Canon - PowerShot A710 IS Digital Camera Review

      I only wish that I had gotten this camera sooner!  I have never had a Canon before, but had heard of their quality, and they are as good or better than I could have imagined.  The A710 IS is a high quality, well rounded camera, that is even easy to use.  This is not a super-slim camera(3.75x2.5x1.5 inches), which I love, so that there is something to hold onto.  It is a little heavier than I like though.  

      The LCD screen is big, so you can really see if you have gotten a good shot or not.  The only thing is that when you are outside in sunlight, you can not see the screen at all, so if you take a lot of outdoor pictures, I would not reccomend this model. 

      This camera also has image stabilizer(IS), so I don't always have to use a tripod to get a clear and crisp shot.  I do not have steady hands, so I love that the only time I absolutely have to use my tripod is when I use the macro mode(which you can get as close as just 5cm away from your object!) to take really close shots.   I find that using a tripod takes too much time and space in certain situations, and especially when you are outdoors or on vacation, you do not want to have to haul a tripod everywhere you go.  I take photographs of my items to sell online, so the more time I save on photographing, the more money I can make.

     The camera is really easy to use with easy to find options and different lighting options.  I bought this camera mainly because it had functions similar to an slr camera with the option of also using it as a point and shoot.   The quality using the automatic point and shoot functions was so good that I have yet to use any of those other features.  I am not a very technical person, so I love that I can get a great photo every time with just the automatic 'no-brainer' options that this camera offers. 

     The automatic settings include indoors(you get great pictures even with flourescent lighting and they never come out dark or over-exposed), Night(you get pictures of people in focus against a night sky background), Pets and Kids(for moving objects-although this setting was really slow to re-charge after the picture to take the next shot), Underwater(for use with the underwater case you can buy for it), Snow & Beach(to get clear and balanced photos in these harsh lighting conditions), and there are more options than these also.  I just love that I do not have to think when I am using this camera.

     When you buy this camera, also buy yourself some rechargeable NIMHZ batteries to go with it as they last much longer than the throw-away kind, and also get a 1MB or 2MB memory card because the one that comes with the camera only holds 4-6 pictures.  You will also need a bag or pouch to protect it, as I carried mine in my purse and the screen got scratched up.

     This camera is not for someone who wants a simple camera with very little options, it is for someone who wants to have a lot of options to play around with while getting that perfect shot.