Canon Powershot A560

Build
None of the cameras in the A500 series were very good looking, and the trend continues with this one too. Remarkably plain silver finish with a slightly darker-colored hand grip rule is what you'll get to see on first contact. In fact, it's the dark grip that separates its look from the cheaper Canon Powershot A550.

At 91x64x43 mm the A560 isn't too bulky for a compact camera, and may just about even fit in a trouser pocket. It will look odd, but it will fit. The best way to carry it around would be using one of the camera pouches you get in the market. The two AA batteries add up to a total weight of 205 g.

The back of the camera is dominated by the 2.5 inch TFT display along with all the functional buttons placed on the right for easy single handed operation. It also has an optical viewfinder, a feature I sorely miss on a lot of consumer camera models these days. The optical viewfinder can be your best friend when you're trying to save up on batteries or when everything is a bit too dark for your camera's LCD to legibly display anything.

It's pretty obvious that the camera was built keeping functionality a bigger priority over looks and eye candy, which is what counts ultimately.