The Canon Powershot A540 fits well in the Canon A-series with its good image quality and comprehensive set of user controls. As such, this camera does not dissapoint. Image quality is better than most cameras in its class, particularly with respect to noise. Except for some Fuji digital cameras, the A540 has lower noise than its competition at all ISO settings. This means that ISO 400 can produce clean small prints. ISO 800 can be used when light levels are low and still produce a recognisable image. The major complaint for this camera is its excessively saturated colors, which may actually appeal to some but can produce pictures with a somewhat artificial look. The rest of the negatives are typical and not much to complain about. In comparaison, the Canon Powershot A700 does better in terms of color accuracy and provides 6X optical zoom, as does the Fuji Finepix E550 except that it does not perform as well in low light. All-in-all, the A540 seems a great choice for a compact digital camera.