The capacitor device that drives the flash gets loose and flash stops working! Canon will not fix at their cost and offers another reworked piece of junk for $120.00 that will end up doing the same thing! Canon customer support was arrogant and belligerent at best when I demanded that Canon fix under warranty! They said the camera was past warranty from date it was made. I told them I had bought it 7 months ago (back then). They told me "Oh well, do you want to buy the reworked camera or not?"

Overall the camera isn't so bad...but I'm sure theres alot better out there for the same price. Like alot of other people, the flash stopped working suddenly. It'd do this on and off before but it'd usually seem to fix itself after a few days and work fine. However's its been 2 months now. Alittle too bulky to carry around constantly if your an avid photo-taker. Picture quality is good though, and the 4x zoom can be a benefit.

Purchased one for myself two plus years ago. My son kept borrowing it so I purchased another for him about a month later. Just love it, easy and simple to use, computer friendly, haven`t had a single problem. My son`s on the other hand, last year, somehow the screen only worked for a split second when turned on, then went blank? He put it aside and left it as broken. A couple of months later I just picked it up and was checking it out and it ends up somehow the screen-on time was was the culprit. Adjusted the setting and that was that. He and his sister share and use it regularly and neither of them have any complaints. Actually my daughter gets artsy and uses many of the camera`s manual features and has taken some fantastic portraits and scenic shots. I do not regret these purchases, considering the original reason for this purchase was the price ( less than $250 Cdn. @ Costco). I wasn`t looking for any particular brand name at the time but, in the meantime... LIVE ON!!! Canon A630

After 13 month honeymoon with the A630 I took it on a Rome Italy trip. The lens locked up on the first tour. We spent $60. buying the Kodak 35mm one time use plus developing. After two years the shutter broke and I had it repaired. $255 dollars worth of repairs and now the play back is not working. I will never by Canon products again

I absolutely love this camera and all of its capabilities. I love the swivel screen and color accent features the most. It takes great photos and the battery life lasts a long time. HOWEVER, my flash just stopped working for no reason the other day. I love this camera, but I do not love a faulty flash or the fact that it is apparently common. This model and swivel screen feature is no longer available in newer PowerShots. This upsets me.

We purchased this Canon after our old Canon's LCD quit working. We also love the swivel screen. Well, it worked great for a year or so... but that was about it. We were at Disney and the finished taking some pictures and cut it off..... the lens would not retract. That was it. The death of the Canon. They have flaws with this camera and the lens.... and it got us. Canon knows it. I will be sure next time to shop around the Canon cameras when purchasing our new one. IMHO, I wouldn't risk the money to buy a camera you are taking a chance on the lens.....

The flash on my A630 just stopped working, which apparently is a very common problem with this model. Canon is refusing to acknowledge what is obviously a design flaw, and wants $100 to fix it. My next camera will be a Nikon - I've had good luck with them in the past (the Canon was a gift...)

I took this camera on a 6 week trip to Europe and took some 1300 pictures. The camera performed flawlessly, On such a trip it did not receive the best of treatment. The pictures I brought home speak for themselves. I especially liked the lcd display as a viewfinder allowing me to shoot with the camera level.

Loved the camera but the lens constantly gets stuck wont even come out at all now. Walmart said lots of trouble with this one. and they dont carry the model anymore. Pd 229.00 at walmart certainly didnt get my moneys worth.

With full auto and manual modes and lots of features that I as a professional photographer could take advantage of, I loved this camera and everything about it, that is, until the flash stopped working. Canon don't want to know about the problem, but it is very common. There is a very real fault with this model and the A640. I would not buy this camera or the underwater housing. I had to send my underwater housing back to Canon 3 times because it leaked. I am in a dive club (and we know how to properly care for a housing) and 4 other people with this camera or the A640 have also had faulty housings. Canon's trick is to delay you with 'helpful tips' or send it back to you untouched telling you there is nothing wrong with it, until the warranty runs out and then they don't want to know about it.
This has also been the case with the faulty flash. They send it back and tell you it works fine, but it does not. (Just read the many complaints online.) This is not my first Canon camera, but I will not buy a compact Canon again. Their after sales 'service' is not. Avoid.

I've been extremely disappointed in the quality of photos of the A630 compared to my previous (and first) digital camera, the Nikon Coolpix 3400. With the A630 I often get photos that just are not as sharp and clear as I expected, and often darker than anticipated.

When my A630 was 4-5 months old it started having flash & reset issues! Manfacturing and design defects, after much research are the issues. What a nightmare! Canon didn't care! They rejected an obvious defect for repair. Many folks are having same problems with A603 and similair cameras in the line - they don't care! Google canon A630 flash & firmware issues.
My recommendation is Nikon! Great camera line with people who actually care about their customers! Look at the Coolpix P6000! What a great camera! Excellent photos, software, features, color, focus, etc... 13.5 M pics! Give your hard earned dollars to a company that has great product and cares! I've had many brands of cameras - point & shoots, SLRs, etc...
Go Nikon!

As many people have reported on the www - good camera as long as the flash is still working! Otherwise Canon service will charge you approximately $98.00 to fix their quality issue with the flash!

Without the flash issue I would rank the A630 as good...

However, MANY people are having this issue!

I have owned the Canon A360 for about 2 1/2 years when all of a sudden, the lens just got stuck in the open position and would not move. I did get the old "restart camera" error message... but that won't work. Other than that, it was a good camera which my wife loved the swivel viewfinder.... BUT if it just lasts 2-3 years... they can keep it. It's just a good doorstop now.

I have already bought another camera since to fix this would cost at least $180. If you do buy this camera, do get the extended coverage. I really thought they made better cameras that this....

Easy to use, the PowerShot A630 takes great day pics. Not too good on low light, but have had some awesome night time shots of cereus cactus beginning to bloom at night. Best feature, to me, is the LCD.. movable to get into tight spots or overhead and still able to see what you are aiming at. It's a bit lighter than my old A-80, but just as good photos. Colors are brilliant! Batteries and memory card are in same section of camera.. just don't dump the batteries out when removing the SD card to download pics to your computer. Energizer batteries have worked best for me.. Panasonic came with it, but didn't last long, even with the disply features turned off. Have a set of Energizer Lithium batteries that will go in when current regular Energizers give out. My camera came as a bundle deal... Canon printer along for the ride. With tax, didn't pay any more than for the PowerShot A-80 plus camera case, plus rechargeable batteries, plus larger memory card.. bought 4 yrs ago.
Am more than satisfied.... can take pics more quickly than with old camera.
Certainly a winner in my book!

Bought my first. Broke just after the warranty expired (camera decided on a fixed focus and wouldn't move in or out). Purchased a second. Same problem 3 months later. Sent it in and they fixed it (I had to pay shipping for the repair). Same problem a few months later with the "fixed" camera. They refused to refix the "repair". i only use it for vacations. Hadn't used it after the "fix" and before I found the same problem.

Worthless customer service and crummy camera.

I am far from an expert on cameras and after doing some research and investigating, I decided to give this camera a shot. I am a novice, at best, and at frist was taken back by all the features that came with this piece. So I took it out one day and took as many pictures as I could and went and developed them. I made sure to take pictures in light, shade, day and night to see how they would turn out. I came to find out that they came out very crisp and detailed and the colors are deep and rich. I was impressed with the quality and after a couple of trial and error's, I became more comfortable with all the modes and scene settings. The flip out screen was also very useful and an extra cool feature to have. The software provided by Canon is pretty straight forward and easy to use. There are newer cameras out there since I purchased this one, but I am very happy and have many, many pictures that will last me a lifetime thanks to this great camera.

This little camera is all most people will ever need. It can be used in full auto or you have a lot of control it`s over functions. The photos it takes is great. Has a pretty good flash range. The batteries seem to last forever[350 to 400 shots]. Canon`s software for downloading to the computer works fine but I mostly just manually download photos. Great little 4X zoom but I would like a little more. The 2.5 in. swing out screen is really nice. Like most LCD screens it`s a little hard to see sometimes outdoors but you can look through the viewfinder just like a traditional film camera. I have heard of people having problems with the lenses but so far I have had none. I have used Canon film cameras for many years with great results and Canon is really on top of things in this now digital world. I am thinking of going to a SLR digital camera. You guessed it! It will be a Canon!

I've really enjoyed using this camera, i've gradually learnt how to use all the different settings.
I was always after a camera that could where I could tilt the screen. And it has filled my expetations.
I would consider myself an average user, not pro or beginner.

Would I recommend it? yes, for someone who is not pro though. But definitely for someone who wants a bit more than just a "point & shoot".

So long as you don't have any warranty issues with it, because in my case I had a problem with the flash not working and a flash icon blinking on the screen.

Because of Canon's lack of support regarding the flash issue (and I'm not on my own in this case, they should've issued a recall), I am not giving it a 5 star!!

Lens broken down no new lens available where could I buy new lens for my a-630 camera plz... any one know help me .... my camera has no warrenty left...........

Whilst the camera takes great shots with lots of options, it has now broken down on me twice with the lens jammed open, An unreliable camera is worse than useless.

I purchased the Nikon Coolpix L11 one week before I bought this camera and I was not satisfied with its lack of manual options. So I returned it and got this camera instead (for only twenty bucks more than the coolpix, since it was on clearance!) and man was there a difference. I mean, obviously there's going to be a significant level of improvement from 6 mpx to 8, but it's much more than just that. Almost EVERYTHING can be set manually, including ISO, shutter speed, white balance, shooting mode (with an excellent continuous shot mode for sports), color settings, and more. At first I was disappointed to find out that the camera did not feature any built in vibration reduction, but I soon realized that v.r. was unnecessary as long as the shutter speed is quick enough. Overall, I would say that this camera is for those on a tight budget who want crystal clear pictures and aren't going to cry about petty things like the camera not fitting in your pocket. Simply put, you're not going to find a more versatile or higher-quality camera in this price range.

Oh, and for all those whining about a cracked LCD screen, just take better care of your equipment!

I had my a630 for a week, took the camera out of it's case and the LSD was cracked! The camera and it's case were in a camera bag and weren't dropped or crushed. When I sent it to the Canon service center for warranty repair they tried to charge me $105 to replace the LCD and wouldn't budge from stating that it was my fault that the LCD cracked; basically calling me a liar!
I will NEVER buy a Canon product again.

This easy to use camera is a great treasure. I was looking for a easy to use @ a good price digital camera when I ran across this little number and I love it. I recommend it to all is looking for the same thing I was :)

I feel I invested my money wisely with this little point and shoot camera, and I have no regrets. Perfect picture quality, casing and design is lightweight but is sturdy plastic. Just be gentle with the battery case and memory card removal. It really has ALL the settings you need for a casual photo taker and a little more.

I own an A610 and i just bought an A630. In the same lightning conditions A610 is about 20% more sensible to ligh so there is really no image noise until iso 200. On the A630 the noise amount is quite big just over iso 80. Also the A630 doesnt focus as good as the A610 and the background is always blurry and grained. I am sorry i bought the A630. Its a really bad camera because the size of the CCD sensor must be the same as the A610, only that the pixels are a lot smaller since its an 8 megapixel so that each pixel gets a smaller amount of light. In low lightning conditions there is no way of getting a good image and the flash is crappy along with the large, but low resolution display.

If you want a small almost-point-and-shoot that gives you enough optional manual controls like you had in a film SLR, without spending $800 to $1200 for a DSLR, this is the camera for you.
You can use it in full auto mode, or you can set it on aperture priority, shutter speed priority, full manual. It has a terrific macro focus mode that really can focus sharply down to under an inch away from the lens.

Flash is crap, but no worse than any other camera's built-in flash - all built-in flash photography always is. (Most people are not very discerning, and think their flash photos of family parties indoors are "just fine" but they are crap).

USB connector "door" is a flimsy rubber thing that I don't trust, but even if it eventually breaks off, it won't hamper the camera.

Battery life with 4 NiMH AA is EXCELLENT. I've shot probably 1000 photos with it so far, and have recharged the batteries only twice.

White balance is good. Color rendition looks great even under troublesome fluorescent lighting.

You can manually stop it down to f/8 - I'd like to have f/22, but you ain't gonna find that without buying an SLR. Controls are very intuitive. Some digicam controls and menus are pure agony, especially if you are used to using a film camera. These are not. It took about a day for me to be completely comfortable with them. The important ones - ISO, shutter speed, f/stop, macro mode, timer mode are quickly accessible.

This camera takes very good photos in dark and light with auto settings. All the manual settings you need. Maby a little complicated, especially for someone who is not used to compact digital cameras.

The only real downside is the flimsy plastic parts and some openings can break easy.

The camera takes great pictures, but the camera is not very durable. I am on my second one and the battery door will not stay closed. I am embarassed to return it a second time.

good solid value digital camera

4xAA battery yields long life

feature rich

aperture/shutter priority and full manual

good video

SDHC compatible

excellent value

mediocre build quality not what you would expect of Canon, but still a terrific value for the price.

not good results in full auto mode in low light. Must force flash and ISO 100 for good low light photos. Terrific in good light. Buy a fuji f30 or f20 for low light photos.

I have been a digital camera owner since Sony made the early Mavicas (1998) - a 640X480 with only a slot for a floppy. I used that camera until about 2004 and replaced it finally with a 5MP Minolta DiMage G500. It was like going from learning to crawl to running in a 10K.

But this Canon A630 is like suddenly turning into Flash Gordon! I am a beginning "ameteur" photog and am just learning about all the pro settings, like aperture and shutter speed. This camera makes it very easy. I especially like that you can control just about every aspect from just about every mode. Although, I am still trying to see the real differences between program, manual and custom. More than f8 would be nice, but I'll live!

For those of you who are completely clueless, never fear. This camera can be set to auto and do perfectly well until you are more comfortable playing with the settings.

All in all, I am overjoyed with this camera, especially since I have already taken several dozen sale-quality shots - according to my friend who has been a pro-photog for over 25 years and used to shoot for National Geographic! In fact, I have already posted some for sale on fotolia.com!

This pro, whom I will mention again below, also said that this particular camera at 8MP will serve all my needs. He said, and I quote, "Unless you are shooting for a magazine and the picture is going to be made into a billboard 20 feet by 50 feet, you will never need more than 8 MP". He uses Canon exclusively and would not steer me wrong.

I would like to address a few concerns that have been brought up on this thread. First, the macro works beautifully - the trick is that you have to set the zoom to fully wide angle (push the lever to the left). I found this out the hard way, because I have not even opened the instruction book! I wonder what I might find out if I did that for a change...

I have taken some macro shots of bees on little 1" flowers from about .7cm distance - there is no blur and no pixelation (which also both depend on the stillness of the wind and your hand). And you can clearly see the yellow pollen on his back, legs and on the tiny hairs on his little bee head!

(If anyone wants to see some of my shots, email me at sherisdotter@aol.com and let me know if you want to see some macro, panorama, color swap/accent, waterfall, nightclub, etc. and I will post some in my online album for you to see. I'm no pro, but I think I have some stuff that will help you decide if you want this camera for yourself. **I have already "sold" two, not counting the one my mom bought.)

These macro images look perfect even on my 19" widescreen monitor at home, even zoomed in - of course there is a limit to that even on more expensive pro cameras.

Second, I have also wished that it had image stabilization, but as another reviewer mentioned, there is very little loss in image quality even when you are moving. I thought that little red icon meant that the image will be bad, but it's just a warning that you "should" use a tripod, according to the pro I mentioned who uses a Canon D20. You can easily shorten the aperture time if it's a continuing problem..

Third, my regular Duracell batteries lasted until around shot 270, including several rapid fire shots (about 80 in three or four instances). I rarely used the flash since I was at a beach during daylight, but I had the LCD operating the whole time and adjusted the lens all day, which takes battery also.

I have a system where I put in regular disposables when I leave the house. Then if I need to replace them, I can throw them away and put in my NiMH, which I will use until I get home and recharge. This way I will always have fresh batteries available and won't have to carry around dead rechargeable batteries.

I have used both of the night shot functions at bars watching live music. The "Night Scene" and
"Night Snapshot" don't seem to do as well as plain old auto - maybe because the lighting is not even and the subject are moving a lot. Night snapshot seems to be a little slow and I get blur - also for some unknown reason it picked up a lot of pinks and purples.

Auto gets the pix just right, even in low light. The only concern is that since the camera will set the aperture and speed according to the brightest spot in the field, the image may be a bit blurry, however, the flash and the pre-flash/red-eye pretty much take care of that in auto.

Speaking of colors, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the color accent and swap features. I have been having fun changing my friends' guitars from red to yellow or some other color right on stage! The only complaint I have about those features is that the camera sees better than we do. So we might look at a person's blue shirt and select any old part for swapping with, say, a yellow. The camera seems to be able to swap the blues (or whatever color you have chosen) that are within a spectral range of the color you select, but since the processor is sensitive to light and shadow more than our retinas are, some of the 'other' blues are left behind in the final image. But who cares?! Those two features are really just for playing. The pix come out perfect in all other respects. If you really want to mess with your colors like that, do it in your computer.

On color accent - I have had fun removing all the colors from scenes at a swimming pool except for the light blue of the water. THOSE were some good shots!

The photo stitch feature is good, but you have to be careful when taking a large panorama of more than about 4 frames. This is because if you start out at a slight angle, that angle will be amplified as continue around your scene - you will continue to go down or up at that angle for each successive shot. Another problem I had was with the variations in sky and shoreline as I took each shot. The sky was slightly different in each frame, so I will have to take some time to blend them. As for the beach, since the water is constantly moving, the whitewash and tide edges are not going to match. If you are really good at PhotoShop or a similar application with cloning or blending, you may be able to fix that part up. But these things are not particular to this camera. It's just something you have to expect when taking panoramas.

The Stitch Assist software is really good. It is fast and you have pretty good control. It's also smart, selecting a cropping frame according to what the images' edges are.

Speaking of the software, I like the album because you can chose how you want to view your album without a lot of clicking around. I don't know what the EOS Utility is for. I have not tried any of the others yet, with the exception of Stitch Assist.

I like that you can also control your folder and numbering options right on the camera. I have mine set to continuous numbering and a new folder every day at midnight. This makes is very easy to give unique names on my computer and prevents duplicates.

The pro has forbidden my mom (who also bought the same model in the same online order as mine) from EVER using her digital zoom. He never uses it in any of his cameras because of digital zoom's reputation for producing crap at larger sizes. He disabled it on her camera. I have yet to test the resolution, so the jury is still out on that one.

As for the swivel LCD - why would anyone make a camera without one?!? I have never had one before, but since I am short (5'1") I will have a hard time doing without one again. Great for over head shots as well as rock star pix from knee to head from foot level. Self-portraits are great too.

I also think the customizable timer with multiple shots & flash is ingenious. No more running to get in the group picture just to go back and forth to take "just one more". You can take three at a time and cut your exercise to 1/3!

One of the very best features of this camera, which is not exclusive to this brand or model, is the ability to add lenses and filters. What an awesome idea!! That puts full professional ability right in the hands of the entry level/budget consumer.

I can't decide what to get first, but UV and polarized are no-brainers. Most online stores will include the adapter, so don't buy one separately unless you are sure you will need it. In fact, if you purchase more than one package, you will probably get one with every order you make.

Cases, chargers, tripods, screen protectors - all available. I got a nice semi-hard case which fits perfectly for $7.50. I also have an 8GB A-Data Super SDHC 2.0 SD card which works just fine in the camera ($80!!)* Be careful that your card is the size it says and that it's compatible with your setup. There are scammers out there). If you get this card, you will either need a high-capacity card reader, or you can use the USB cable to transfer your pix/vid.

You can also get a zipper and Velcro-style underwater case that accommodates the lens' extension for about $35 plus S&H on eBay. It is limited in use since you can't get to all of the controls, but if you set the underwater setting and flip over up your LCD before you put it in, you should be fine. The case that offers full dial control goes for well over $150.

Oh yeah - video at the bars is muuuuuuuch better than on my old Minolta. You can see the band even in low light and the sound is not too bad. It's no video camera, but it suffices for personal use.

It does lack a few things that I would like to have, i.e. a few MB's of internal memory for copying photos onto a friend's SD card or my PDA card. An image stabilizer would be nice, too, but is not really necessary. The batteries slide out waaaaay to easily, so it would be nice if the slots were just a tad more snug.

I will wrap this up now with one last thing. One person mentioned that they would have like a hot foot. Search eBay for a slave flash. You can get one for about $45 plus shipping. It is wireless and can even be placed in another part of the room , even behind your subject for professional looking portrait shots.

I will be purchasing an extended warranty for this camera for about $35. That way I will be guaranteed to have a good, working camera until 2010. At that time I can renew the contract for a few more dollars, or let it lapse until the camera dies and know that for under $250 I had a kick-ass camera for over 3 years!

I paid: $212.85 plus $10 S&H from pcRUSH.com on March 17, 2007. I got it by UPS in three days (I live in Hawaii, so it took an extra day).

So my final review: features 9.7; user controls 9.6; price 10.0; ease of learning/use 9.5; available accessories 10.0; video 8.2, software (not sure yet).

I have only owned this for a week so I am still figuring out all the neat details this camera offers. Everything is pretty easy to use. The picture quality is awesome! I really scrutinized reviews for all different types of cameras. Now I see why this is a "Best Pick". I felt 8mp was adequate for my use so I opted for this over the A640. Glad I saved the 100 or so bucks. I also purchased; 12(total)eneloop batteries/with charger, and 3-1gig cards so I should be able to take loads of pics. Playing with this taking pics in my back yard I found the Optical and digital zoom impressive. As far as IS goes...I wasn't sure if I should look for a camera that had it. This camera doesn't need it! I purposely tried to shake it up and see what happened. It was pretty stable. Even when zoomed it takes great pics. So far I gotta say this camera "rocks" and the good reviews are spot on!

Purchased this as an upgrade to an A520. Love it. Great features. Great battery life with NiMH batteries. Movies are great quality and unlimited length (dependent on SD card size). Great compliment to my 30D.

My husband and I are long-time Nikon fanatics who have crossed the road to Canon in the past few years. I held on to my Coolpix 990 until it really was about dead, and begrudgingly let it go before an important trip. In my efforts to find a smaller, less expensive camera still packed full of features, I found this.

The features comparisons at sites like dpreview and imaging-resource were my research. I spent many hours going through all the specs on several cameras. This camera was so new back in November '06, that not many reviews were up, to back up the awesome stats.

There are some really neat features. The size/weight, being able to use AA batteries; battery life which has been great with fully charged re-chargeables; the memory card slot location and manner of ejecting; the LCD screen which flips out, around, and closes in for protection; the video feature which is so crisp and clear, with audio!; the auto rotate feature during playback (depending on how you hold your camera, it flips the image to be right side up for your viewing!), and last but not least, the many manual settings available. I can think of more but those are the biggies that come to mind.

As for the complaints, I have more than I was expecting. The camera comes with a 16mb memory SD card. I accidentally broke it in half within about 5 minutes of opening the box! I never planned on using it since I got a 2GB card on sale, but I was pretty horrified at how flimsy it was. Auto mode has never been reliable—the flash is too bright, the ISO seems to be fixed at 800, and anything after 200 = noise with this camera. Did I mention the noise? I really am stunned at the amount of noise in most pictures. I never experienced this with any of my NIkons or the Canon digital rebel. This camera does not focus well or quickly. I have not had any success with the macro mode which I'm really disappointed about, since it's the only camera in it's price range that claims to be able to focus up to 1cm. I can hardly get it to focus 10 feet away in non macro mode! I've literally gone through every mode, every setting and just not had very good results. All but 1 of the manual modes do NOT save your settings. If I wanted to spend 5 minutes before every picture, fine-tuning all the settings, I'd have bought an SLR.

Maybe my camera is just defective? I have to wonder about the chip in this camera, maybe it's just substandard compared to the higher end models, or maybe it's a Canon issue? I'd love some feedback on all that. I'm seriously considering returning this camera in the small window of time I have left, and biting the bullet and just spending more money to get something I'm really thrilled with. Many moments you want to take pictures of never come around again, so it's worth being critical and really getting a well made camera.

For my last birthday i recieved an olympus, and i loved it. i was an ammeture photographer but now im getting more into it. so for this christmas i asked my dad for a kodak camera from $400. i did not get it, but i did get a vivatar. i hated it. so my dad recently got me the canon a630 and im in love with it. i love the flip screen and the video. its good with my photography needs and in about a week im leaving for disney and im looking forward to the pictures im going to take.

Best...Digital Camera....Ever

I visit Sea World at least 4-5 times a year to take photos. This is the best so far! It creates the clearest and most detailed pictures for its price range. You can see some examples at www.dropsofgrace.com look for the rays of the sun reflections details and the true colors!

Excellent camera with remarakable features. Able to use and easy to understand..I am a first time digiatla camera owner and found this camera to be VERY easy to use and function.

Last Christmas I hastily bought a Pentax without researching it beforehand, unfortunately that was a mistake. So, this summer I took it upon myself to thoroughly research and find myself a reliable camera that was +6mp, 4x optical zoom, flip screen, quick turn on and focus, colour functions, AA batteries, a manuel mode, takes sharp photos without having to be on a tripod, and great colour saturation levels. I have found all these features and more in this camera.
My parents took it with them on a trip (novice users) and they had a great time. They came back with some great photos. They greatly enjoyed the camera, even the photos they took while in the plane and of the outside look great!
From the novice to photo enthusiast, it's an all around great pick. My only concern was red-eye (but we have technology to rid us of that), and it's hard to find a good fitting camera case/bag.

This camera is absolutely the best camera that I have found for One, the Price and Two, the amount of STUFF... this camera can do. I thought about spending 1500 on a videocamera when i realized what is the point when you can spend almost half and get picture and SOUND quality equal or better in what you would in a videocamera. Absolutely a great buy.!!!

i hated this
it didnt record sounds clearly
pictures were often fuzzy
and then my motor burned out.
biggest waste of money

I bought this camera after reading several reviews and searching for quality & price. I took this camera with me to New Orlenas for Thanksgiving and took pics from all around the city. I was very happy with the results, you can't go wrong if you decide on this baby.

I recently purcahsed this camera after going online for weeks reading reviews and comparing price & quaility and I must say...I LOVE this camera. I took it with me to New Orleans for Thanksginving and took pictures from all around the city. The quality was very nice and I love the zoom range.

For the past month, I've been using this camera, having in the past used a Nikon Coolpix 5400. What I was looking most for was a point and shoot that took AA batteries, as well as had a preview screen that could be flipped and twisted around for protection when not in use. I would have liked a hotshoe on this camera, so almost bought the G7. However, the need to have a camera that took AA batteries and had a flip and twist preview screen was more important to me.

Bottom line, I'm impressed with the quality of this camera. I've been impressed with how the digital zoom does not give the "grainy" results I was used to with my prior camera.

The alkaline AA batteries gave out after only about 80 pictures. Then put in a set of Duracell rechargables, and took over 250 pictures before needing to recharge.

My favorite thing about this camera is the user's ability to control everything, including manual focus, & ability to change iso, aperture and shutter speeds.

So bottom line, if I were to lose this camera, I'd definitely go and purchase another one immediately.

As a longtime Powershot A-series user, I was very happy with this upgrade... basically twice the camera of my A-4** for less money two years later. Twice as fast, 2x pixels, USEABLE movie mode! And let me say I LOVE the card in the battery case, a big improvement from last year's external slot. If you want the swiveling LCD, flexible photo controls, very good movie mode, and you don't need to make billboard-size photos, the 8MPx 630 is for you!

I bought this camera just last week to take some pictures of my son's birthday. When I shot a video clip, I found out a lot of glares from the light source. ie, each candle from the birthday cake shows a vertical straight line even in the playback. I will bring this one back for a refund. I checked with other camera, I don't see this with Sony's. Pls let us know if you experience the same problem with your camera

I just upgraded from a Kodak 3.2 MP "point and shoot" with no zoom, so I am finding that the Canon's 4X optical is a HUGE improvement. The image quality appears spectacular, the only drawback being the necessity of a large (>1Gb) SD card (those 8 MP images take up a lot of space). Also, the SD card is a PAIN to get to (it's in the battery compartment?!). However, I could not find another camera in the same price range (I paid just under $300) that includes a viewfinder as well as LCD screen (useful for bright sunny days), and the same or equivalent level of features. It will take a while to explore them all, but I am very pleased with its performance so far.

Great Camera. This has a ton of features. The flip and twist screen is handy for lining up photos where you are in the shot (not to mention it's a good way to protect the LCD screen when you are not using the camera). Movie mode is surprisingly good. Get the high-speed disk, it's a little more than the standard speed disk, but it's worth it for the speed between shots. Flash recharge is good (fast)between pics. It's very good in low light and the zoom (both optical and digital) is handy. I'm still learning the manual settings with this camera, but like any camera, the type of lighting you have is key. Image quality is great. The canon software that comes with the camera for downloading is simple to use. It comes with a USB cable and an AV cable for the TV. Very handy for showing pics to the whole family all at once.

The only complaint I have is the fact that the battery indicator only displays when your batteries are low (it's kind of analagous to the "check engine" light on your car). Once you see it, there's not too much life in the batteries. Battery life lasted for about 150 to 200 shots, which were a combination of still shots and movie clips that lasted from 10 seconds to 1 minute so I would rate the battery life as adequate for my needs, just bring an extra set of 4 batteries if you plan on taking a lot (>150) of pics. Also, you turn the LCD display off and use the view finder to conserve battery life if that's a problem. (I only have 2200mah NiMH rechargeable batteries; I suspect with 2700 mah you can go longer.)

Overall, I don't think you can go wrong buying this camera. It's a very good value.

Replaced my A620 which I loved but broke. Great camera but HUGE design flaw. Chip in battery compartment. AWFUL idea. What a pain to remove.

A lot of camera for the money,great pictures.