Canon's launched the new Canon PowerShot A530 - a 5-megapixel digital camera featuring Canon's DIGIC II image processor. It's the successor to the hugely popular PowerShot A510. The Canon PowerShot A530 comes with a high-quality Canon 4x optical zoom lens. This, together with a 4x digital zoom capability, results in a 16x combined zoom capability. It's also a very lightweight and compact camera.

The 115,000 pixel LCD measures 1.8 inches. The camera supports ISO settings from 80 to 800. The high ISO 800 setting ensures greater flexibility in shooting and is especially helpful in reducing the effects of camera shake and in sharpening subjects in low-light situations. The Canon PowerShot A530 includes a 16:9 widescreen resolution option, capturing images and videos that are perfect for your widescreen TV or computer monitor. There are 17 shooting modes including Auto, P Program, Manual, Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, Stitch Assist, Movie, and many Special Scene modes.

You can customize the way you capture videos. The Canon PowerShot A530 enables you to record VGA (640 x 480) at 10 fps or QVGA (320 x 240) movies at 20 fps with sound. Also, with Compact Movie Mode, you can shoot QQVGA (160 x 120) at 15 fps. Digital zoom works even when capturing videos.

The Canon PowerShot A530 will be available in March 2006 for an estimated price of US$229.99.

Product website: Canon