Gives U preety Good and effective Results

I too have the same problem. The batteries do not connect properly and soon after a few snaps the battery low warning is given. I have to take out the battery and replace with new ones. This is the case with the batteries received along with the camera and also with new rechargable batteries tried.
How ever the picture quality is fine. I was under the impression that it was only my camera which has this defect and may be it was my bad luck as I always perceived that Canon Quality and performance are well above the rest

Three family members received this camera as their Christmas gift this December '07. We all were excited to use the camera, however, 2 out of the 3 of us had the same problem: the battery charge is not connecting properly to the camera making it not usable. It worked briefly, then no longer can work. After trying numerous types batteries,(including the ones that came with the camera), one camera had to be returned already. Another is likely to be returned soon as it just started after 1 month having the same exact issue. So as of February 5, 2008 only one of the 3 cameras works. Very frustrating that the camera overall is great but the battery charge issue makes it not usable unless I constantly remove the battery & put it back in so it works for a few mins. at a time...I have not seen or heard of anyone else besides the 2 of us having this issue so maybe it was a random defect just in our cameras, but I am planning on returning it for another type of camera at this point.

This is the first digital camera I have bought, and I'm extremely glad that I picked this one. It is easy to operate, easy to upload pictures (using the included software), has great image quality, and great features. It has many included settings that can be used in different light situations, and you can change the colors to black and white, sepia toned, neutral or vivid colors, and more. The video quality is also good.
One downside is that you have to have to rotate your pictures manually (something that i know the newer Canon models do automatically), but that's not a very good reason not to buy the camera.
I even dropped this camera on a hardwood floor a few months ago, and it still works fine (the battery cover now pops open slightly, but not enough to let the batteries fall out). It still works the same as it did before.
Being just a teenager, this camera has inspired me to become a professional photographer. Buy it now.

This is my secondary digital camera. My primary camera is a Kodak Z650. I bought this camera primarily to keep in my (jacket/jersey) pocket so I can take snapshots while I'm out hiking/bike riding. In that capacity I'm very pleased with this camera.
It also has plenty of options to keep the more advanced photographers happy including a manual setting that lets you adjust most, but not all settings (ie. no way to set the shutter speed).
I've compared the photo quality to my Kodak Z650 and found that the Kodak takes sharper photos, which is expected given the larger optics on the Kodak. These differences in image quality would not be noticable even on 8x10 prints, and are only noticable when zooming in using an image viewing program.
While the LCD screen is small compared to other cameras in this range (2" vs 2.5"), the viewfinder makes up for this (in my opinion) as I've yet to use a digital camera with a LCD screen that is easily viewed in bright sunlight.
The A550 is easy to use, with all functions easy to access. Changing photo parameters like image size and compression quality is easy without having to navigate through a series of menus.
Canon's also have a good reputation for reliability and customer satisfaction. And to quote an employee who works in the electronics section of a local store, "I see very few Canon's returned as compared to other brands".

Last week i bought this camera and i found it is very handy and useful so far. 30 frames/second on video recording is really good. Photos are of good quality too. The superfine mode allows to take photos in extra clarity. This camera got a decent battery life too.

The only thing I am not 100 satisfied is the size of the LCD display it just 2 inches not 2.5.

Anyway by all other means it's a really great camera. I am happy about buying this.

I took this camera travelling, takes good quality pix, fast capture speed, it's great and reliable. Now after almost 2 years, the zoom lens won't retract and have send back to Canon for repairs. I always buy extended warrenties on this little portables. Hope the repair shop returns it ok.