Canon U.S.A. Inc. on Tuesday introduced its PowerShot A520 digital camera. The point-and-shoot 4-megapixel digital camera features a 4x optical zoom and is lighter and smaller than the A510 model it complements. Canon expects the new camera to go on sale in March for US$299.99.
The new camera runs on two AA batteries and can store about 300 shots per charge. It’s equipped with a nine-point autofocusing system and 13 shooting modes, including two new settings called Night Snapshot and Kids & Pets. The A520 can also record movies with sound for up to three minutes per clip.
The PowerShot A520 is equipped with a 1.8-inch LCD viewscreen and built-in flash — the flash is more powerful before, according to Canon, with a maximum distance range of about 11 feet at ISO 100. The A520 is also PictBridge-compatible, so it can output directly to compatible printers. The camera stores its files on SecureDigital (SD) and MultiMediaCard (MMC) flash media — though Compact Flash (CF) media is commonly used by Canon cameras, the smaller dimensions of this model necessitated the change. A USB port and included cable enables the A520 to transfer files to Macs, PCs or PictBridge printers.
Canon’s Web site had not been updated with information about the new camera as MacCentral posted this article.