Hey! You should know that this product has been discontinued. Here are our current recommended cameras in the Point and Shoot Digital Cameras category.
Canon PowerShot A420
Editor's Review
By digital camera standards, the three-year-old A420 is ancient. As fine as it was in its time, we'd advise against a purchase (if you can even find it). Here's what we had to say about it when it was a current product:
Canon's A420 (along with the 430 and 530) aims for the novice crowd with a simple point-and-shoot philosophy. The A420 is a 4 megapixel camera for entry-level users and aside from the ease of use, there's not a lot to go crazy over. The sensor is pretty small for today's standards, and the body, while sleek, isn't as flashy as Canon's exciting SD line. Even for novice or casual users, the A420 is a camera you'll probably outgrow fairly quickly, and soon enough you'll be itching to take those training wheels off and graduate to a better model. Skip the middleman and choose a camera you can grow with. This model might be a good choice for children or those with a passing interest in photography.
Specifications
- 4 megapixels
- 3.2x optical zoom / 3.6x optical zoom
- auto and manual focus
- auto and manual exposure
- ISO 80-800 (High ISO auto)
- JPEG file format
- movie mode (no sound)
- lithium ion battery
- 2.0 inch LCD
- SD/MMC card storage (16MB included)
- Part Number: 0929B008
- Release Date: Feb 24, 2006
Shop for A420 Accessories
Canon PowerShot A420 Comments & Questions (write your own!)
Hold down the <DISP.> button, and press the power button to turn on the mute setting and turn off all operation sounds except the warnings.
Select the item you wish to set using the ^ or v button and set its value using the < or > button.
Confirm that the correct time is displayed and press the <FUNC./SET> button.
The date/time can also be set in the Set up menu.
1. Turn on the camera. The mode dial can be turned to any setting.
2. Press the <MENU> button and use the < or >button to select the <Set Up> menu. Then use the[heart] button to select <Reset All> and press the <FUNC./SET> button.
3. "Reset settings to default?" will appear on the screen.
4. Select [OK] using the left and right buttons, then press the <SET> button.
* The screen below appears while resetting. The normal screen resumes when resetting is complete.
* To cancel resetting, select [Cancel] instead of [OK].
Notre:
Settings cannot be reset when the camera is connected to a computer or to a printer.
The following cannot be reset.
* Shooting mode
* The (Date/Time) and (Language) options in the (Set up) menu
* PowerShot A430: (Video System)
* White balance data recorded with the custom white balance function
* Colors specified in the (Color Accent) or (Color Swap) modes
* PowerShot A430: Newly added My Camera settings
Alternatively you can visit <a href="retrevo.com/support/Canon-A... this site </a> which will let you download the manual if you open a free account.
Have you tried to reset the camera, replace the batteries and see if there's a firmware update online? This may solve the issue as sometimes the firmware can get corrupted on loading. Resetting should help that. If not, then I'd see how much it will cost to repair since with it's age, it's obviously out of warranty. But understand that the average cost of a camera repair is around $180. As such, it may cost more to repair than it is really worth. The rule of thumb is that if the estimate for repair is north of 50% what you paid for it, you're better off taking that money and buying a newer and upgraded model.
Another tip is to go to Canon's website ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ) and look for firmware updates. Download and install them.
As for the rechargeable batteries, Canon has an optional charger - CB-5AH Battery Charger. The kit comes with 4 AA NiMh batteries. But any AA battery charger will do if you're using rechargable batteries.
Another thing you need to pay attention to is how strong those batteries are. Even if new, not all rechargeable batteries are created equal. At the very least, make sure you are using batteries with a higher mAh - like around 2500mAh would satisfy the higher power requirements of your camera.
Push the Func button while in picture-shooting mode.
Icons will appear down the left of the screen. Scroll to the one that is an empty square (Drive Mode). When you land on it, another row of icons will appear along the bottom of the screen. These are your timer options (usually 2 or 10 seconds, or Off). Use the arrow key to scroll over to the one you want, then push Func again to set it. Then when you push the shutter, the camera will blink and count the time you set before firing.
You have the A420 and are getting this error? My advice- really- is to return it ASAP, either to the store where you bought it or to Canon. These lens errors can be a pain in the neck to deal with. They're not necessarily camera death sentences, but you should NOT be getting one with a brand new camera, so get thee a replacement. I'm assuming you're under some type of warranty; I'd take advantage of it, it'll save you some headaches!
I will take your advice and return it to the store.
Select SelfTimer by pressing the ^ or v button. Press the < or > to change the setting.
Press the FUNC/SET button to apply the setting.
You can set it for either a 10 second or 2 second delay.
- page 35 of the manual.
Course, perhaps it's time to consider upgrading the entire PC you use. Prices have really dropped to the point where it would probably make more sense to take that $100 and put it toward a new PC (which you can get for a few hundred dollars).
i do thank you for your assitance
Thank you very much.
You can get the AV kit (AV Cable AVC-DC300) for this camera here ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ). Its near the bottom of the page.
Andrew
(We had an error in our specs for the A420; they will be updated with a day).
Good luck-
Canon PowerShot A420 Reviews
Canon PowerShot A420 Reviews by Digital Camera-HQ Users
- 4.0 out of 5
i was using this cam for around 15 months , till jan2009 it was a good experience with this cam but now something had gone wrong . now when i click and check the photo there are somes lines in the picture which makes the picture quality not good. so can u plz recommend what should i do to make this correct.
- 3.0 out of 5
Good solid feel, clear LCD display, and nice results might make this enough camera for some. I find the whole menu system and sub-menus a little complicated and cumbersome. The multi-zone focusing is hit and miss for me as the zones change when you recompose the shot in the frame. I miss not having audio with the video capture. And there is no internal memory, which can be inconvenient when you have misplaced your SD card. Even getting a great deal on this camera doesn't make up for the missing features I'd rather have.
- 2.0 out of 5
I think this camera has a terrible of picture noise in ISO 400 but still bad at 64. I cant really work out the way to improve quality of my indoor pictures. probably keep the camera only for the sunny days of summer.
- 3.0 out of 5
could do with some more in depth instructions and specifactions. Felt those included with this camera inadequate
- 4.0 out of 5
Yes, really we can mark it as excellent, but one drawback-it must have supplied with a good sd card-the card with this cam is just 16mb card.it must be increased.Except this,we can mark it as, MORE THAN EXCELLENT!I am proud of being the owner of such a cam!!
- 5.0 out of 5
i owned this camera from 1 week and i am very pleased to buy this.I think this is a professional camera in a medium class package. This is the best camera for non professional usage.
- 5.0 out of 5
I am impressed with the result of the pictures. They are very clear and it's easy to use. I photographed our rice field and ....... my ....... it's great. I love it. I highly recommend it to my friends here in the Philippines.
- 4.0 out of 5
I also own the Canon Rebel which doesn't compare, but for taking on outings where you don't want to lug a bigger camera or don't want to take the risk of loosing a more expensive camera, this is the one.
- 1.0 out of 5
This camera took nice pictures for the ten months that I had it but recently broke although always handled with care. This the second powershot that I had that broke within one year of purchase. They are not durable camera for the long haul. They cost far too much money to last only a year.
- 5.0 out of 5
i really like this digital camera. it's very helpful to find better picture
- 5.0 out of 5
I own a Canon 350D and bought the A420 to have something compact to carry around. In the first place it was less than half the price of anything else I looked at with 4 mega pixels plus and an optical zoom. Based on my experience with the the 350D I was sure that nothing the A420 did would impress me. I was wrong - it did. In the first place it has the same Digic II processor of it's bigger SLR brothers. This is immediately apparent in the instantaneous start-up and zero shutter lag. This was a breath of fresh air as most other compact I have handled fell down in this department. The A420 takes great pictures and it's low light performance is phenomenal considering the price range this camera is in. The LCD is bright and viewable even when light conditions are bad. There is a lot of hype about megapixels but 4 is fine for anything up to at least A4. Pictures show a bit of noise at ISO settings above 100 but then which compact doesn't. Having said that it is no worse than a previous camera I owned, a Panasonic FZ20 costing 4 times as much. A great all round performer and a lot of bang for your buck. Recommended for anyone starting out in Digital photography and certainly a very capable second camera.
