Labs

The chunky PowerShot A460 isn't the most pocketable camera and boasts just 5 megapixels. But it makes up with a 4x optical zoom; sharpness, contrast and saturation adjustments; a choice of metering modes and manual white balance.

The PowerShot starts in only 2.4 seconds, and the superb continuous mode keeps shooting at 1.2fps until your card is full. There's also an AF-assist lamp for focusing in low light, while a custom self-timer allows you to set the time delay and how many shots are taken.

The 5-megapixel resolution won't be a problem unless you want to print photos larger than A4. Indoors and outdoors, the Canon delivers well-exposed, sharp images. The super-macro mode produces great results. VGA movies weren't the best, but overall, the A460 is a great deal.