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Canon creates spin-off of budget compact

Lovers of Canon's low budget point-and-shoots now have two options for 2010. One of them even comes in three colors.

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Joshua Goldman
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Joshua Goldman Managing Editor / Advice
Managing Editor Josh Goldman is a laptop expert and has been writing about and reviewing them since built-in Wi-Fi was an optional feature. He also covers almost anything connected to a PC, including keyboards, mice, USB-C docks and PC gaming accessories. In addition, he writes about cameras, including action cams and drones. And while he doesn't consider himself a gamer, he spends entirely too much time playing them.
Expertise Laptops, desktops and computer and PC gaming accessories including keyboards, mice and controllers, cameras, action cameras and drones Credentials More than two decades experience writing about PCs and accessories, and 15 years writing about cameras of all kinds.
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The PowerShot A495 may be low budget, but I bet it takes good photos like its predecessor, the A480. Canon

At barely more than $100, the 2009 Canon PowerShot A480 actually took good photos--a rarity at that low price. I'm sure the company sold a ton of them, which would help explain why its updated the model for 2010 and popped out a sibling.

The A495 and A490 are 10-megapixel cameras with 3.3x zoom lenses, 2.5-inch LCDs, and are powered by AA-size batteries. And that's about where the good times end.

The cameras are incredibly basic, made for first-time users or those with very limited needs. However, Canon did include a couple new shooting modes on the A495. Super Vivid mode pumps up color saturation to make things, um, well, you know, super vivid. The other adds a poster effect to shots similar to what you'd find in photo-editing software, but without the post-processing.

The A490 doesn't have the latest scene modes and uses a less selective Smart Auto than the A495. It also comes only in black as opposed to the A495's red, blue, and silver options.

Look for them in late February at $129.99 for the A495 and $109.99 for the A490.