Editorial Review:Product Description:Brace yourself for the dawn of the best digital-camera for general family use. Canon has created an easy, lightweight camera that appeals to the beginner and creative user.Packed with value superior to any other camera in its class, the Canon PowerShot A520 is brimming with that best buy feel. Four Megapixel resolution, Canon's exclusive DIGIC Image Processor and a new, longer 4x optical zoom bring life-like detail and radiant color to all your images. This camera is exceptionally easy to use, with a new ergonomic grip and big multifunction 1.8 inch LCD screen. Built-in multimode electronic-flash Self-Timer activates shutter after an approximate 2 second or approximate 10 second delay (selectable) Storage Media - SD SecureDigital memory card, MMC MultiMediaCard Image Recording Format - Still - Exif 2.2 JPEG / Movie - AVI (Image data - Motion JPEG; Audio data - WAVE (Monaural) / Still Image - 2272x1704 (Large), 1600x1200 (Medium 1), 1024x768 (Medium 2), 640x480 (Small) / Movie - 640x480, 320x240 or 160x120 Power Sources - Two Size AA Alkaline batteries (included) / TwoRechargeable size AA NiMH batteries (suggested and advised) / AC Adapter Kit ACK800 (optional) Has USB interface Canon DirectPrint for Still and Movie with Canon CP printers / PictBridge compatibility for stills Weighs 6.35 ounces without battery and memory
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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Love it. The best $120 I have ever spent.
I've had this camera for a while now (2.5 years). It still works great! I got my money's worth and more. I have abused this camera so much and it is still fine . It is a good beater camera that i can take everywhere and i don't have to worry about (since i only bought it for $120 new at Target). I'll keep this camera till it's dead, get stolen ,or lost. Well worth it!
Rating: 
-
A year-long investment at most
After my Canon Powershot A520 stopped working, the first place I went to try and figure out how to fix it was online. Other than formal reviews from PC and photo magazines, it seemed to me that the most common other finding from extensive searches were customer reviews describing the exact same problem I was experiencing (camera refuses to 'power up' or stay on) with little or no explanations or ways to troubleshoot. Go ahead an do a google on it, you'll likely find more than a few customer complaints on it. My camera will not turn on anymore, and I gather that it is not worth it to try and fix it.
It should be noted that before I had this problem, I definitely did like this camera quite a bit. It wasn't the best in it's class, but, although it was a gift, it is more affordable than many options, and had more different kinds of options and gave the amateur photographer a lot of different options. Just consider that you'll probably only get a year or two out of this thing at most before it breaks down. That's not necessarily a bad trade-off if you take a lot of pictures.
Rating: -
Was great, but then E18.
My wife and I were very happy with our Powershot A520 for the year and a half that we had it. However, the camera died with an E18 error during our friend's wedding, and it has not worked since. A quick web search for "Canon E18" or even "E18" will show you that this is a common error (with a number of different Canon models). We have never dropped it or abused it in any way, and it has spent most of its life in its protective case. While the camera seemed to be great before the moment it died, I would not buy this camera again. Do not get this camera if you don't want to have to replace it in 18 months like so many other users.
Rating: -
Still Working After All These Years
This camera has worked like a dream since I purchased it a couple of years ago. The picture quality is unequaled in its class, and the battery life is quite long when using lithium batteries. In fact, I have been able to take many professional-looking photos and order enlargements up to 8x10 without any pixels appearing. At the current "used" prices, this camera is a steal.
It's hard to find anything negative to say about the Canon Powershot A520: I did crack the LCD screen, but was able to replace it myself by ordering a new screen directly from Canon. Compared to more recent cameras, this one is a little bulky--it won't fit in your jean pockets, but will fit easily into your coat pocket or purse.
Rating: -
low quality
I purchased this camera as an upgrade to my A70. In the year after I purchased it I had to return it 3 times for warranty service because of the stuck lens cover reported all to often here. I was informed by the repair shop that by using the camera outdoors I was probably getting dust particles stuck in the lens cover. For $260 I'd expect more than just taking birthday photos. Shortly after the one year warranty expired the camera stopped functioning all together (I suspect the CCD died) and it is now a paperweight.
I recently replaced it with a Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ7S 7.2MP Digital Camera with 6x Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) which I'm very happy with.
