA batteries. It launched at $180;² what it sells for now is a question for the sold listings, not for us. Before you bid, check these:

• The battery door. It is the camera's power; make sure the compartment closes and the contacts are not corroded from old alkaline cells.
• The batteries. It takes two AAs, and Imaging Resource found NiMH rechargeables gave excellent life.⁶ A set is cheap on Amazon ↗.
• The card. It takes SD and SDHC.¹
• The zoom. It was sluggish when new,³ so check it moves smoothly and the lens extends fully.
• The dial. Turn it through Easy, Auto and Manual; the whole camera hangs on it.⁶

If you are wondering why cameras like this are being hunted down again, we tell that story once, in Pictures that never left the card.

See recent sold prices on eBay ↗Shop on eBay ↗AA batteries ↗

New to the jargon (CCD, ISO, xD cards, IXUS vs ELPH)? Read our plain-English digicam glossary.

Sources

1. Canon Camera Museum: PowerShot A590 IS (specifications, A570 IS lineage, Easy mode, AA power, marketing date)
2. Imaging Resource, PMA 2008 announcement of the PowerShot A590 IS (23 Jan 2008)
3. PhotographyBLOG, Canon PowerShot A590 IS review by Gavin Stoker (23 Jun 2008)
4. PhotographyBLOG, Canon PowerShot A590 IS review, specifications page
5. PhotographyBLOG, Canon PowerShot A590 IS review, image quality page
6. Imaging Resource, Canon PowerShot A590 IS review by Stephanie Boozer (13 Aug 2008)

Camera photos by Joe Ravi, Petar Milošević, Search255 and others as credited; other photographs are credited under each one, all via Wikimedia Commons. Links to eBay and Amazon are affiliate links.