Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Photography
  3. Legacy Archives

Canon PowerShot A-series updates: Still unpretentious, even easier to use

Add as a preferred source on Google
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Canon’s PowerShot A-series doesn’t pretend to be anything it isn’t – the lineup is intended for the entry-level photographer on a budget. All models in the series are under $200, pocket-sized, and more durable than most of the basic point and shoots out there and will go under a little makeover this year. Here’s a breakdown of the lineup’s upgrades:

  • a-series updateLive view control – Instead of scrolling through menu options, the live view control is a simplified way to balance the saturation, contrast, and tone of your settings. It gives users more control without using any complicated terms that can scare younger or newer photographers off.
  • Discreet mode – First-time digital camera users will seriously appreciate this feature. A designated button will shut off all audio from the camera, and new users won’t have to dig through a manual to figure out how to eliminate that annoying start up sound.
  • Filters and extended built-in editing – Anyone looking at Canon’s A-series is likely looking for either a starter camera, or a cheap point-and-shoot for extremely basic purposes. For this reason, the built-in filters and editing will give users a larger creative range without having to invest time, money, and confusion in PC editing software.
  • Blur reduction – Only one of the Canon A-series will include this new feature, but if you’re willing to spend a little more, you can get pocket the PowerShot A3300 IS with its optical image stabilization.
Molly McHugh
Former Social Media/Web Editor
Before coming to Digital Trends, Molly worked as a freelance writer, occasional photographer, and general technical lackey…
I bought Kodak’s viral keychain camera, and the bad photos are part of its charm
The Kodak Charmera is barely a camera, and I still keep using it
Machine, Wheel, Camera

I bought the Kodak Charmera partly because I wanted a portable digital camera, and partly because I wanted a pretty little collectible. The Charmera is sold as a blind box, so you do not know which version you are getting until the box is opened. There are multiple retro Kodak-style designs, plus a transparent secret edition that looks like the one everyone would want.

I had the shopkeeper pick my box for better luck, and it worked out. I got the yellow variant, which is inspired by Kodak's original 80s disposable camera. The transparent one is definitely the fun collector’s piece, but the yellow model feels like the proper Kodak version. It looks like a tiny toy camera that escaped from a souvenir shop, found a keyring, and now hangs around wherever you go.

Read more
This new $30 keychain camera is coming for Kodak Charmera with a flip screen for selfies
Yashica's new camera makes toy photography more fun
YASHICA Funtastic Keychain Camera in multiple variants

Tiny digital cameras are all the rage, and Yashica is now offering a very cute toy photography experience of its own. The company’s new Funtastic Keychain Camera is exactly what the name suggests, a miniature digital camera small enough to clip onto your keys, bag, or lanyard. The popular Kodak Charmera is the obvious comparison, which brings a tiny blind-box keychain camera that became a viral collectible.

Now, Yashica's version lands in the same novelty-camera lane, but adds one very useful trick, which is a 180-degree flip screen.

Read more
Google releases big v4.0 update for its popular Snapseed editing app on Android
Electronics, Phone, Mobile Phone

After years of sitting on its hands, Google appears to have remembered it owns one of the best photo editing apps on mobile. Snapseed 4.0 is now rolling out to Android, bringing the platform up to speed after a stretch of iOS exclusivity that left Android users watching from the sidelines.

The story starts last June, when Google quietly broke Snapseed out of its long dormancy with a significant 3.0 update for iPhone. It was a surprise move that suggested the company was serious about the app again. Google then confirmed at the start of this year that Android wouldn't be left behind for long, and true to that word, the Play Store listing has now been updated to reflect version 4.0 — skipping straight past 3.0 for Android users and landing both platforms on the same version simultaneously.

Read more