Having 7.1 megapixel CCD sensor, 4x optical zoom and 4x digital zoom (16x combined), the Canon PowerShot A560 offers sharp, high quality photographs. This camera has the DIGIC III image processor delivering high speed, excellent colour and clean images and iSAPS technology which optimises settings before the shot is taken.

Superb portraits can be achieved with the Canon A560 as it has Face Definition AF/AE/FE that detects faces within the frame and chooses the correct focus, flash and exposure levels. This technology also allows for red-eye correction in playback mode. The 9-Point AiAF feature also ensures that subjects which are off-centre also have the correct focus.

The Canon A560 has a real-image zoom optical viewfinder and images can be viewed and played back on the bright 2.5" amorphous silicone TFT LCD screen. Images are stored as JPEG, Exif 2.2, DCF, DPOF and movies as AVI motion JPEG/WAVE. Movies can be shot as 640x480/320x240 at 15/30fps and 160x120 at 15fps.

There are 14 shooting modes to choose from, 6 of which are special scene modes where settings relevant to particular situation are already preset, these include; night, kids & pets, snow, fireworks, beach and indoor. The My Colors feature can also be used to improve images and features vivid, neutral, black & white, sepia and custom.

The Canon PowerShot A560 has ISO sensitivity in auto, high ISO auto, 80/100/200/400/800/1600 and White Balance of auto, daylight, cloudy, fluorescents, tungsten and custom. The Canon PowerShot A560 is powered by 2x AA Alkaline or NiMH batteries and the life, using the alkaline batteries supplied, is approximately 140 shots. If Canon NB-3AH batteries are used then the battery life is extended to approximately 500 shots. A 16MB memory card is supplied with the camera which can take SD, SDHC or MultiMedia Card.

The Canon A560 is PictBridge compatible and full colour prints can be produced in seconds.