Does the A650 IS take good macros?

hello-Yes Larry hit it on the button and here are some other factors to take in to consideration--many hobbiests who are not primarily photogs, need reliable photographic aides to record their progress thru the wonderments of their choosen hobby. Where miniturization is involved in taking snaps of a hobby- the MACRO feature of a P and S digicam and how steady a platform you can create are of the utmost importance - every other feature present falls BEHIND the macro capability.. Stamp collecting, coin collecting. doll houses and cottage collectors , toy trains , diorama building, dicast transportion hobbiests, fish fanciers, thimble and spoon people, and lets not forget folks who want to sell on e bay. These endevors all require DETAIL and precision in recording the photoghafic mission what ever it may be.. The canon g -9 uses a a very finely tuned MACRO feature when you are shooting within a 1 inch distance from you lense., this capability in MACRO mode goes all the way down to less than one inch,allowing for minute detail.... THe real useful range in a macro photo op is at 12 to 19 inches, say a favorite pistol or revolver. clarity and crispness and color sturation are the 3 biggies you look for in this type of shooting. The Macro range of the canon G-9 allows for the ultimate in details to be portrayed .. The smallest of inscriptions can be recorded. Now you know this is the top of the line, but if you do not want to spend that much , on dear old dad, your perogative of course-- you can still do him proud, ALMOST as equally as well with the CANON A720 is the G-9 has 12.1 pmegapixels and the AQ720is , 8.1 megapixils . a significant differance in reserve power to prevent pixilation ( the coming apart of a digital photo as it is magnified) - A steady platform for shots w/ either is a MUST - but the both the canon G-9 and A720is are second to none in proper focusing and ability to shoot CLEARLY in macro mode .. The G -9 has the slight edge because of its extended macro range ( the A720is goes down to less than a inch but starts at 14 inches- you lose 5 inchs of high percision optics that are brought into play w/ the MACRO mode in use.. 5 inches in a miniturization hobby is alot.. The average macro capability is about 14 inches down to a inch. All pretty close stats when you get right down to it. Canon optics are top notch , so even thou you may research a lot of other choices in p and s digicams , you will always find yourself back looking at canons.- the powershot group of canons seem to be more suited for Macro than the Canon sureshot or elf groups ( canon has alot of digicams out there ).. One last plug for the G-9 and dad getting one of these prizes--- The G -9 has 2 Speciality settings so you can go right to a mode you preset upon turning the digicam ON - I have my G-9 set at MACRO for one mode and the Self timer (10 seconds) for the other mode. Both give me instananious access to two features used a lot by miniturization hobbiests hal5141