Canon PowerShot A720IS 8MP Digital Camera with 6x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (OLD MODEL)

***Summary: It is very easy to use and delivers great quality photos in a variety of situations with an absolute minimum of skill and zero talent.***Update: It's now April 2010, and with my two babies, living on the coast and going to the beach, and moving twice, it still works a charm.About me: I bought this camera to take pictures of my daughter and my family. I am a very poor photographer with a good appreciation of photography, which is a painful situation to be in. In the past I have used a 3 mega-pixel camera phone, a Kodak camera in about the same price range, and then some Sony digital mini-cameras. I use this camera mainly indoors in medium light (energy-saving bulbs, late afternoon, overcast or raining). My approach is to take pictures early and often and hope for the best. I was looking for a camera that had great potential and that even I (read: one of the worst picture-takers you'll ever meet) could get some decent pictures with. I have never taken a photography course and never will, because if I have the time and money I will spend it on something I can hope to actually get good at. I think I am a pretty typical camera-buyer.About the camera: This camera met all of my expectations. It is very easy to use and delivers great quality photos in a variety of situations with an absolute minimum of skill and zero talent, which is what I wanted from a point-and-shoot.When the other reviewers say it doesn't work well in low-light, they mean, very low light, like this is not a camera for amateurs that want to do some good photography at night or in a room with only a 20-watt bulb. The flash works fine for the rest of us! I certainly have not had any light issues and we do not live in the brightest of houses or climates. I used the night mode for quiet times and the auto-with-flash for active night pictures and they turned out fine.This camera is nice because it has two functions that help poor photographers in particular (in addition to other modes that probably help everyone equally): the kids and pets function, which allows you to take picture after picture in quick succession so you don't miss any action, and the auto function which provides a higher-quality picture. If I use these according to the recommendations in the user's manual, I can usually get 25 - 50% of my pictures of a moderate to good quality, as compared to an (imaginary) amateur photographer who actually knows what she is doing. That is compared to 1 - 5% of pictures using a camera phone or another cheap camera without these easy-to-use modes.This camera is not so small that I lose it in my purse, which is a danger with tiny cameras, if your purse is anything like mine.The stabilizer is also great since I take pictures while running after my toddler. I had considered buying the very cute Nikon in the same price range (the one that looks like a Brownie camera), but they did not have stabilizers, so I finally went for this one and I am very glad. The function works great.One thing that they don't mention in the descriptions is that you do not have to switch between the viewfinder and the LCD display, like on some cameras. What I mean is that you can look through the little window like on regular cameras, OR at the big screen, like on digital cameras, all the time, without switching view mode. So you can switch from person to person without having to switch the view mode. This is great because my mother likes the viewfinder and I like the LCD. I also like to switch between them.Another nice thing that I like is the ease with which you can switch from taking pictures to review mode to look at the pictures you took. It is a separate switch that you could find in the dark if you needed to. That is nice because I have deleted many a batch of photos trying to figure out how to get into the mode where I can review the pictures I have just taken.The pictures I have taken with this camera are located at [...] (this is an ad-free, non-commercial set of our family pictures). You can see which ones were taken with the Canon A720IS by clicking on the photo and looking in the right-hand column, and compare them with other pictures I have taken. As I have mentioned I have no skills or talent in this area so if you are someone who really wants decent pictures but are also a photo dunce who just wants a picture of your kid or grandkid, this would give you a good idea of what to expect.(If you are an amateur or pro photographer, this review and those samples are not for you because you could probably do better with a camera obscura.)I would certainly buy this camera again.

I have owned various models of the A-series starting with the A520 in 2005. The A720 is the best one I've owned thanks to a trusted design, great image processing, and the 6x zoom lens. After a recent trip with my Nikon D60 and A720is I started looking for a bridge camera (aka superzoom) to lighten my load (mostly to leave the D60 at home next time). In my testing I have viewed hundreds of samples online from Digital Elph and Panasonic minis to all the major superzooms. I have also tested in hand the Fuji s1000fd which faired very poorly in image quality next to the A720is. I also have tested in hand a Panasonic FX-37 and the image quality of the A720is is superior. So beyond the slow flash recycle time of the A720is I am very pleased with this camera. But my searching has led me to realize that a successor to the A720is is not to be found within the Canon stable.You see Canon has largely crippled the latest in the A series (after the 720 and 590) by removing control, manual and otherwise, from the line. Gone is Aperature and Shutter Priority let alone full manual adjustment. The newer S/SX series is taking over this space. But one of the most important things I realized from having used this controllable A-series for these years is how important a compact body AND a viewfinder is. On my recent vacation I was out in direct sun alot. You cannot see LCDs of any digicam in full sun. Having some kind of viewfinder is not an antiquated hack like a film advance lever, it is necessary. The SX110 (evident immediate successor to the A-series control) has no viewfinder. And the SX1 is has not lived up to the previous S models and has the weight and bulk from 4 AA batteries. So the A720, unless replaced by another controllable 'A' appears to be the end of the line for this great series.Looping the A720 back into this discussion there is something that bothers me about it besides the flash recycle time. And that is aspects of the design. The small grip is pretty good. Canon is having problems getting the 'grip' right on their low end digicams (Digital Rebels and SX1 being examples of inadquate grips) but the A720 grip is ok for A720 size. The newer A series is blending the grip away which is a mistake. But having an A720 for a year and a half the thing that is really starting to bug me in general about Canon is the lack of innovation most evident in the menu system. The menu system on Canon camera at the low end is virtually identical and it lacks panache. It looks like something you would give to children. When you look at the menu system of Nikons you have something slightly better and the Panasonic menu systems like in the FX37 is much easier to navigate than Canon.So when I boil down why I am still using the A720is it is a combination of size and image quality. Going smaller in any camera line I know of will not get you the image quality the A720is has to offer. All cameras are compromises and the A720 hit a very usable sweet spot in design that I do not see Canon aiming at again.The overall impression I have is that Canon has lost their edge. They still have the best overall image sensor quality, but the packaging in the camera body, and the menu system, have been very much hit and miss. Nikon have edged them out of the low-end DSLR space, taken bites out of their higher end DSLRs, and Panasonic have bitten into their P&S end. Pentax having surprised with K10d and K20d, and micro 4:3 also looking like a potential player. I don't see Canon doing anything revolutionary to get an edge and their groove back. The SD1200is and siblings are cute minicams but they do not feel like a solid camera like FX37. The A720 has few if any worthy siblings in the current low-end Canon line up.Oh, and for my bridge camera search, I really wanted to like the Fuji s1000fd/s1500fd. The size and outer ergonomics of that style are spot on. But image quality is not good overall. The Nikon P90 is too big and image quality flat. The SX1 is too big. In general I am most impressed with Panasonic as a camera line. The FZ28 is a very nice camera but with the FZ models having an annual sales life I've decided to wait for the FZ38 or whatever the FZ28 successor is.