Canon PowerShot ELPH 520 HS 10.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 12x Ultra Wide-Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Lens and Full 1080p HD Video (Black)

I'm really happy with this camera. It takes great snapshots, and it is so small that I can always have it with me. Nobody will ever mistake it for a several thousand dollar DSLR, either in price, weight, or picture quality, but the 12x zoom in such a small package was the sweet spot for me. And lets face it, for most of us, being able to get the shot because you have your camera is much more important than the really high quality picture--that you're never going to blow up to room size anyway--that you would have got if only you hadn't left your big, heavy, awkward DSLR at home! Some folks have compared the quality to cell phones. There's no comparison. I can get shots that are just dark blobs on the iPhone. The battery is pretty small, though, so make sure you have two or three, which I have always done anyway (they're small, so it isn't that big a deal). Be careful if you buy an off brand battery: Many of them have LESS capacity. Don't go by the picture, many of them appear to be photoshopped to say 1000mAH, but the specs give you the real value. I picked up the Wasabi Power Battery for Canon NB-9L and Canon PowerShot SD4500 IS, ELPH 510 HS, ELPH 520 HS, ELPH 530 HS , and it seems OK so far, but I haven't rigorously tested it. The reviews were pretty good, though.

I had always been a little intrigued by the Canon ELPH series of cameras but had not purchased one until now. This 520 HS with the CMOS sensor fills my needs for a little pocket camera that works indoors without a flash. In most cases I get a very good image by using the program mode, and allowing a little time for the autofocus to stabilize. The optical zoom works excellent and integrates easily with the digital zoom to reach way out to grab a distant feature, although image quality suffers with digital zoom, as should be expected. This little box fits easily into my cell phone holster allowing it to be always accessible, which is often the best feature of a point and shoot camera and the secret to getting many interesting shots! With the low price and Canon reliability, this is a great bargain and is now my travel companion of choice Dave S

I have to give this product one star. I feel bad doing this, but if you are like me and only plan on using the camera for video vlogs / vlogging, you will be disappointed. I bought this camera because its small form factor and the video specifications, on paper, is an improvement compared to the ELPH 330 HS. On paper, the 520 HS is superior in that it can record 1080p@30fps vs the 330 HS's 720p@30fps. It is newer than the 330 HS, and its base price is higher. There are positive reviews all over the web and there are not many negative reviews. I could not, however, find reviews that specifically target video. So I went for the 520 and hoped for the best. The camera feels solid, and I cannot knock it for its form factor and its performance when taking photos. It seems to excel at taking photos, and its slim design makes it easy to carry in your pocket. At first it seemed awesome as I recorded the first few videos. I noticed that autofocus was not turned on, and I continued recording after I turned on the autofocus setting. Once I started to edit the clips, I heard a sound that resembles a mix between a metal click and a plastic click. It is repetitive and consistent. At the bottom of this review I will provide a link so you can hear the sound I'm describing. I first thought that the sound could be coming from the plastic dongle of the wrist strap hitting the side of the camera as I moved around. It made sense and it would explain the metal / plastic sound I heard. After removing the strap, however, the sound continued. I noticed that the microphone is embedded into the metal ring around the lens. Usually the microphone is under the flash (as in the 330 HS). This small difference actually makes a rather large impact on the audio quality and makes the 520 HS's microphone super sensitive to any motion of the lens. Once I became aware of the root cause, I searched for any reviews that referenced the same problem. I found only one review that I would consider a trustworthy source (PC magazine- [...] ) PC magazine hit the nail on the head and noticed the issue, but since they were mostly focused on photo specs, the problem only received one sentence in their page long review. Here is what PC magazine says: “The camera can zoom and focus while recording, but the sound of its lens moving in and out is audible on the soundtrack." I read the PC magazine review prior to purchasing this camera, but the issue did not stand out. Furthermore, the 330 HS has the same sound issue when focusing, but the *key* difference is that the 330 HS has a faster autofocus mechanism, and on top of that, the microphone is below the flash. Both of these factors diminish the sound from the lens in the 330 HS. Since the microphone is literally on top of the lens in the 520 HS, the sound of the lens is amplified rather than filtered out. It was very disappointing and I can’t believe Canon did not pick up on this during QA. I don’t understand the benefit of moving the microphone into the lens. Lastly, I am not the only one with this problem. There are two other popular vloggers that I know of who recently upgraded to the 520 and their initial reviews were positive. After a few weeks of video, however, they also noticed the problem. Since they use several different camera models simultaneously, it took longer for them to catch this issue. During this time, however, I bought the camera. So if you plan on buying this camera for primarily video work (such as vlogging), DON’T buy this camera!!! Go with the 330 HS instead. -Michael & Claire One of my videos that highlight the issue: [...] (listen at 3:35 but it happens throughout the video). I usually hide it with background music, but that only goes so far.

I had initially wanted a DSLR and actually bought a Canaon T3 with an extra lens and battery and case, and it was just too complicated for an amateur like me. I researched and ended up getting this Canon Power|Shot ELPH 520 on sale and love it. It was a good decision. I have been taking shots and using different settings (pre-set!) and am so happy with the quality. It has a focus zone so you can tell immediately if your subject is in focus. I've used it for flower gardens, family visits, soccer games, lake vistas, and bees pollinating....I can see myself using this camera until it falls apart. The only thing that I'm not too happy with is the3 battery life, however, I have to keep in mind that I preview my shots a lot, so perhaps when I stop doing that it will last longer.

this arrived and it wasn't until we had it all unpacked that we discovered that there is NO MEMORY CARD SUPPLIED, not even a tester to get you started. The memory card that it requires is a microSD card so none of the cards we had in other cameras would fit it. Now having to go to Argos to get a card to see if the camera works. The adapter that was supplied to plug the charger into the wall looks as if it was bought from a market stall, never seen anything so cheap and flimsy on any electrical product, doubt that it complies with HSE requirements in the UK.

I bought this after Christmas 2013, I believe, and it's the worst point-and-shoot camera I've ever owned. Even my older Elph, with its 5x zoom, is better than this, and of all my point and shoots, my old Canon PowerShot S3 IS remains the best. Overall image quality on this newer Elph is poor no matter what my setting (whether one of the scene modes, on auto, or in program mode with my own settings), particularly when taking snapshots of my pets, be they outdoor or indoor shots. (It does pretty well on floral macros, though.) I strongly recommend investing in a better camera, whether that be Canon or another brand. Don't waste your money on this Elph.

it is very good for family use, don't give high quality picture for printing purpose on big poster etc. I did not realize that. other than that it does job very well and also battery very good

Great camera, + Really easy to use + Good picture quality + No touch screen which I like. - Not perfect as the battery life is slightly shorter than I would like, although it lasts a fair few days.