This tiny little camera can fit comfortably in a shirt or pants pocket; at just 0.76 inch deep, it's the size of a deck of playing cards, and it's a that's even smaller than many of today's 3X-optical-zoom cameras. The trade-offs for the tiny size start with the camera's manual controls for shutter and aperture--there aren't any--but this model does offer Canon's latest auto-exposure functions, scene modes, and in-camera effects.

Regrettably, this camera is a disappointing performer, at least if you're used to the generally excellent output of Canon's PowerShot line. Our review unit made everything look a bit soft, and the PowerShot Elph 520 HS will leave many owners wanting bigger buttons, better battery life, and more fine-tunable control. For casual shooters who just want as much optical zoom as possible in a pocket camera, it's still a good option.

Getting a razor-sharp shot with this camera may prove to be a challenge, but if you do snap one, it should look great. In PCWorld Labs subjective tests for image and video quality, the PowerShot Elph 520 HS scored very well in most categories, but image sharpness was a major weak spot that brought down its overall score.

Although we didn't see a lot of chromatic abberation or fringing in our test shots, everything looked slightly fuzzy. Unfortunately, it's easier to fix exposure and color problems during the editing process than it is to sharpen up a soft image.