Canon PowerShot A650IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

This is my first experience with a Canon product and I'm really impressed. That's hard to say for a Nikon guy who has used everything from an F2 to a D1x professionally for over 30 years.

I've only had the camera for a couple of weeks, but the A 650 has done most things very well and its relatively easy to figure out. I bought it for the rotating display but its overall performance has been great. I have been using an ancient Nikon 990 all this time because I love the low angles you can get from its "twist body" design. The display on the A650 allows me to do the same thing. The software is fast and easy to use.

My only complaint so far, and this could be due to inexperience with the camera, is that the image stabilization is not great and the video tends to over expose. These are tiny problems for a generally terrific product.

The Canon A650 has some features that take a bit of getting used to. Particularly the ISO, the Image Stabilizer, 'noise' at high settings. There was also a glitch in the software, the photos didn't properly download from the camera. This aside, the A650 allows me to shoot in other than perfect conditions and get very good shots.

The most interesting feature is a good zoom lens that allows crisp pictures at a good distance. Also, I have not had any of my pictures wash out even in really bright sunlight.

As I learn more about the features of the camera and the individual settings in different conditions,I am sure the end product is going to look better and better.

This camera gets 5 Stars but I felt compelled to write a review for the Amazon acolytes who may stumble across this. About a week ago, Amazon was selling this camera for about $300. Now, it appears that Amazon is no longer selling this camera but a different seller, Wall Street Photo, is. Because there are no other sellers, it looks like that is the going price for the camera, when it is not; not by a mile. They are currectly charging the egregious amount of $521.59 ($509.43 + $12.16 shipping).

Don't get suckered in by these bad sellers. Even the most expensive brick and mortar camera store is much cheaper.

Caveat emptor. Big time!

I am a canon powershot fan, and have been for a while now. I did a great deal of research before deciding on this particular camera, and I must say, I think I picked a great one! I love the variable angle screen and the quality of pictures is quite good. I appreciate that I can take great looking shots both with or without manual features.

This is the best camera I could ever imagine! We took it on vacation and found it to be versatile and fun to use. I was taking shots out of the windshield and side passenger window and you would have never known it. We were at an airport and the chain link fence was too high, so I used the swivel screen and stood under it and got an awesome shot. I would highly recommend this camera to anyone. The zoom is more than adequate. My last one had a 10x zoom so was afraid I would be a little disappointed. I have mine set on 8 megapixels and the pictures from vacation turned out better than I could have imagined. I had read negative reviews about the card being where the batteries are. I haven't found that to be a problem. I love the swivel screen and the fact that when you shut the machine off, the lens automatically is covered. On my last one, I had to put a cap on and that took extra time. It is quick to turn on and shoot when there is something you want to catch. Good job Canon!! The A650IS is a great camera. You get a lot of performance for your money!