Canon Powershot A540 Review

The screen display in the Automatic record mode. Icons across the top and left indicate that metering is Evaluative, single frame drive, auto red-eye reduction flash, Auto exposure mode. The image size is Large, quality is Superfine and there's space left on the SD card to take 204 more pictures.

When the color LCD is turned on and you half-press the shutter you will see which of the nine AF points (green rectangles) where used for the focus lock.

Program AE exposure mode is like Auto in that the camera selects both the shutter speed and aperture for a correct exposure but you now have access to a multitude of Function and Menu options and color effects. Icons on the left here indicate ISO speed is 80, Auto flash is enabled with red-eye reduction, single drive mode and metering is set to evaluative.

In Tv (Shutter-speed priority AE) mode you select the shutter speed (from 1/2000 to 15 seconds) and the camera automatically selects the proper aperture value. Faster shutter speeds will "freeze" fast-moving subjects, slower speeds will let you pan with a fast-moving object and blur the background, or hold the camera steady and give moving objects that "motion blur" look. The "Change settings" message on the screen does disappear after a couple of seconds.

In Av (Aperture priority AE) mode you select the aperture value (from F2.8 to F8.0) and the camera will automatically select the proper shutter speed. Selecting the aperture allows you to control depth of field (focus range), smaller numbers yield less depth of field, larger numbers yield more.

Program AE, Tv, Av and Manual mode Function options:

ISO Sensitivity Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800
White Balance - Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, , Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater (when using the optional housing) and Custom one-push WB set
Drive Mode - Single, Continuous, 2 or 10 sec selftimer, or Custom timer (set delay 0 - 10 secs., number of shots 1 - 10)
My Colors - Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone and Custom
Flash Compensation - ±2 EV in i/3 EV steps
Metering - Evaluative, Center Weighted Avg. and Spot
Image resolution - 2816x2112, 2272x1704, 1600x1200, 640x480, Postcard (1600x1200), and Wide (2816x1584)
Image Compression - Normal, Fine, Superfine

In Manual mode you select both the shutter speed and the aperture value manually. All the same menu options are available in Manual mode as Program AE, Shutter-speed AE and Aperture AE and all the same Function options plus the addition of a Flash Output adjustment.

When you half-press the shutter to lock auto focus, the exposure value will be calculated from the current shutter speed and aperture settings, the EV (Exposure Value) is displayed at the bottom right (-2.)

Program AE, Tv, Av and Manual mode MENU options:

AiAF - On or Off
Red-eye - Red-eye reduction lamp: On or Off
MF-Point Zoom - On = Enlarge focus point during manual focus
AF Assist Illuminator - On or Off
Digital Zoom - On or Off
Review Time - Off, Hold or 2 - 10 secs
Grid Lines - On or Off, can help aid in framing
Date Stamp - Off, date, or date&time (only works in 3:2 Postcard mode)

When in manual focus mode you'll see this onscreen distance gauge and if selected in the menu, the active focus point is enlarged for critical focusing.

The camera has a very respectable macro focusing mode with coverage from 2 inches to 1.5 feet in wide angle and 11.8 inches to 1.5 feet in telephoto.

On the Mode Dial are positions for Portrait, Landscape, Night Scene, and Stitch Assist (panorama.) Options for the SCN (Special Scene) mode are: Night Snapshot, Kids&Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater (when used with the optional underwater case), Color Accent and Color Swap. These modes are pre- programmed to give you the best possible pictures for particular shooting situations.

The StitchAssist Panorama mode aids you via on-screen prompts to achieve the proper overlap of sequential photos for later "stitching" with the PhotoStitch program. You can capture up to 26 images in either left-to-right or right-to-left orientation. After the first picture is taken the white balance and exposure is locked until you exit the StitchAssist mode.   Use of a tripod is required.

When using the Standard Movie mode, you can capture video clips at either 640x480 or 320x240. Audio is recorded and you may choose a frame rate of either 15 or 30fps. File sizes can not exceed 1GB. There's also Compact (160x120), Fast Frame rate, Color Accent and Color swap modes. These are great when wanting to be a bit more creative and the Compact mode is perfect for sending clips via email. When using the 160x120 mode you can record up to 3 minutes. Movie clips are recorded in Motion JPEG format and saved as AVI files.

Both the video and audio portion of movies can be replayed on the camera thanks to the built-in speaker. Full audio-video playback is also possible when connected to a TV monitor or a compatible PC after downloading.

Movie mode recording options:
Rec menu

AF-assist Beam - On or Off
Digital Zoom - Of or Off
Grind Lines - On or Off

White Balance - Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, , Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Underwater (when using the optional housing) and Custom one-push WB set
Drive Mode - Self-timer 2 or 10 sec.
My Colors - Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone and Custom
Movie Size: 640x480 or 320x240, Press Menu to choose frame rate (30 of 15fps)

Movie Recording / SD Card Capacity