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Canon PowerShot A590 IS Performance


Timing and Performance

Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown

Power on
to first shot

 1.9 seconds

Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.

Shutdown

 1.4 seconds

How long it takes to retract lens.

Buffer clearing time

 1.0 second
(1 second buffer clearing in LSF JPEG)

Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.

Better than average performance here.

 

Mode switching

Play to Record,
first shot

 1.3 seconds

Time until first shot is captured.

Record to play

 1.0 second

Time to display a large/superfine file immediately after capture.

Display
recorded image

 1.8 seconds

Time to display a large/superfine file already on the memory card.

Mode switching times are about average.

 

Shutter response (Lag Time)

Full Autofocus Wide

 0.51 second

Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.

Full Autofocus Tele

 0.70 second

Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.

Full Autofocus,
Flash Enabled

 0.92 second

Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position, Flash enabled.

Prefocused

 0.068 second

Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Manual focus
0.26 second
For most cameras, shutter lag is less in manual focus than autofocus, but usually not as fast as when the camera is "prefocused".

Shutter response is a bit better than average at both wide angle and telephoto, at 0.51s and 0.70s respectively, and "prefocusing" the camera by half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure results in a lag time of only 0.068 second, also quite fast.

 

Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode
Large SuperFine JPEG
 0.98 second

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode
Large Fine JPEG
 0.83 second

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Single Shot mode
640x480 Normal JPEG

 0.68 second

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Early shutter
penalty?

 No

Some cameras snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.

Continuous mode
Large SuperFine JPEG

 0.98 second (1.02 frames per second);
>20 frames total;
1 second to clear

Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.

Continuous mode
Large Fine JPEG

 0.82 second (1.21 frames per second);
>20 frames total;
1 second to clear

Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.

Continuous mode
640x480 Normal JPEG

 0.68 second (1.46 frames per second);
>20 frames total;
0.5 second to clear

Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.

Flash recycling

 10.5 seconds

Flash at maximum output.

*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity also affects cycle times and burst mode performance, with higher ISOs generally increasing cycle times and reducing burst performance.

Shot-to-shot cycle times are faster than average, at about 0.98 seconds for large/superfine JPEGs, and the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. (That is, given a fast enough memory card, it doesn't have to pause every few frames to wait for the card to catch up.) The PowerShot A590 IS's Continuous modes are a little sluggish however, capturing 20+ large/superfine frames at 1.02 frames per second. This increases slightly to 1.21 frames per second for large/fine JPEGs, and to 1.46 frames/second for 640x480 JPEGs, but the camera isn't a speed demon at any setting. The flash takes 10.5 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, definitely on the slower side of average.

 

Download speed

Windows Computer, USB 2.0

 5,024 KBytes/sec

Typical Values:
Less than 600=USB 1.1;
600-769=USB 2.0 Low;
Above 770=USB 2.0 High

Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are very good.

Bottom line, the Canon A590 IS won't be a good choice for sporting events or any fast-paced action, but is responsive enough for most family photo and travel opportunities.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Average battery life for AA-type batteries.

Operating Mode Number of Shots
AA Alkaline Batteries,
(CIPA standard)
200
AA NiMH Rechargeable Batteries,
(CIPA standard)
450

The Canon PowerShot A590 IS uses two AA-type batteries for power, and ships with a set of ordinary alkaline cells. Battery life is about average, so we strongly recommend you pick up a couple of sets of good-quality NiMH rechargeable batteries and a good-quality charger, as they'll save you many times their cost over the life of the camera.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Canon PowerShot A590 IS accepts SD/MMC memory cards, and comes with a 32MB "starter" card.

Image Capacity with
32MB Memory Card		 SuperFine Fine Normal
3,264 x 2,448
Images
8
14
29
File Size
3.7 MB
2.2 MB
1.1 MB
2,592 x 1,944
Images
11
21
41
File Size
2.7 MB
1.5 MB
762 KB
2,048 x 1,536
Images
18
33
65
File Size
1.7 MB
966 KB
491 KB
1,600 x 1,200
Images
29
52
99
File Size
1.1 MB
610 KB
322 KB
640 x 480
Images
111
171
269
File Size
288 KB
186 KB
119 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC or SD memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 4GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and video. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)

 

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