Movie recording offers three modes, with 640 x 480 (VGA) at 10f/s being the default setting – and highest resolution. ISO speed ranges from 80 to 400, and the shutter speed goes from 15-1/2000th second. Picture resolution ranges from 2952 x 1944 pixels to VGA, and there’s also a wide mode (2592 x 1456) for printing onto wide paper.

Simple to use

The relative dearth of features means that the A460 is very simple to use. Just open the (fiddly) battery/memory card cover, insert batteries and card and you’re ready to go. Power-up isn’t bad in terms of speed and it’s very easy to find your way around the controls. Switching from still to movie mode or to a particular scene mode didn’t involve navigating endless menus or sub-menus - a good thing in our book. Our main gripes are the zoom control, which is not as convenient to use as a conventional rocker, and the slow flash power-up - it took around half a dozen seconds, a drag obviously due to the AA batteries.

Sample shots

This predominately white scene exposes some picture noise, otherwise the A460 performed well shooting a brightly lit scene
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Twilight without Night Snapshot taken at dusk at ISO 250 and shutter speed 1/60 sec
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The same scene shot at the same time, only this time with the Night Snapshot mode on. The ISO remains the same, but the shutter speed is slowed to 1/8th sec
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