Canon PowerShot A710 IS 7.1MP Digital Camera with 6x Image-Stabilized Optical Zoom

Owning a digital-camera can be easier and more fun than ever. The elegant A710 IS is fully equipped to help busy families capture and hold onto special memories. You'll get up on the stage and down on the field with a powerful 6x optical zoom, and Canon's Image Stabilizer Technology will keep your images clear and sharp at every point in the zoom - even in low light. With 7.1 megapixels of resolution, you'll see uncommon depth and detail in your images. Such high resolution also ensures virtually unlimited freedom to enlarge and crop an image for powerfully expressive photography. With a menu of selectable shooting modes (including still and movie), Canon Powershot A710-IS makes picture taking simpler and friendlier. Shutter speed - 15-1/2000 sec. Focus settings - Normal shooting at max wide angle, Large and Fine. Built-in multimode ElectronicFlash ISO Shoot Speed - Auto, High ISO Auto, ISO 80, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, and ISO 800 equivalent Single Shot, Continuous Shooting, Self-timer (10 sec., 2 sec., Custom) White Balance Settings - Auto, Day Light, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H Shooting Modes - Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater, Color Accent and Color Swap PictBridge and Canon Direct Print modes USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (mini-B) for image transfer to PC or Macintosh computer Audio/Video output to TV (NTSC or PAL selectable, monaural audio) Typical CIPA battery power (2AA) - Still Image - approx. 100 shots (AA-size Alkaline Battery), approx. 360 shots (AA-size Ni-MH Rechargeable Battery) Dimensions - 3.8 x 2.6 x 1.6 inch (97.5 x 66.5 x 41.2 mm) excluding protrusions Weight - Approximately 210 grams (7.4 ounces) (camera body only) A 16MB SD memory card is included. We suggest that an optional 512MB (or higher) SD card is a wiser choice for practical use

Good Dog. Only lasted a year, but was good till then (John Teal, Portland, 2009-01-03)

Lasted for about a year. Just stopped working over Christmas. Stopped showing an image in the display and wouldn't record a picture. Displayed pictures already taken but not for a new picture--just black. A repairman said would cost over $110 just to open the camera to confirm the problem, let alone the cost of repair. Took great pictures. Expensive camera for only a years worth of use.

Best Camara Deal out there (TinCupp, Fairview, TX, 2008-12-30)

This camera rocks. The ease of use and resolution is second to none. Picture quality is excellent and the fact that it uses AA batteries makes it very handy to travel with.

I really like the feal of the camera as I have large hands.

I stongly recommend this camera.

Great for beginner photographer on a budget! (Ruby Padilla, Bay Area, CA, 2008-12-29)

First of all, this is a canon, so obviously you're getting a great quality camera from the start. What I love about this camera is the 6x optical zoom and the image stabilizer. When you zoom in so much, things can get blurry because of your hands shaking, but with the image, you always get the picture you want. I also like that the camera uses AA batteries because if my battery dies and i don't have backups, i can easily go get AA batteries at the local drug store. Lasty, you can really take great shots on this camera using the manual feature. Do you know how hard it is to get a great shot of the moon! You definitely can't get one with a point and shoot, but with this camera, you can change the aperture, shuttle speed, iso, and you're good to go!

Great camera!

GREAT CAMERA (The Red Hat Girl, St. Louis , MO USA, 2008-09-01)

I BOUGHT THIS CAMERA AFTER RESEARCHING AND READING A LOT OF REVIEWS. I DECIDED ON THIS ONE BECAUSE OF THE PIXELS AND ZOOM FEATURE.
I HAVE TAKEN THOUSANDS OF PICTURES AND AM VERY HAPPY WITH THE PICTURE QUALITY OVERALL.

I HAVE NOT USED A LOT OF THE FEATURES ON THIS CAMERA BECAUSE THE AUTO FEATURE WORKS GREAT IN LOW LIGHT AND EVEN NO LIGHT. I USE THE PHOTO QUALITY BATTERIS AND THEY LAST QUITE A LONG TIME.

Perfect Camera once shutter recharge lag was solved. (Brenda Piper Stephens, USA, 2008-07-12)

I purchased this camera a few weeks ago. It offers a lot of features in a small package. I like that. I have a full-sized digital SLR camera, but wanted something to carry around easily in my purse or pocket.

When the camera first arrived, I seriously considered returning it because of the L-O-N-G flash recharge. It would sometimes take 3-5 seconds before the next picture could be taken. It was only after I purchased the camera that I discovered that the A710 is well-known for this problem. However, the problem has been solved. Here's the changes I made:
1) Used high-quality rechargeable batteries. (Be careful of the rechargeable batteries as they lose charge just sitting around. Choose the pre-charged type.)
2) Set the camera on AV mode.
3) Purchased the Transcent SDHC Class 6 8gb SD card offered here on Amazon.com. I just received the card in the mail today, so I immediately put it into the camera and tried it out.

The results were AWESOME. The flash recharge problem disappeared. I guess a large part of the lag time was writing the picture to the memory card. I will never buy a "regular" SD card again!