| Digital Cameras Reviews : Point and Shoot Digital Cameras |
 | Canon PowerShot SX20IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 20x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch Articulating LCD
Fine and simple camera to use. -- 2010-03-09
As a film camera buff for many years I finally went digital. I really like this camera and especially its auto-focus feature. I have difficulty seeing and this takes the guess work out of focusing.
A great camera! -- 2010-03-03
I'm heading out soon for my 5th embed in Afghanistan and this should be the perfect camera. In the past few days I've taken 500+ photos and am totally impressed by the ease of operability and clarity of photos. On "sports" mode, I can be taking photos as I walk; the 'movie' mode is awesome, and even the night shots are remarkably clear and crisp (like an Afghan evening!)
Yes, it would have been nice for Canon to include their 180 page manual, but frankly I got enough info from their little pamphlet to get me started. Then I downloaded the manual to my laptop, so I've got it if I need it.
This should be a better camera than the usual SLR; no lenses to change in adverse conditions, and no bulky lenses to carry. Hint: buy decent rechargeable battery set; you'll be taking a lot of picts with this camera!
Now I'll really be able to 'get the word out'. S/F
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 | Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Dark Gray)
Unworkable as sold -- 2010-03-09
I find it very unacceptable to pay $150 for a camera and find out that it cannot be used as sold. It does not come with a memory card and nothing in the sales information provided prior to the purchase calls this out. Therefore I will not buy another product from either the supplier or Canon.
camera -- 2010-03-09
This is the best camera for an amateur. Cannon PowerShot takes clear, perfect pictures. The PowerShot also is small enought to fit conveniently in a shirt pocket or small purse.
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 | Nikon Coolpix L20 10MP Digital Camera with 3.6 Optical Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Deep Red)
its a pretty good camera...but -- 2010-03-09
I bought this camera for a client and i tried it out first,it takes great pictures when the flash is on,if off its sort of blurry but the picture is really good when the flash works,i`d still recommend it and the price is not bad too..
Exceellent digital for all different events! -- 2010-03-08
I purchase this Nikon due to a friend of my daughter's(age 14), had it dropped at my daughter's bday party, and the girls responsible were able to chip in to replace....and though feeling their lumps about this.....Amazon affordable price made it workable, and positive teachable moment. The young girl who received the new camera loves it better than the original camera(Canon), due to more features and easability. So, thank you Amazon for being there in the moment!!!
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 | Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 12x Wide Angle MEGA Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3 inch LCD (Black)
Great camera with fancy features -- 2010-03-08
I use my camera for the first on a quick trip to New York City, took several pictures and love it! Easy to use, the picture and video quality was fantastic.
I am very pleased with this camera, good value for all the features it has.
Great Camera But Frustrating to Use -- 2010-03-07
It's too bad that they have bundled this great working camera with rip off software. And: DO NOT BUY THE "FREQUENTLY BOUGHT TOGETHER" package. If you use an SD card that's less than a "class 7" (read "twice as expensive") your video stops working! Much less expensive SD cards were just fine to shoot video on every other camera I've owned at this price point. This camera has just about the worst written manual I've ever seen. So good luck trying to figure out how to do simple things like setting your own exposure or white balancing so everything doesn't come out orange, if the camera misreads the light. The files record onto the camera with no file type extension (.jpg, .gif). So if you just download the pictures to your computer, you have to pick a program every time you open a file, or use their "PhotoFunStudio" software. Fun, huh? For one thing, this package comes with an installation by ArcSoft. I have no idea if the ArcSoft software has any practical function. All it's been to me is a trojan horse virus. Every time a user opens their profile on our computer, the loading stops dead to load an advertisement from ArcSoft to upgrade their software for money. Now my computer is less useful to me so Panasonic can benefit from a partnership with ArcSoft. Just because this software comes from a corporation, doesn't mean this is not a THEFT OF SERVICE ATTACK on my computer. Now, my daughter likes using the video mode...except the video files this camera produces are .mts files. I don't know about anyone else's computer, but I have XP Media OS and I can't find a program on my PC to open those with. So: you buy a camera with lots of auto features, but is too complex to use without a lot of research. The enclosed software adds nothing to your ability manage pictures, but does transfer malicious software to your PC. The manual is impossible, the video files are in a format that is not easy to work with. Is this what you want from a point and shoot?
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 | Canon PowerShot A1100IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Silver)
Great value -- 2010-03-09
We just took this camera on an extended trip abroad and were totally delighted with it. It made our old camera that we took along for backup look mediocre. Image stabilization is very good, exposure in low lighting was impressive, and automatic settings worked well to give us impressive photos. The only surprise was that there's no selection for image quality to control the size of the files.
flimsy battery and memory card cover -- 2010-03-09
light weight and very cute looking......great quality photos.....however, the battery and memory card cover is very flimsy and feels like it could break with very little force. My older canon's cover worked better and felt more heavy duty.
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 | Canon PowerShot SD780IS12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black)
So disappointed! -- 2010-03-09
Hi All,
I love taking pictures, and I'm pretty good at it.
Before I bought this camera, I had the previous version -very wonderful. I loved everything about it. It made great photos. Then in December I decided it was time to try the new generation, which to me sounded like it would be even better than the one I had. I was so excited!
Well... I've really tried to love my new camera. Really. But nope, the love connection is just not gonna happen.
The quality of the pictures is not good at all.
The quality of the video is ok, but there is a lot of noise.
What I hate the most about it, is that I have no control in the automatic mode. I know, it's automatic, d'uh, but sometimes I don't want to mess around with the white balance and such, so I enjoy just taking my camera out and taking an "easy" picture in automatic mode. This won't happen with this one. I love taking macro pics, and it just won't work well in the automatic mode with this camera. I missed so so so many good shots just because the camera couldn't figure out that I wanted to take a macro picture. It's so frustrating when that happens!
The manual mode sucks too. Even after setting the colors, it looks crappy.
Anyway, I feel like I'm talking too much now and I should probably get to the point...
My point is: if you like the previous version, keep it!
Or, if you don't care about taking nice pictures and just want to take "so so" pictures, buy it!.
But for people who enjoy nice and good quality shots, this is not the camera for you.
Now I'm trying to sell it so I can get another camera...! It even makes me feel bad that someone is going to buy it!
Hope this helps!
As good as they say it is. -- 2010-03-06
My first generation digital Canon camera final gave up after lots of heavy use and abuse. In looking for a replacement there were so many positive reviews on the SD780 that I wondered if it was some sort of marketing gimmick. Well, I liked the styling, the specs, and the price so I thought I'd take a chance on it and can now see why others were so enthusiastic.
To be honest when I first opened the box the camera was about the size of a deck of cards and was quite smaller than I expected. I wondered if I could even work the buttons. No worries. The size grew on me (if you will excuse the pun) and although the power button is smaller than I would prefer, the rest of the controls can be manipulated comfortably. I bought the gold color camera and think it's beautiful.
For starters the camera is pretty intuitive if you just want to jump into it, but I recommend studying the manual at some point to really understand the finer points and incredible features. By the way, unlike others, this manual is very well written and useful. You can also download a pdf version from the Canon website. The "auto" mode is a no-brainer, but using the varied programmed settings is pretty easy. I like the fact that a particular program function has a plain English title to go with the icon since icons always confuse me. I don't take much video, but it worked amazingly well for a small camera. The clarity and colors of the still photos were a huge improvement from my previous camera. I'm still learning and playing though.
One of the big features for me is the digital macro function. I use my camera extensively in business and often need to take macro shots of components. I was blown away by this capability. It was better than my macro lenses on my old SLR 35mm cameras. Just read the manual instructions first.
I was surprised that it didn't come with a memory card so I ordered a 4GB which is adequate for my needs. I do recommend a case and the LCD screen protector that will protect the display from scratches, fingerprints and is supposed to reduce glare. With the understanding that there is not much real estate on this camera, my improvement wish list would be for a larger power button, a better access door to the USB/HDMI ports, and a plug in charger so you don't have to take the battery out. Bottom line is that I am really enjoying this camera and have no hesitation to recommend it with the understanding that it is small.
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 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H20/B 10.1 MP Digital Camera with 10x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization
Excellent for tne novice -- 2010-03-08
This is a camera I purchased for my wife who has problems with setting the camera to the proper shot mode. Put this camera in auto and she's ready to go. All of her shots turned out great. She lost the blury pictures and the dark figures with the bright background. Easy to off load pictures so she can do that herself now. It is bigger than her last sony but she claims this is easier for her to hold steady and the hand hold makes that possible. As far as battery life goes we are getting approxmittly 150 to 175 pictures per battery. However these are batteries she had from her last camera. Overall we are happy with this purchase.
Great Camera! -- 2010-03-06
I was very nervous about buying a new camera that was this much money, but I am very glad I did! I had an old Sony Cybershot, and wanted an update.
My main thing I was looking for was a Sony camera that zoomed in while filming, and this is the cheapest one I could find. Although I haven't had the chance to do much filming with it, I am very happy with it so far! I took it to my little brother's basketball game and got some amazing photos! I couldn't believe the clarity, and they weren't blurry! I also love how far it zooms in. I got some awesome shots of some bald eagles and they were across a field! I am looking forward to taking this to concerts with me and trying it out.
Although this camera is a little more bulkier than I'm used to, it's definitely not as big as I was expecting. If you're questioning whether this is a good camera for you, I recommend going to Best Buy and looking at it in person. But be sure to buy it from Amazon, it's cheaper and the free shipping was SUPER fast!
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 | Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Silver)
Unworkable as sold -- 2010-03-09
I find it very unacceptable to pay $150 for a camera and find out that it cannot be used as sold. It does not come with a memory card and nothing in the sales information provided prior to the purchase calls this out. Therefore I will not buy another product from either the supplier or Canon.
camera -- 2010-03-09
This is the best camera for an amateur. Cannon PowerShot takes clear, perfect pictures. The PowerShot also is small enought to fit conveniently in a shirt pocket or small purse.
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 | Canon PowerShot S90 10MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3-inch LCD
best compact digital -- 2010-03-08
I have progressed through several digital cameras, up to this one, which is clearly superior, no complaints whatever, shoots in RAW and has lots of features. If you are looking for the best COMPACT digital, this is it.
A not a very good camera, a poor design !!! -- 2010-03-07
I just bought an S90 for me based on the reviews of the quality and some nice features like the lens aperture and the sensor used. For those technical features no one can say a word against canon.
If you a looking for a compact camera with very good quality and definition plus some manual features, this is it !!!
What is bad about this camera:
The way they had designed the flash makes it so delicate that I almost broke it on the first use. Any person will tend to put the finger over the flash causing it to lock the mechanism. Of course I learned and now changed the position I hold the camera. The issue is that you can't ask anyone to take a picture because his finger will be on the flash and if the flash activates it will lock, and eventually break the mechanism. It's amazing that canon did not realized that at design phase, this is a serious problem and create a weakness on the camera that limit the use in real life situations.
If you will be the only user you can adapt and take very good pictures.
In my case I'm very disappointed, after all this is a 400USD camera that's being rated one of the best.
I don't recommend to buy this camera due to reliability issues specially if your intent is also to ask other people to take pictures also.
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 | Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W290 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom and Super Steady Shot Image Stabilization (Black)
Bad customer service outweighs everything else -- 2010-03-04
Beware, if you like this camera buy it only if you believe you will never have to get anything fixed. Sony's customer service/relations is surprisingly terrible. I sent a product in for a superficial fix (at sony's request as part of a recall), I got it back with the lens not working. Understandable, it happens. But sony refused to fix it unless I paid for it or produced my proof of purchase to show it was still under warranty. After 3 hours speaking to various people over the course of two weeks (so it was not just one random person, but seems to be policy), Sony insisted that they would not fix the camera, they basically said 'the camera has a problem and we don't fix anything for free without a proof of purchase, regardless of circumstances'. Blew me away, they would not consider that they could have been at fault, that I would not have sent camera in unless they had asked me to in the first place. Customer relations and marketing have to get together and talk, marketing is spending millions to get me to buy all sorts of high margin products (playstation, flat screens, audio equipment, video cameras, etc) and customer service blows it all away over a fifty dollar fix.
Good, but not great -- 2010-03-04
Bought this camera a few months ago to replace a 4 year old Canon Elph. I'm generally happy with it considering the price, and C-Net gave it very good reviews. Had I known about it I would have bought the DSC-H20/B 10.1 instead, because this camera really isn't that much smaller.
+Price to feature ratio is the best out there
+Smile Detection works better than any other camera I've seen. This has been a great feature for capturing my camera shy toddler.
+Picture quality is pretty high.
+Video quality is pretty high, and I don't mind not being able to zoom.
-Auto focus is an absolute must. I could just snap with my old elph and the quality would still be pretty good. With this camera you have to use the focus.
-Picture button is really annoying. It's pretty hard to focus without accidentally snapping a pic. The button itself is too small. I thought I could live with it, but it's pretty annoying.
-Zoom button is a bit of a pain as well. It's on the back of the camera as opposed to near the snap button like on other cameras.
-Can't zoom on video. I knew this when I bought, but I don't use the video feature very much.
-Pretty bulky camera. Atleast 30% bigger than my old elph.
Generally the picture quality is good, but the ease of use is poor. I think sony just wanted to be the first to get HD video in a point & shoot camera of this class, and released it quickly without working out the kinks. Unfortunately this happened at the time when I desperately needed a new camera. I'm happy with the picture and video quality, but now that this camera has a lot of competition, I would not buy it again.
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