Customer Reviews:
 Awsome pictures, Great Videos August 26, 2008
This is the best point-and-shoot camera which gives you picture quality as good as Digital SLRs. I have used many other camera's but never got the picture and video quality as good as this one.
Its has so many great features, including the color accent, color swap, black & white picture, and the time lapse movie mode which makes it the coolest camera ever.
Its is so easy to use that even an novice can take professional quality pictures in minutes. The battery never disappoints me and it lasts incredibly long, more than you would expect, keep surprising me all the times.
 Nice camera but very fragile August 19, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Read the other reviews for info about image quality and such. I am very satisfied with the photos that I have taken with my camera and I especially like the built in panorama mode which allows you to take a series of shots and stitch them together to create a panorama. However, I have had my camera for a little over a year and it has broken 4 times - 3 times the lens would not retract and once the lcd screen cracked. I have an extended warranty that covered all of these problems but each time it breaks, I have another 4 weeks without a camera because I have to ship it off.
 fantastic but a little slow August 17, 2008
for the sice the quality is great but the camera needs a little bit longer to be ready again than I was used to.
Also the small battery is holding up about 4 hours so you should buy a 2 one just in case.
Perfect for Me August 16, 2008
This camera takes excellent pictures and has good battery life! I am going overseas to Bolivia soon, and it will serve my needs perfectly for documenting my adventure.
It does take the occasional blurry picture in dark lighting, but it's quality is still better than your average "point-and-shoot" camera. Unless you are willing to get something that is considerably larger and more manual, this is really pretty darn good.
Especially if you can get it "new (used)" from Amazon for under $200. Then I'd say the deal is incredible.
Great Camera, Based on First 1500 Photos August 4, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Advantages:
1. Small, Lightweight, Pocket Size
No excuse to not take it with you. Excellent for travel. Never miss a photo.
2. Excellent Picture Quality
High resolution; can crop image and maintain detail.
3. Real Image Viewfinder
Great for action shots e.g. panning kids sledding on a snow covered hill. Viewfinder is great for photographing in bright sunlight when the LCD is difficult to see. Camera is always more stable, less blur, when using viewfinder vs. LCD screen.
Must Have Accessories:
Buy a 2 or 4 GB SD card. Get a small, Samsonite zippered case ($ 8) to protect the camera while traveling with camera in your trouser or jacket pocket.
Features You Have to Learn to Use:
Auto setting for everyday photos
Night setting for flash photos of people in low light buildings. If not set to Night, the background is dark/black = high contrast. Setting to Night lightens the background scenery = better contrast
CM manual settings:
Set color to Positive Film for rich, saturated colors
Reduce exposure for sunsets
Portrait setting = soft effect for portraits
Photostitch = essential for pictures of landscapes, wide buildings, etc.
How to Zoom Beyond 3X Optical Zoom:
Don't use Digital Zoom. Turn it off on the menu unless you want crappy, low resolution photos. Instead, take very sharp, highest resolution photos. For outdoor photos in bright light, use CM manual setting with ISO set to 80, and SuperFine, Large files. This will produce the sharpest, highest resolution photo. The jpg file is larger and sharper than you'll ever need. Use software to "zoom" 2 or 3x by enlarging and cropping the photo. It's like having a camera with a 6X optical zoom lens.
Limitations:
1. The major limitation is low light photography. The camera sensor cannot collect enough light to take excellent pictures in low lighting such as in a cathedral. The high ISO settings produce poor quality, very grainy pictures. If you carry a tripod or monopod, you could overcome this limitation. But who does that with a pocket camera?
2) Flash is for relatively short distances, but it's good enough for family photos.
3) The wrist strap has hard plastic sections. The hard plastic can press against the LCD screen while the camera is in your pocket and permanently damage the screen.
4) There is NO pocket-sized (credit card sized) documentation listing all the menu options, at least the frequently used settings.
Conclusion:
Overall, it's an extremely powerful, low priced, extremely versatile camera packaged into a tiny, lightweight case. It takes great photos. You can't go wrong with this camera. A slightly better camera with Image Stabilization for better, hand held, low-light photos is the new Powershot SD1100. Image stabilization is a must have if you want to take photos in cathedrals, museums, etc. I bought the SD1100 for my wife.
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