Canon A480 Reviews, Samples and References

First published on: Saturday, 27 June 2009

This post is a compilation of links to the following Canon PowerShot A480 10MP digital compact camera resources:


  1. Introduction.

  2. Professional and user reviews, owner opinions and experiences, tests, ratings, conclusions and feedback.

  3. Sample photos and examples, image galleries and user pictures.

  4. References and other resources.

Full attribution is given by linking to the source and where available, the author’s homepage or photo gallery.

Introduction, and basic specs

The Canon Powershot A480 was introduced on 15-January-2009 (read the press release), and has a 3.3x optical zoom that has a range of 37 — 122mm (in 35mm equivalent terms).

Resolution is 10.0 MP, and the size of the CCD sensor is a 1/2.3”.

Basic specifications:


  1. Storage: SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus.

  2. Power: 2x Size-AA Alkaline or NiMH Batteries. For additional batteries, IMEDION or Sanyo Eneloop NiMH Pre-Charged Rechargeable Batteries are your best bet, as they retain the charge for a very long period of time.

  3. Weight (without batteries): 140 g (4.9 oz).

  4. Dimensions: 92 x 62 x 31 mm (3.6 x 2.4 x 1.2 in).

Visit DPReview for the complete specs on the A480.

Canon has made the A480 available in the following four colors:

Professional and user reviews, owner opinions and experiences, tests, ratings, conclusions and feedback

Canon PowerShot A480 Customer Ratings & Reviews on Canon USA — At the time of writing, Jun 28, 2009, the average customer rating for the A480 was 4.7 out of 5 stars, with 9 customer reviews.

Canon A480 review by Joshua Goldman, CNET — Joshua:

It’s tough getting overly critical about a camera as inexpensive as the Canon PowerShot A480. It really is enough, at least to me, that it’s small, attractive, and produces decent photos at this price point, and without any real skill or effort required on the part of the photographer. However, if you’re expecting more than just snapshot photos, I’d save up for something else.

The A480 earned an overall rating of 3 out of 5 stars (GOOD).

Canon PowerShot A480 review by Mike Perlman, InfoSyncWorld — Mike:

This is an underdog rags to riches story, for the Canon PowerShot A480 performed exceptionally well given its basic framework and small imager. In most cases, the PowerShot A480 performed tantamount to the PowerShot A1100 IS, and we shot side-by-side with both. The PowerShot A480 produced sharp, vibrant images with minimal noise and it even surprised us in low light. Of course stabilizing the camera in low light was always a task due to its lack of Image Stabilization, but exposure was great. The PowerShot A480’s image quality trumped many contenders in its class, including more advanced models.

Mike gave the A480 an overall rating score of 63% (GOOD).

Canon PowerShot A480 review at MacWorld — Roman Loyola, the reviewer, notes that the camera “works best as a casual snapshooter”.

He assigned a rating of 3.5 / 5 stars to the camera, and “Very Good” for image quality.

Roman concludes:

If you’re a tripod-shooter, a steady-handed photographer, or just want a bargain-bin camera with good image quality, the PowerShot A480 is worth a look. Its lack of image stabilization and some modes, however, may cause action photographers to pass it up.

Customer reviews at Amazon — Amazon tallies customer feedback and ratings across all four models (Deep Red, Black, Navy Blue and Silver). At the time of writing, Jun 28, 2009, the average rating score was 4 out of 5 stars from 24 customer reviews.

Sample photos and examples, image galleries and user pictures

Canon PowerShot A480 review samples at InfoSyncWorld — There are a total of nine test images, the links to which are located towards the end of the review.

Canon PowerShot A480 review samples at InfoSyncWorld

All the photos were snapped at ISO 80.

References and other resources

Official website for the Canon A480 — You can find more information on the camera on this Canon USA page, such as what’s supplied in the box, and compatible supplies and accessories.

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