Want a great serious compact for $125?

Number 9 on the list is the Canon Powershot A590IS.

While much of the attention is on the sleek, compact ELPHs (now SD series), Canon has a long history of providing great functionality in the A series. For example, the A640 had the same sensor and lens as the G9, and in some ways more features, for significantly less money.

Let's see what the A590IS has to offer:

• Full PSAM (program, shutter priority, aperture priority, manual exposure modes)
• Manual focus mode
  
• RAW capability with the freely available CHDK hack 
• Pocketable, lightweight, and tough
• Optical viewfinder, albeit small with terribly inaccurate framing, eliminates LCD lag, saves battery life, and for me provides a more stable holding position
  
• Good LCD, relatively readable in both bright sunlight and dim lighting
• Sharp, fast lens (f/2.6 at 35mm equivalent) with effective image stabilization (IS)
  
• 35-140mm equivalent coverage with available Canon wide and tele adapters to expand coverage
• Uses just two AA batteries with excellent battery life using rechargeables and average battery life (~200 shots) with off the shelf batteries

Controls and menus are standard Canon fare, which I happen to like.  It's no Ricoh, but everything is accessed easily enough.

What's not to like?

• Moderate barrel distortion at the wide end
• Average lens performance in the far corners of the frame
• Average speed (slow) at telephoto (f/5.6)
• Small sensor (1/2.5") with average dynamic range (though better than average ISO 400 noise handling)
  

The fact that the lens starts at 35mm equivalent rather than 28mm or 24mm will also be considered a downside to many readers of this blog.  I happen to love shooting at 35mm equivalent, so that negative is balanced by two positives for me: 1) As soon as I power on, it's at my preferred focal length; and 2) It's f/2.6 at 35mm.  A typical compact which offers f/2.8 max speed at 28mm equivalent will be f/3.2 max at 35mm, meaning 1/2 stop slower than the A590IS.

Overall, the A590IS is a tremendous value.  Image quality is great in good light, and thanks to a fast lens, effective IS, and good-for-size sensor technology, it's not bad in low light.  With full manual controls, an optical viewfinder, and added functionality (RAW and more) available through CHDK, the A590IS is a very serious compact for a bargain of a price.

The A590IS is currently selling for $125 at Amazon - A590IS at Amazon

The currently featured seller at Amazon is Adorama, from whom I have had good experiences buying.