How to select the right Canon point-and-shoot

By Leonard Goh
Jun 02, 2009

This article has been updated as of June 2, 2009.

Among all the camera manufacturers, Canon has one of the longest histories. It was founded in 1933 as Precision Optical Instrument Laboratory, a company dedicated to making a quality camera that the average Japanese could afford. A year later, the firm's name was changed to Canon and it soon introduced its first camera, the Hansa Canon.

The Canon PowerShot 600.

In 1996, the PowerShot 600 digital camera was conceived. It was a sign of things to come from Canon--the shooter has a good range of capture modes which is reflected in some of its higher-end snappers today. Although competition in this field heated up not long after, Canon has always managed to emerge unscathed and continued to offer shooters that capture quality images.

To Canon, its name carries significant symbolism. Meaning "holy scripture" and "criterion or standard of judgment", it sets out to be a market leader and an example for other brands to follow. We have seen how it jump-started the budget full-frame dSLR trend when it introduced the EOS 5D three years ago. Moving forward the company has told us it will focus on delivering quality cameras that take exceptional pictures instead of cramming features into the shooter.

If you've set your eyes on a Canon but aren't quite sure which is suitable, we've put together a comprehensive guide for its lineup.