Canon PowerShot A720IS 8MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

Got this camera to capture pics for my trip to my home country and also for my marriage. Purchased the camera after lot of reviews at amazon and other camera review sites. I gave this to my brother so he could capture pics of our family on their trips, he enjoys using it for the quality and ease of use. If you are looking for an inexpensive and good camera this is a good choice.

Got this camera to capture pics for my trip to my home country and also for my marriage. Purchased the camera after lot of reviews at amazon and other camera review sites. I gave this to my brother so he could capture pics of our family on their trips, he enjoys using it for the quality and ease of use. If you are looking for an inexpensive and good camera this is a good choice.

Perfect pocket camera for taking on trips for someone who wants more control over their photos than the usual point and shoot. I have used it camping, boating, biking, hiking, flying, and for all sorts of other outdoor activities where a larger camera would be impractical. All controls accessible with one hand.

The program mode allows me to permanently suppress the flash (I almost never use it) and the image stabilization allows slow shutter speeds in low light conditions. The shutter priority, aperture priority, and manual modes give me all the flexibility I could want in setting exposures.

The combination of 6X optical zoom, 8 megapixels, image stabilization, and AA batteries cannot be found in any other camera this small and light. The optical viewfinder is great for bright conditions where the LCD screen is washed out. The viewfinder crops the actual image - you should zoom in tighter than you normally would.

The camera has a few flaws. At the higher ISO settings (800 and 1600 but also a little at 400) the images start to go a bit grainy (but still usually yield good quality up to 8x10 enlargements). The camera does not do well with regular alkaline battteries - the low battery indicator lights up early and the camera soon rejects the batteries even though they have plenty of power for other devices. I think it has to do with the battery's voltage characteristic. Rechargeable Lithium ion batteries, however, do very well in it. Alkalines are good for backup if nothing else is available. But these problems are small compared to the utility this camera provides in a small, inexpensive package.

If you have someone else using the camera who is not comfortable with all the settings available, you can simply switch it to auto mode and let them point and shoot.

I bought this particular camera after Consumer Reports rated it a best buy. It is small and light, but has all the features one wants in a point & shoot, plus it is one of the few that offers better than a 3x optical zoom. (It has a 6x optical zoom.) I have been using it for a month now and have not yet found any shortcomings.

This is a great camera. It would be better if it had more than one video mode, right now you can record on high or low resolution, one is pretty good the other one is bad. It's great you can remove the lens to change it for a better one. Easy to use, not pro not simple, great balance!