5 comments about Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium 10MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom.

1. I researched many digital cameras before deciding to get this model. I chose it because it had the high megapixels that I wanted and boasted many features and unique settings. I was not disappointed.
   
   First of all, the camera offers sharp, high-quality images without using any of the fancy settings. The basic use of this camera meets my expectations.
   
   The Color Accent feature is something that makes me feel like an artist as I compose images, and it is very easy to use (words which I will be using several times during this review!). The same effect can be done by hand with Photoshop or Gimp, but why worry about that high-end, expensive software when your camera does it for you?
   
   The other feature that I am currently giddy about and excited to try on our upcoming vacation is the panorama feature and the accompanying software, StitchAssist. I had a camera that offered assistance lining up panoramic shots, but did not come with software to put those images together. The Canon SD 900 comes with StitchAssist, a program with imports the images taken with the panoramic setting on and then "stitches" them together. The program does all the work; all I had to do was tell it which images I wanted put together. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.
   
   Another minor setting I like is the touch button display. I have always had trouble operating the tiny buttons on my previous compact digital cameras, but the SD900 has a display that pops up when you press the round buttons to help you verify that you are pushing the correct button. No more trying to turn off the flash, but setting the macro instead!
   
   One aspect that I am still learning is navigating the menus. The basic camera menus change very slightly depending on which settings you have enabled, and I am afraid that when I am "out in the field" away from my user guide, I won't be able to remember how to make the camera do what I want because I can't remember how to get to the menu. This is a necessary evil of a feature-packed camera, I fear. The menus are intuitive, though, so they have been fairly easy to learn. Not so with some cameras I have used.
   
   I am not very pleased with the built-in sounds (I find almost all of them annoying), but you have the option of turning them completely off, as well as the option to set the volume of each type of sound individually, so I feel like Canon partially redeemed themselves for the less-than-pleasing-to-the-ear audio they offered.
   
   One sound I am glad Canon included was one that signals the timer is about to go off. Again, no sounds that don't make your heart race, but at least we can all tell when that group shot is going to snap.
   
   I strongly recommend this camera if you are looking for a small camera packed with easy to use features.



2. Fell in love with this camera, used it for 2 years, then out of the blue, the lens would not retract and a message of "lens error, please restart camera" comes up, changing batteries did not fix it, nothing did. Looked on the Internet and found this is a common problem.



3. nice size but i wanted the high resolution so i can zoom in on photos afterwards. well because it's small and lightweight every picture i took was blurry because i apparently shake to much. i don't have a shake to my hand that i have ever noticed before and the camera i bought to replace it is fine.



4. This is an awesome camera!!! I only wished that I had waited a few more weeks until the 12 MP camera came out. Oh well, technology changes too fast and only millionaires can stay trendy.



5. This camera is easy to use, and has great results. Hooking
   it up to the computer is easy, and printing pictures is too.
   The battery never dies, and there are tons of options to fix
   up your pictures how you like them

5 comments about Canon PowerShot SD630 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom.

1. This is the second Canon PowerShot that I've used and it's my favorite by far. I love the large LCD display on the back and don't miss the viewfinder at all (seriously, who uses them anymore?). I've developed prints from this camera (usually 5x7s) and the quality is so stunning that I actually have to convince people that I took the pictures.



2. We just got our camera and have been playing around with it.. I dont know if we aren't doing the right thing but when we zoom in it gets blurry! Can anyone help fix this? Its really bad with the zoom and being that we are new to it, it could be us.



3. During a vacation, I broke my Cannon SD630. I never realized how much I loved the camera until it broke--It was my fault, I dropped it and the LCD cracked. So, instead of buying the same one I bought the newer SD750 and was really dissapointed. Not only did I miss the ease and simple-ness of the SD630, I was not able use the underwater housing unit that I bought to take pictures when I was snorkling...So, sometimes when you think that newer and more advanced is better, you end up going back to the one that you started off with. I am proud to say that I LOVE this SD630 and when it is time to buy a new one, I will be looking for the SD630!
   
   I would recommend this in a heart beat!



4. This is my everyday camera. It is easy to configure and fits nicely in my pocket. Canon sensors provide phenomenal clarity in all lighting conditions. I also own and love my Nikon D40, but this Canon is my go anywhere, convenient, light-weight workhorse. This is my second digital elph and I will continue to purchase Canons in the point-and-shoot form factor. The lack of a viewfinder should not be a concern for anyone considering this camera. The LCD is highly detailed and very large. Looking through a viewfinder almost seems alien to me now. I love being able to compose a shot without having the camera glued to my face. Being able to see what is happening through my eyes rather than a viewfinder, while positioning the camera is a beautiful thing.



5. First of all, I've owned several Canon PowerShots, way back to the S10 when memory cards were like $50 for 32 megs. Except for one, the SD450, the image quality has been excellent on all of them. Canon's are known for their image quality and this one holds true to that. The downside to all the PowerShots prior to this one has been how awfully slow they were in taking shots, especially in low light or at night. The delay from the time you push the button to the camera actually snapping the shot could be excruciatingly slow and infuriating. I absolutely loved my S400 in every way except for how freaking slow it was in snapping shots. I couldn't tell you how many shots I have of my dog's butt/tail because I didn't properly point the camera 10 feet in front of her and take the shot just right to account for that horrible delay.
   
   Finally, a Canon PowerShot that is quick! There are some shots that aren't quite lightning fast in lower light, but this is expected and the performance is FAR better than any other Canon I've owned. The SD450 had decent performance, but the picture quality was subpar.
   
   Another problem I've always had is poor battery life. This one can take about 200 shots before needing to be recharged. Compared to my last camera (the SD450), that's about 3 times as many shots. So the battery life is much improved.
   
   On a side note, another problem I've had which most ppl would probably not notice is a few dead pixels showing up over time. Canon seems to have fixed that in the last couple generation of PowerShots and it isn't an issue with this one.
   
   I like the fact that it has no viewfinder, who uses that thing anyway? The screen is huge but the resolution is not any better than my old S400 with a tiny 1.8" screen so all shots look kind of fuzzy. I very rarely have a shot out of focus with this camera so I don't worry about it. Besides, regardless of screen size or resolution it is going to be really hard to tell if a shot is a little bit out of focus and you'd have to zoom in to tell anyway.
   
   All in all, this is a great camera and the best PowerShot I've owned to date. I'm extremely happy with in and plan to keep it for a long time.

5 comments about Canon PowerShot A510 3.2MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom.

1. Great camera and bought on sale it was a true deal. The camera is easy to use and it takes great pix. Quality and a decent price, what more can you ask?



2. Let me start with the bad, and get the complaining out of the way.
   
   First, the CCD is a little bit on the noisy side, especially in low light situations. That said, I'm still surprised at the number of low-light, no-flash pictures that can be salvaged in Photoshop.
   
   Second, it has an artificial limit on video length - 30 seconds at 640x480 and 3 minutes at lower resolutions. I cannot see any good reason for this, as the A530 and A540 can record video until you run out of power or memory. Also, those later models will let you do "digital zoom" while shooting and this camera will not. The zoom ratio you start with is what you are stuck with for the entire video.
   
   Third, the flash recycle time is longer than I would like. This is probably due to the choice of two AA batteries as a power source, and it does not seem to be any better on my mother's A530.
   
   Fourth, the display is small. It's a small camera, deal with it. You can zoom in on a picture if you feel it's necessary to check it on the spot.
   
   Finally, it has significant barrel distortion at the wide end of the zoom range. Most of the time you aren't going to notice, but it is visible and somewhat bothersome in architectural photos.
   
   These flaws rule out a five-star rating, but the camera still has plenty going for it.
   
   First, the optics are sharp, although I noted the distortion issue above. I do not get the purple fringing I have seen on some other cameras. I believe these optics went unchanged into the A530 and A540, which means they are probably overkill for a 3.2MP sensor. The f/2.6 maximum aperture is quite usable.
   
   Second, the flash is surprisingly good. The red-eye reduction doesn't work particularly well, but it never does with a flash this close to the lens axis (and you can fix that in the bundled software). I noted the cycle time issue, but I can't complain about the amount of light generated once it does charge.
   
   Third, it's not as hungry as some other cameras I've tried. I would tell you how long one set of NiMH AA batteries last, but I can't -- I've never been able to run them flat. I just pop in freshly charged batteries before every adventure and I'm good to go. The fact that it uses AA batteries also means you're never more than a trip to 7-11 away from a fresh charge, if the situation calls for it.
   
   Fourth, it's very versatile. The "Auto" mode is dead simple to operate, enabling macro focusing is a single button press, the zoom is very intuitive, the pre-focusing behaves exactly like you would expect from a larger camera, and it does shoot video with sound. At the same time, it has manual mode, Av and Tv modes, a rear-curtain flash sync mode, and many other ways to bend it far beyond mere snapshots. Simple when you need it, complex when you want it -- perfect balance. The mode wheel is a good, old-fashioned click wheel, so once you memorize where your favorite click stops are, you don't even have to look. As you would expect from a Canon camera, it also has 2-second and 10-second self-timer modes, so you can line up a family photo and have time to sneak yourself into it. The camera sits quite stably, so you can usually improvise a platform to use if you don't carry a folding tripod.
   
   Fifth, the included Windows software is pretty good. You don't absolutely have to use it, but if you don't want to, you pretty much have to use a card reader to transfer. Thus it's fairly important that the software is both easy to use and flexible enough to do most of the things you want.
   
   Sixth, it uses a standard "mini USB" cable to connect to the computer. This means that if you ever lose it, or wish to have a spare, you do not have to get a special part. Also, since so many other devices use the same style cable, you can (as I do) leave the cable permanently attached to the computer and attach devices to it as necessary. I have a webcam and MP3 player that use the same type of cable, so there's usually something attached.
   
   Finally, it has a removable ring around the lens to attach an adapter, allowing you to attach all manner of filters, wide and tele lens extenders, or whatever you would want to attach. The Canon adapter is also threaded to 52 mm, which is a very common filter size. If you have an old SLR, chances are you already own some 52 mm filters.
   
   If you are wondering if 3.2MP is enough and you wouldn't be better off with more megapixels, all I can say is this: If you don't know exactly why you need more than this resolution... you probably don't. I have been able to run 12" by 18" color laser prints from my pictures with quite acceptable quality -- do YOU have access to a printer bigger than that? I would not mind an upgrade to the A530, but only because of its significantly better video capabilities. More pixels in the same size sensor usually means more noise and longer save times between pictures, though admittedly you do not have to run at maximum resolution at all times. It generally is easiest though to shoot at the highest resolution and worry about reducing it after you get home.
   
   If you feel you need the enhanced capabilites of the A530 or A540 (for an additional $50-120, last I checked), then by all means buy one. You won't be disappointed. But if you want an inexpensive, pocketable camera that doesn't take cheap-looking pictures, you can't go wrong with the A510. All the accessories are the same, so if you decide to upgrade later, it is only the camera you have to buy.



3. I bought the Canon Powershot A510 two years ago and was very happy with the quality of pictures. However, during the past several months I noticed that my battery charge was not lasting as long as it should. I first blamed it on my charger and bought a new one. Its not the batteries or the charger, its the camera. It completely drains the batteries within seconds. The camera is now unusable and I probably won't buy another Canon camera.



4. I've had this camera for about 5 years now and I've used it in all kinds of situations, including night clubs, traveling, day/night, carnivals, etc. I have to say I have never been disappointed in the picture quality that this camera offers. The zoom is pretty amazing and the pictures come out great when you use it. The colors are quite true and, if you are anything like me sometimes, it allows you to have somewhat of a shaky hand and still take a focused picture.
   My boyfriend has a 'Nikon Coolpix S3' and when it comes to taking pictures at night, he just asks to use mine because his always come out blurry.
   It's definitely a product that holds up as time passes by, and gives Canon a good name when it comes to the quality of their digital cameras.



5. I am an artist who takes a lot of carefully composed photographs. I chose the A510 as my first digital camera, five years ago after many hours of research and review reading. It has, up until very recently, been my main instrument, has never failed me in any way and for a point and shoot - low or higher end - it takes absolutely fantastic pictures in all conditions and has manual overrides for most features, which was an essential for me. I opted for the A series as opposed to the SD series, as image quality was reported to be (and is) better with the As. In addition, I shoot quite a bit in low light, so the fact that it is a little heavier than the SDs is good as it keeps steady. I have perfectly clear images of the night sky using the manual time exposure feature, handheld! The weight is mostly dues to the fact that the A510 uses AA batteries, which although I have to carry extras, it works out better for a traveler like me since I can always get AAs and can't always get an outlet to plug into. It is, however, quite compact and lightweight, enough that I literally always have it with me and never think of it as extra weight in my bag. As reported in many reviews, the A510 has better image quality than the A520, and has superior image quality for most cameras in its class. Prints look great up to 8x10. My only two complaints are the following. 1) The flash leaves a lot to be desired. I typically bounce the flash (when I use it, which is rarely) off of a neutral colored object to diminish washout. The flash is far too strong even on its lowest setting. and 2) The manual focus feature is weak. It works, but not very well. But really, what are you expecting from a lower end point and shoot? I personally was not surprised, nor do I care much. The fully functional macro feature more than makes up for the lack of manual focus. But those are my only complaints, and they rarely have ever affected the way I take pictures. I would consider the newer versions of this camera without hesitation. The A510 has an enormous number of features, all of which work amazingly well with those two small exceptions. After using it to capture nearly 20,000 pictures, I find that it still works just like new. For newer technologies, that is saying something. Nice work, Canon.

5 comments about Canon EOS 30D 8.2MP Digital SLR Camera Kit with EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens.

1. People can show off their Rebel tsi and say it has 12 megapixels, but you can show off your 30d and say, "mine's not cheap plastic." This camera is perfect for a semi-pro, student, or just about anyone who can afford it. I warn you not to buy it from DBROTH though. They scammed me out of 99.99 dollars worth of photoshop, and I'm still trying to settle it with them. The hi-speed shooting is great for my hobby of shooting skate pictures. I think my customer image is number 82 or something. If you want to use it for landscapes, you'll need to get something with a really wide angle, because of the 1.6 cropping factor. If you're into sports photography like me though, it just gives your telephoto zoom lens a little more reach.



2. This was my second dslr and I loved it when I owned it. I have a 5D and a 40D now.
   
   Tim
   tfarrisphotography.com



3. This is great bang for your buck. When I bought my first dslr, the XT, new, it cost the same as the 30D does now. I'm very happy with the improved controls of the 30D over the XT as well as better high iso performance and 5 fps... My future plans are to get a 5d for holding a wideangle lens and use the 30D for the 70-200. The 24-105 range makes sense on either but the nature of the lens will be more telephoto on the 30D...



4. I've shot photos for almost 45 years. . . . started very early. The bottom line is the Canon 30D has excellent build quality, superb low light performance, excellent features and most of all superb picture quality in both ideal and non ideal lighting.
   
   I shot a lot of low light pictures and compared the Nikon 80, the Canon 30D and 40D and to my eyes, the Canon 30D simply rendered the sharpest, most noise free images in lower light levels.
   
   I owned 3 Canon EF lens. The 50mm f1.4, the 70-300mm IS lens and the Canon 28-135MM IS lens. All of these lens deliver excellent pictures in low light, provide sharp images and focus quickly and accurately. I tend to be a strong believer in Nikon and Canon because of the bench strength of their great lens.
   
   The only downside of the 30D is it lacks live view. In my opinion this is of limited if any value. To some, this feature might be important, but be aware that live view depletes the camera's battery pretty quickly.
   
   Even thought this camera is discontinued, it is well worth seeking out.



5. I'm extremely happy with my camera!
   You can't beat this camera for the money.

5 comments about Canon PowerShot A550 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom.

1. This is the best little camera! The pictures are great and I was really suprised at what cute little videos this thing can take.(I have had it for almost a year)
   
   I would caution about developing the pictures as I found a significant difference in quality between local and online. I use snapfish and they have the best printing. The local drugstores...are terrible. I sent the same photos to four different places including Sony, Snapfish, CVS and Rite Aid. Sony was okay. CVS and Rite Aid were terrible and Snapfish was the best.



2. This is a great camera.... I love love love it. But dropped it only once...and that's all she wrote. Seriously.



3. OWNED 1 BEFORE. COULDN'T FIND IT FOR MY VACATION. SO I WANTED 1 JUST LIKE IT AND FOUND IT ON AMAZON.COM .
   IT'S A GREAT CAMERA, TAKES GREAT PICTURES. MY FAMILY WAS AMAZED AT THE CLARITY. AND HAVING AN HP PORTABLE PRINTER BOTH COMBINED WAS THE DIFFERENCE IN MAKING GOOD PIXS.
   I HAVE RECOMMEND THIS A550 TO ALL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS.
   I'M VERY HAPPY WITH IT.



4. I have always owned Canon cameras. I own 4 cameras from the A series.
   A520, A530, A540 and A550 and I am happy with all these cameras and here are the reasons why.
   
   1. Value for Money, I bought all these under $200.
   2. 4x Optical zoom is a plus and sufficient for a point and shoot camera.
   3. Delivers fairly good quality pictures. I have printed poster size pictures and have been very happy with the results.
   4. All these have better manual controls than most of the ELP series point and shoots canon has made.
   
   Cons:
   one thing to keep in mind is that these cameras are point and shoot and the lower end models that canon has made, so anyone buying these should not have high expectations with these cameras.
   
   1. Delay between two shots when flash used. Again this is marginal and I really do not think of this as a major -ve point, at least not for the money spent on these.
   2. The ELPHs have made them look bulkier :) again not a biggie. The ELPHs are really compact. So even though these are not as big, they look big in front of elphs.
   
   I would not recommend A550 to anyone only because they are old models, not because they are not good. Instead I would recommend the latest A series models that Canon has come out with. A720 IS, A570IS, A590IS. These are all great cameras with Image Stabilization built into them.



5. Nice camera. The only problem is that Canon won't back up their products. The zoom doesn't work all the time after less than a years use. Canon said send it back but we'll charge you to check it...not very impressive!

5 comments about Canon Powershot SD400 5MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom.

1. Great tool for carrying in a tiny purse ALL the time!
   
   + 2.5 years old and still works and looks like new
   + excellent battery life
   + compact - fits pockets and tiny purses
   + has a viewfinder - so when my LCD cracked (no apparent reason), I still could take photos!
   + great zoom for a point-and-shoot
   
   - no memory meter until u have 2 seconds left!
   - no manual shutter controller - but ok for a point-and-shoot
   - LCD cracked on its own 1.5 years after i got it - no pressure was applied and no temperature extremes either. Fixed it for about $90 on ebay.
   
   Overall, with so many minuses -a for 2.5 - 3 years old, 5MP camera with cracked LCD - its not the hottest thing anymore. Yet I get compliments on it all the time (size especially), maybe cause I use it everyday and love it.



2. My daughter purchased this camera about 3 years ago. She absolutely loves it, but unfortunately, she tripped and fell with it in her hand. The display no longer worked but the camera still took great pictures. She tried to buy another but they were so expensive and all the stores said it would be cheaper to buy something new than get that one fixed. I called Canon and they said they would fix it for $99 + $7 shipping. She was ecstatic, so we sent it off to them. Canon emailed when they received it, then they emailed the next day that it was being repaired at no cost, and then they emailed the next day with the tracking number for FedEx, and we received it the following day. Canon said they fixed it as a courtesy. They didn't only fix the display, but they updated the software, fixed the zoom, which she didn't even think about at the time to ask them to also look at, and they even polished it so it looked almost new. It now works as if it were new. They had no reason not to charge us because it has been long out of warranty. I am extremely impressed with Canon, and in fact, I am asking for a camera for Christmas for myself and have specifically requested a Canon in light of this.



3. Everyone has it... for a reason. It is a great camera! Small and powerful!!



4. I've owned this camera now for a few years. As a Computer Engineer and Computer Tech I am required to work a lot with digital cameras. I must say that this camera exceed all my expectations. Great quality, small, long battery life, great flash and many options. When I print the images at local stores (Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, etc.) the images are so sharp, some people think they are post cards.
   
   Even though it's a bit outdated, I still recommend this camera. Don't let the megapixels fool you, it's all marketing techniques. Even though it is only 5MP, this is more than what most people need. I take most of my pictures at 1600x1200 which is not even using the full potential of the camera which goes up to 2592x1944, and still the images and printed photos come out spectacular. For those of you experiencing the "Memory Card Error", save your pictures first on the computer, you can use an SD adapter or if you have a memory card reader just plug it in. Once you have saved all of your pictures on the chip, perform a format of the chip on the camera, it is located after hitting the Menu button, point to Tools icon, then scroll down. The option to format is right under "Clock/Display". If you still continue to experience problems try a different brand of SD cards. I use Sandisk, RiData, and Kingston which work very well. Some of you have also been wondering about how to reset your camera to factory settings. Turn the camera on and press the Menu button for about 6 seconds. You will then be asked if you wish to reset to default settings, select yes. This solves a lot of out of focus problems or incorrect settings applied to the camera. If you have any problems with your camera just contact me, I'm willing to help.
   
   Joshua Marius
   www.letheonline.net



5. Now I have had it for 3 years, great pictures of outside spaces, not so good on the inside or dark areas. The best is that you can fit it everywhere, I always carry it with me (I used to forget my cameras and never take pics, does not happen with this one). Now there are better resolution cameras for the price that I paid, but Canon is the best for leisure use.

5 comments about Canon PowerShot SD600 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom.

1. The wife and I took this along to Germany on vacation in Sep 2006, and for a back-up to our 30D it was great. Quick into action and very non-intrusive, it goes with me just about everywhere. I often keep it in my laptop accessory bag.
   
   If used for what it was intended (point and shoot) it is a great camera. Sharp focus, good colors, and nicely adjustable ISO and flash settings. Battery life is excellent. I go for months between charging. Higher flash usage would probably cut this back though.
   
   The only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars was the wimpy flash. You can get one of those $20 slave flashes to fill in or bounce if you like. Vary happy with it and glad we got it. Hope it lasts for a while.



2. I previously own an earlier Elph and loved it. When I purchased the Elph SD 600 I was so excited..and like many other reviewers ..loved it. I read all these excellent reviews and would have written one too. BUT, about a year and a half later with only infrequent use...the lens would not retract. After googling this issue to my horror this is a widespread problem which has even prompted a class action suit...The dreaded E-18 error..or in my case LENS ERROR. Past warranty Canon charges $259 to fix plus shipping..
   in my case I saw battery was low and shut camera down..I guess that triggers a problem because when I put a fresh battery in the lens came out but would not retract. Yikes. Now I find that this is a known design flaw..often once it is fixed it reoccurs. I have always had nothing but Canon, but now I have to look elsewhere once I am in a position to buy another camera. I loved my little Elph and took perfect care of it, but the lens mechanism is so fragile that it breaks in about 10 different circumstances and is very costly to repair.



3. This camera is fantastic and simply does it all. Quit thinking about it and buy it. Nuff said.



4. I love this camera so much that I have read the entire manual (it wasnt the intention but couldnt find anything to read in my long air travel). It provides tons of features and options. Works fine in low light, etc.
   
   Recommend buying a memory card which had minimum lag in writing to memory however it is not a must. I get frustrated with low writing speeds. I bought a "SanDisk SDSDH-1024-901 1 GB Ultra II Secure Digital Memory Card" with it. Its pretty fast in memory writing. My purchase was in December 2006 so check whats the latest and fastest available now



5. My Canon SD600 is about 2 years old. It is compact and easy to use. Using Auto-mode, it takes great outdoor photos and high-quality video. However, its indoor photo quality is aweful - the pictures turn out very yellow. Even using the "vivid-color" setting, the highest ISO setting, and manually setting the "sunlight, cloudy, incadescent, or floursent" option, its indoor picture quality is still very poor. The pictures turn out yellowish and it is a real pain having to set the light setting manually.

5 comments about Canon PowerShot A70 3.2MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom.

1. work okay for a little less than 2 years. it was always slow when you pushed the button but other than that it was fine. then all of sudden all the pics had white lines. I'm assuming the CCD needs replacing (at what cost??). My recommendation - look elsewhere.



2. I bought this camera in 2003 and it worked GREAT. I have changed the batteries a total of 3 times since I've had it and have taken hundreds of pix. I have just purchased the Canon Powershot A570IS, because my A70 has just 'broken' down as of October 31, 2007 (no Halloween pix). I won't bother to repair it, since its not worth it, however it did a great job for the past 4 years, and I hope the new one does a better job, if that's possible. I would recommend Cannon to my friends. Its a great product and does what its made to do.



3. I've had this camera for 6 years and it still works perfectly! However, I gave it to a cousin of mine who is in grade school, because I wanted something with more pixels.



4. This camera takes good pictures and it's easy to operate. It is well worth it's price. However, there are some problems.
   
   1. The CCD has known issues. It is highly susceptible to moisture and will develop problems. The images will have horizontal lines in them and the color balance will be wrong. Canon fixes this problem at no charge and even pays for shipping. However, in two years of owning this camera, I've had to return it twice for this repair.
   
   2. The LCD display is rather small and hard to see. It is even more difficult to see in bright light.
   
   Other than those two things, the camera works great. It's easy to operate and use the camera's functions, and the results are very good. Color balance is good for all white balance settings, especially incandescent when shooing in incandescent light. Pictures are sharp and free from image artifacts.
   
   One minor annoyance is that the zoom is electronic. It is difficult to get the exact zoom you want, especially for normal (the human eye's perspective). Another annoyance is the camera's widest aperature. It is not wide enough to make things n the background go out of focus. However, with a little skill with Photoshop, you can mask the subject and perform blurring.
   
   Connecting and downloading images to your computer is easy and painless. The supplied software is adequate but not stellar.
   
   A nice featuer is that the camera uses AA sized batteries. Get yourself rechargable 2500ma batteries and an inexpensive charger and you'll get a lot of photos out of one set of batteries.
   
   One very recommended accessory is the lens adapter, the LAH-DC20. Even f you don't attach an auxilary lens, this provides some protection for the lens in case you drop the camera while it's powered up, and it provides a means to attach 52 mm close up diopters, filters, and any lens hood.
   
   For it's price, the camera is exceptional.



5. I know this camera is old. However, it is similar to the newer models. Don't buy this camera. I bought it quit after 5 years of use with great care in handling it. The reason I bought it was because it took 4, AA batteries. This seemed like a good feature at first with not having to recharge the battery all the time, but it also made the camera have a delay while taking pictures. The delay was long enough for me to miss many great shots. The batteries just aren't strong enough for a fast flash.
   
   My next camera will probably be a Pentax Optio M50. It is great for casual shots like when the family gets together. It is also only around $200 at the time of this review. Canon has good cameras, but this series is not one of them, and I give the A70, 2 stars for working 5 years. And all things considered 2 stars is generous.

5 comments about Canon Powershot A620 7.1MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom.

1. I purchased this camera over 2 years ago and I'm still in love with it!!! The pictures that I take with this camera look like post cards. I'm no photographer by any means but you wouldn't know by looking at the pics that I take!!! I would recommend buying this camera to anyone!!! As a matter of fact, my friend just broke her camera and I told her to buy a Canon Powershot!!



2. By far one of the better cameras I have owned. Great zoom and great quality on pics. It has unfortunately been dropped in the parking lot and can take a beating. All functions great. Easy downloads and would reccomend the lowe brand case for this camera.



3. No joke, this A620 camera has been a dedicated workhorse for point and shoot photogs that needs small cameras to do big jobs. Whether in the fields of Mexico or in the grit of Paris and London, this camera takes AMAZING 7.1 mp pictures every time. An old set of 2300nmh AA batteries powers it for about 300 pictures. In good lighting situations, the pictures are crisp and sharp. The Auto setting is fantastic, but the manual settings are impressive. I've had this camera for two years and it hasn't failed, despite being jostled in a cargo pants pocket and being pulled in and out of camera bags. This will not replace an SLR, as those have huge CCDs, twice the light entering the huge lens, etc., but this is definitely a perfect backup for the SLR.



4. I have owned the A620 for a few years now and have to say it is one of the best, if not the, point-and-shoot digital cameras out. As people have mentioned before it's a little "heavier" than a plain PAS as there are multiple shooting modes and options. It is also VERY durable as I have dropped mine a few times already. I have noticed though that there are slight delays with the flash during heavy use..which is understable since it operates on 4 AA's. The pictures are OUTSTANDING follwing Canon's image lineage. You can also get after market tele lenses and etc. also.
   
   The camera itself feels great and has a nice weight to it. It's not a light, cutesy, hip-pocket charmer. What I really like about it is the quality of the video. It has a "film" look about it..not that "live" video look..kinda cool.
   
   I HIGHLY recommend the A620 if you are looking to move up a little from the cutesy pocket camera that you're toting around and to get some higher quality pictures.



5. I've owned this camera for two years and taken 528 photos on three vacations. Then, suddenly the image processor failed. The only option is to send to Canon for a repair costing nearly half what I paid for the Camera plus shipping, and wait at least two weeks.
   
   Im shopping for another camera and it won't be a Canon Powershot...

5 comments about Canon Digital Rebel XT 8MP Digital SLR Camera (Body Only - Black).

1. I bought this camera nearly a year ago, and I've liked just about everything about this lens. Its size, its image quality, everything. In fact, for my money, it's superior to the XTi since its image quality is better in low light situations. As to why, well, with the XTi, you're fitting 10 megapixels on the same-sized image sensor as the XT, which will create a noisier (grainier) image. The XSi has some advanced hardware that counteracts this tendency.
   
   Having said this, however, there is ONE item I wish the XT had--3200 ISO. In fact, neither the XT nor XTi nor XSi, have this high ISO (they all go up to 1600). I like to take pictures with natural light, and having a 3200 ISO will be helpful in extremely dark situations, like the wedding I just went to recently where the dance floor was essentially without light (and I was shooting with a f/1.8 lens). So, if you see yourself taking a lot of photos in low light, you might as well get the Canon 30D body for $650 (the price as of now--Sept 2008). One final item: I have NO idea why this camera as of Sept 1, 2008 costs $698 with the 18-55mm lens. I bought mine almost a year ago for $450 for the exact same combo! If the price doesn't go down, buy a Nikon D60 (cheaper) or Canon XSi (same price as the XT and way more advanced). Or, best yet, buy a Canon 30D and buy the lens separate. With a Canon 30D and a Canon 50mm f/1.8 or f/1.4 lens, you can essentially handle anything short of pitch-black scenes.



2. It gives you enough as it shows. Sometime it has problem with focus if you use manual focusing, but I think it is caused by myself not the machine.



3. Comfortable, lightweight, and easy to use; with a wealth of options available as I work my way up the SLR food chain. Great photo quality, my only complaint is that in low light without flash the EF-S 18-55mm f3.5-5.6 gets a lil' bleary. Still, I expect that the IS version of the lens when I get it will help alleviate that difficulty. Crystal clear pictures under normal lighting conditions and the automatic flash will take care of low-light conditions until I get the lens with image stabilization. Professional-looking photos (with my graphic designer background) right out of the box. Easy enough to use that I had no qualms in sending it with my mom to a wedding she was attending and she's STRICTLY point and shoot.



4. I've taken more than 30,000 pictures with my XT and the biggest problem is that it does such a good job that I have a hard time justifying an upgrade. The images are great up to ISO 400 and very good at 800 and 1600. For the price it's hard to beat, but I'd probably recommend going for a newer camera with the ISO displayed in the viewfinder and a better auto focus system. Also, the included lens is so-so. I use a Sigma 17-70 which is excellent. The 3fps it captures is not quite fast enough for sports, but fine for kids. The grip is a bit small, and the camera can be hard to hold if you have a flash, large lens, and large hands.



5. I got this about 4 months ago as a present. I must this camera is amazing. I still have yet to master or even start to use 80% of its features. This camera is great for a beginner or really anyone who wants a wonderful yet reasonably priced camera.
   
   But you might just want to spring for a black one. I am not to crazy about the silver. But hey I am not looking a gift horse in the mouth.