Canon's zoomless budget compact — 2004 A-series with 3.2MP CCD, fixed 33mm lens and sliding-cover design
The PowerShot A310 of March 2004 was a stripped-down model in Canon's low-end A3xx series, an update of the A300 that added a Print/Share button. These cameras deliberately omitted optical zoom to hit the lowest price point in Canon's digital range.
It used a 3.2-megapixel 1/2.7-inch CCD with a fixed 33mm-equivalent f/3.6 wide-angle lens and Canon's DIGIC processor. A sliding lens cover doubles as the power switch, movies record at 640x480 at 15fps, storage is CompactFlash, and it runs on AA batteries.
With no zoom and a fairly wide fixed lens it behaves like a digital point-and-shoot in the classic sense — frame and press. That simplicity, plus the early-2000s CCD rendering, is exactly what attracts today's retro-digicam buyers; anyone wanting zoom or manual control should look elsewhere in the A-series.
Condition checks are straightforward: confirm the sliding cover powers the camera on and off correctly, inspect the CompactFlash slot pins, and test the flash. AA power means no charger hunting, though NiMH cells are recommended over alkalines for battery life.