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Canon's PowerShot A430 digital camera. Courtesy of Canon, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins. Canon PowerShot A430 announced
By Michael R. Tomkins, The Imaging Resource
(Tuesday, February 21, 2006 - 06:00 EST)

There was a time when the low end of the PowerShot A-series really defined the word "low-end." That's no longer true with the latest low-cost Canon PowerShots. We were fairly blown away by the quality and utility of the PowerShot A410, and the A430 looks like an incremental upgrade that will follow in its footsteps.

With a 4x optical zoom, a 4 megapixel sensor, and the lightest weight of the A-series lineup, the Canon PowerShot A430 is ready to go wherever you like.

Though it doesn't quite have the manual control that some of the other A-series cameras do, there are fourteen modes to get creative with, as well as stitch-assist mode for capturing panoramas, a movie mode, and a continuous mode for capturing up to 2.3 frames per second.

Its ISO ranges from 64 to 400, great for fine shots in bright light, or for handling the significantly lower light found indoors. Its movie mode can capture 640x480 pixel movies at 10 frames per second, or a far smoother 320x240 at 30 frames per second, impressive for a camera at this price point.

With its included USB cable, you can copy your images from your SD/MMC memory card to a Mac or PC, or print directly to a PictBridge printer.

The Canon PowerShot A430 is chock-full of more advanced features, including a spot metering mode, custom white balance, audio recording, and special color modes, like black and white, sepia, and positive film (to emulate the vibrant colors of slide film). Yet it uses the most versatile of power sources: 2 AA batteries, alkaline or NiMH rechargeable. If you're looking to travel light on a budget and still bring home great pictures, the A430 looks promising.

Canon PowerShot A430
Canon's PowerShot A430 digital camera. Courtesy of Canon, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins. Click for a bigger picture!
General
Camera Type Compact
Manufacturer Canon
Model Number A430
Dimensions 4.1 x 2.0 x 1.6"
103.0 x 51.8 x 40.2mm
Weight 160.0 g
5.6 oz
Image Capture
Sensor Type 1/3.0 CCD
Image Dimensions 2272 x 1704 (3.9 megapixels)
2272 x 1280 (2.9 megapixels)
1600 x 1200 (1.9 megapixels)
1024 x 768 (0.8 megapixels)
640 x 480 (0.3 megapixels)
Image Quality 3 levels
Image Preview / Review
Viewfinder Yes
LCD 1.8"
Lens
Lens Type Canon Zoom Lens
4x optical zoom
Image Stabilization No
Focal Length 5.4 - 21.6mm (actual)
39 - 156mm (35mm equivalent)
Aperture Range f/2.8 (wide) / f/5.8 (tele)
Focusing Range Normal: 19" - infinity (47 cm - infinity)
Macro: 2.0" - 19" (5 cm - 47 cm)
Exposure
ISO Sensitivity Auto, 64, 100, 200, 400
Shutter Speed 15 - 1/2000 second
Exposure Modes Program
Metering Modes 13
Exposure Compensation +/- 2.0EV in 1/3EV increments
White Balance Image Sensor - Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater, Custom, Manual
Creative
Digital Zoom 3.6x
Movie Format AVI (Motion JPEG) with audio
640x4 80 and 320x240
Max. frame-rate: 30 frames per second
Storage
Recording Medium SD/MMC
File System Complies with Design Rule for Camera File System (DCF)
Connectivity
Video Yes, NTSC / PAL switchable
Computer USB 1.1
Power
Battery Type Alkaline, NiMH
Battery Form Factor 2 x AA
Product Bundle
Flash Memory 0.0MB
Other
Digital Print Order Format (DPOF) compliant Yes
PictBridge Compliant Yes
Internal Microphone Yes
Tripod Mount Yes, Plastic
More Photos
Canon's PowerShot A430 digital camera. Courtesy of Canon, with modifications by Michael R. Tomkins. Click for a bigger picture!
 

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