How technology has got better

Bought this as a Christmas present for the other half who had little positive to say about our existing prosumer digital camera.
Despite its low price this camera beats the other device by a good way - much to my relief!
She is now taking loads of images the only downside is that alkaline AA batteries do not last very long. Partly a function of more flash photos being taken but possibly due to the image stabilisation which we have switched on at all times.
The supplied 16Mb memory card is only good for about 7 images at max resolution and so a bigger card is a must. 1gb is plenty and should hold nearly 500 images before needing to be downloaded or swapped out.
We have not had much success with downloading to the supplier Canon browser software via the supplied camera/ pc lead but a memory card reader works fine.
To sum up - a super little camera which deliver excellent jpeg images.

Perfect - unbelievable at the price

I bought this as a present for my 6 year old who is always grabbing my Ixus. At this price I was a bit dubious, but with the Canon name you can't go wrong. I almost got the A460 which had fantastic reviews but then saw that this had been released.

In summary it is a supoerb item. My son is able to take perfect pictures, with a good zoom lens and MP count, and an excellent screen. It also has face recognition which works very well. Response and start up times are very good.

The camera is a bit more plastic than an Ixus but still looks like a quality item, which it definitely is. Video is very good, and the box includes all the cables you need to play back on a TV.

I recommend getting a charger and some rechargeable AA batteries, and then you have a very good camera for a beginner or moderate user.

Very impressed, and I still can't believe the Amazon price, especially when you think it's posted free. Get one now!

All things to all men?

I took delivery of this camera this morning. I was an avid amateur photographer in my youth and having worked my way up from a Zenith E to a Canon T90 I eventually tired of lugging a bag around that most air carriers won't allow on as hand luggage and I bought a Hybrid 35mm Camera, an Olympus is 100, before taking the digital plunge with a Fuji 2800zoom. This was replaced with an Olympus FE before I decided on the Panasonic (see other reviews for reason why) My main reason for choosing this camera was the Leica lens, I have always advised anyone looking to buy a digital camera"Stick with the main camera makers for the quality lens, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Pentax etc" So the Leica input was irresistable. As I had not handled it before it arrived this morning, I was a little concerned from other reviews questioning its flimsiness and size, but I cant understand why. Although it is light, the (matt black) finish is very nice and it is certainly the best quality digital camera body I have handled, far better than the Olympus is 100 or an earlier Canon T70. I also wear a size 8 surgical glove and have no problems with the size of the camera. Surely the whole point of these cameras is their portability? Despite all the features; Program AE, Aperture, or Shutter priority, and fully manual exposure, there are no more knobs and buttons than on the Olympus FE I bought last year.The camera boasts all the features of my old T90 plus a range of auto scene settings and comes with that enormous 36-432 (35mm equivalent) lens. Screw in adaptors are available to extend the wide angle to 25mm or the tele to 735mm! Criticisms? A fiddly lens hood arangement, although with the optional adaptor it will accept 55mm filters and hoods. Also an annoying joystick arrangement for manual focusing. However, given the limitations of autofocus systems, it is nice to have the option. Also that lovely big LCD screen protrudes a couple of mil from the rear of the camera, so using the viewfinder inevitably means a greasy mark from your nose (is my nose just greasy or too big?) These are only minor points but that is because that is all I can find wrong with the camera. When I sold my T90 a decade ago this was the camera I envisioned replacing it with, sadly I spent several hundred pounds on unsuitable cameras before it became available. The FZ8 is available for under £160 if you shop around and at that price nothing can touch it. It has reignited my interest in photography beyond snapshots, without breaking the budget, or my arm carrying it. Yes, it is all things, at least to me.

Excellent piece of kit

I bought this camera because I've got a new pond and wanted to take pictures of the plants and wildlife.

The camera is extremely good underwater. I haven't tried it in dim light yet, but I got some excellent underwater shots when the pond had the sun on it. The only drawback, which is very minor, is that if I want to take pictures at the edge of the pond, I have to take them upside-down, as the lens is at the top of the camera. It's perfectly simple to turn them the right way up, though - the software that comes with it is up to Olympus's usual high standard and is very easy to use.

The camera also takes very good macro shots out of the water (flowers, for example) and reproduces colour well - blues are particularly good.

Great Camera

I've had this camera for about four months and I love it. I bought it after reading reviews and it is the best camera in it's price class featuring picture stability and auto lens cleaning.

Even with the additional features it is still smaller and lighter than the Canons and Nikon's of similar price (I have a touring bike so weight is the first thing I think about when going off on a tour). My friend who I go touring with has a Canon, can't remember which model but was similar price to mine and he likes mine better. The only advantage his camera has over mine is that it has far more auto-focus points (so what!).

The battery life is fantastic, although I never use the live-view unless using the inbuilt panoramic scene mode.

I like to compare photos with friends if I go on a day trip or such like as my photos normally come out just that little bit better. It makes me feel good.

Great camera both as a pont-and-shoot and for the enthusiast!

After years of Internet purchases, this is the first time I have ever felt moved to write about a product. In summary I am really delighted with the range of features and quality of the image of this camera which I think would appeal both as a point-and-shoot and to a photography enthusiast.

I had been interested in photography as a kid and I wanted a camera like an SLR that had manual settings that I could play with to see what effect this would have on the image. It also had to be compact enough to be carried anywhere.

As I knew I wouldn't be buying another camera again in a hurry I was prepared to spend a reasonable amount on this and so spent a great deal of time looking at it's big brother the G9, which costs around £290 and it was almost by accident that I stumbled upon the A720 at nearly £170 cheaper (It received a"Highly Recommended" review on dp review http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/canona720IS/ plus a very high score in What Digital Camera magazine).

Why I decided to go with the A720 instead of the G9 (which is clearly an excellent camera) is that I wasn't convinced that I would need RAW file format or 12MP and was happy to have a plastic body which was smaller and lighter - so the extra price-tag just didn't seem worth it for my needs. By comparison the A720 did still offer many of the good features of its big brother like image stabilisation, full manual settings and 6x zoom.

Although the package is less sexy than the Canon IXUS range which are more compact and have Li-ion batteries, I believe that the internal hardware is the same and this has the added advantage of the manual settings and a bigger zoom which the IXUS range don't have. Again in my opinion this makes it better value for money.

In use I have been very pleased with the A720. On Auto setting it will point and shoot and take very nice snaps, so you don't need a degree in photography to get your head round it. However, at the same time, what is quite outstanding is the range of focus, exposure, apperture, shutter speed and other manual settings which make it a serious photgrapher's dream and would I think make it a very nice compact to carry when an SLR is impractical.

I find the aperture priority setting great for playing around with the depth for the field (great for really sharp portraits and still life shots)and the shutter speed priority for blurring or sharpening moving images or for night images. Like an SLR, on these settings you play with these parameters whilst the camera calculates and sets everything else and the results it produces are excellent. Like an SLR, it also comes with a Program AE and fully manual setting, as well as a variety of pre-programmed scenes to make it easy for you if you are in a rush o can't be bothered learning how to do it manually.

Like most reviewers I would agree that battery life is low but in my experience comparable with other digital cameras that take normal AA-sized batteries and if like me you invest in a set of 4 2700mah Nimh rechargeables and a fast charger, you can have two on charge whilst shooting with the others. Over a weekend I still managed to take 120 photos in all lighting conditions plus 3 short videos, all of which I reviewed several times on the screen, before the batteries died.

I would also agree that the body casing is a little plasticky and feels a little flimsy especially around the battery compartment but as I said this is meant to be light and portable and for the price the body is on a par with its competitors.

I can't comment on the software because I just use Adobe Photoshop and Picture It software I have on my pc.

Like other reviewers I have used the Sandisk Extreme III card which works really well.


On balance then I think that there is little to compare at the price and I would warmly recommend the A720. I hope that this helps you in your decision.

Nikon S210 compact digital camera

I brought this camera at the airport on my way to Japan and personally feel that it has been very good indeed. It does occasionally get slightly out of it's depth, but that could and is most likely to be user error. The colours seem bright, the image sharp and for the money I would recommend it to anyone.

Great camera

I bought this camera to my trave to Spain and I'm very pleased with the results. The quality of the pictures is great. The 10x optical zoom helps a lot.

Hard to critisize!

I bought this camera because I was interested in its underwater capabilities. After being told by members of the family to drop it in some water, I was amazed at this camera. What I find so amazing is the pictures are great quality and then there are the additional rugged features.
Buy this camera if you are looking for good photos and general ruggedness!

Great little camera

I've only had this camera a few days and find it really easy to use. My pictures so far have been great quality, but as i'm not used to such a small camera I kept putting my fingers in front of the flash at first.

The LCD screen is very clear and the menus are easy to use, but even though the camera comes with a basic instruction booklet I wish it had a complete one because I like taking it on holiday with me incase I press something I shouldn't.

For a long time I was going to get the Ixus 75 but changed my mind and i'm glad I chose this one instead.

I also bought the DCC 70 camera case to go with it and its ideal.

good little camera

Good results.Bought it because you are meant to see the screen in bright sun light. It is better than other cameras

Good allrounder

I just recieved mine today and first impressions is that it is an attractive camera. The pictures are clear. But the camera itself is quite difficult to use as theres so many functions. Not having a black and white setting is a bit of a let down but you can easily download picasa 2 on google n edit your images on there. Its small enough to fit in your pocket or bag and is great for taking pictures with your friends. i suggest buying a 2GB memory card for it as they are so cheap now.

Its a really good buy and an excellent value for money, when i told everyone how cheap it wsa they were astonished. My dad bought a camera that was atleast twice as expensive and the only difference is that his is a bit thinner.

If your like me and just looking for a digital camera to take pictures of your friends and to take on days out then this is the best for your money. ( trust ive been searching for weeks)