The A85 Canon digital camera is equipped with a 5.4-16.2mm lens, 3X optional zoom and offers a maximum aperture ranges from f/2.8 to f/4.8. In addition to the optical zoom, the Canon PowerShot A85 also offers as much as 3.6x digital zoom.

The PowerShot A85 model uses Canon’s Wide Area AiAF system and iSAPS technology to auto judge its focus and as the same time, offers a manual focus mode, displaying a numeric distance scale on the LCD display. There is a AF Assist light on the front panel which can helps the camera focus in dark shooting environment

Canon PowerShot A85 digital camera features a real-image optical viewfinder and a large 1.8 inch LCD monitor which can display detailed exposure information, including shutter speed and aperture settings in the manual shooting modes.

The A85 provides a full range of exposure control and several preset scene modes. The different exposure mode can be set using the Model switch located on the top of the camera. Canon A85 model also features a Spot Metering option, which bases the exposure on the center of the subject, and Center-Weighted, for a larger area in the center of the frame. The various flash modes of the A85 can be set by user, along with the Red-Eye Reduction setting through the Record menu.

Canon PowerShot A85 digital camera use four AA-sized batteries and images are stored on the 32MB CompactFlash memory cards that come with it. The 32MB memory card is clearly insufficient to hold too many images and it is advisable to get a higher capacity memory card as replacement.

The A85 camera has a USB jack that can be used for downloading images to a computer. In addition to that, an AV Out jack and the video cable allow you to connect the camera directly to a television for viewing. As the Canon PowerShot A85 is DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) and PictBridge compatible, you can also connect the camera directly to a PictBridge-compatible printer to print out the images without the involvement of a computer.