This is my first digital camera, it costs me around 15000/-, but it is worth buying and real value for money. It is a 7.1 megapixel camera with a 6x optical zoom, which is very useful in taking pictures by not moving back and forth in the room or any other place for taking pictures. It has a DIGIC-II processor which is quite fast and good as well. Although canon has come up with a DIGIC-III processor as well, which is producing really good quality pictures with less time, but one is not bad, you just need to take a breath and the camera is ready to take another picture, which is quite a good speed as far as I am concern.
This camera has around 20 different preset scenes, which makes the task of photography really easy. It comes with a set of USB and audio video cables. Although canon should have provided a carry case along with the camera, which could have increased the joy of using in a great deal, because in Indian market it is difficult to find a good quality carry case, but as canon is not providing one we can not compare whether the available one is good or not. It also comes with a 16 MB card which is a waste of resource by canon, they should have not given any card with it or atleast should have given a 512 MB or 1 GB Card. Because in 16 MB you can take only around 8 good quality pictures and only few seconds of good quality movie, which any body can understand is really not enough. So one has to buy a Card along with buying the camera as well. The battery life is not bad but you need to buy rechargeable batteries to effectively and economically use this camera otherwise it will become a costly affair.
This camera has a facility of creating a panoramic view by taking 28 different pictures adjuscent to each other and the download them to the PC. A software is provided with the camera which can merge those pictures and provide you with a wide real big picture which can be used as a wall paper in your bedroom or any where else. It can adjust the lag of few milimerters as well. The user just need to take the snaps one after another with some of the parts overlapping. Although the software automatically adjusts some of the differences but if you want a serious good panoramic picture then you need to place the camera on a tripod or some other place where the movement should not effect the area of the pictures.
This camera also comes with a guide beam which will allow you to identify your intended objects in the dark. The camera also has a multipoint face recognition system which allows the user to adjust the camera according to the subject’s face to get a better picture.
The display of captured images shows the complete details about the picture in figures and a graph as well, which allows the user to understand the quality of light around the subject and in turn can change the position of the subject or the camera to get a better snap.
It has IS, which stands for image stabilizer which allow anyone to take good quality snaps. It has the settings for continous and at the time of pressing the shoot button settings for stabilizing. Even my 3 year old daughter takes good quality pictures with it, which was not possible with my previous camera, because you know about these little devils, they move a lot no matter whatever they are doing, but the image stabilizer of this camera is so effective I haven’t seen a single picture of hers which is blurr or out of focus and mind you she had already taken 100s of them.
The movies are also shot with good quality from this camera, but this the only draw back of this as well. Because this camera shoots the RAW AVI format, which is very large in size in terms of storage in memory card or computer. Although I bought a 2 GB Card but still can shoot only 48 minutes of video despite choosing a medium quality picture format with 30 FPS. We can increase the time by reducing the resolution and FPS rate but the picture quality will deteriorate and in case of movement of the camera you can cleary see the blurry image, and when you are shooting a movie the main thing is that the subject is moving and the camera is also moving at the same time. It gives you a good sound quality in the movie though.
The user can store a small verbal description of every picture in the camera, and while replaying on the television it will come up as a narration to the slide show. The speed of copying to the computer is good. The software has many wallpapers which can be set on the camera with a click of a mouse button.
And this one has the manual functions as well which can encourage even professionals to use this. It has a optical view finder which allows the user to keep the LCD off, which greatly increase the batter life.
And obove all you can extend this camera, which is not an option with any other camera in the market from most of makers. I mean by extend is that you can by lenses from CANON and attach them to this set which will increase your zoom and picture quality as well. You can attach external flash.
The user manuals which comes with the camera are quite comprehensive and useful and makes the task of using this very simple.