I bought this camera at the suggestion of a family member to have for my own so that when taking pictures, we didn't have to share the only one in the household, and I could take pictures of my own without having to ask for the shared one. This camera does it all. It's got anti-shake, HD movie capability, scene settings, even an HD port outlet to connect to a TV. The battery life I've yet to determine, but as far as I can tell, this is by far the best longevity I've seen in a camera for a long time. I've taken tons of pictures, and the battery still keeps on ticking. It has a good size LCD screen on the back so you know what you're taking a picture of, facial recognition, flash, etc like any other camera. A couple of downsides. First, the LCD screen can be easily fingered up, so be prepared to wipe it constantly if you're like me and don't like smudges. Second, it does NOT come with any accessories such as a camera stand/tripod, a memory card or case These you will have to buy separately. There is one advantage to this camera that I think every tech geek will love. You have quite a few options to download the pics. You can A) use the USB cable and simply copy the pics and videos from the camera as though it were a removable drive, B) take out the memory card (if you have one installed) and insert it into your computer (if the computer is equipped with an internal memory card reader, or you can buy one at any retailer), or using the USB cable while the memory card is inside, you can use your favorite photo importing program to withdraw all of the photos and videos at your leisure. Personally, I like just taking out the card and putting it into my computer so I don't have to fudge around with the cable, but that's just me. Overall, this is an outstanding piece of camera technology, and I haven't even used all of the features yet. Great for a gift, a personal purchase, or for someone you know who loves to take pictures for special occasions. It won't let ya down at all.

halfblind79

Lakewood, CO