I am a Nikon DSLR user but when looking for a simple but quality point-and-shoot camera, the Canon A720 IS fit the bill. This camera is small but not too compact yet offers quality features. The photo this camera produces are quite nice. At 8 megapixels, you certainly have enough to get nice size photos. However, megapixels can be overrated when optics are a real key. The optics of this Canon camera are very good. It has smart technology that locks on the face of objects and does real good at getting the exposure right. ISO sensitivity goes from 80 to 1600. Shutter speed ranges from 15 to 1/2000 sec. There are special scene modes to set the camera for particular shot situations like fireworks, snow, indoor, etc. Those who know nothing about camera settings can put the camera in one of these modes and generally take beautiful pictures. If you are expecting DSLR quality and features, you are not going to get it with this type of camera, but for a point-and-shoot camera you really can't go wrong with the A720 IS.

abreview

Dunn, NC

I took a long time picking a camera...it can be overwhelming.  Before I could buy one, my husband purchased this for me as a gift.  I couldn't be happier.  The camera is fast, which I was worried about.  Some of the Canon seem to have a problem with speed.  It works great in light or night.  The screen can be difficult to see in the sun, but there is a viewer as well, so not a problem.  I don't know if I messed mine up, but my viewer is slightly off so I need to adjust to get the picture I want.  Otherwise, great. The flash works well without redeye.  The computer interface is easy enough, but not as easy as kodak's.  On the other hand, it doesn't take up nearly as much computer resources and is much much faster.  The look is good.  The weight and size as a bit heftier than many of the tiny camera's out today, but I prefer the slightly added weight.  it is far from unweildy.  Although, a smaller camera would be much easier to transport. 

ppalm

Lake Worth, FL

The Canon A720IS was sent as a replacement for the A520IS I reviewed previously.  I love the camera and am willing to tolerate its few imperfections:  (1) Hanging a single-eyelet camera around your neck means it swings around with every movement;  how much could it have cost to install a second one?  (2) The flash is inadequate for distances greater than 6 feet and there is no way to add an auxiliary flash;  it also seems to be pointed toward the lower half of the picture rather than the center.  (3) It frequently gives the 'low battery' signal when the batteries are fully charged;  opening and closing the battery door solves this problem, but it's worrisome.  (4) I think my Nikon CP800 was sharper, but the 'sharpen' feature in Picasa seems like a reasonably adequate substitute for the kind of pixtures I take now.  Incidentally, Picasa's red-eye fix is absolutely perfect. I chose it for its good features:  many controls, size, AA batteries instead of expensive proprietary batteries (I use precharged NiMH Duracells which seem to work nicely),  Aside from the above, it's a fine camera and I would certainly recommend it.

bashley

Pasadena, CA

I bought a Canon Powershot A720 IS  last may and it has performed great until now.  It is having issues and I called Canon and they are going to fix it.  I sincerely suggest you keep your receipts with your larger (over !00) purchases.  I had to send a copy of my receipt of purchase with the camera to keep it in warranty even though I had mailed the warranty card.  Seems warranty cards are worthless!!!!  Still a good camera.

lynntn

Crossville, TN

I LOVE this camera. It is super easy to use, but also takes great pictures. By playing with it and exploring all its options, I have also found that it has made me a better photographer. It's very portable-I carry it everywhere with me and I've gotten some fantastic pictures. This is a high quality, easy-to-use camera that is worth every penny.

Tashagh

Ithaca, NY

I received this camera for Christmas and was very concerned about the fact that the camera takes alkaline batteries instead of a more traditional rechargeable battery made for a specific camera.  So far, we have had very few problems with battery usage, though we have invested in a NiMH rechargeable battery system to support the camera. Camera functionality is easy and has a ton of different modes to support a variety of photo environments.  We have had some problem with red eye, even when using the red eye reduction mode; sounds like this is a problem with many of the Canon's so I guess I shouldn't be shocked.

leawood-mom

Leawood, KS

I purchased the Canon PowerShot A720 IS digital camera in February 2009. This camera takes beautiful pictures and is small in size. It takes two AA batteries (no annoying rechargeable battery packs required) and an SD card. One of my favorite features (and reasons for buying it) is the Optical Image Stabilizer. This feature reduces blurriness and camera shake. The face detection feature is also great because it controls the exposure settings to get a more natual photo of people. You can even correct red eyes on the playback screen. There are a lot of different shooting modes on this camera, including aquarium, snow, fireworks, foliage, indoor, and more. This camera does not eat batteries like most do. I can generally get about 200 pictures with my batteries. I have been thoroughly impressed with it's quality and performance. I highly recommend this digital camera. It's really a great buy.

tholgate87

Salt Lake City, UT

I bought my camera to take on an animal safari trip to Kenya.  It took beautiful pictures and was easy to use.  I was able to zoom sufficiently and get great animal shots.  I wanted a camera that would take good pictures and be very easy to use.  This camera filled the bill.

gszokoly

Cumming, GA

I purchased this camera for 199 from Dell in Dec. 07, after lots of research.  I definitely picked the right one.  The clarity of the photos is outstanding, it's a simple camera with many features.  Recently, I had need to copies of some old family photos to a relative.  My scanner was broken, so I used the macro setting, laid the photo on my desktop, got the lighting over the photo just right, and moved in.  The quality of the prints made from prints is so perfect you can hardly tell them from the original. with it's zoom lens, I can stand on my deck and shot photos of birds in trees/bushes a good 50 feet away. Play back is a breeze.  But what I really like about this one, as soon as I take a photo, it stays on the LCD screen for about 3 seconds (a previous ditigal, different brand didn't have that feature and I was always having to turn the camera off and back on to see the photo I just took). The camera was well worth the price, however I'm sure that 9 months later, it can be purchased for much less.

bizzeedee

Hopkinsville, KY

I was given this camera for Christmas by my husband. We had our first baby on December 27th, and I have used this camera daily since then. It is by far the best camera for the price. Other cameras we looked at for the same price didn't have half of the features ours does. I couldn't be happier and I will tell everyone.

fortunateley

Lakeport, CA