A professional camera in a small package and GREAT price!
This camera has features that are absolutely unheard of in its price range. It has full auto controls, full manual controls (i.e. Shutter-speed priority, Aperture priority, and manual focus), as well as a dozen or so photo effects. They use the same DIGIC processor and AiAF system (5-point) as higher end models, so pictures come out very crisp and clear. Night shots are great as well, thanks to the AF-assist lamp, which is not a standard in other brands. One minor problem with night pictures is the red-eye effect, even with the red-eye reduction mode. This is somewhat expected, seeing how close together the lens and the flash is. However, this can be easily corrected with the included software package.

Another deciding factor for me is their use of standard AA batteries instead of a proprietary battery pack, which can be fairly expensive. In a cram, I can just run to the store and grab batteries off a shelf, or have another set of NiMH rechargeables handy. I also love the body size. I was considering buying a Canon S230, which is one of the smallest digicams out there. However, the ELPH series do not have any manual controls, the flash is weak, has a lower power zoom (2x as oppose to 3x), and they use a proprietary battery pack. The A70 is only slightly large than the ELPH. I actually like the size and the right hand grip on the A70, which gives you better control and balance of the camera.

The A70 is a very quick camera. It takes about 2.5 seconds for the camera to power up and be ready to go. Focus takes about a second, and you only have to wait about 1.5 seconds in between pictures. In playback mode, it takes a little bit over a second to go between pictures in high res mode. There is a lot of information displayed for each picture, with the exception of a histogram. However, once the pictures are downloaded to the computer, you will have access to the histogram.

Other bonuses that I like about the A70 is the Stitch Assistant mode, which helps you make great panoramic shots. It also has a video capture mode (up to 3 min) as well as audio memos that you can add to each picture taken. This camera also supports some direct printing to some printers.

All in all, this is a great camera for a great price! The pictures turn out great, even for a novice. And for the adventurous, there are plenty of manual controls to play with. There is no other camera in this price range that has all these features, combined with the great optics known for in Canon cameras.

Fast camera but not so good picture quality
As some of the reviews on the web have indicated, the newer Canons have a problem with soft focus, almost to the point that the pictures are out of focus. On the plus side, the camera startup time is very fast and flash cycle time between shots is about 3 seconds (very fast). The camera has numerous manual controls, but lack of picture quality makes this camera less than desireable.

Great camera!
A great camera. The quality of the shots is excellent. My last digital camera (Fuji 2600) took nice outdoor shots, but indoor shot had funny colors and the flash was not strong at all. The indoor pictures on this camera are really nice. The size in comfortable to hold and I can put it in my jeans pocket. Also, once you get used to the menu system, it's really easy to use and navigate to quickly switch between functions.

For the price I highly recommend.

You must buy a larger Compact Flash card.

Awesome camera- just the right balance!
I received my Canon A70 about a week ago in the mail. This is my second digital camera- my first being an old Olympus D360-L point and shooter. Thus far, I love my new camera! I can go on and on about it, but I'll try to summarize what I like and don't quite like about it.

Likes

1. Lots of manual controls - shutter speed, real manual focus, white balance
2. Great pre-sets - these let me take great pictures for certain pre-set environments (fast action, portrait, panoramic, slow shutter, etc...) Easily accessible on dial at the top of camera
3. Nice size - not too small and light, so my twitchy hands don't mess it up too much, but not bulky like some of the other cameras with manual controls
4. Battery life - I still have not run out of a charge, during a day or two's use. (Note: I use 1600 mA LiMH batteries and charge them after every day or two)
5. Sharp screen - hi-resolution screen, though not terribly bright in direct sunlight
6. Great looking pictures!
7. Video mode, with sound up to 640x480 for 30 secs, and lower resolutions for much longer.
8. Looks great!
9. Able to fit additional lenses as well as waterproof housing (Not that I'm planning on getting these yet, but its nice to know I have the choice to!)

Not Likes:
1. Takes a bit of time for the zoom lens to extend when turning the camera on.
2. Plastic tripod mount

I've printed my cropped 8x10" photos out on my Canon S600 printer on glossy paper and they look awesome!

Anyways, I really like this thing a lot, so I heartily recommend this to people who are looking for a point-and-shoot, as well as those who are trying to learn to dabble a little bit more with their camera's manual controls (like myself!)

An Excellent Choice
After doing much research on 3MP digital cameras, I decided on Canon A70, and so far I am very pleased with this camera. This camera can take nice outdoor shots, indoor (low light) shots as well as above average night shots. This camera has a fast 35-110mm lens (f/2.8-f/4.8). Please note that many digital cameras out there have 38-39mm lens, which I find a bit limiting, when it comes to capturing scenes/landscapes. This camera has a nice movie mode and offers a variety of modes ranging from fully auto, programmed auto, shutter/aperture priority and full manual control. Also, it is quite user-friendly. In a nutshell this camera is capable of surprising you with its rich feature-set. ... The pictures that I took from this camera came out very nice and sharp. I took some indoor shots - in low light - without flash and they came out very nice and with acceptable level of noise. Minor irritation - this camera doesn't allow setting the white balance in the "full Auto" mode as sometimes I just want to change white balance and let the camera take care of rest of the parameters. However, you can fallback on the programmed auto mode, where camera picks shutter speed and aperture, and you pick the rest. Overall, I highly recommend this camera and it is an excellent choice for beginners and enthusiasts alike.

disappointed
I am regretting buying this camera. I have a Canon scanner which is not compatible with the software for this camera. SO, I am spending several hours trying to set my computer up so I can use EITHER the scanner OR the camera. BEWARE. I can not use both. I have contacted Canon tech support simply to get to this point-there is no software available to fix this glitch.

Also, the zoom control is coming loose after shooting about two dozen pictures. And the viewfinder scratches very easily, even if you are VERY careful.

This is my first digital camera and I am quite disappointed. It simply is not doing the things I had hoped for.

Consumer camera with Pro features!!
Let me start with the picture quality. It is great! Movie has bigger size than the other cameras (with sound too!). Wider variety of white balance, a lot of features like Canon SLR cameras, and the most important thing is the manual capability.

It has AF focusing light, and it uses AA battery so we can use AA rechargeable (cheap in the long run, and you can always use regular one when you really need fresh battery). I hate proprietary batteries, so AA battery is a big plus.

The size is perfect. It is smaller than Canon A40, but bigger than S-series or Elph. Smallish camera looks fun and easy to bring, but you will hate to use it. This one is just perfect.

Macro capability gives high quality pictures, and night scene features is also great. One more thing, it accept 52mm filter with additional adapter. I have a lot of filters for my SLR, so this feature will give you unlimited opportunity to explore photography world. I did my research for weeks before I chose this camera, and I am very grateful to finally choose this.

So glad we picked this camera...
We were looking at a slightly less [costly] 3 megapixel digital camera when the sales guy told us about the Canon. We are SO glad we got the Canon. This camera takes terrific photographs, is easy to use and is rich with features. I haven't seen in any other digital camera at this price range with these features and we've been researching for months. I'm looking forward to learning more about the manual modes and seeing the results in our photographs.

My mother has a Samsung 3 megapixel camera which is much slower and I think our picture quality is much better. We're just THRILLED with the results.

I also love the short movie clips and was able to put together a short movie clip with stills and the video. I think we'll be looking to upgrade the included software but it worked well for starters.

Excellent 3.2MP camera
This camera takes excellent pictures and movies. When I was reviewing cameras to pick one to buy, I read that this camera was nearly perfect in design and manufacturing but had "soft focus" and "purple fringing" problems. I have seen no soft focus problem at all. As for purple fringing, it has appeared in only three of the 600 pictures I've taken so far. In those pictures, it was because the subject in the foreground was dark, the background was very bright, and I had the flash turned off. When I turned on the flash, there purple fringing disappeared. I highly recommend this camera!

This review is for all the wary non-technical buyers
First off, let me tell you that I researched the heck out of digital cameras before buying this one. I read some of the disappointment reviews which made me hesitate....DON'T! I put months into my decision and for the price, this camera is by far the best out there! I PROMISE you will love it. Here are just a few points I want to make.

First:
You are getting a Canon lens with this camera. I would rather have a 1 MP Canon camera (my SLR is Canon and I have never been let down) than a 4 MP of many other brands. The quality you get with the Canon name alone is worth it.

Second:
This camera is VERY user friendly if you take the TIME to figure it out. As for the person complaining about the slow shutter speed, if they took the time to understand their camera they would have realized that the button has two features. Your not supposed to just snap the picture. You push the button half way to focus (which gets you a great picture), once the camera focuses for you it will beep so that you know its ok to take the picture. Thats way you tell everyone to say cheese! The shutter opens immediately upon taking the picture. If you do not take that two step approach, the camera does a quick focus (which usually is not accurate) and then the shutter opens (hence the few second delay)

Third: The person complaining about the software conflicts....it has nothing to due with camera...those are just the brakes of computers...sometimes there is a glitch....the camera is still amazing!

Do not hesitate! Its small, its user friendly, its a Canon, its worth every penny!

perfect camera...so far
I love this camera! I purchased this one after returning a Sipix 3300 camera. I did a lot of research on digital cameras before making this purchase and I don't regret it for a minute. This camera is simple to use and it doesn't eat through batteries like the Sipix. The LCD screen is clear and I can even see it in the sunlight. The instructions are easy to understand too. I haven't used the software the camera came with yet.

Great camera but...
just determine your needs well. This camera satisfied our needs. It has some manual functionality like full manual, aperture priority, shutter priority, and it is fully automatic too. I don't use the movie capturing feature but it may be of help for some people. Image quality is great even using less resolution. another great functionality is the stitch which allows you to create panoramic pictures by shooting more than 1 pictures and then stitch them. I am thinking of getting the water proof case which will make this little camera work under water too.

One thing that i did not like is it uses 4 AA batteries I know some digital cameras of this size do work with just 2. But anyway that's not a big deal after all. It still gets 5 stars.

It does have issues, but I don't leave home without it
Let me get the negatives out of the way first. This camera does have a soft focus, and that can be a problem if you are a precise focuser. About 90% of the time the autofocus picks up what the center of attention should be, but for the other 10% of the time learn to use the manual focus. If you're taking family snapshots, you'll be fine, so long as they're not moving too fast. This leads to the other issue: there's a slight delay (1/2 sec at the highest photo settings) when you take a shot. Most of the time, it's not noticable, but if you're trying to take action shots with precise shutter timing, it'll take some practice. The delay is much, much better than some of the waits I've experienced on older cameras -- sometimes it was a full second or more.

More to the point, if you're a photo perfectionist, then why are you buying a 3MP digital camera in the first place? You should save your money and buy a digital SLR where you don't have the limitations that come with cameras in this range.

All that said... you can have my camera when you pull it from my cold, dead fingers. I've had experience with a number of digital cameras, and I've never had one that actually makes me look like a good photographer. The A70 is a great fully automatic camera, but its manual settings make it the "missing link" between the entry-level and SLR models. I've never seen a $...camera that gives you this much control over your shots -- shutter speed, aperture, focus, white balance, film speed, and exposure are all under your control in program mode. There are a number of presets (e.g. fast shutter, variable aperture and time, and a few more I can't remember right now) that allow you to take control of only the settings you want to control. You can also attach proprietary lenses (with a sold-seperately attachment ring), adding still more flexibility. And, while it does have a learning curve, you can take great shots straight out of the box -- something I couldn't say for some of the earlier digital camera models I've used. If you're looking for a camera that gives you manual control, but you're not rich enough or ready to go for the high-end digi SLRs, give a long look at the Canon A70.

Two other things I should mention. One, it does take 4 AA batteries, but this is a good thing IMO, since it means longer operational time for the camera. Pick up a couple sets of NiMH batteries and a charger. I took the A70 on a four hour hike and one set of fully charged NiMH cells. Never lost operation of the camera. (I didn't keep it on the whole time, but I've used digital cameras in the past that would have petered out an hour in, even with limited operation.) Two, get at least one (preferably two) 128MB or larger Compact Flash cards. The camera will fit 76 large format, super high quality images on one 128MB card.

A bitter-sweet experience
Canon A70 is my third digital camera experience following Fuji and Olympus 2MP models. Most Canon cameras have received nothing but praise, and I bought this one with rather high expectations. Outdoor shots in bright sunlight do not produce the sharpness and color saturation I expected based on my experience with Fuji. If you are planning to take lots of nature photos including trees and shrubbery, perhaps A70 will not be the best choice. Soft focus is very apparent with tree leaves. However, in low light and contrasting light situations, the camera produces excellent shots of people that are even better than the photos I took with my Canon SLR. It will certainly produce the 'wow' you are hoping for. Red eye in flash photos were not a major problem. Besides, the plethora of manual controls not found in any digital camera of its class will please anybody who would like to experiment. Again, the menu system were not as straight-forward as I expected.

The best thing before buying a digital camera is to go the review sites and see the pictures for yourself. I particularly like the comparometer in imaging-resource.com that will display the same picture side by side on the screen taken by two cameras for your judgement. Unlike Canon A40 and the ELPH series, price of the A70 has dropped markedly soon after the debut. Does it tell us something? In my view, Canon S400 probably takes slightly sharper and saturated pictures, but apart from the higher price, it has its own limitations like lack of high-res movie mode, lack of extensive manual control, use of special batteries, etc. I find Canon A70 to perform the best all-around in its price range.

Only camera with full manual under 300!
Pro's
1. Excellent features like 3MP, Video out, AA batteries, movie w/sound etc.
2. Very competitively priced.
3. Manual features like long shutter and shutter/aperture priority mode.
4. Superb battery life, works even on normal alkaline AA's.
5.Uses standard & inexpensive CF card. (not stick or xd card).
6.Good LCD screen, very good ergonomics.

Con's
1. Its effectively 2 inches thick not 1.3, when you consider the battery compartment size.
2. Not pocketable, very heavy with 4 AA batteries and thick. (Canon didn't use just 2 AA's probably to protect their Elph line.)
3. AF assist is just a gimmick, doesn't help camera focus better. The weak beam reaches only a few feet.
4. Soft images and lot of time needed to auto-focus & also shutter lag.
5. Build quality and reliability isn't as good as Elph's (Elph's are made in Japan in Canon factories unlike A70/A60 which are outsourced).

In short, if you want manual features and can live with its weight/size then this is the best 3MP for your money. If size/pocketability/reliability is more imp than manual features then Elph series is much better.

Wonderful Camera.
I owned a Kodak 3700 for some time before my brother took it, so I agonized and researched all the digital cameras I could afford before I bought this... the competition was the Fuji 3800 and maybe the Nikon Coolpix. The 6x zoom of the 3800 was the best part, but its problems reported in low-light photography pushed me to this Canon A70, and boy, am I glad!...Lemme count the ways I love it :

1. [nice] Shape and size. I take it out, and it automatically attracts attention. And it weighs right, and snuggles neatly into my right hand because of the small 'bump' on the right side. ( But I wonder how comfortable lefties would be with this; it might get in their way). And the size is optimal - while I hated the elph's tiny size, the bulkier dig cameras would not fit my docker pants, like the A70 does; and if I leave out the case, it even fits my formal-suit pocket without a bulge.

2.The LCD screen functions as good as gold in low light, back-light, whatever-light. I should know, I played around with a friend's 3800 and found it a challenge to shoot indoors.

3.The picture quality is as good as I expected for a 3.2mp; someday I might be able to shell out [big money] and buy a 5mp, but then, maybe not : the biggest print I would want would be the occasional 8x10, while 4x6 would be regular, and for that 3.2MP is good enough.

4.The time-lag from the button-press-to-shutter-snap is about half-a-second, noticeable but not irritating. I know this exists for all digital cameras, so I have grown to work around this by planning the picture. This means I cannot snap a 2 year old running across the room, but I could always capture an endearing grin while seated!

5.So many modes...! This one is bewildering in the options it gives the user; it even allows you to make it 'fully manual', which would mean you set the aperture, the shutter speed and everthing else. I am not there yet, but this is where I can experiment and learn a bit...;-)

6.Stich mode. This needs special mention. You put the A70 in this mode, and take a series of pics by panning the camera horizontally, and voila, you end up with a fantastic panoramic shot of your room (or a single family photo at a huge family gathering). I am no specialist (as you can tell), but the software took care of the lack of precision in my hands and 'stiched' the photos together seamlessly! I can think of dozens of situations I can use this. I need to re-visit the Grand Canyon now!

7.I tried out the video mode and found it pretty nice, though unnecessary in a digital camera; what's the camcorder for...?

8.The software provided is awesome. I rarely depend on bundled software with any gadget, but Canon has persuaded me that they must have a great software division. Not very bulky, and extremely useful and bugfree.

9.Lastly, the optional accessories are also great : the A70 allows a lens adaptor which means you could attach other lenses you want; and there is also an 'underwater-case' which would allow you to shoot inside the swimming pool. As soon as I get some money to splurge I am getting that, just for the experience!

The wish-it-was-better list :

1. The 3x zoom. I wish Canon had an A80 (or whatever) with at least 6x zoom. Would have been worth the price.
2. Red-eye reduction. I managed a bunch of great frontal portrait pics without red-eye, but once in a while it does fail, as reported by many others. I am told the design of the camera needs to change before it becomes fool-proof (the flash should be at a distance from the lens).
3. I never bothered using the bundled AA batteries; just bought rechargeable NiMH; What was Canon thinking, non-rechargeables with a digital camera?! Maybe they should not even bother with batteries, and reduce cost by some $ ;-)
4. Similarly, the 16MB Compact Flash is too small; I bought a 128MB rightaway which allows me 135 pics in Superfine, highest resolution mode.
5. I am also told that the memory usable (Compact Flash Type I) is slow and outdated. It should be at least Type II, if not a totally different and faster type. For now I am fine with the small time-lag.

To Summarize, go ahead and buy this. You will enjoy shooting pictures with it!!!

Great Camera for the price
I bought a Powershot A70 from a Gateway Country store and have no complaints about it. This camera takes excellent photos and has more features than you will probably ever use but its nice to have them. And even though this camera has a lot of features it is very simple to take photos with. I also enjoy the movie feature mode that allows you to take up to 3 minutes of video with sound. (Although you will have to buy a 256 MB memory card if you want to record 3 minutes worth, I purchased a 128 MB card extra and between the 16 MB card that comes with it and the extra one I bought I will never need more memory.) The software that comes with the camera makes downloading photos from the camera very easy. Also I found the AV cables to be rather handy. They allow you to plug your camera into your TV or VCR and view the photos from your camera on your TV in full screen. And there are other accessories that are available for this camera that you can purchase such as a wide angle lens, lens for greater optical zoom, a waterproof case that will allow you to take you camera underwater! For all the features you get with this camera I don't think you will find another camera that can compare to this one in the price range.

Whoa!
Really 4.5 stars. The only bad thing is that some of the pictures have looked blurry or soft (but you can just delete them and take them again.)and the LCD screen has looked fuzzy a few times.

All the good stuff overshadows that, though. The camera has preformed very well in the inside(bright and dark rooms. Dark are excellent.), outside, and in dark outside scenes. I took 6 pictures the lunar eclipse last night and they are all crystal clear.

It powers up very quickly and the menus are easy to navigate. The digital zoom is very useful in far away subjects. There is no delay if you focus first by pushing the 'shoot button' halfway down.

I spent 3 months comparing and looking at digital cameras and I finally chose this one. I am extremely pleased. I hope you will choose this one too- you won't be dissapointed!

This is a good camera for any newbie photographer
This is my first digital camera and I like it alot. It is simple to operate and takes very good pictures. The bundled software is also vey easy to use. The red eye levels are very high on this camera which should be expected because of how close the lens is to the flash. The macro mode works very well and I especially enjoy the movie mode which takes some very nice avi movies. It would be nice if you could adjust settings in the movie mode on the fly but the camera does not allow for it. Regardless, this is a terrific camera, do yourself a favor and pick it up along with a nice big memory card to capture all those great memories.

An advanced camera for a point-and-shoot price
I consider myself a knowledgeable amateur and I wanted a digital camera that would let me manipulate shutter speed, aperture, etc. The A70 has these features and will accept other lenses (wide angle, telephoto, macro) if you decide to expand later on. It's also suitable for novices who think they might want to experiment later.

The menu structure is easy to navigate through. I love the speed at which the camera powers up and takes shots. As with any digital, there is a lag, but it's minimal. The thick instruction manual is a little daunting at first, but the Quick Start guide gets you going quickly. Do read the manual, though, because it would be a shame not to learn all the tricks this pup can do, such as stitching together panoramic shots. The autofocus works well, and even though it sometimes reports trouble getting a fix in low light, it almost always delivers a satisfactory focus. Manual focusing is easy to do, if you decide to resort to it. The macro mode picks up stunning detail on the highest resolution setting. The LCD screen is tiny, but it has high resolution and crams a wealth of status and mode information into the space it has.

I got about 4 hours of shooting time out of the supplied alkaline batteries the camera came with. You'll definitely want to get a set of NiMH rechargeables, but it's nice to know that alkalines will keep you shooting in a pinch. The camera's structure seems pretty robust, although the plastic lens over the LCD screen is probably not scratch-proof. Buy a case. The bundled software is excellent, too. I've deleted all the other photo software on my computer and now I just use Canon's.

My biggest complaint is the power-saving feature, which shuts the camera down a little too soon for my taste. It would be nice if you could set the power-off time to whatever length you want. Also, it's a little hard to remember what the two LEDs next to the viewfinder are telling you. There's no brightness control on the LCD screen, so it can be a little hard to see in bright sunlight, but you can always fall back on the optical viewfinder.

If you just want a point-and-shoot camera, the A70's full list of capabilities may not excite you, but you'll still appreciate the high 3 megapixel resolution. If you're an advanced amateur who occasionally likes to pretend you're a pro, to my knowledge, the A70's advanced features can't be beat at this price.

A value for money camera for photography beginners!
I bought this camera 20 days ago from amazon.com for slightly more than the current price and have taken about 500 pics with it already in all lighting conditions and have been happy with the results. I love taking closeups of my daughter and Canon offers 12 modes in all including a closeup potrait mode which is very useful. I am quite happy with this camera as it offers manual control along with the usual Canon features and it is easy to create some special effects. I am just learning photography and this camera has a great price with good features for this purpose.

The software is easy to use and if you have Windows XP it downloads the images through the scanner and camera wizard even if you dont wan't to use the software that comes with the camera. I have used the photostich software the most which is quite easy to use, and took some great pictures with it. The image and video software is also quite easy to use and gives good results.

The only drawback to me was that this camera is not as small as the ELPH series and I have to carry it in my handbag instead of my pocket to avoid creating an ugly bulge. But it is still small enough to whip it out quickly and take shots. ...

Update after 6 months, Oct 2003:
For the price and the features this camera is still hard to beat. I still maintain my opinion above after taking about 2500 photographs. This camera has been tested to have the greatest number of shots from the 4AA batteries it uses. And I usually am able to take anywhere between 350-500 pictures with one set of rechargaeable Ni-MH batteries. I have used the sepia tones in the special effects to take some very special pics and many landscapes with the photostitch software.

The full manual controls for this price is a good deal and I have been happy playing the rookie photographer. If you just want to point and shoot you probably do not need the features on this camera and you can go in for lighter versions, but if you want to be a little creative its a cheap first camera to have which lets you play around with different modes and manual controls. The movie mode is quite good too and with a larger memory Compact Flash card you can make respectable clips to send off to your friends.

The only small complaints I have are that there is a time lag between when you press the button to when the picture gets taken and its hard to take action shots. But this is a feature of all Canon digital and film cameras and if you have used one you know what I am talking about. The other problem is that sometimes the Autofocus does not give as good pictures as my Canon 35mm film camera - Powershot used to give. But at these times I am glad that I can set the white balance manually!

Flickering LCD and Blurry View Finder
I read all the wonderful reviews and bought the Canon A70. However, when I finally received the camera yesterday, the LCD screen flickers and the viewfinder is blurry when at full zoom. What a disappointment...

I have an older Canon A20 for business and have always liked it. The newer A70 is smaller with more features, but feels flimsy to me. The zooming mechanism is noisy and appears cheap. Maybe I was just unlucky and got a bad A70 that was damaged in shipping? I've decided to get another type of camera at a local camera shop this time.

Better than I could imagine
Excellent camera. Everything is great about it: very good optics; intelligent software for focusing, flashing, aperture and time; very good resolution, intuitive system of menus and user-friendly software for downloading images or films (yes, films!) to your computer.

You should order at least one 128MB card and a set of recharchable batteries.

Very nice design
I just received my A70 today and within 5 minutes I was taking shots and recording video clips! The shots I have taken are much better that I expected. This little camera is great. It's size is not too bulky to carry around, but not so small that you feel like you are going to loose it. I can't comment on the durability of this camera, becuase I haven't had it very long. I can only hope for the best, but so far I am not disappointed!

A Great Camera
I purchased the A70 after some intensive reviewing of the current cameras in this low to mid-range price catagory.
I had narrowed my choices down to two canidates the A70 and the Nikon 3100. With the Nikon I really liked the sample pictures I saw taken with it and its recessed LCD screen, but it lacked the plethora of features the Canon came with.

Post Purchase...
I could not be more happy with it! It takes super clear/sharp pictures (Just as good as the Nikon samples I saw).
The non-recessed LCD screen is not that serious a problem with normal/thoughtful handling.
The extra features and the complete manual control the canon offers really makes for a fun camera someone can grow with.
Its size is perfect-fits right in the palm of your hand.
And the images download easily via the USB port into the computer.
Oh, did mention it takes great pictures?

I had debated a long time on which camera to purchase, and need not have worried. The Canon A70 is a bargain.

Great Digital Camera
This is my first digital camera purchase, so I did a lot of research to find the best camera for [the price]. I can say with certainty that this camera fits the bill! It is 3.2 Megapixels, which some may not feel is enough, but unless you are going to print out photos larger than 8x10 I don't see any reason you would need a higher resolution. In fact, most of the pictures we take aren't even at the highest resolution possible.

The 16MB CompactFlash card that comes with this camera is way too small. Look at getting at the very least a 128 MB card, or even a 256MB or 512MB card.

I don't have any complaints about this camera. In dark situations, the LCD becomes very grainy, but the pictures you take look great. Red eye reduction works wonders as I have yet to see any red eyes from pictures I've taken. In the sun, the LCD similarly gets sun circles, but those are not apparent in the final image when you take a picture. The shiny chrome finish around the LCD is a little hard to deal with in the sun, but it's easy enough to get used to.

I highly recommend this camera. It's geared toward the point-and-shoot consumer, but it has settings and the ability to add attachments for the more avid photographer.

It doesn't get any better than this.....WORTH THE MONEY!
Pros: Broad feature set for the money; speedy and efficient performance; accepts accessory lenses.

Cons: Flimsy-feeling CompactFlash compartment cover; distracting reflective frame around LCD.

I bought this camera because I needed a digital camera that had a good set of features without breaking the bank. This one fit the bill perfectly. Not only is Canon known for its reliable cameras, and this camera is no exception. While there are cameras out there with more features, nothing comes close to the features/value combo that this camera delivers. The pictures take so far have been great. There has been a bit of purple friging when taking high contrast photos, but I read many other types of review and knew about that. This is no big deal, however, becasue comparable camera in this feature range also suffer this problem. If this is an issue for you then don't buy this camera. Pony up and spend some more money in order to eliminate that problem. The software suite included with this camera is also decent. All in all I would say to those of you that are considering this camera to go out and buy it without hesitation. Good quality, good price, and good pictures will make you a happy photographer.

IMHO the best back-up for a traveling pro
In case a fellow pro is reading these reviews, I would heartily recommend the A70 as a back-up. It resembles the Olympus XA that so many of us loved in the past.
I am writing this because the strong points of this camera are not easy to spot from the material aimed at the amateur market.

1. I can use the same cards as with my G3, which is my official travel camera (I am also a writer, so no SLR's for me, thank you). I can just switch the card from camera to camera and download material any which way. This might work with the SLR's, too, but I haven't tried.
2. The picture quality at ISO 50 is actually quite usable, at least in a tabloid. At first look it is difficult to tell it apart from G3. Don't crop, though. The other ISO's have massive noise, but I use them anyway in special situations.
3. The wideangle add-on lens is no Summicron, but it is passable and very small. I have both the A70 and the wide tucked in the corners of my minuscule bag, so in case of a catastrophe, I still have a 24-105 mm camera to work with.
4. The waterproof case is a marvel. ... Okay, it is not a Nikonos, but it is a small, lightweight thing that gives me the option of taking splashy pictures on the go.
5. Then there are the obvious advantages: AA/Nimh batteries, tv/av/manual modes, single-point and manual focusing and other normal Canon stuff.

The disadvantages are naturally enormous from the professional point of view, but we are talking back-up here.

The competition is surprisingly scarce. First I gravitated towards the S50, but it has several shortcomings. No wideangle, no AA batteries and non-pocketable size. It doesn't support a proper flash any more than the A70. What's the use of having better resolution, if the camera is not in your pocket/the battery is dead in Ouagadougou/the shot calls for a wide perspective? Don't know about you, but I use 35 mm for shooting official state buildings, and not much else.

The Elph/Ixus-series is a lot worse. Sure, they feel better and are a couple of millimeters smaller, but they are hopelessly tyroesque.

If there are more options, I haven't found them. Please, correct me if you have better knowledge.

So the A70+wideangle+waterproof case gives me a rather complete emergency gear in a truly portable package. And, yes, I have indeed fallen in love, so I'm carrying the thing everywhere in my vestpocket.

Excellent choice for the amount of money spent
At the time this review is written, Powershot A70 is the best digital camera someone can get for this amount of money. After doing some research, by comparing to other digital cameras at the same price, the choice was easy . A70 outstands them all. The image quality is very good for 3.2 mpixels, the manual mode is excellent for such a cheap camera, and it is possible to use extra lenses from Canon. The only problem is the Red eye effect which is quite intense with this camera. This is not very important of course because it can be corrected with the use of software. Another drawback is the use of 4 batteries, where other 3.2 mpixel cameras use 2 batteries. Last but not least the flashcard included is way too small and the purchase of a bigger one is mandatory.

In a few words :

Pros : good quality, excellent manual mode, excellent video mode

Cons: Intense redeye, small flashcard, 4 batteries required.

I highly recommend this one, it's a great buy.

LOVE THIS CAMERA
Im a novice with digital cameras and this is actually my first one. It is sooo cool. so many excellent features!! and it is pretty easy to navigate too. Buy it!

The Best 3.2 - Point N Shoot out there.
Hi,
I Desgin Web sites and do graphic design for a living. For the past few years, I have been using my high resolution scanner to get film images onto my computer and then upload them to my web server. But within the last month I have been using Canon's Powershot A70 to reduce work time.
But I did not only purchase the Dig Camera for Web site building...(seeing as how you probably don't need anything more than 2.0 Mega Pixels for viewing images on a computer only). But since our old SLR camera broke (dropped it and never worked since), I wanted something to get good prints as well.

Well, judging by the reviews, I figured I shouldn't write something without doing my homework as well. Also, I didn't want to write this after using the camera for one day. So I gave myself quite some time to play with it to give this review more detail.

I would love to make a PRO vs. CON list, but to be quite honest, I haven't found any CONS.

So, For the Features this camera has, the quality of the name and the lens, and the price you pay, you couldn't find a better camera anywhere.

It has a great 3.0 Optical zoom, with a combined digital zoom, you can get up to 10X focus.
It's the perfect point and shoot, but doesn't limit itself to beginners only as it has several (12) shooting modes...plus a manual mode where you can change the shutter speeds and aperature level.
With the movie mode (which includes sound) you can choose three levels, which also includes the 640x400 AGP mode. I recommend trying out that setting and burning your videos on a CD and watching them on your DVD player. (pretty cool)

The Digital zoom is hardly noticeable at all when I used the "Super Fine" setting....and that was at Max zoom.

It has an easy to use panorama function where you can take 360 degree panorama shots. It also has a fairly simple stitch program in the software bundle to automatically put together your panorama shots into one using artificial intelligence...bla bla bla stuff.

I agree that the 16M FC is barely sufficient if you want to take plenty of pictures. I would also recommend getting a card between 128 - 512...just as a suggestion...but that has nothing to do with the camera itself.

Other than that, The camera is perfect, the quality of canon images are awesome, and battery life lasts quite a sufficient amount of time. Although I will always recommend that you get rechargables, not because the camera sucks up the juice (because it doesn't), but rechargable batteries are better for the environment. To give you an idea of how long the batteries last, I used the camera for about three straight days of constant picture shooting, movie making and lots of uploading to the computer. Overall I took about 600 shots (with a variety of different quality), and about 12 minutes messing around in moving mode...and the batteries finally started to give...

so, battery life is exceptional.
and that's about all I have to say

Its not a joke.the Canon A60 performed better than this
I was really surprized..I returned my Canon A60 to get an A70 cos I really loved the results from the A60...and guess what the photos from the A60(2 MP) are 100 times better that the A70. The view finder too had dust particles inside it...
One of the reasons may be that the A60 was made in Japan where as the A70 was made in Malasia...so try and grab an A70 (if u must) that is made in Japan:)

money well spent =)
I just got this camera about 2 months ago and I absolutley love it! The pics come out great every time and although I haven't used the movie mode much, the times I did I was very well satisfied. The software that comes along with it is very user friendly and the features of the camera itself aren't too difficult to maneuver. A few friends have purchased digital cameras and in comparison it seems like this camera offers the most features within this price range. I would definitely recommend this camera, never leave home without it!

My perfect Compromise
This camera is the perfect compromise for my needs. It is compact yet easy to handle and the controls are in a logical layout and similar enough to my film camera that I don't fumble when switching.

It has full PHD Modes (push here dummey), yet gives me full manual control when I need it.

The resolution is adequate and the images I get don't make me wish that I had used film to record the image.

I now have a camera that goes with me all the time so I don't miss that shot of a lifetime.

ACCESS IN LATVIA
This is the product I want to buy but my problem is that I am currently travelling in Latvia and need a camera as soon as possible. I will be spending a few days in Riga next week and want to know if it's possible to have the camera delivered to my hotel there.

happy camera user
This camera is a wonderful machine. Well priced and packed with features and capabilites. Small, light weight, and very versitle. Sound and picture quality are wonderful. video is awsome for such a small device. Takes some getting use too if used other digital cameras before. would not recomend this as a camera for kids as it could be fragile and is a little too expensive to be tossed around. but still a great deal. recomend getting lots of memmory cards or a few very large ones at least, you will need them for all the pictures and videos you will take.

Manufacturer Quality Control is very bad
After reading some other reviews before me, I guess that the Quality control at Canon (Malasia) is very bad. Most of our friends who rated 1 star seem to have similar QC complaints.

[For the cost], A70 clearly has best features than any other 3 MP DC in the market. Also, professional reviews have been the best for this camera.

I got mine after a long wait and I started learning the operation of the camera. I even took a few snaps of my Kitchen (photo had lot of shades, they were just experimental shots though).

Next day when I switched the camera on, nothing shows up in the LCD except for some default menus. This happened in both shoot as well as play modes. I spent about 4 hours reading the manual to get it right but had no luck.

I just returned it and order a new one. Lets hope this one works.

Fantastic manual controls, not-fantastic lens
Basically my headline says it all. I love this camera's ability to set f stops, shutter speeds, ASA/ISO speeds, under/over- exposure etc etc. Particularly useful to me is the ISO 400 setting -- set the camera there you can take lots of pics indoors without a flash (like film cameras usibg hi speed film, the images will be grainy, but useable).

The main problem is the lens. It performs overall less well than my 2 previous digital cameras (Fuji 2400 and 2800, which regularly gave me tack sharp pictures). This lens gives you OK shots, but often without that extra edge of definition, despite the high number of pixels. There is a fair amount of flare at large apertures, and the program modes like to keep the lens wide open and aim for higher shutter speeds. One workaround to this problem is to use the aperture proiority mode and to stop the lens down to f 4.5 or so.

I am keeping this camera because of all the creative control it gives me, but I still have a Fuji 2400 in my desk drawer when I need to take a really sharp product photo for ebay.

great controls, alright photos
This camera offers all the manual controls you need, plus several preset shooting modes to simplify life, at a very cheap price!. Because it uses 4 AA batteries instead of specialty expensive lithion-ion batteries, you can shop around for the cheapest recharble nimh's. Also because it uses the Compact Flash card, these cards are readily the cheapest out there, and availble in large sizes, plus any multi card reader usually has the compact flash, because it's the most used card in electronics. the camera itself is a bit bigger then u'd assume, but can fit funnily in most kahki pants pockets- jean wearers beware if u wear semi fit to tight jeans.

The photos this camera takes can be quite exellent, although as with all digital photos, extra sharpening is advised(around 80%-100% i'v found is adequate). Also purple fringing is very noticible in shorts with high contrast in light levels.. such as fireworks. Colors are perfect matches, while it may seem like those kodak cameras can take better looking photos, it is because kodak uses a special algorithm to make the colors more saturated and whatnot, in other words, kodak manipulates the colors of images so they look better then real-life, whearas canon photos are 100% exact color matches nearly all the time. ISO 50 to 400 are available , but once again i advise not to use higher then iso100 because images become significantly noisey with extreme film grain visibility.. "iso" is the light sensitivity of the camera to take brighter pics in lower light levels, but at the cost of grain and noise(grain and noise are pixels of unnaturual colors within the photograph, that cause the photo to look very "digitally processed).

The camera comes with a new digic proccessor which speeds up the focosing tremendously, and allows for faster operations in general.. for example the time it takes to turn the camera on is about 2-3 seconds, and the time the camera actually takes the picture after u press the shutter release button is unnoticeable. with about 2 seconds between single shot images, but u can also use drive mode, where u hold the shutter button and it can take about 10 pics at 2pictures per second. then u need to wait 6-10 seconds for the images to write to the memory card.

The camera now has 5 focusing areas within the image, and the camera chooses the best ones to focus with, this may be quicker and easier some of the time, preferably i turn this off and just use the center box to focus so that i know what the camera will focus on myself.

the ability to manually focus is very helpful, because u can set the focus to infinity for fireworks or landscapes without relying on the "landscape" preset mode, also it allows you to prefocus on a spot so u can take photos quicker for fast action events.

Almost forgot a big detail-movie mode. this camera offers VGA resolutions of 640 by 480 pixels, at 15 frames per second. you can take up to 30seconds of video at a time with this resolution, or u can use lower resolutions for 3 minute video clips at a time. personally i love this! i always use the larger resolution and end up filling my camera with more movie clips then photos at parties or special events! the files are saved as .avi extentions and can be played using most all movie players such as windows media player. Also if u have windows xp, and have downloaded the windows movie maker 2, you can use this clips to make a pretty darn good short film to help you remember those special and fun events in life!

This camera is a great find, and buy for the manual, preset, and auto modes it provides along with canon's reputable brand name(canon by the way makes all the parts to their camera's themselves, in other words, canon owns all facilities used to make their cameras). The photos this camera takes are great and may be printed without any need to enhance the images afterwords.. but it's advised to use an autoimage correction, and some sharpening and see if the picture looks beter afterwords. And if the pictures u take look a little, dull in the colors, just use the "vivid" setting and make ur colors stick out more!

***recommendations:
You need to buy at least 1 or 2 4 packs of AA rechargable Nimh batteries, with a charger.
You'll want to buy a case of some sort for this camera,
Buy a Compact Flash card! this is very serious! i would recommend transcend 32x cards or lexmark 32x and up cards. i use a 256mb card, and still find it's not enough space for all the video clips and photos i take!
Take the time to buy a compact flash card reader for your computer while your at it, this allows faster write speeds from the card to your computer, and does not drain your camera's batteries.
Invest in a microfiber cloth to clean your lense, if someone touches the lense(whenever i let someone hold my camera they end up pressing on the lense without knowing it, because they are used to larger film cameras!). DO NOT USE GLASS CLEANER ON THE LENSE, OR AN ORDINARY CLOTH, glass cleaning solvent contains chemicals that can harm and damage the lense special chemical coatings, and an ordinary cloth scratches the lense even if u cant see the scratches by looking into the lense. personally i find just buying a microfiber cloth and using ur breath's moisture enough to clean the lense, without needing to buy a special lense cleaning solvent.
u may want to look at the sony dsc-p8 or p-72, the kodak dx6340, minolta dimage s404, or olympus d-560 zoom.

Happy user
I've had this camera for about a month and I must say it has not dissapointed. If you are comparing costs though, I would include at least a couple of items you may find necessary. A set of rechargables and a higher capacity CF card. I have found the 3.2 MP number to be very acceptable even when printing larger formats. What this means is that when printing a full size 8.5X11 page, you'll get the same quality from this camera as a 5 Megapixel. The higher megapixels will only help if you are thinking of printing poster sizes. One thing I have not liked is the response time when taking pictures. If you really like to take action photos, this camera may not do the trick. When you snap a picture, you have to allow .5-1 sec for it to autofocus. I think you can get around this by disabling some of the auto-functions, but you need practice to get those shots right.

Digital Camera #3
+ all the features I wanted and then some
+ easy to use point and shoot mode but other features to play with
+ a generation ahead of my last digital
+ burst mode is great for capturing a baby on the move
- I'm getting more blurry pictures than with my old Kodak
- the camera can turn off with the lens open if it runs out
of batteries and each time I never saw any warning that I
was running low

photos from jersey
i want to buy a canon digital camera but having difficulty
arrangeing shipment to jersey uk can you help?

Great deal on a very solid digicam.
After all the years and all the digicams I've owned, borrowed and/or tested, I've come to believe that the Canons are the most reliable of the lot. While the "A Series" may be Canon's entry level lineup, they may also be their very best value. They are well built and sturdy enough, not too large to carry easily in a purse (and in fact a bit easier to grip than are the Elph models, therefore making them easier to hold steady), and they offer enough adjustable features for 99% of the digital photo takers whom I know. Happily, the A70 will also function nicely in the automatic mode for folks who just want to point and shoot.
The combination of an optical 3X zoom plus a 3 megapixel resolution is truly ideal, a place where I think most users will find their "sweet spot" in digicams. The 3X (true) optical zoom is powerful enough to make itself useful in many non-portrait settings (sightseeing, sports, etc.) and the 3 megapixel resolution is more than adequate for computer viewing and storage, emailing, website posting and for printing crystal clear enlargements up to 11" x 14". Of course, the A70 offers all the expected niceties, such as easy connectability to your PC, good battery options (including disposables and rechargeables) and an almost infinitely expandable memory. Then there is the price; certainly the A70 is competitive with all other 3X/3Meg cams. This is a good enough digicam that hardly anyone who gets one will likely be the least bit disappointed.

Awesome Camera!!!
I bought this camera as an upgrade from my Sony Mavica 75. The Canon A70 is an excellent 3.2 mpix camera. Not only are the photographs of 35mm quality (depending on your printer, upgraded that about a year ago), but the camera has several point and click functions. For the seasoned photographer, the manual controls (manual focus, aperature settings, shutter speeds, etc.)are outstanding! The camera is loaded with functions galore, hence the 230-page manual. Invest in a 128 meg or higher compact flash card, the 16 meg fills up quick. No camera bag is supplied, I bought one for $10. Need to invest in 2 4-packs of rechargeable NiMH batteries and a charger, the cost of regular batteries will add up quick. This will be the last camera that I need to purchase for a very long time.

Solid, no-nonsense, easy-to-use camera
The Canon A70 Powershot is my first digital camera. Before this one, I owned a Canon EOS 35mm and spent hundreds of dollars a year on printing photos. However, I wanted to save on photo printing fees, share photos with friends and family over the web, and still enjoy the features that used for years on my EOS. I wanted to take photos in night and dim light situations as well as daytime and wide scenery, and enjoy the creative expression I had with the EOS. Going digital with the Canon Powershot was the most sensible move I could have made.

Things I like about this camera:
- the 3 megapixel resolution allows printing of very clean, clear photos on glossy paper;
- colors are natural-looking, vivid and realistic
- the ISO setting of up to 400 makes it easy to take photos without flash
- CompactFlash cards are cheaper than the other alternatives on the market
- the software included allows easy transfer of photos via USB
- power-up time is minimal
- the camera is a comfortable weight, and feels like a more expensive camera to the touch
- battery life (when using standard rechargeable Ni-MH AA batteries) is more than satisfactory for the casual photographer (I take maybe 50 photos a week, most without flash but with the LCD on, and only have to recharge once a month or so)
- photos taken using digital zoom, while looking grainy on the LCD, end up with surprisingly crisp clarity overall

Things I dislike:
- no 800x600 resolution setting (sometimes 640x480 seems too small and 1024x768 too large for photos shared over the web or used in PowerPoint slide shows)
- inept redeye settings (it never seemed to work too well for me - is there something I'm missing?);
- photos taken in sepia seem a tad yellowish for my taste (possibly a problem that could be adjusted in printing)
- the meager selection of LCD display background and sounds
- camera cannot read or display photos from a CF card that have been edited and resaved in a separate PC application (the LCD just shows a question mark)
- slightly flimsy focus knob/level (I would have preferred a bit more solid feel)
- removing the CF card requires a bit of a trick to get the lid off (it's fine once you get used to it, however)
- focus cannot be adjusted while recording video, and the sound quality of the built-in speaker is comparable to a cheap child's toy
- some purple stripes appear on the LCD in certain lighting conditions during shooting (these do not appear in the final photo, however)

All this said, for the main reasons why I bought this camera, I haven't regretted the purchase. (But for sharing photos over the web, the single most aggravating point is the lack of a 800x600 photo resolution setting! Alas, that is what Photoshop is for...) The camera is simple enough to use, feels sturdy, takes photos that are of excellent quality, and the benefits of this camera far outweigh the disadvantages IMO. Although I'm no expert photographer, I feel like I have purchased a product that will satisfy my basic needs and my creative needs for years to come.

The Best Beginners Camera
I have to admit that this is not my first digital camera, but the one that I had previously was very difficult to work with and broke after 6 months, which is why I ended up buying this camera. I had to go searching through many cameras and finally decided upon this one after reading the reviews here on Amazon and then checking it out at the store where I purchased it.
It is amazingly simple to use the first time around. By just turning it on and playing with it, you can figure out just about all the basics right away, which is why I say it is an awesome camera to have for a beginner (which is how I classify myself). It comes with so many features that at first I didn't think were really necessary, but now I feel I could not live without them. Every picture that I have taken has come out perfectly, which is saying a lot because I go off roading all the time and you get to see some of the most beautiful animals in their natural habitat, but you have to be quick to take the pictures of some of them which is why the "moving" feature is awesome and other times the animals are far away which is why the zoom is great! It does well even in poor lighting and at night. This camera is very easy to hook up to my Mac but unfortunately is not that compatible with the iPhoto program, but that is okay because the program that it comes with is very easy to use!! Overall I would have to say that this camera has not let me down yet and I don't forsee it doing so. Just remember these two magic words: rechargable batteries!!!

rocks
had this camera for a month fo shizzle my nizzle 12032093 buy it buy it

What a great camera
This camera is amazing. After using a sipix 2.1 and a very expensive Nikon 995 I'm glad to say this is probably the best camera you can get for the price. The picture quality is great. It is a very easy camera to use even if you've never used digital before. CompactFlash memory is great and cheap. I do wish they gave at least a 32 meg card though instead of the 16 meg card. The software included is easy to use and has a lot of cool features to add to your pictures. The ability to shoot short video is also great. Although you will probably need a bigger memory card if you plan on doing this. The LCD display is very clear and the red eye feature is very cool a lot of other digital cameras don't have. If you are looking for a great digital camera at a reasonable price go with this one. I looked into many other cameras before deciding on this one and can say this is probably the best thing you can get for just casual picture taking.

Great choice for the point and shoot photographer
Just spent 3 weeks on vacation and after 237 pictures, I am still on my 2nd set of AA batteries. I used the new Ultra Duracell batteries designed for this type of application. I have been using disposable cameras prior to this purchase, and wanted a digital that was just as easy to use...and this camera is a great choice. Software is also user friendly, I have not had to refer to the manual yet on sending the images to my computer and setting up slide shows and e-mailing photos. Very satisfied all around...and there is so much more this camera does...if I ever decide to take advantage of all its features.

target experience
I may just seem to be a teenager... But I work at a target as a level 2 over electronics... the Canon PowerShot A70 Digital Camera 3.2 mega pixel is the best digital camra that Target carries at this time. its a mix of good quality ... zoom, sofware, and camra, along with a good price. I wouldn't recomend anything else.

A delightful little camera!!!
I ordered my Canon A70 from Amazon less than a month ago and I'm truly happy with my choice! It arrived on time and in perfect condition!
I did a lot of research prior to buying this, my first digital camera! My original first choice was the new P8 from Sony, a nice camera indeed, but the more I learned about the Canon A70 the more I liked it.
There were a couple of things that really influenced my decission. The first one was the fact that Compact Flash cards are far cheaper and more popular than Sony's Memory Stick. I bought a 128mp card for $24.99, a fraction of the price I would have paid for a similar card for any Sony camera! The second thing was the fact that this Canon uses simple and easy to find AA batteries, which means that if my camera ever runs out of power (and I'm caught without a spare set of rechargeables) I can easily find batteries for it at any place!
I love the many features of this little camera, and believe me, it has lots of them! One other thing that I really like about it is that you can use it both as a completely automatic point and shoot camera or as a completely manual one! I've already taken several photographs, and I'm amazed with their quality!
It is not as small as other cameras, but it is small enough to be quite comfortable and easy to carry around! And it's quite stylish too!!!
I truly believe that nowadays this camera is the best deal in its class! The only problem with this camera is finding one...It's selling like hot-cakes!!!

Mega-Wonderful Camera
Let me start out with this that no camera will ever be the perfect camera for every single person. With that said, I have to say this very loud and clear... the Canon Powershot A70 and the lower model A60 as well are the best cameras available in their price range. The only difference between these two models is the megapixel size A70 = 3.2MP and the A60 = 2.1MP size. The A70 a great camera for a photography novice like myself, but it also has tons of powerful features for camera buffs. As others have stated this camera uses standard consumables such as AA batteries (always easy to find) and Compact Flash memory (easily the most common memory card format, I've even seen CF cards available at the grocery store). This camera is definitely designed for the masses and it shows because it sells out as soon as it hits a store shelf. I was lucky enough to get after searching for over a week. Several other stores were sold out and had no idea when theyÂ’d get one in stock. ItÂ’s h

amazing value with room for creativity - plus 3MP resolution
this camera is perfect for people who are starting off their digital camera career. it will work as a point and shoot but this is a camera you can hone your creativity on. when you're ready to experiment, the A70 provides a high degree of manual control for a camera at this price point.

pros:
- very nice resolution
- 3x optical zoom lens
- amazing manual control for the price: manual focus, selectable ISO sensitivity, and exposure (aperture priority, shutter priority, or manual)
- good metering and good tonal balance - maintains shadow detail
- good natural light white balance, strong and balanced colours
- AF assist lamp helps auto-focus for low light situations
- nice layout of controls and easy to understand
- very nice build quality - feels more expensive than what its price would suggest
- bright, detailed LCD monitor
- good shot-to-shot times, quick start-up time too
- movie clip mode up to 3 minutes
- low noise at ISO 50 (keep in mind that ISO 50 for this camera is actually ISO 100 for everyone else; likewise, ISO 100 is in reality closer to ISO 200, etc)
- impressive battery life plus it uses non-proprietary AAs (but i'd recommend buying rechargeables)
- excellent value - no one else offers this feature set at this price level

cons:
- slight chromatic aberrations visible
- AF Assist lamp doesn't have enough power at telephoto zoom
- moderately underexposed flash shots
- RAW format not supported
- no histogram available - useful to see if photos have correct exposure
- distracting mirror finish frame surrounds the LCD monitor
- competition is lighter and smaller, but also does not give the same amount of manual control
- the supplied 16MB CF card is not adequate - be ready to shell out more $$ for more memory

i was surprised by this camera. at its price point, it has the most features among cameras available today. this camera will work well with beginners (but who'll want to spread their "creative" wings later) but will not disappoint more advanced photographers on a budget. definitely a camera to add to your short list.

An excellent Camera
I've owned this camera for 2 days, and already I've had a blast with it. I previously co-owned an Olympus D-550, but decided to buy a second one just for me.

It has great battery life (well, for a digital camera at least). The pictures come out very good, and it has very nice optics (interchangeable lenses [not included] which is a nice feature). It also uses compact flash, which is way better than smart media. It's very cheap and you can get up to 256MB of storage space for this camera.

The only real con is that it doesnt support uncompressed images (like TIFF files). That is really something I would've liked to have, although the jpeg superfine compression it uses is practically lossless.

Another small quirk is that there is no battery meter. It only tells you when you are about to run out (maybe 5 minutes of life left?). But it lasts so long, you really don't have to worry about it.

There was one other thing that bothered me, but was not actually a problem, was how the picture on the LCD got lines through it when zooming. The lines disappear when you stop. At first I thought this was an issue with the LCD, as it looked suspicious. But not to worry, according to a Canon technician this is normal.
It is neither annoying nor do the lines interfering with viewing your subject. However new owners might think there is something wrong with their camera. Good quality batteries helps alleviate this problem.

As with all non professional digital camera's, the autofocus/auto shooting mode doesn't always work correctly... This model works extremely well, but of course is not perfect. But one should keep in mind that for 300$ this is by far superior to almost others out there under 500$. Autofocusing by most digital camera's are distracted by anything that emits glare or is very shiny/light reflective. The canon can be fooled, but it generally works even under tricky conditions. But of course Canon gives you a very complete set of manual features to adjust for these conditions. Most of the time this is not needed... I find it hard to match the "auto" mode quality with my own settings, a very big positive.

The ergonomics are also wonderful, it's very comfortable to hold and unlike other cameras you don't feel like you are going to drop it.

Although I have mostly listed some negative things about this camera, this is no where near a bad review. The camera is wonderful, and the best 3-4 MP camera you can buy IMO. The clarity of the pictures and their color is wonderful. I really don't see how anyone could be disappointed with this camera. In all likelihood every non professional user should be thrilled with it.

This is the best camera I've tested yet.

Entering Digital Photography
After many months of research, decided to purchase the Canon A70. The camera has provided an excellent entry into digital photography. The features on this camera are excellent. Can't believe how much flexibility in picture taking can be included in such a small package.

I was concerned about the small camera size due to my arthritic fingers, but it has been easy to handle and control.

Battery life has been excellent. The stitch picture feature is exceptional. Really happy with the camera with one exception - the shutter does not respond as fast as my Nikon N6006. Will try the recommended method of partially depressing the shutter to allow camera to make adjustments before taking the picture.

Picture quality has been great and processing the digital pictures thru a flash card reader easy.

This camera ROCKS!!!!
While [$$] still isn't "chump change" to me, it is a bargain for this camera.
When you open the box and take the camera out, you're surprised at how small it is but then, you're surprised by how solid and natural it feels in your hand. Even though the body is plastic, it has a sturdy feel to it unlike some other cameras in this price range.

Once it's in your hands, you pop in the 4 AA batteries, the compact flash card and, away you go. Put it in AUTO mode and you have a nice 3MP point and shoot camera that responds very well to varying light conditions and circumstances.

In other modes you have control over; white balance, exposure compensation, Drive (Single shot, continuous shooting, self-timer), ISO speed, Light Metering, Image Quality and Photo Effect (Off, vivid color, neutral color, low sharpening, sepia, black & white) The other modes are:

P-this mode is the same as AUTO but you have control over the above mentioned options.

Av-Aperture Priority, you set the f-stop, the camera sets the shutter speed.

Tv-Shutter Priority, you set the shutter speed, the camera sets the f-stop

M-full manual, you have control over shutter speed, aperture, flash output, and focus.

In addition to that, there's six other modes; Slow Shutter, Fast Shutter, Landscape, Night Scene and, Portrait. In these modes, the camera sets shutter and aperture to the appropriate settings for each situation. Also included is a Stitch mode which lets you take a series of photos and then combine with the software for a panoramic effect.
The last mode on the camera is Movie Mode. In Movie Mode, you can record at 3 resolutions; 640 X 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 120. In the largest format you can record for 30 seconds and, in the other two formats, you can record approx. 3 minutes. Movies are recorded with sound in the AVI format but unfortunately, you can not use the zoom while filming in this mode.

Performance

When you power the camera up, it takes about 3 seconds to warm up before it's ready to shoot. Once it's ready, you push the shutter down halfway to lock the autofocus and then depress the shutter fully. Now you have a pic! You can review it on the LCD if you want any where from 2 to 10 seconds. The LCD screen measures 1.5 inches and fairly clear and easy to see but it would have been nice to control the brightness.
Next move inside to take some flash pictures. Here you'll use the autofocus illuminator to help the camera focus in low light. There's a small orange light on the front of the camera under the flash, when you focus, it comes on to make it easier for the camera to focus. This eliminates the long focus times that some other camera have in these situations if they can even focus at all. Also inside, you'll appreciate the fact that Canon put a decent flash on this little guy. It has a working distance of about 13 feet at the wide angle setting.
Picture Quality is very good. Pictures come out sharp with accurate color tones. I do get red-eye sometimes in indoor shots but, not always and, not to the point that I would consider unacceptable. I have yet to have any incidences of "purple fringing"

Overall, a VERY solid camera!

This camera is GREAT!
First of all, WOW! I bought this camera for my girlfriend for her birthday. She and her family are really into taking pictures of everything: their pets, each other, anything! Never having even seen the camera in real life I bought it off Amazon at a great price.
I'm giving it to her with all the extras (a usb card reader so you don't have to plug in your camera, rechargeable batteries w/ charger and a 256 mb CF card.) I will be giving it to her in a couple of weeks, so I decided to make sure everything works ok. BAD MOVE!!!! I love it so much! I am not much of a picture guy and I've used it for a couple of days and have already taken nearly a hundred pictures! It is a great piece of work. It's great to be able to see a picture on your computer within 5 minutes of taking it! I'm going to have to get me one.
The quality is great! When you get the focus right, which isn;t TOO hard, the pictures look professional!
This camera is great and I recommend it very highly!

DO NOT BUY BEST BUY
I love this camera so far....

My beef is with Best Buy. I bought this camera at a Best Buy in Michigan, 4 hours from where I live in Canada and specifically asked if I could exchange it at a Best Buy in Canada. They all said NO PROBLEM. Turns out I needed to exchange it and to my chagrin I am unable to do it. Ya I could return but what a frekin incovenience...and they will not componsate me either.

Absolutely Magnificant
I have been long awaiting my first Digital Camera purchase. I have been putting it off for well over a year now because I just could not find a camera that I fell in love with. That was until I saw the Canon A70 one day at work. I started playing around with it and immediately liked it. As I worked more I played around with it more, and before I knew it I had decided which camera I would purchase when eventually purchased a camera. The first thing you will notice about the A70 is how comfortable the camera feels while holding it. The camera is extremely easy to turn on, and selecting one of the 12 different shooting modes is perfectly placed for your thumb. The zoom is more than enough for me at 3.2 digital and 3X optical. Taking/viewing pictures is as easy as any other camera I have ever seen, and the battery life is what is excpected from 4 alkaline AAs(I havent used Rechargable batteries yet). There is no lens cover to worry about because there is a shutter that comes over the lens when you turn the power off. The software that come with the camera is above expectations so far, but I have not used it incredibly extensively yet. The Canon A70 does have a movie mode, and it works fine for short clips. I also have the Canon ZR45 so I do not use the movie mode on the A70 that much. Everything you need to get started come with the camera, including a strap and a 16mb Campactflash memory card. Another nice thing about the camera is that it takes the CF card. They are by far the easiest to find and cost far less than a number of other memory cards. The Canon A70 is a great buy for the money at an MSRP of $$$$$. I would definitely recomend the A70 to newcomers of the Digital Camera world and even to people looking to upgrade from their current camera. The A70 is a SOLID 5 star camera.

Go get one !
I'll keep this short, because there are lots of other reviews for the techies. In a nutshell, I'd simply say if you want a digital camera that point and shoot, the A-70 can't be beat for under $ 300 --- probably not for a lot more dollars, either.

I have a huge old Sony Mavica FD-91 that has been a good, reliable workhorse. I like Sony in general, and looked at several new models before coming across the Canon A-70.

I started to buy one at Amazon.com, but then I saw it was coming from Target (no free shipping!), so I said what the heck, I'll just go there and get one. No luck, they were out, and could not say when they would get more. Circuit City and Best Buy had the same story.

Back to the internet, and found a lot of the camera suppliers were also out. So back to good old Amazon.com. When I did the deal, their supplier had changed to Office Depot, but they had some in stock and I got mine in just a few days, for about $ 8.00 shipping.

Canon has a nice package, including the camera, USB cable, a cable for hooking the camera up to a TV, four AA batteries, a stingy 16MB compact flash card, software, and about four pounds of manuals. I found the manuals to be nicely done, better than what I'm used to from Sony by far.

The camera is just jam-up. For most of us, just leave it in "auto" and start shooting. For shutterbugs, it has a number of features that will allow special settings. It operates on four AA batteries, no high dollar jobs like many other cameras use. I invested in rechargeable 1800 mAh Nickel Metal Hydrides, having been forewarned by other reviewers. I also stuck in a 512 MB card so I won't have to screw around changing them, or at least not very often.

I think the A-70 is a great design --- the battery box forms a natural grip for right handers. The optical view finder is far enough left so that if you use your right eye, you nose won't get the back of the camera greasy. No lens cap, it has an automatic eyelid, sort of. Only a 3-X zoom, but c'mon, we're talking a $ 299.00 3.2 Megapixel camera here! The "feel" is good and solid. The little LCD on the back is sharp and clear, and there are a minimum of buttons to deal with --- what is there is easy to use.

So, if you are a first time digital camera buyer, this would be the one I'd recommend. It is small enough for a purse, or to slip into a trouser pocket, so it will go anywhere with minimal fuss. It's cheap, takes great pictures --- even videos if you want --- what's not to like?

great camera for the price
I have just purchased the canon powershot A70 - my first digital camera. I love it. I have gotten a ton of great pictures in every type of setting and in different types of lighting. The clarity of the pictures has been great. Most of my pictures have been taken on Auto but the manual features have been easy to use and simple to learn. I would recommend this camera to anyone who wants to get great pictures of their family and record trips or special occasions.

Great camera, but not to be knocked around
I really have enjoyed my A70. I don't know that I think of it as a point a shoot though, at least in the way many people do. I think that too many people think of "point and shoot" as "toss and bounce". This is a precision insturment, and should be treated as such. Your total investment on a camera like this after you buy memory cards, case, rechargable batteries, better photo/imaging software (Photoshop Elements is great!), and any other desired accessories can be in excess of $500. Treat it like that and it will be fine. If you want a camera to toss about, buy a Kodak or Fuji that won't make you want to cry if it gets broken. If you are wanting a digital camera that you can customize to take pictures the way you want, is flexible, but will also let you just snap off quick quality pictures when you don't want to have to think, the A70 will do the job well.

Why not 5 stars? I don't understand why a camera at this price point can't focus as fast as a [cheap]35mm AF Minolta "point and shoot". I have played with a lot of 3MP cameras (Nikon, Olympus, Sony, etc), and none of them focus as fast or as accurately as my cheapy Minolta, especially in low light. I couldn't give any digital cam that I have tried that is priced under $800 five stars for this reason. I would give 4.5 stars if I could.

Awesome Camera with a great price!
bought this camera last may... i was thinking about buying the ixusv3 because of the steel casing but at the last second i changed my mind because i read about the a70. The advantage of the A70 over the Ixusv3 is the manual controls... the manual controls help me tweak the image. thus producing pictures that u feel should show ... :)

btw i bought this with a viking 128mb CF card!

Good: Movies; Bad: Purple Fringing
I agree with the positive reviews here. I have taken some really nice pictures. But one qualification: It does have a significant problem with "purple fringing": a very bright patch next to a very dark patch in your picture will sometimes have a purple halo around it. I know this is common in cameras with higher pixel counts, but I don't know how this camera compares to similarly priced models. It can usually be removed with a time consuming procedure in Photoshop, etc. This problem could apparently be solved if the A70 used a better interpolation technique in the camera.

They say the problem can be dimished by using a longer focal length (zooming in) or a lower ISO, but even this does not always work. But to be honest, the movie mode is so awesome (better than anything else out there for the price), that I am willing to put up with this problem.

BTW, I also recommend "Complete Digital Photography" by Ben Long if you want to know how digital cameras work, how to take better pictures, and even how to choose the right camera.

And the movie mode is awesome at VGA resolution--shown on my 19" TV, it looks a lot like a really good super-8 movie. The sound quality isn't bad either (mono, of course). Downside: only 30 seconds, and the camera will not adjust for lighting conditions during shhoting.

So Far So Good
Took me long enough to get this one. In fact I went ahead and ordered the A60. But then the A70 finally came. Gave the A60 to my sister. I have mine set on medium resolution (which is what the A60 is) and my pictures come out just fine. Instructions were simple enough. Too many steps have to be taken to set it on auto shutter release, but what the heck. Don't use it that often anyway. Thrilled I had it when our grandson was born. Taken lots of pictures already. so far ir has performed flawlessly and the picture quality is great. I would and have recommended this camera to relatives and friends.

Cannon Powershot A70 3mp Digital Camera w/3x Optical Zoom
I am very pleased with this camera---The pictures turn out really good---The only problem we had was the memory card only holds a few pictures---So be sure and get a larger one for it---I think anyne would like it--It's small, but very good.

Cannot complain about this camera
I bought this camera a couple of months ago despite some reviews I've read online about battery life, etc. The battery life was certainly not a problem with NimH batteries. I took dozens among dozens of pictures before I had to change the batteries. If you leave the camera on for hours and are taking pictures all day long then maybe the battery will not last for more than two days. But if you are like me and take a few pictures here, turn the camera off, then say an 30 minutes later take another few pictures here and there, etc. Then the battery should last for weeks. It did for me!

It also takes great pictures in the dark. I had a digital camera years ago and in low light it was terrible. With the canon I turned off all the lights and had only the TV on and it still took great shots.

It even takes short movie stills. Not bad.

All in all, I cannot complain about this camera and I'm quite happy with it.

HORRIBLE QUALITY
About a week after I purchased the camera BRAND NEW, the LCD screen went dark for no reason and went on and off with no pattern at all. I sent it in for repair (I had to pay for shipping) and they returned it two weeks later "all fixed." ONE DAY AFTER I received it back the LCD screen turned dark again and the whole problem came back, not to speak of the scratch on my camera from the repair process. I had a lot of respect for Canon products before this but now I am totally apalled by their poor quality.

I LOVE THIS CAMERA!!
I AM A NOVICE DIGITAL PICTURE TAKER. I RESEARCHED NUMEROUS CAMERAS BOTH ONLINE AND IN RETAIL SHOPS, SOME SPECIALTY. WHEN CHOOSING A CAMERA I RESEARCHED FEATURES AND USAGES(RECOMMENDED) THIS CAMERA IS COMPACT, EASY TO USE, UPLOADING IMAGES WAS A BREEZE~ I DO RECOMMEND SOME RECHARGEABLE BATTERIES AS YOU WILL FALL IN LOVE WITH PICTURES TAKING BECAUSE OF THIS CAMERA. I KNOW IM ADDICTED TO IT..I TAKE MY LIL POWERSHOT WITH ME EVERYWHERE~ THE SOFTWARE IS PHENOMINAL AS WELL! IT COMES WITH USB AND AV/AU, AND BATTERIES... RIGHT OUT OF THE BOX YOU CAN BEGIN TAKING PICTURES. THE ZOOM IS SUPERB ALL MY PICTURES HAVE COME OUT WONDERFUL...YOU CAN REVIEW AS YOU SHOOT AND DELETE, TWIST, ALTER, AND SHOOT PANORAMIC AS WELL...WHAT NEEDS EDITING CANON PROVIDES THE SOFTWARE TO DO WITH. THE EVEN PROVIDE TEXT ADDITION, FRAMES ND MORE!
WANT A CAMERA INVEST IN THIS ONE!! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. OH AND DID I MENTION THE EXCELLENT VIDEO WITH SOUND~ AMAZING

excellent product
This is the latest model in this mellenium.Everyone in the world over should strive to own one.

killer camera
I haven't even begun to get into the finer details of this camera but just fooling around with the automatic setting is producing some outstanding pictures. I like the way it sits in my hand and it is easy to hold steady with just one hand. I cannot believe the clarity.
Worth every penny so far. I don't know how it will hold up, time will tell, but for now: THIS THING IS GREAT!!!!

Cannon A 70
Great camera. Easy for a beginner, just point and shoot. With it's advanced features an advanced user can use it like a full function SLR. Great definition in photos.

My First Digital-Great Choice!
I can sum the experience I've had with the A70 up in four words: I Love This Camera! I researched digital cameras for about a year, and learned a lot about them in the process. My reasons for buying this camera came down to a few: I wanted a camera that could go totally automatic for my "point & shoot" Wife, but that could go fancy for me. I wanted a camera that actually felt like a camera in my hand, vs. some of the "mini-digitals" that I've seen.

I've taken over 200 photos so far and am still using the AA batteries that came with the camera. I rarely use the LCD display to frame the photo, using the viewfinder instead. I purchased a SanDisk 256mb Premium Quality card. It cost $10 more than the standard 256mb card and is well worth it.

I've tried the direct connect USB cable to download images from the camera to my computer. It was quick, easy, and worked very well.

Of course with some flash shots you get some red eye, but that's easily edited. For outside photos, this camera takes shots with colors so vibrant the images are almost three-dimensional.

I really can't find anything with this camera that isn't perfect.Even the directions are clearly written and very easy to follow. What a buy! I'd recommend this camera to anyone who wants a quality product that is easy to operate and takes great photos.

Excellent Camera - Value for money.
Excellent Camera - Value for money. Used during my Hawaii trip and was amazed by the output. Not too expensive, but provides most of the features you look for.
Bottomline, the quality of the pictures is clear enough for human eye. Not sure, how someone can convince me to buy something more clearer for double the cost.

No Complaints
I've had this camera for about a week now, and I love it. So what that it didn't come with rechargeable batteries and a charger. I bought this separate myself using energizer rechargeable batteries and it cost less than the set offered by Canon. I've tried all the effects and settings on this camera and they all work great. It's also nice to be able to print directly to my printer and not having to plug the camera into my computer. I highly recommend this camera. It's the best for under $500. I got mine for $289. Need a camera without having to worry about film. Get this one.

Value-packed
I am an amateur photographer (vacations, get-togethers, etc.) and I have owned a Canon A-10 for several years and it met all of my needs valiantly. I received the A-70 as a gift (which I researched) and have been playing with it for a few months now, before writing this review. All I can say is: WOW! You'd be hard pressed to find such a a great camera packed with so many features at such a great price.

What I like the most:
-Canon reliability and superior lens
-small size (smaller! than the A10)...really fits in my pocket
-no lens cover to worry about
-super-sharp pictures (both for web-publishing and up to 8X10 prints...SUPER!)
-fun movie function let's me take all the video that my friends could bear to watch (I've only reached up to 3 minutes so far)
-VIVID color
-the numerous manual feature options, which are allowing me to learn more about photography and experiment at my own pace

What I found useless in this package:
-while it's nice that it runs on AAA's, there's no use packaging with regular batteries (only useful in a pinch...you need NiMH rechargeables!)
-the accompanying memory card is nigh-useless...I carry it on vacations in case I fill up, but really, if you want to have fun you need a minimum of 512MB for peace of mind and room to make lots of mistakes and throw in a few video clips

BOTTOM-LINE: after months of research and endless reading, all roads led me to this camera and it is WELL WORTH IT! This will keep me busy for the next couple of years exploring and learning. In the meantime the AUTO options produce FANTASTIC pictures, and the video clips are great. QUALITY wrapped in a FUN, EASY and TRULY COMPACT package.

ALSO, as a Mac-user, this camera is completely Mac-compatible and a snap to use...plug-and-play in OS X...my dog could download pictures it's so ridiculously easy.

Dust, dust and dust. Poor focus, heavy, so so picture
I returned the camera the next day, even I had to lose the gift card of $50.

3 pieces of dust on the top of the lens once I opened the package. And one piece of dust under the lens.

fuzzy focus. Picture is just so so. The camera is very heavy with the 4 AA batteries.

Japanese camera is not as what I thought before. The 1 M kodak I bought 3 years ago takes sharper picture than this one.

I would rather buy Samsung Digimax 4500, digimax 3500, Digimax V3 and digimax V4. They also have full manual control. And they are much lighter.

Size is everything...
Pros: Photo quality is excellent, and the features are ruling. The movies look good, and I haven't had any technical issues with it. Compact flash is a nice storage medium.

Cons: This is a very heavy camera, and the end part is quite big, preventing it from being carried in a pocket (I don't carry a purse).

Final thoughts: Excellent for photographing your friends in bars (and making new ones!) Having said that, I would have rather had a smaller camera with the same features for the same price. Maybe a Pentax or the Digital Elph....

Great Camera Terrible Customer Service Beware of Waranty
This Camera takes great Pictures the colors are vivid and it is easy to use. I purchased an underwater case for it which leaked and ruined my month old camera. Customer service was rude, blamed me and then tried to bargain with me to fix it for $ instead of the $ that they initially requested. The underwater case has a 7 DAY WARANTY and the camera is not covered for water damage. My father had a similar problem with his $Nikon digital which just stopped working for no aparent reason, they claimed it was water damage and tried to bargain with him to buy a rebuilt one for $. So beware of bad customer service. Canon's customer service has all bad unreasolved reviews at the Better business Bureau.

Lots of great features make for digital fun
This is my first digital so I'm no expert, but I've had nothing but trouble-free fun with this puppy since August. My wife and I took it on a cruise to Alaska and all our friends have complemented us on the pictures we took using the A70. The all-automatic setting makes pictures totally easy for the novice and the manual settings allow you to experiment. The user manual is pretty good at explaining basic operation and features and the free software helps you get your shots on your computer for editing and uploads.

Only two complaints: the visual display is very hard to see in daylight (use the old fashion viewfinder) and be sure you get rechargeable batteries. That huge sucking sound you hear is the power draining out of your alkalines.

Very Pleased
I was looking for a small good quality digital camera for around $300. I wasn't sure whether to get the canon a70 or the Kodak EasyShare DX6340. I read reviews anywhere i could. I saw some pretty discouraging reviews of the canon. Although, i liked the size and the layout. I also heard from friends and family that i should definitly go with the canon. That the lense was crystal over kodaks glass. I'm very glad that i chose the canon. It takes amazing pictures and i couldnt be happier! I strongly recommend the canon a70 to anyone looking for a great little camera.

Great compact camera!
I got one in October 2003 and it makes images as good as my $4,000 DSLR. You can see my comments in detail at http://kenrockwell.com/canon/a70.htm and examples of photos at http://kenrockwell.com/best

I LOVE it! Runs forever on a set of batteries, easy to use, great results. Caveat: like all cameras, it is an artists tool. No camera just makes great photos all by itself.

Ken

WONDERFUL CAMERA
This is my first digital camera, but I have had experience with others that family members own. I did a lot of research to determine what I wanted out of a camera and the A70 had all the features I wanted. I have had it for about three weeks now and love it. The insrtuction manual isan easy read, so easy that when I was finished reading it I was taking pictures like a pro. The quality of the pictures is excellent. The options allow you to take pictures in all sorts of settings, and lighting. It's portability is awesome. I fit it into the lapel pocket of a jacket and it fit perfectly. I HIGHLY recommend this camera even though it is a bit pricy.

Great Camera
I won't belabor points other have made. I just want to say in my expirience this is a great camera. Takes outstanding point and shoot photo's with no adjustment, however if you want to control aperture/shutter speed, etc you have the option.

As someone knew to photography it gave me many options.

Consider buying a tripod and rechargable batterys as well

Mac compatible & easy for a techno-novice
I bought this camera after doing a great deal of online research and reading Consumer Reports. I wanted a simple, point and shoot camera that *could* do all the fancy stuff if I decided I wanted to learn how to use those features. This camera fit both needs--and was very highly recommended by many reviewers, including Consumer Reports.

I've had the camera for about four months now, and I am completely thrilled with it. It takes fabulous, clear pictures--pictures of runners came out just as clearly as those of kids trick or treating in the dark--and the camera is easy to hook up to my Mac with a cable. If you use a Mac, you can easily import the photos into iPhoto. One thing I would recommend to any purchaser--pick up a memory card with more memory than the card that comes with the camera. You'll use it.

I have read very little of the manual, and was able to figure out the camera with ease. I'd recommend this camera to anyone who wants great photos without trying to learn a complicated camera (though this does have the bells and whistles if you want to take advantage of them!)

GREAT VALUE, BUT CONSIDER CANON'S OWN S-230
The A70 is a very decent entry-level digicam with the usual benefits that come from any Canon family camera: excellent options for a point-and-shoot lightweight camera.

But, if you are looking for your first digicam purchase and a smallish camera to carry around, I'd recommend you to also consider at the sleek S series line from Canon, or the smaller Nikons, or more recent versions of the Minolta Dimage.

Since I am recommending AGAINST the A70, I'll focus in this review on what is NOT necessarily so cool about this camera --

(1) The A70 comes with 3.2 megapixels. The S230 comes with 3 megapixels. Not that big of a difference especially if you consider the somewhat heftier price tag for A70.
(2) Images are not as vivid as the S-series cams. The feel of the pics is a bit blurred (soft focus) and need sharpening in a photo-editing software. Quickly gets tiring.
(3) You'll find the camera is prone to the dreaded "E18 error". Google for it.
(4) Uses AA batteries, which means shorter usage time than Lithium-ion.
(5) When you zoom in in dark surroundings, without Flash, the pictures have a problem with horizontal lining that is a pain to get rid of.
(6) Miniscule memory card included with camera forcing purchase of upgrade immediately.
(7) The ON-OFF button is a pain to operate in this design.
(8) Frequent purple fringing, plus red colors appear frequently as purples in the pics.
(9) Speaking of which, there is red-eye galore, even with the red eye reduction setting turned on.

I'm speaking of a 2003 model and while you read this review, Canon may have released a newer series of these digicams. Caveat Emptor. I evangelize Canon in general but this cam I'd recommend you to stay away from. However, do consider some of the other excellent value for money offerings from Canon, including, as mentioned above, the S230, the S400 etc.

Poor Quality Control?
My first A70 did a very nice job for a few weeks until it failed without warning. The camera simply died completely after writing two black "photos" to the memory card. Perhaps the replacement camera will work flawlessly for years to come. Canon can ill afford hundreds (or even dozens) of customers writing personal accounts of catastrophic failures of their products. In my opinion, this model can only maintain its classification as a good value if at least 99.9% of the units shipped remain failure-free for at least two years in the field.

triple failure
Having waited 4 months before coming to the US from the UK in order to get a better price for the A70, I waltzed into my local shop to purchase my long sought after little gem.
Having got it home and excitedly unwrapped it,I tinkered with it for around 10 minutes and then turned it off-much to my dissapointment, only one of the blades of the lens shutter closed. After having come to terms with my misfortune, I returned the camera to the shop and promptly obtained a replacement. Dissapointment then turned to downright disgust, as the function button on my substitued A70 completely failed to work-nothing, not a whisper. Holding my head in my hands, I once again returned to the shop and after much deliberation I decided to give it one more shot (excuse the pun), assuming that the laws of probability would prevent any additional grief; alas, as the shop assistant was telling me how they had sold thousands with no problems, the third camera showed the exact same symptoms as the first-only one of the shutter blades closed properly.
Now it is likely that my misfortune could never be equalled but a word of warning to those purchasing this model: you may want to buy it in a shop to prevent yourself from having to send anything to a mail-order company in timbuktu and never seeing your camera again. Secondly, check, check, check it out in every possible way before taking it home, at least for those problems which I mentioned.
Best of luck. I know I will need some.

Amazing Digi Cam for everyone!
The Canon A70 Digital Cam is just Amazing. It's easy to use and has so many shooting modes and features. 3 min video time and endless shots once you've got the right Compact Flash.
It comes with a 16MB card but i recently bought the 256 MB and now I'm able to take about 530 pix at the highest resolution. I just love this camera and would recommend it to everyone!!!!!!!!!

There lots of Pros about the cam and i suppose some Cons, like blurred images once in a while, but truth is ; i'm still reading the manual so its a lot of stuff to play around with.

Overall , this is a damn good Digi Cam and trust me, Once you buy it and you see what it can do, you'll see how every dollar you spent on it is Soooooooooooo worth it.

I now have so many pictures on my PC and i use it daily to catch all the great moments i've been missing in the past.

SHOUT OUT TO CANON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Love My Canon A70 just love ittttttttttttttttt

You should get one too!!!!!!!!!!

Excellent Digital Camera and Night Shots!!!
After reading other reviews with inaccurate information, I had to write a review to correct them. Here are few things to keep in mind as you read. Foremost, it should be noted that in almost any magazine you pick up, the Canon Powershot A70 is always rated #1. Second, the information I am providing has been gathered based on a comparison and my experience with other camera's in its field, more noteably the Fuji Finepix A310, Nikon Coolpix 3100, and lesser models such as the Fuji Finepix 2650 and Nikon Coolpix 2100.

To begin this camera has a wealth of features that other cameras do not, so if you are starting out on a digicam it has auto mode and if your a pro or trying to be one, then your all set in that department as well.

A few readers mentioned that it takes bad pictures in the dark or low-light conditions. I would be interested to know what setting they used to take those pictures because I have gotten perfect pictures, sometimes better than with good lighting. In a few scenarios, I have chosen to use no lights rather than use lights for the photograph.

In addition to being able to take pictures in both low and high lighting pictures, the Canon A70 produces very, very little image noise, only a few red eye images (which can be edited on a computer) and out of approximatley 100 photos that are taken produced only 3 unfocused pictures.

With the wealth of features, the excellent image quality and the long battery life, it is not difficult to give the Canon Powershot A70 5 stars!!!

Lack of low light autofocusing...
Canon is really making a BIG MISTAKE by not improving on its low light autofocus ability. This is another Canon that takes GREAT daytime shots but is incapable of focusing in low light (even with the assist beam). Even my puny Sony U30 can focus in low light, and its only a 2.0 mp (though not a very good resolution). Sometimes it even lies and double beeps that its focused but its not! Don't get this camera (A60/70/80) or most Canons if you take dark indoor or a lot of night shots, they CANNOT FOCUS in low light!

The images are also a little soft. They require a bit of sharpening to make them decent to view. Nice that there is enough resolution to make it sharp but you "have to" sharpen.

Its everything I heard it was.
Im enjoying my third day of play with this camera and looking forward to more. Im a weird combination of photo nut and tech geek so I decided to finally take the plunge and replace my dead point and shoot with a digital camera. Being anal I decided to do some serious research before choosing one. I decided to stick to 3 mp because Im dreaming of getting a digital SLR down the road and didnt want to sink too much money into this.

It seemed that everywhere I checked every serious reviewer raved about this camera. What finally sold me on it was the fact that it had a lot of advance features that would allow me to tweak my photos (aperture priority, etc..), movies with sound, autofocus assist for low light situations, and would still be simple enough for my wife to snap shots of the kids quickly. All I can say is WOW! I didn't even have to crack open the manual for the first 2 days. I printed out some 4x6's at a Kodak kiosk just to check the image quality and Ive got to say that Im very impressed. There is no way (at that size) to tell the difference between this camera and a regular film point and shoot. If you want beautiful 4x6's, the ability to tweak your settings, and ease of use in a digital camera I would run out and grab this.

UPDATE: It's now been a good month and a half and I still dont have a real complaint. Buyers should be aware that the battery life on this camera is EXCELLENT! If you're put off by the idea of having to buy AA batteries get yourself 8 rechargeables. You'll always have a spare set charged up. And if you're ever traveling and run out its easy enough to get regular AA's anywhere. Try that with a proprietary battery. For those of you worried about the 3 megapixel just keep one thing in mind...It will only be a problem if you try to blow it up larger than 8x10. How many of you have ever felt the need to do that?

I mentioned the ability to tweak earlier. I'm happy. You get most of the options that you normally have to buy an SLR in a compact camera size. All you semi-serious photo people should seriously consider this just for that reason. Many of the other digital point and shoots are just too dumb and would have frustrated me. OK...one problem is red eye. But I knew that going in just b/c of how physically close the flash is to the lens. But that's what photo software is for. Other than that the camera is everything I though it would be....a very useful quality digital camera for a very reasonable price.

The "A" line cameras are perfect for the point and shoot
I am completely satisfied with the camera. I would recommed you read your manual before you begin taking pictures. I was amazed by some of the features it does have. I also like the fact I can use regular batteries in it. Make sure you invest in a rapid charger and couple of sets of rechargable batteries.

It's not perfect taking pictures in low light. I still did receive some red eyes even with red eye reduction light on.

I would recommend this camera.

Super camera
I own a Canon D30 and 10D and bought this camera for my Daughter, and I find myself asking her if I can barrow her A70, when I don't feel like carrying a large camera, it takes great pictures, eazy to use, great on battries, that's a big plus, I love ours.

Great Camera, Bad Company
It's a great camera, but hope you never need support. The Canon support structure is bad and nearly non-existent. Very difficult to get to them. I have major problems with my Windows 98SE system and their TWAIN driver and after a week and four or more tries I finally got an email response that said it's a windows problem and they won't help (WON'T not CAN'T). The TWAIN driver doesn't work with my OS and it maybe my old hardware as well as the OS but everything else I try works. It's just their attitude and difficulty getting them to respond. By the way, the camera works okay on Windows XP. Just beware if you have older Hardware or OS - Support is basically not available or helpful and the TWAIN driver may not work or it may hang your system.

Amazing product
I cannot say enough good things about this camera. I am a fairly novice photographer, the Cannon PowerShot A70 takes very clear pictures, has a large viewing screen, can change settings with the turn of a dial, and even takes surprisingly good movies. However, it is necessary to buy an additionally memory card to take the number of pictures that set digital cameras so far apart from traditional film cameras. At this price, this camera is a great value.

$50 rebate
This is a great camera. Easy to use, not to hard on batteries.

Does anyone remember an offer back in October 2003 that had a $50 Amazon gift card issued if purchased before November. I bought this for Christmas (2 months early) so that I would get it, now Amazon is acting as if I'm crazy.

DURABLE + great price, functionality, and picture quality
This is an excellent camera. I have the Powershot A60 and have worked a bit with the A70. The only difference on these cameras is that the A70 has more megapixels, other than that they are THE SAME. The cameras offer various features, each with several different ways to manipulate the camera, including shutter speed and aperture. For the beginner, it offers a few preset options that allow a quick switch to the desired need of the user. The manual is very clear and easy to apply. I would recommend this camera to someone wanting a point and click camera, as well as a more advanced person desiring some control of the camera. The only complaint about these cameras is that they are poor for low light photos. The low-light problem I have is in the requirement of using the flash and that the camera will usually not focus in low-light, creating not-so-nice blurry memories for many indoor family events.

This camera has optional shutter speeds of up to 15 seconds, which I like to use with streams and other pictures involving water. The speed has its highest shutter speed at 1/2000 of a second, which I haven't yet had success with, but will have fun playing with (it needs to be really bright for this). I haven't yet played with the aperture, but it seems like it will be fun to play with as well.

If you are wondering if you need 3 MP (A70), consider what you want to do with the pictures. I would recommend a 3 MP if you want to do some cropping or want to blow up pictures greater than 5x7. I simply use my A60 just for 4x6 and looking at pictures on my computer, which it does an excellent job of.

I would recommend getting either a 128 or a 256 Mb compactflash card (cards used in these cameras) in addition to this camera (runs between $40 and $70), because the camera only comes with a 16 Mb card, which holds about 15-20 pictures. I personally prefer Lexar's 12x or higher cards. Get rechargable batteries!!! Amazon's prices seems to be the cheapest for both cameras and compactflash cards (or within a couple bucks of other places).

I would highly recommend either the Powershot A60 or A70 to anyone that wants a digital camera because of the versatility offered.

-------------------------------

Update:
I have now had my Powershot A60 for over two years, and it is still functioning despite the serious abuse I have dealt to it. The camera has been dropped numerous times and has also taken a tumble down a 20 foot rocky steep hill (I thought it was a goner after that one). It has endured backpacking, rock climbing, and general outdoor adventures with me, and although its casing shows many scraps, dents, and scratches, the camera's functionality is beyond all of my expectations. The only problems that have developed is that the LCD seems to be dying slowly and about 20% of in-door poorly lit shots turn out grainy and have horizontal lines (all of which occurred after that major tumble, so I expect that is the cause); that is, 80% of in-door shots still look great. At the prices you can find this camera at around the internet, it is an awesome intro and general use digital camera, and with the low price, you can even pick one up for your kid (since it is now so cheap -- look elsewhere than Amazon). Anyways, I am looking to pick up a second one of these for the inevitable event that I completely destroy this sturdy camera.

Also, in its 2 years of use, I can honestly say that I have not found a single time where I truly needed more than my 2 MP to get a great shot. I have taken this camera to the Canadian Rockies, to the Western Caribean, and all over the western US, and of all of the pictures I have, I don't see a true need for a higher megapixel than 3 MP (mine is 2 MP) or zoom (3x), unless you need a camera for your profession.

Great camera, poor software
The camera performs very impressive in its price range, especially all the auto settings work in most conditions.
The problem is the software. The bundled ZoomBrowser is very badly designed in user interface. Too troublesome to download photos. The design was somewhat against intuitive -- the tags look weird, and the "selection" of photos is very tricky if you are used to windows selection keys. I had to use a CF reader to download the photos to avoid the stupid interface.

Excellent camera
I bought this camera around Thanksgiving from Amazom and got an excellent price. This camera is easy to use and takes great pictures. I read one review complaining about battery life and a suggestion to turn the display off. I have taken around 250 pictures with the viewfinder and still am using the original batteries. Excellent camera

Great Camera
Very versatile little camera. Compact, light, nice looking. Feels sturdy and is sturdy. My little daughter knocked it out of the car when I first got it. The body split apart a little, but I snapped it back together and it hasn't missed a beat.
3.2 megapixels is plenty to take nice pictures. Couple this camera with a Canon i860 printer and Photoshop Essentials (plus a Photoshop Essentials tutorial book - I recommend Photoshop Essentials for the Digital Photographer by Scott Kelby) to correct and touch up your pictures and you've got a nice photo studio right in your house.
Don't be afraid to buy this camera.

Everthing is great until you have E18 problem!
Think again and google the internet (canon digital E18 issue) before you buy it. You donýýt want to bet on your luck. Everything is great until you have E18 problem (the lenses jams, google the internet to see how many complains out there!).
I had sent my A70 back to the repair facility (in IL) and got it back two days ago, but the problem happened again after about 20 pics taken. Have to send it back to the repair factory again. It's costly when the shipment cost adds up.

it's a great digital camera until you have E18 problem!
Think again and google the internet (canon digital E18 issue) before you buy it. You don??t want to bet on your luck. Everything is great until you have E18 problem (the lenses jams, google the internet to see how many complains out there!).
I had sent my A70 back to the repair facility (in IL) and got it back two days ago, but the problem happened again after about 20 pics taken. Have to send it back to the repair factory again. It's costly when the shipment cost adds up.

Can't be beat for the price but there is room 4 improvement.
The quality of the pictures are just amazing with this camera. I personally took a chance with the whole E18 error and have not had it happen to me yet. However even the sales folks at the local electronics store knew about the error and were looking forward to the A80 not having the same thing happen to it. Let's hope so...but there are other issues out there with this camera. The main one is for those of us out there that will be using AA batteries and rechargeable batteries. It seems as though the A70 is a bit picky when it comes to changing out the batteries. You can put in 4 brand new cells (all from the same brand) and the camera will reject the new batteries. The message that is presented is "change battery pack". By playing musical chairs with the batteries it will work after some dancing. But this should not be necessary.

So that is the negative stuff. Here is the positive stuff that you will really enjoy to read. We purchased the camera in September from Ritz.com off of this site. You may read some reviews stating that the camera is heavy due to the batteries. This may be true. 4 AA batteries can be heavy. However the batteries are situated where the palm of your hand will be gripping the camera. This provides a great feel for the product that feels like quite a bit of thought went into it. The pictures will be bragged about it the other hundreds of reviews for the A60, 70 and 80 models so I will just concur with them stating that they are all subjective. The functions on the camera are as intuitive to operate as say a Sony product who is usually the leader in this area. Not to say that the Sony line is inferior but just to say that this would be a complimentary statment to Canon. Oh and yes I nearly forgot. The software that comes with this camera is really top notch considering what it can do. It is so user friendly and makes you feel like you got everything under control with how to download and then email each image. Thanks for reading and if the A70 ends up being your choice you won't be sorry. I hope you enjoy the camera as much as we have.

Update March 22, 04 "E18 error" The error is the end of my fond and brief relationship with this camera.

DO NOT buy this camera
It's been three months since i bought my A70. I ran into an "E18 problem" where the lens won't retract and the camera won't power up. Turns out it's a common problem with most such cameras and the Web has thousands of complaints about the E18 problem floating around. Make sure you do a search on this problem and find out for yourself. So now I have to ship my camera to Canon wher they will attempt to fix the problem. Too bad Amazon editorial reviews never bothered to do their own research before recommending a completely useless product!

Excellent pictures... Easy to use...
I bought this camera a couple of weeks ago... It takes excellent pictures outside and inside (auto mode), and you need to 'play' a little with the settings to get amazing pictures.. That's the good thing about this camera, you can adjust the settings manually... Also, you need to buy a bigger compact flash to take lots of pictures... And the only thing I would add, is a battery meter to know when the batteries are out... With four 2100mAh Ni-MH batteries you can take more than 154 pictures at full resolution... Buy and enjoy it!

Over a year owning it....
I bought this earlier in 2003 since my children live in MA and I live in CA and I was tired of disposables and the trouble of the new xray machines. I love it. I wish it was smaller but at the time I purchased it it was the lowest cost for the best resolution. Canon has come out w/a smaller version that I would buy now - but this is a great camera for those looking for a real-size camera that offers FULL manual options for picture taking. The batteries last the life of adding in a larger card to take over 100 pics. The software is very easy to use and now I print specific pictures for my children and myself. Canon keeps coming out w/higher MP at a lower cost so now this model is not the optimum to get. I won't buy a new digital until a 4MPx is $200 and the size of a credit card since, when this one is 'off', fits in any pocket of my clothing. Drop me an email w/any questions - I'm an honest person who shoots straight...m_jessing@yahoo.com

Great Camera for the Price
I previously owned Sony 1.3 MP and I was not happy with the performance. I can compare image to image and find all the differences. I would give full stars to Canon A70 and this is my prized possession and I would recommend this to all.

Excellent camera at an excellent price
I ordered 5 of these digicams last year for my workplace. We use these to create training aids and to document problems and/or unusual situations. Since then, I've recommended this camera to 4 of my friends, and they are all quite satisfied with the A70s performance.

There are better digicams out there, but for the price, the A70 cannot be beat. The A70s are fairly user-friendly. There are many technologically impaired people at my workplace, and I've managed to train them on the most basic features of this camera with little effort. And for those who require more advanced features (f/stop, shutter speed, exposure compensation,...), the A70 will provide satisfaction (although some of these features are buried deep in menus).

The A70s size is compact, though not quite as small as many of the super-compact digicams (Canon ELPH, Pentax Optio, Casio Exilim, Olympus Stylus,...). But for those with larger hands, the A70 is very easy to handle. When I am using a super-compact digicam, I often feel as if it will slip out of my fingers. The larger grip of the A70, however, provides a wonderful sense of security.

The biggest gripe I have with this camera is the lack of a RAW or TIFF mode. Granted, most users won't use these formats, but some of the more advanced users may appreciate them.

We've printed pictures up to 8x10 inches with pretty decent results. Most point and shooters will find the A70 to more than adequately suit their needs (when was the last time you had an 8x10 made?).

If you do get the A70, definitely invest in a larger CompactFlash card (consider 128MB). And don't forget to purchase a couple sets of rechargeable NiMH AA batteries and a recharger.

If you think you need higher resolution, the recently released 4MP Canon A80 may suit your needs. The A80 also comes with a swiveling LCD, which is quite helpful in taking self-portraits or shooting from an unusual angle (it also makes an excellent real-time "reverse-mirror").

Very impressive for the price, and holds up well
I took the A70 to Argentina last summer along with 3 sets (12) of recharchable batteries, a Rayovac quick recharger (really nice here, and necessary there) and a power transformer. The transformer cycled things down from 220 to 110 but it took a while to charge, nevertheless the battery life from 3 sets was enough that I could go on a side trip from Buenos Aires through central and northern Argentina without my charger and not worry about running out of juice for a week. All in all I took about 600 pictures, and manyof them are really quite stunning post-card quality - the others are MISTAKES on my part. I'm disappointed that the A80 has that flip out LCD which looks like a potential battery hog, I think they should have kept it simple. This is a great model, and for this price you will definitely not be disappointed.

For the record I had a little case that I carried the camera and the two extra sets of batteries in at all times. They all fit very compactly, and I never needed more than the one 256mb card I brought down with me.

Good family or first digital camera
For those non-techies out there (myself included) who just want an inexpensive, easy to use family camera, this is it. The A70 is a nice little camera -- it's easy to slip into a pocket or backpack, takes consistently clear pictures, and can take mini-movie clips that are wicked easy to e-mail (especially if you have Windows Movie Maker or similar, and can combine the clips and shrink the files down). I purchased a larger memory card (128MB) and rechargeable batteries, and have really enjoyed using the camera for six moths without any problems. You can also purchase additional lenses (which is nice, because it has a limited zoom). We have packed away our Nikon and camcorder, because this is less obstrusive, more convenient, and simpler to use. Pictures which we've developed at WalMart have also come out clean and crisp, although we've never done a larger size than 4x6. My only complaint is minor -- there is no battery indicator, so when the batteries go, they go with minimal warning. (I just pack an extra set of disposible AAs as a back-up.) This is our first digital, and we will most likely purchase a Canon again based on this one's performance. Hope this helps!

Amazing Pictures, Features, Quality
This is obviously a little more pricey than some of Canon's other 3MP cameras, but WELL WORTH IT. The picture quality and features are amazing, and this camera was rated as one of the best in its class by consumer reports. I am very pleased that I did the research and made the right choice by purchasing this camera.

Most bang for the buck
I spent quite a bit of time researching digital cameras in the 300 dollar or less range before purchasing this camera. I am pleased that I picked the Canon A70 camera. Uses AA batteries, rechargeable or alkaline. So if the rechargeable batteries go dead on you, just slap some standard AA batteries in and continue shooting. Uses relatively inexpensive CompactFlash cards. Has manual overide capability if you want, so you can take total control of your shots. The 15 fps movie mode with sound is awesome. The camera can take a 640X480 movie clip of 3 minutes in length and produces about a 20MB file. Of course you can take many of these 3 minute clips as long as you have space on your CompactFlash card. 320X240 movie clip lengths are only limited by the amount of free space on your memory card. Definitely a good buy.

Nice camera...Excellent for beginners
I chose the A70 looking for a entry-level model, and this camera has met my expectations. I feel it is a good value because it offers more than I was looking for but is still priced well within where I would expect it to be.

This camera is easy to use out of the box. It has a lot of features and shooting modes that I would not expect at this price. The manual is easy to follow, and the software is easy to install and use.

There are only a few improvements that I would like to see. Regarding the body, the terminal cover seems flimsy and can be difficult to slide open, and the LCD monitor is glossy and seems prone to scratching. There is also no battery meter other than a "low battery" indicator. None of these issues would deter me from buying this camera.

I've also noticed inconsistent quality in low-light shooting. That may be the operator rather than the camera, but keep this in mind if you will use this a lot for low-light pictures.

I like being able to use 4 alkaline batteries, and I got around 215 shots (most with flash) before having to replace the batteries. The 16MB Compact Flash card it comes with will of course need to be upgraded, but this is true of most digicams. The A70 does offer a wide range of picture size and image quality, so you can get anywhere from 8 to 150 pictures on a 16MB card depending on what resolution you shoot.

This is also a popular model, so there are a lot of resources on the web. After a month of use, I have not had any problems with it. I'm very happy with this camera and would recommend it to anyone looking for a quality entry-level digicam.

I get some pretty amazing photos, and love those closeups!
I have had this camera for several months now. I bought it in particular to take photos of the jewelry I design and sell on the internet. As I'm not a photography pro, I needed something easy to use and that could take good quality closeups. I also wanted something I could afford on a tight budget. If I could compare this camera to a car, I would compare it to my Toyota Corolla... both are comfortable to use, reliable, sturdy, and fantastic quality for a reasonable price.

I read the booklet to learn how to use the manual controls of the camera, and it helped tremendously to be able to adjust the amount of light I let in as I photograph my jewelry within a few inches, inside my house near a window. I turn off the flash so as not to have a glare or washed out colors, and it's amazing with just a little adjustment on the camera, how I can get a natural looking light on my subject, as well as fine detail. When taking closeups, you just press the closeup button so that it can focus on objects within a few inches. A little square appears on the screen to show you exactly what it's focusing on. (...)

As for "regular" photography of people and places outdoors, for example, I have gotten amazingly beautiful shots of scenery that look like they should be in a magazine, and others that of course are ho-hum. The great thing though, as with digital cameras, is that I can take several shots and choose the best ones to keep.

Now, I have to admit that I also use Photoshop Elements with many of my photos, and the combination of the camera and the editing program makes for some pretty professional looking photos! With Elements, I can crop, add contrast, adjust color, brightness, and sharpness, so that even not-so-great photos can come out pretty amazing.

The weight and feel of the CanonA70 is just right. It's not heavy, and rests comfortably in the hand. I don't feel like I'm going to accidentally crush it as I would with an ultra-slim camera. I love the self-closing lens and the fact that I don't have a detachable lens cap that could get lost. The lens automatically closes up like a sliding door when you turn off the camera.

The A70 may not be a camera for professional photographers, but I recommend it so much for casual photographers, and even people who do web photography like I do.

I LOVE THIS CAMERA!
This camera is awesome. There isn't a thing about it that I don't like. It's extremely versatile. I've gotten fantastic shots of everything from flowers only a few inches away to horse races. I've heard complaints about its ability to photograph fast moving objects, but I've gotten great shots of both agility dogs and racehorses moving at 35 mph. Most of the shots come out crystal-clear, and if they don't, it's usually my fault. The shutter speed is a tad bit slow at times, but 90% of the time it's quick enough for what I want to photograph. Highly recommend this camera.

Simple...
After much research I decided to buy the A70 as a gift for my "technology impaired" dad, and I wasn't disapointed. The camera is easy to use and the software is simple, yet effective. Most of the pictures come out great, the only drawback is that if you want to take shots of fast moving objects the A70 does not do the job too well. If you are looking for a camera to take on vacation this is a great one, easy to use and not too bulky or heavy. All an all, a highly functional machine.

Excellent value
Sharp pictures with 3.2 megapixels has turned out to be a great camera.

Great Camera
I'd been waiting to get this camera for a while and got it about a month ago when it finally went on sale for under $225.00. I love it. It doesn't eat batteries as bad as most of the other digital cameras out there. The aluminum case is super sturdy. Picture quality is great. I got the viking 512 flash card on sale and it will take around 300 pictures at highest quality and highest resolution. Pictures print out well at 8 x 10. With the standard viking card at the highest resolution and size it will shoot about one frame per second. I would suggest getting the Ultra II compact flash card with the 9mb write speed if you plan on doing a lot of action sequence shots. I'll be getting it soon. Also having all the manual features available is great. Plus the camera is nice and compact and very ergonomic. Over-all I give this camera a 5 outta 5 as a great point and shoot camera. Plus you can get the other lense attachments from Canon if you want or the waterproof case.

Good to 130'
I have been using this camera for over six months now, above and below the water with the Canon housing. Don't get hung up on higher resolution camera - 3.2MP is terrific. I bought Maha 2200MaH batteries plus a couple of 256 Meg CF cards. It's all been reliable. The software is good too - I make panoramas with the Canon - some of them 9' in length.

Nice quality, good price (I think)
I'm new to digital cameras and I'm not even sure why I bought this one. I think I got one just to do it.
I'm not quite sure what to take pictures of yet, but what I have taken pictures of look very good. I don't have any other cameras to compare it to though. The images are good quality, but I wished it was even sharper than it is. When you look at the largest images (2048 x 1536) with a desktop resolution of 1280 x 960, the images are somewhat blurry when you zoom into the image 100%. It looks very good though. I took pictures of my backyard and I tested it's ability in low light. I took a picture of myself with me only being lit dimly by my computer screen and it showed up pretty well (I used the nighttime photo mode). And even if the image isn't bright enough or colored the way you want you could just edit them once you download them to your computer.
I was suprised with the quality of the video. It is very good looking, but at 640x480 it can only record for like fifteen seconds. I suppose I can make movies like Michael Bay though with thousands upon thousands of 5 second shots.
I researched different cameras and went to review sites with image quality tests and this one seems to have the best looking images for the cost. And it also seems to have the most features. The bottomline is that the images taken with this look great, the video feature looks great, lots of options to choose from and the camera itself is very sharp looking.

Very Pleased
I have been very pleased with the A70. I used to do a lot of photography in college, but afterwards found that without access to a darkroom, point-and-shoot (Rollei 35S) was the easy way to make photos. About three months ago, I made the switch to digital and decided to invest in a camera with the capability of manual controls. The learning curve for the A70 was not trivial, and it took awhile for what was obvious thirty years ago to come back. The biggest challenge has been focusing using the macro mode. In general, I find this camera a hoot and am enjoying photography again. I feel liberated by being able to pick the 10% of the photos that really stand out. The amount of info in the 3.2 meg image seems adequate for 4x6 or 8x10 prints. As I said in the title, I'm very pleased.

Awesome for beginners to advanced photographers
This camera works great and has tons of modes. In auto mode all you need to do is press the shutter and you have an instant picture. Very high quality pictures with very little noise. This camera also includes a manual mode for the advanced users and people who want to learn it.

Battery friendly
I have had this A70 since Christmas 2003. All who see the finished pictures always ask how many pixels it is because of the extra fine quality. The battery life is absolutly unbelieveable for a Digital camera. I love the panoramic view photos which are very impresssive [and very easy to make].
The ability of conecting it to the TV and seeing the photos so big is a great big WOW! The setting for the best quality picture is 38, but the quality it produces is worth it.

Very good overall but design and battery is a big problem
Very good overall but design and battery is a big problem.Since Canon does not supply battery charger with the camera you have to pay 20 bucks more.And the camera is very battery consuming.But other features are good enough.It is worth buying it.

Nice camera
I have had this camera for about 3 weeks now and am very happy with it. The image quality is very good with good color and contrast and sharp images. They are not as good as my father's Canon Digital Rebel, but then his camera also cost 3 times as much. I have printed the photos on my Epson Stylus C84 (also available at Amazon, and highly recommended) and the results have been truly great. I got the printer because of the camera, and the 2 are a perfect team!

It is a nice size to hold, not too big and not too small. The features are many and it has many manual controls, including flash level, focus, and many other things you would not expect on a camera like this. The only real feature that I have found sometimes not that great is the AiAf (artificial intelligence auto focus), sometimes it is not artificially intelligent but instead genuinely stupid. It is possibly to manualy control the focus on the camera though.

Pros:
Good pictures
Lots of control when wanted
Lots of features
Solid build quality

Cons:
AiAf can sometimes be just plain stupid

Good but quite annoying
I have taken about 500 pictures so far in the last couple of months with the A70, my first digital camera. My review is strictly my opinion on using the A70, since I have never used any other brand, so I don't know if other may behave similarly or not.
First the good things: The A70 produces excellent color images, both on the monitor/tv or printed. It uses the least expensive memory card - compact flash. It uses the least expensive AA size batteries. (I bought 8 rechargeable ones, still very inexpensive compared to those batteries used in some very small tiny digital camera). Direct hookup to tv for viewing without the need of a dock.
Now the negatives: It bothers me very much that what you see in the viewfinder is not what you get. The little 1.5 inch screen seems to show what you will really get, but not the viewfinder. Under bright sunlight, the little screen is totally useless, you cannot see a thing. And since using the viewfinder does not correctly show you what you'll get, it's very frustrating to have to guess. Also because of the little screen becomes totally useless under bright sunlight, it is extremely hard to make any setting changes since settings are only displayed on the little screen, not through the viewfinder. For example, if you need to change from flash-on to flash-off under bright sunlight, good luck. The second annoying thing is the zoom control. It is almost impossible to zoom precisely. You'll go too far one way and when you zoom back, you'll go too far the other way. No precision control on the zooming mechanism. It is fine with casual snapshot type of pictures, but not when you want a little bit of artistic creation. Third annoying thing is the delay reaction on the shutter, which I have read on other brands also, so it is not a unique A70 issue, but that does not make it not annoying. Among the three, the third is the least annoying.

Excellent Quality
I purchased this camera two months ago and do not have a single complaint. It is easy to use (though I did have to spend an afternoon with the manual to understand the more esoteric features) and takes wonderful pictures.

The batteries that came with the camera were eaten up in about two days. I decided I'd better get rechargable batteries at that rate of consumption so I picked up an Energizer kit with four batteries, and got 4 extras so I'd always have a charged set.

What I have found is that the second set of batteries probably was not necessary. We use this camera a couple of times a week for 15-30 minutes at a time - including making several movies - and after two months the original rechargable batteries are still going strong! That is much better performance than I ever would have dreamed.

The camera fits comfortably in an adult hand and is easy to operate. The only quibble I have with the construction is that the cover to remove the CF card is poorly designed - when you unlatch it, the bottom of the cover "sticks" so you have to be careful you don't snap it trying to open it. The plastic on this cover feels flimsy, like it could break easily if extreme care is not taken.

Still, anhyone with common sense will use care when handling a camera, and I haven't found this one issue annoying enough to regret my decision at all. A very good bargain.

Why, Canon, Why?!
I give the A70 one star because of the mental anguish it has caused me, and not because it is a bad camera. I don't understand the people at Canon. I had a PowerShot s30 - an excellent camera, with virtually the same features as the A70, but small enough to fit into your pocket - but my s30 was stolen and I was forced to buy the A70 because the s30 was discontinued. The A70 takes just as good pics as the s30, and it has almost the same features, BUT it's substantially bigger and it takes four clunky, heavy AA batteries rather than a small rechargable one half the size of an average matchbox.

I just don't get it. With the S30, you had a great manual camera that was small enough to fit into your pocket and that was reasonably priced. Now, Canon forces you to choose between a manual large camera, and a non-manual pocket-sized one. Why can't they just revive the great features of the S30?

My advice: If you want a high quality, low-priced digital camera with manual features, and don't mind a large and heavy one, get the A70 or eqivalent new model. If you want any other mix of features, try something else.

Good features, crappy viewfinder
I selected the A-70 because it ran on AA cells (don't have to lug a charger around - although you will probably need to anyway because of alkalines' short life in the camera) and had a good variety of features. After a couple of years with the camera and several thousand exposures, some observations:

- Optical viewfinder is junk - but this seems to be common in cameras of this price range. Shows only about 70% of view, and mine is also off about 10 degrees in rotation.
- Picture quality is excellent as long as the "ASA" is kept on Auto or at or below 100. "Auto ASA" will net shutter/apertures at ASA 50 equivalent. At ASA 200 and 400, there is lots of noise and the camera will overexpose pictures taken in daylight.
- Picture quality as "high ASA" speeds (200,400) has deteriorated over time. Beware if you are buying used. Pictures taken in low light are filled with noise, streaks, and "sparkles".
- Power management is poor. Batteries die without warning (I've never seen the "low battery" indication), and camera has gotten "stuck" a couple of times in a mode where it seems to think even fresh batteries are no good; it has recovered after a few minutes with the batteries removed. Can take about 120 no-flash pictures on a set of 2000 maH NiMhs, with LCD mostly on. Battery life on alkalines is shorter than high-capacity NiMh's.
- Autofocus has failed on about 1% of pictures.

Great small camera for novice and everyday use
This is the third Canon (we have one Sony) in the family. I bought Canon because the other two provided good pictures, good software, easy and user friendly operation, all at a good price. My A70 has been a joy to operate. This is my first digital camera to call my own. I have two Minolta 35mm camera, and although this digital won't replace them, it can be carried a lot easier than my two film cameras, and all their lenses. I also like the instant color-to-B&W (and other special features) rather than switching out film. The batteries last for a long while, but even longer since I bought (free with rebate) a card reader. The local retail store prints copies of the digital pics that you want to put in the album or in a frame. Good camera with no problems. The 3MP at just over $200 has served me well.

Canon Powershot A70 is simply amazing
After doing TONS of research over a span of about two months, i finally bought this camera. I tried it out in stores (along with many others) and it was simply the best for the money. Though it may not be one of those TINY pocket cameras, i never had a problem fitting it in the pocket of my cargo pants or jeans. If you are unsure about this camera, this may help:

1. Great quality pictures. Believe me, 3.2 MP is plenty for the average person. Amazing quality up untill 8 by 10 inches

2. Though it is not advertised, the camera lasted through a day of pouring rain while i was hiking without a problem. It was very wet, but even in a cloud on the top of a mountain i found no problem with the camera. I would still suggest avoiding wet weather (just in case), but it stood up fine for me.

3. Panoramic mode is really great - stiches very easily together

4. Movies have great quality with long length - sound works well, i have a lot of fun with them.

5. Software is simple to use, easy to upload pictures

6. TV output made it easy to show everyone the pictures

7. Long battery life (with rechargeables)

9. Nice zoom + nice quality = good editing. I was able to zoom way in on pictures i took in NYC from a building to see the license plate numbers clearly - the quality is that good!

10. easy to switch between modes

11. personalizeable

12. Reasonable weight - not cumbersome evern for long hikes

The only problems I encountered with this camera are:

1. Long period of time between when you press the shutter button and when it takes the picture - if you are going to need to catch very fast shots of things (maybe whale watching) you could have a problem - i solved this however by using the movie mode and taking out the frame i wanted on the computer.

2. Took a while to get the correct settings for museum shooting. too bright, too dark - i did get it to work well eventually. it just needs some fiddling.

3. The software isnt amazing, you may want to buy a better program for editing.

I would suggest buying several accesories for the camera:

1. a larger memory card (I got a 512 MB card so i would never need another, and I am very happy with it. It stored every picture I toook over the span of a week in the Virgin Islands no problemo. at highest quality, you can take over 300 pictures without a worry!

2. Rechargable batteries (i got 2200) they last very long!

3. a good case

All in all, this is an amazing camera. a solid choice for everyone except maybe a professional photographer. after the research, this is definately the best value for the money.

Poor image quality
I used this camera to take images in a lab as a record of some work done on a steering mirror system. It's a cheap camera and the image quality reflects it. Matte surfaces had nasty artifacts, even at the 'upper medium' resolution and 'Superfine' quality.

Although the camera is easy to handle and quite simple to use, the image quality is everything - and this is a piece of junk in that respect. Any of the Nikon Coolpix series are infinitely superior.

Sorry, Canon. You should be able to do better than this.

Great while it lasted !!
The camera took great pictures for a full year. 2 days after the warranty expired the lens cover got stuck. Support said they 'might' replace it since it was so close to the warranty period. They wanted me to ship it back and they'd let me know. Instead I called American Express (the card I purchased the camera on) who doubles all warranties up to one year. About 2 weeks later I received a check for my full purchase price and am now shopping for a new camera.

excellent point and shoot camera
I have owned this product for almost a year now. It is still in good condition and I love it a lot. The image quality is excellent. The good part about this camera is that it gives you a lot of control - for a non-professional camera, contrary to other camera which really on gives you ability to POINT and SHOOT. It gives you control over shuttle speed, focus length, ISO speed, various image sizes, flash intensity, just to name a few.

The con about this product is that it needs 4 AA batteries, which makes it quite bulky and heavy. Nonetheless, if you are looking for a camera which is easy to use and still does not want to lose too much of control, pick Canon A70.

Great pictures, good features, but battery life is short
I've had the camera for over 2 weeks now and I must say I am more than satisfied with the quality of pictures. The optics and electronics produce really neat pictures. Has good features like full manual control of shutter speed, exposure etc..
The only problem I had with this camera is that it sucks on batteries. within a few days of clicking, i exhausted the battery pack and am now left looking for a good set of rechargeable batteries.
Also, it doesn't have a battery status indicator (only beeps alarm when battery is critically low).
Otherwise, it is worth every cent :)

Truly superb digital camera
This camera is worth every penny you will pay for it. I could not expect anything more out of a low-mid price range digital camera. Canon has thought of everything when it comes to making their products user-friendly. I have messed around with a lot of digital cameras recently and most of the non-Canons have not yet mastered camera ergonomics. Many manufacturers are trying to make their camera super small, which I admit, can be nice sometimes. But in doing so, they've thrown ergonomics out the window, so using the more advanced features is very frustrating. You have to have sharp fingernails to press some of the buttons on other cameras. But with the Canon A70, fingertips work fine. The camera is shaped so that your right hand fits perfectly around the body without obstructing the lens or mashing unwanted buttons. I don't need to list all the features here, as they are listed in several other reviews. But one neat feature(some people think it's a negative) is that it takes four AA batteries instead of a battery pack. The real trick is to buy two four-packs of either the Rayovac or Energizer rechargeable NiMh batteries and a charger. Instead of spending 80 bucks on an extra battery pack, you spend 15 bucks on a charger and 12 bucks per 4-pack of AAs. Plus, when your friends are scrambling for a wall-outlet to charge their camera battery packs, you just drop in the other set of AAs and shoot away. It has been an invaluable asset when I'm shooting in the field away from AC power. The software that is bundled with the camera is almost limitless. The "Photo-stitch assist" mode of the camera is really cool. It helps you line up subsequent pictures for a panoramic, so when you bring the pics into the computer software, it does an amazing job at making a panoramic image! I'd recommend a 256 MB CF memory card for this camera for more than enough storage. (...)Way to go Canon!

Wow, What a Camera!
I am a reader and not a photographer. I enjoy taking pictures with the next man but I would not call it my hobby as much as a necessity from my wife. I bought this camera because frankly we needed a new camera that was digital and would allow this amature to delete pictures before running to Wal-Mart to process them. This camera is great for me!

The camera itself is lightweight and quite easy to learn. I had some difficulty at first figuring out how to take pictures, switch to the video, and then move to cutting and deleting pictures and short films. However, Canon sends an easy to follow book that teaches you all you need to know to run the camera.

Finally, buy rechargable batteries! This camera (as I am learning with all digital cameras) eats batteries for fun. Spend the $50 to get a battery pack and get a nice camera case as well (Canon does not provide you with one).

Great camera!
I love this camera. I did a lot of searching for a camera under $300 that had all the features I thought I needed like manual settings and focus. Turns out, the auto settings work just fine and I don't really want to stop what I'm doing and fool around with settings anyway. Pros: (1) It just feels nice in my hand. Sure, it's a little bulkier than other cameras, but it's not so large that you can't carry it in your pocket. (2) The battery life is amazing compared to my last camera. I filled a 256k card on one set of AAs. (3) The video setting is better than I could have imagined. I thought the quality would be grainy and the sound bad, but happily, I was wrong. (4) It has a power button rather than a knob that is easily bumped or is flimsy and can break. Cons: (1) I have a lens cover problem. It sticks a lot and has since day 1. I can't bear to part with it though so I never sent it in for service. (2) The software that comes with it is confusing. I now use another program to capture and download and it also has a way better editing feature than what the camera came with. (3) Picture quality is pretty good, but you really need an editing program to sharpen things up. All in all, I'm really glad that I bought this camera and would recommend it to anyone, especially the budget minded person who wants a great first digital camera.

A New Baby Must!
We just had our first child and needed to upgrade from our basic 1.1MP camera to something with a bit more power. This camera is excellent. It is a nice size and feel unlike other cameras which are so small, you forget you're holding a camera.

This model is feature packed. I usually keep it on auto mode for shooting, but found the sports setting and P settings good for shooting in low light without the flash. As much as this kid is photographed, we would blind our baby with constant camera flashes.

The photo stich assist feature is great for capturing panorama views. I've used it to save a 360 view of the baby room to share with relatives.

As for battery life, my number one criteria is that we don't have to take a second mortgage to afford to power the camera. So far, the batteries are hanging in there after many shots and on-camera reviews of pictures. We have yet to invest in rechargable batteries, but I imagine the performance is the same.

If there's one piece of advice I have for new parents, it is this: Leave your camera out ready to go so you can capture those special moments. With a 128MB CF card, we can get over 100 pictures at the highest resolution. We can shoot many pictures before off loading to the laptop. Then, the blurry, low light, or otherwise uninteresting shots can be dumped.

Bottom line: This camera is a great value.

better than expected! but off to the factory already!
i got this camera after being disappointed with the quality of my 3MP fuji finepix s5000. i did my homework and researched 3MP digital cameras for a few weeks. i noticed the A70 had the same advanced controls as the finepix s5000. it got good reviews from both professionals and casual users. so, i bought it and i have been VERY happy with this camera ever since.

my advice? READ THE MANUAL if you ever plan on doing more than pointing and shooting. even if you don't, read it anyway! this camera has a great feature set and you'd be wasting your hard earned money if you don't check it out. also, as always, spring for a bigger compact flash card (at least 128MB), rechargable batteries and a case. protect your investment!

PROS:
* takes excellent 3MP photos (color is cool and images are sharp). isn't this what digital photography is all about?
* advanced features are great! it's a great point and shoot camera, but also has tons of advanced features for those wanting more control; white balance, shutter speed, aperature, ISO, and many, many more!
* movie feature is kinda cool. with sound, too!
* fairly small and feels comfortable in your hand. controls are where they should be.
* menu is easy to understand.
* battery life seems to be pretty good (i use rechargables).

CONS:
* LCD on back of camera scratches very easily. don't remove the protective cover, or buy one on ebay. people actually sell these things. :)
* LCD gets a pink hue to it when i am in daylight, taking photos. the LCD is hard to see in daylight. try using the viewfinder. though the optical viewfinder isn't exactly what you'll see when you transfer to your 'puter, but it's close enough.
* time between photos could be better.

overall, a SUPER camera! i just hope i don't get the dreaded "E18" error!

7.12.04
well, it's off to the factory already for repairs. it's been a little over a month since i bought the A70 and it's already got problems. pink streaking on the LCD and although it doesn't show up in the pictures, it does show up on the video. i am so scared of sending this thing to the canon factory to be worked on 'cause i have heard so many stories about their horrible customer service. oh well, here goes...

Great camera, especially for the learner
I've long believed that the only way to become good at photography is to keep experimenting and the move to digital allowed me to indulge in my hobby without worrying about consuming film on failed photographs. I have found the A70, with its impressive list of manual controls, perfect for the job. Its pictures are sharp and clear and uploading them to the computer is a piece of cake.

Its wide range of shutter speeds and apertures allows for a lot of experimentation, especially with low light and night shots. I've come up with some night shots and macros that I've been quite proud of. I also have a three year old and as anyone with kids knows, they never have the time to pose for a photograph. So for such moments when there isn't enough time to fiddle around with the settings, the preset modes like portrait, shutter priority, etc. work real well. The batteries last quite long(I've taken about 200 shots, most of them with the LCD on, with one set) and with 2 sets of rechargeables, I make sure I'm never without a fresh set.

The reduction of 1 star is due to the E18 error I've gotten several times. And apparently it is quite prevalent if the forums are to be believed. Though its never affected my photographs(since it occurs only when shutting down or turning the camera on in play mode), it is quite annoying and scary.

Overall, I love my A70 and never leave the house without it!

A Bargain! Buy it while it's still available!
This is my first digital camera and I absolutely love it. I am a computer guy myself, so the basic come a little easier to me than others but even my wife (not so much the computer person) is able to use it without reserve and she prefers it better than our still camera.

The shooting modes are easily accessible on the top dial. You can switch from AUTO, to camcorder, to action shots within seconds. I can get 137 pix out of one 128mb card. The battery life is great. I DEFINITELY recommend rechargables!

There are a couple little *quirks* about it like the fact that there are two menus which can be a pain if you know you saw a feature somewhere but don't remember exactly which menu had it. Plus I can't figure out a way to get a date on the print. It may be there but then I'd have to read the manual :-)

Otherwise, you simply can't beat this camera for the price. Get it now before Canon phases it out. There are two newer models out there now so the clock is ticking!

Prospective Canon A-Series buyers, please read!
PLEASE CONSIDER CAREFULLY BEFORE BUYING A CANON 'A' SERIES CAMERA. Slightly more than a year ago I bought a Canon PowerShot A70, having read many excellent reviews of it and having compared it with other 3MP cameras then on the market. Until a few days ago (when its warranty had lapsed by several weeks) the camera was a joy; all the good things said about it in its many reviews had proven true. But then, one afternoon, out of the blue, 'E18!' The camera's optical unit failed, the lens would not retract, and the camera became completely nonfunctional. To no avail I tried the few remedies suggested by Canon tech support on line, by e-mail, and over the phone (where responses were quick, courteous, but completely ineffectual). The telephone tech rep then informed me that I could send the camera, at my expense, to Canon, who would repair it for anywhere from $100 to $200. I asked him if lens-unit failure was a common problem with the camera (already, from the dozens of reports I'd read on the web, I knew it was), and, quite candidly, he replied that it was. He added that this was true with ALL PowerShot 'A' series cameras, so that I could not buy a subsequent model (e.g., A75 or A80) with any confidence that the 'E18' problem would not occur with it. Please read the negative reviews of this camera and consider that the problems described may affect your camera (and those of the rave review writers) several weeks or months into ownership. For over 40 years I had been a highly satisfied user of Canon products (most of them, unlike the new digital cameras, made in Japan). No longer, alas, since I shall not buy another Canon camera.

Dead after one year.
Great while it worked, which wasn't long. After 9 months of ownership the camera stopped working, with all the pictures coming out black. Because it was still under warranty Canon repaired at no charge, but the same problem occurred again 3 1/2 months later. No longer under warranty, my only option now is to spend $100+ to fix the exact same problem, which is only guaranteed for another 90 days. Not worth it. I will be spending the $100 towards another camera, and it will definetely NOT be a Canon.

Great camera.
This camera is very user friendly, takes amazing pictures and video footage. I am not a technical type at all and after reading a few pages of the manual I can operate mose features of this camera. I have had it for 6 months and it travels well too. I highly recommend it.

Can't Imagine a Better Value
I bought this camera for myself after hearing great reviews from friends and seeing it receive excellent marks in Consumer Reports. I have LOVED it. It has all the features I've ever needed, plus many manual functions that I haven't had time to play with yet. If you are averse to settings, you just need to keep it on "Auto" all the time. You'll get beautiful pictures. I don't even keep it on the highest resolution setting and I've never needed more resolution. Tip: I think using flash can make subjects too stark. When I turn it off, most pictures come out better. I have had the camera for 8 months.

Good Camera
I've had this camera for about a month now. I've been pretty impressed with the picture quality and features.

One thing I notices recently is that it's making a grinding sort of noise aftering powering on/off. the noise occurs after the lens is fully extended. the same noise happens when focusing for a shot. i can't remember if it was doing this all along or not, but it's made me paranoid. wondering if anyone could shed some light on this...

thanks --

Disappointed
Just like the other review, my canon powershot A70 became non-functional, just beyond the warranty period. Instead of the picture, it produced orange and black stripes. The Canon Service Center determined it to be a non-functional imaging unit and indicated it would take a minimum of $100 to repair. My options were either to junk the camera and lost $300 investment in it or agree to their demand. I would have expected Canon to repair it for free because the camera was discovered to be non-functional within 13 months of the purchase and at the time of discovery had not been used for over a month. I have reluctantly ponied up $100 for the repair but would warn any one considering a canon powershot to be aware of the reliability problem with their imaging unit.

Mine no longer works either....
I really loved this camera--for 13 months.

Then, like some other people who have reviewed this camera, the lens stuck open.

Fortunately, thanks to another reviewer, I discovered that American Express doubled the 1 year warranty, and issued me a credit. (Took about a month of back and forth faxing, returning the camera, etc).

I love the camera so much that I'm tempted to buy the same one all over again---as long as it breaks within 2 years, I'll be fine :)

Most likely I'll upgrade to a newer Canon model---again, as I said, while it worked it was a wonderful camera, easy to use, easy to upload photos via the USB port of my PC, and with my Viking expansion memory card, stored a bunch of photos.

Good one
This is a good camera no doubt but I won't rate it as the 'best' I have ever seen. Because 1st of all it's not so small. It can't fit in your purse. 2ndly, it takes four batteries every time. Batteries last long no doubt but since I had only four rechargable batteries, I couldn't let one set for charging and use the other one. When I was out for long time, I had to leave four of the batteries for charging for eight hours and go out without any camera. So, anything else which uses two batteries at a time is far more better. 3rd point is, sometimes the photos in night mode are hazy, for that you probably need a tripod, because if you shake your hand for a fraction of second, the photo will be a mess. Overall, canon A70 is a good deal.

Let's Sue!
I had the e18 error two months after purchasing this camera. I got it fixed because I had no choice and had just spent $299 purchasing the stupid camera. This cost me $120. Now, 14 months after I purchased it, the camera has the black and purple lines on the LCD. I have a four month old baby that I'd like to take pictures of but can't. I am so mad!! I will never ever buy another Canon product. Let's sue them for a faulty product. Just wanted to update this review to post the following reply from Canon about my problem:

We are sorry to hear of the difficulty you have experienced with the LCD screen on your PowerShot A70. Please note, Canon USA does not monitor, confirm, endorse, or attest to the accuracy of any information posted on third party websites. It
seems many customers are overwhelmed by the barrage of information (or misinformation) being posted on unregulated, non-Canon websites. Unfortunately, this is not something over which Canon has any control. We are able only to confirm the performance of the camera based on our own testing. Canon USA has not released any service notifications regarding an issue
with the LCD screen. Since the camera is more than one year old, it is out of warranty. We have two options available: you may send the camera in for repair, or you may participate in our PowerShot Upgrade program. The standard labor cost to make the repair will range from $100 to $200. Parts may be an additional cost. Cameras damaged by impact, liquid, or sand may have a considerably higher repair cost, depending on the
results of the Factory Service Center's evaluation.

So even though this has happened to many people and on many websites there are similar complaints about this model, Canon won't take responsibility. If you've experienced problems, I suggest you call them. A better suggestion, don't buy Canon products. The repair and upgrade program they refer to are both jokes. $100-$200 to repair a camera that now costs $180? Ha! or a $150 for a refurbished camera that will likely break again.

A critic from Argentina
This is my 3rd Digital Camera from Canon that I have bought and I had it for almost a year, and it has work perfect. Even it took a big fall from my backpack, it was inside the case (lowepro) and it still working just as new.
This is a Camera to recomend.

A good starter camera
My husband and I finally broke down and bought a digital camera when our 35mm Minolta broke on vacation in August of last year. This is the camera we chose for two main reasons 1. It uses AA batteries and 2. The compact flash card fits into our laptop and HP printer at home. We did not want a camera that was too "gadgety" that would be hard to use. This camera is simple to use and takes good pictures. I did not experience ANY of the problems posted on some of the reviews. Personally I never use the LCD screen to take the photos. It was a novelty at first, but uses a LOT of battery power. I would suggest buying rechargeable batteries and a "quick charger" we bought one that will fully charge four "AA" batteries in one hour. The quality of photos are very good. We print a lot of photos of our daughter in the 8 x 10 size and they turn out beautifully with vivid color and detail. I have suggested this camera to several people. Several have perchased the S410, which is smaller and are extremely happy with it as well. Others in our family have the 5.0 mega pixel version of the Canon and love it. When we are ready to upgrade I would definitely buy another Canon product.

Great Quality and Easy to Use.
This is my first digital camera, I have had it for 18 months, it works great, very easy to use, my 6 year old can even use it. The pictures are great quality, I also use a Canon Rebel SLR camera for when I want top quality photos. It is very durable, my 9 year old dropped it while riding an atv and it was undamaged. Would highly recommend. We did upgrade the memory card to 256, would do that again. If I were to buy another digital camera, I would buy Canon again.

disappointed in warranty service
Bought this camera along with the accessory pack for my daughter as a college graduation present in May 2004.
It recently dropped out of her purse into a puddle, it was in its case. It worked initially, then stopped working.
The company offers nothing to replace or fix this camera other than she can spend 150.00 to get a refurbished one or she can send it in to be repaired which would cost over 200.00.
That seems out of line for a camera which cost 219.00 originally and you can get now for 175.00.
They didn't even offer to look at it for no fee and give options for repair or credit for purchase of another canon camera.
She was very happy with the performance of this camera and is devistated that all is now lost. I will be hesitant to purchase another canon product.

Loved it until it stopped working
I loved the camera...great software, good fit in hand, takes great movies (something I didn't plan on using as much as I have).

Then the other day (just out of warranty) I turned it on, and got a psychedelic view on the LCD instead of a proper picture. Hmmm...tooks some pictures, and the problem is not in the LCD, it's in the camera. I tried the universal repair method of tapping it on the top and sides, and lo and behold, it works again. Some more taps, and squiggly lines, and occasionally not working. Looks like there is something loose inside.

Call Canon to see about a repair, thinking it will probably take them 10 seconds to fix it by re-fastening something inside, and they tell me it will be a minimum of $100, or $150 to replace with a newly refurbished A70 with 6 month warranty. Whaaa...?

Check online prices for new A75 with more features, and see that they are available for not much over $180. Easy decision.

I also see that Olympus and Kodak and Nikon also have products in the same price range. Wonder how their reliability is?

So my plan is to buy a new camera from somebody that is not Canon, and take my A70 apart myself and see if I can diagnose the problem. Probably a loose connector is my guess.

Buy something else. This camera will break your heart, and do it out of warranty.

Not a bad little camera for the price.
I've had my A70 for a year now and have not had a problem with it. It takes nice pictures and short movies. There are fancier new cameras out there now (like the A75 or A95), but if you're looking for a bargain the A70 is a good choice. I've always had good experiences with Canon products because they're affordable and user-friendly. Some drawbacks: shutter speed is slow, camera is heavy/bulky, LCD is small. I do not mind the drawbacks, however, and I would recommend this camera for a bargain shopper.

Built-in defect
Dread E18 appeared 2 weeks prior to warranty expiration. I joined the faulty product club. I guess I'll have to buy a new camera soon, not a Canon, that's for sure.

User Friendly for a Non-Techie!
First of all, I want to say that I am not a technical minded person at all. I love my 35mm camera and was really hesitant about going digital. The ONLY reason I even considered buying a digital camera is that I was traveling to Scotland on my honeymoon and wanted to be able to see the pictures as I was taking them because these were shots that I would never have the opportunity to retake, should they come out badly. So, I did a lot of research and tried to get the most user friendly camera I could find.

This camera has really been great. There are of course a lot of features that I have never used, and a few that I have finally learned. The owners manual was a little intimidating - it was so thick! But with a little practice, I've become a pretty good photographer. The Zoom works really well. Batteries last pretty well - we have a recharger for when they run out. The editing software that comes with the camera is very easy to use. The panorma feature (or photo stitch I think it's called) gave us some great scenery shots and the "auto pilot" feature allowed us to both be in the picture at the same time. The picture quality is generally good. At first it was no match to my trusty 35mm, but then I switched the setting to capture the highest quality pictures, and have had no complaints since then.

In the beginning it was hard to get used to the delay in shutter speed - I was used to "snap and click", but with the powershot I had to hold down the button for maybe a second or so before the picture would take. I was missing a lot of action shots. But now, I've learned to set the speed to action and that is no longer a problem.

I would definitely recomend this camera to any novices like me. As a matter of fact, now that I have the hang of digital cameras, I am moving up to a camcorder - Canon ZR85 here I come!

Buy it! You'll love it! Great customer service!
Dec. 10, 2004: My first digital camera and I found it very easy to use. Great high-quality pictures. Easy downloads to my computer. I would suggest using rechargeable batteries to save money in the long run - keep a spare set handy so you won't miss that great shot! I received great customer service with the Canon 800#: I damaged one of the prongs while reinserting the flash card the first week I had the camera. I called the 800# and they were very pleasant and patient, walking me through steps to hopefully resolve the problem while I was on the phone, but I ended up having to send the camera in to be repaired. The camera was returned to me within about 10 days good as new and I wasn't charged for the repair. ******Comment added 9-19-2005: Still loving this camera!

I loved (past tense) this camera
We went everywhere together. I had it for nearly a year and a half when the mechanism that reads the image suddenly went dead. The camera displays photos fine, so it's not the LCD. I didn't drop it or expose it to any extreme elements. I'm disappointed that it lasted less than 1.5 years - but I do have to say that it was a very good 1.5 years.

If the camera didn't break so early on, I'd have given it the full five stars.

Maybe mine was a lemon, but...
...out A70's digital pickup elements died after just a year. It would play back fine, just couldn't take pictures. We sent it back twice for fixing until it finally ran out of its warranty. I absolutely loved the features of this camera though, and was sorry to give it up. And, sorry to say, I wouldn't buy another Canon because of this experience.

A Devoted Fan
I've had my PowerShot A70 for about a year and a half and I love love love it! I bought it because I wanted a point and click camera that I could take anywhere. The photographs it produces are so much better than I expected from a camera in this price range. Pictures taken on the automatic settings come out well most of the time, and other options that can be set manually let you take perfect photos in trickier situations. Battery life is also good, and the downloading software that comes with it is easy to use. Highly recommended.

My only complaint is that the red eye flash takes really bizarre photos - it looks like the flash goes off twice, so if you're taking a picture with any action in it, you get a sort of double image. But redeye is easily corrected in an image editing program, so I just don't use that feature.

After a year it died!
One year and one month after I purchased this camera and the LCD screen is full of black and purple lines and everyone in the photos looks jaundice. Bring it to the shop. Am told it will cost $140 and all I get is a 90 day warranty! I could buy a new camera for that amount. Get the camera back and they don't even replace the scratched LCD screen. Nor do I get an explanation of what was wrong with the camera in the first place. I am so mad. Canon is such a rip-off! So I call to complain (AGAIN) and get the total run-around from Canon. I only wish I had the time to go on every camera website and write a review of this company and their crappy products. Buy a Nikon.

Falling Apart After Moderate Use
While the features and ease of use may be good on the A70, the overall quality and durabilty is VERY POOR. My camera developed a fuzzy spot (presumed inside the sealed lens) that appears at the top corner of every photo. A panel on the body also has begun to loosen, even though the camera has always been cased, and never mishandled.

In reading other complaints and problems in this forum, it seems that Canon sees users of its consumer cameras as idiots, who will gleefully send these cameras back to the factory and pay a further $150 (plus shipping) for a refurbished replacement.

I suggest you purchase a higher-quality brand (Nikon, Leica), and leave Canon to sort out its obvious Quality Control problems on other, less-informed consumers.

E18 Error Message
The camera has worked effectively for 1 year and 7 months.
However it has now stopping working, and the message given
on the screen reads E18. Apparently this is common problem
that has to do with lens misalignment or something. Canon's
can fix it for 100 - 200, or replace it with a refurbished
model for 150. In any case this seems very frustrating for
camera to only function for about a year and a half.

Another issue is that if you purchase the wide angle adapter
lens it will not work with the flash. I believe this is a design
flaw. The lens is so wide it blocks the flash, and creats a
curved dark area on the images.

One last issue is that the view screen cover is plastic or
something and is very easily scratched. I also somehow got
dust or dirt underneath this screen which was under warranty
and was repaired.

Otherwise its a pretty decent camera. Not a true pocket size
camera. When its working it takes great pictures.

Value for money & Warranty problems
About eight months after I bought the camera from Amazon USA I have noticed a white spot on all pictures I took with my A70. First I thought it is a piece of dirt on lens so I ignore it. Soon I realized it is a "dead" pixel. I contacted Canon USA and they told me to contact a service facility in my country. I called the Canon service in my country and, to my great surprise, they told me I must pay 25$, the cost of repair, which actually implies not changing the sensor but downloading new interpolation data so as to hide the white spot. Since I have already paid the warranty, as embedded cost, I do not understand why I should pay extra money.

5 stars for Canon engineers.

0 stars for Canon warranty.

Another E18 tragedy
I would be very impressed with this camera. If it were not now, after 13 months of ownership, simply taking up space in a box in my closet (I keep hoping some recall will take place, but doesn't look that way). Really too bad, I thought this camera had everything.

I am not a big camera user. I would say I used this camera once or twice a month to take a few pictures of something. The camera was always stored in a nice padded holder...never dropped, never mishandled. And yet, six months in, the lens stuck and I received my first E18 error. After some jiggling, I managed to get it to retract and that was that. A month later, same problem...same resolution. This would happen about half the time after that, and a call to Canon told me it was probably dust (every time?) and to use canned air. I did so, and it would resolve itself. I skipped using the camera the eleventh and twelth month of ownership (i.e. within warranty), and on the thirteenth (OUT of warranty) the camera REALLY began acting up. It was always hit and miss as to whether the camera would work at all...eventually the lens would retract and I might get to use it. In my naivete, I tried new batteries *roll eyes, I was desperate, ok?* I had two good usages with no problems, then took the camera to Disney World. First time out of the bag the camera froze, and has remained so since. Fixing it will cost me almost the price of the camera to start with.

Given A70's demand when it came out, I felt lucky to be able to get my hands on one..beware what you wish for, right? A search for "Canon" and "e18" online absolutely ASTOUNDED me with the huge number of complaints on this issue of the lens sticking. I wish I'd known this beforehand. Clearly there is a problem, and while a flawed product is forgivable, Canon's lack of interest and response in taking care of it will keep me from buying a Canon product again.

Before buying, I truly urge you to consider and do your research before you buy a Canon product, this is not just occuring on the A70's. If you are absolutely determined, I highly urge you buy an extended warrenty as these errors are occuring on average within the first 18 months of ownership.

CANON customer service stinks!!!
WARNING! CANON CUSTOMER SERVICE STINKS! Our experience indicates that if you buy a Canon, you should be prepared to pay for the camera a second time in repairs. This is regardless of extended warrantees. BEWARE!

This is the second Canon Powershot camera we have owned. We have had problems with both and in both cases Canon has refused to repair the camera without paying a very high flat fee. The first time the problem occurred after the warrantee period, so we paid it - about $150. Supposedly the camera was then covered for a 3 month further period. Within one month the camera completely failed to work again. We called Canon service long distance from China, where we had taken the camera, but they refused to repair it saying that the warrantee was not in effect because the problem was a different one than the one they had previously repaired. We swore we would never buy another Canon. But, STUPID US!, we read reviews that said Canon was best in our desired type and price range, so we purchased a Canon A70. It is still within the first year warrantee period, but now again Canon refuses to fix it unless we pay the flat fee - this time $100 plus shipping and handling! They say that the reason is that the camera was dropped. We know that there is a small dent on the side of the camera, but we do not want or need that fixed. The problem is that the camera does not take pictures, its obvious and essential function. This problem developed months after the small dent in the corner of the camera. We have tried calls and so far Canon has refused to fix the camera. WE WARN YOU NOT TO BUY CANON! DO NOT BE AS STUPID AS WE HAVE BEEN!

Repair is too expensive
I've owned this camera for two years now. It has its issues. It wastes a lot of battery power by constantly pushing out and pulling in the lens every time the camera is turned on and off. It has a automatic power saver feature that autoshuts down the camera to make sure this happens regularly. It also continuously projects movie like images on the LCD screen of what the camera sees -- nice power wasting feature. I only need it to do that when I am actually taking a picture, not all the time. As you might imagine, you'll get tired of changing the batteries. Low light pictures were never very good.

The camera comes with a bewildering array of options but I found that 95% of them I never used. There is a dial on top with a dozen special settings for various pictures. In my two years I've only used one. The same goes for the various image sizes, compression levels, etc. The one time I actually needed a feature, it failed:

My mistake apparently was to attempt to delete pictures on the compact flash card using my computer's file browser. After I reinserted the CF card back in the camera, the camera refused to take pictures. I had the camera reformat the flash card and still wouldn't take pictures. I tried another CF card and it wont take pictures on that either. New batteries didn't help. Canon says that the repair will cost $200. Gee, thanks guys. The camera cost that much.

The fact of the matter is that I feel that these cameras are too feature laden and kinda buggy. I really would prefer a digital camera that took digital pictures. Period. The computer can do everything I need. I don't need the pile of features to complicate the use of the thing. Ultimately, I feel that all this stuff has left Canon with a camera that is simply not robust. Buy if you want, but understand that once it breaks, you are buying a new one, and all those features just make the thing break sooner.

I love this camera
My experience with this camera:
I have owned this camera for two years and have taken thousands of photos with it.

This camera has never broken on me. No software has ever screwed up. My belief is that cameras are NOT toys and should be treated with care - then they will not malfunction.

The available shooting options on this camera are far beyond what any other similarly priced digital camera offers. The large variety of auto/manual shooting modes and other background manual settings are really what sold this camera to me. I wanted a digital camera I could toy with and learn the ins and outs of photography with...before spending money on developing costs associated with traditional cameras. This camera is perfect for me. However, if you want a camera only to take pictures of 'haha he's rolling around drunk on the floor, quick take a picture' or 'cute little fluffykins' - this may not be the best camera for you.

As with all things electronic, it is well worth your time reading the manual. This is how you learn to save batteries/etc. I remember finding out the way to turn off the LCD display so that I could batteries, simply by reading the manual. Many complaints about power use or complicated features can be sorted out by reading the manual. I cannot stress this enough (I would be saying this about any other electronic prodcut as well, so don't take this as a point against this camera).

Excellent Camera. Just buy a 128 or 256 card and its great.
I bought this camera in May 2004 and have been extremely happy. It takes excellent videos and pictures ofcourse! I bought a 256 MB card and it works great. It is very frugal on the use of battery so my regular batteries last for a very long time. A great buy I would say.

Overall quality
This camera was a good one as long as it lasted. However, we have used it lightly less than two years, and it has stopped working. We've been told that cost to repair these cameras is frequently more than replacement cost. Since we paid over $300 for this camera, I expected it to last longer.

Dont buy this
Nice camera - until it stopped working. The lens mechanism jammed, i got an E18 error and the camera would have cost too much to repair by canon so i've had to spend money twice for a camera: one that doenst work and a new one. Never again

Camera Needed Repair 2 Times in 3 Years!
Although this camera takes wonderful pictures and it easy to use, I wouldn't buy it. We bought it for about $300 and we've had it for less than 3 years. We've need to repair it 2 times. After using it for less than a year, the LCD screen stopped working and the camera took all-black pictures. Canon fixed it because it was still under warranty. A year later, the camera had the same problem but Canon would not fix it. They said I could pay them $150 for a "refurbished" exact same model and send them my old camera. Humm...doesn't make much sense since this camera sells for a little over $190 now anyway. I think it is a bit of a scam. I'd look for something different.

This Camera Broke My Heart
I've owned the Canon PowerShot A70 for about 18 months and loved - LOVED! - it. Simple to use, plenty of options for full auto or manual operation, a ton of extras, efficient battery usage, great companion software for easy uploading - all in a compact, attractive, sturdy package. Then the lens retraction mechanism failed and I got the dreaded "E18" error message. I emailed Canon's support desk and got a speedy and thorough reply. But since the one year warranty had expired, I was told my only options were that I could send in the camera to its service center (average cost of repair: $100 - $200) or I could pay $150 and they'd send me a factory refurbished A70. Considering the expense, I'll just spend a little more to get a brand new camera. Unless somebody from Canon is monitoring these posts and wants to cut me a deal on repair costs for my beloved but broken PowerShot A70...

After 1 year warranty, expected problems occurred to me
I thought I would be the exception from experiencing the Black Screen problem. However, I wasn't. 13 months after I bought it my camera occasionally had blurry purple come up on the LCD screen and that's exactly how the picture looked. I literally bang it against my hand and then the screen comes up clear. However, since I'm past the warranty, I don't feel like getting it repaired. I'm tempted to look into other Canons like the SD400, but I'm reading how that has a LCD cracking problem. If someone has a good suggestion for a $300 digital, I'm all ears.

Purple haze!!!!!!!
I really thought I was the only one. I really loved this camera, felt it was my best purchase in a while, thought it was value for money, but alas! I got the purple haze and now black screen. I won't even contact Cannon cause my warrranty is up. But really, what's up with that purple haze black screen? I thought it was my batteries, went to buy new ones. then figured it was the memory card...was about to change that too, till I came here and saw that most people had that same problem. So Cannon taking us for a ride?

Do not buy the Canon A70
I've had this camera for 20 months and just now I am getting the Balck Screen problem. I called Canon and they can repair this "rare occuance" problen on my dime. This is not a rare occurance as you have seen by these other reviews. I've learned my lesson. I will never buy a Canon camera or other product again.

Do not buy this camera
I've had this camera for a little over a year. Initially, i thought it was a great camera. It worked fine and even though it was only 3.2 megapixels, the picture were great for what i used it for.

However, currently my camera is in a repair shop. When you turn it on, all you get is a black fuzzy screen. After reading several of these posts, i understand this is a common problem. In fact around the same time this happened to my camera, one of my colleagues had the same exact problem with his canon. His camera is also at the repair shop.

Unfortunately, my experience with this camera impacts my decision on other products, and i would probably never consider buying anything canon makes ever again, be it cameras or printers etc.

Great camera until it died
I happened to see all of the "not so good reviews" on the Canon A70 and thought I needed to send in my bad luck story also. I'm in Iraq right now and my wife was using our camera the other day taking pictures of the kids and it stopped working. After going through all the troubleshooting, she still can't get it to work (won't turn on at all). My initial thought is that it will cost well over $100 to fix and the camera really isn't worth much more than that now. The camera is about two and a half years old and I figured for what I paid for it it should have lasted a lot longer. So, I went from having a great camera to not having one at all. My next thought is my next camera probably won't be a Canon. Sorry Canon, but after all the recent reviews here you might want to look into this.

A Disposable Camera
After One year and 3 weeks of use the dreaded E18 error.
Canon Customer Support is non-exsistant. And they act like they know nothing about this problem. Wanting to sell me a refurbished A75 as a replacement for $99.00 or fix it for $150.00.. NOT

Canon Powershot A70
I have owned this camera for more than 2 years. It is one of 4 digital cameras I have owned. It has been trouble free, and I have used it a lot. It is one of the best all around cameras you can buy. You can even make very good (VGA) movies with this camera. It is easy on the rechargeable batteries. Professional grade.

Camera sputtered and died within 2 years
I got this camera in 2003. It was my first digital camera, so I dont have much to compare it to, but it seemd somewhat troubled from the beginning--for instance, within a few months after I bought it the tiny memory card that it came with got corrupted and destroyed all the pictures that were on it. I also found the flash to be too bright--if you used it, the pictures were too bright and washed out. However, the real problem was that a few months ago (spring 2005) the camera died. For a few weeks it would still take pictures but they were completely distorted, and then it stopped altogether. Of course, the warranty was expired by the time this happened. I have had previous, non-digital cameras for years and years, so it seems ridiculous that such an expensive camera would die so fast. I will not buy another digital camera from Canon.

R.I.P. Canon A70
Once I got the hang of taking pictures with this camera, I loved it. It took great pictures with amazing quality. A few months back though the camera started blacking out or it would have purple lines. I thought it might be the LCD screen but it wasn't. My pictures were coming out black or with these lines. I would hit it a couple of times and that would do the trick and the pictures would be fine. Now the camera gets hit so hard my hand would start hurting. I gave up and moved on to a Minolta. Apparently Canon cameras, according the negative reviews has this type of problem with their cameras. It's sad because the pictures came out awesome.

a terrific camera
i've had a powershot a70 for two years, and in that time have taken thousands of pictures and hours worth of video clips. this thing hasn't left my side since i bought it- it's become almost an extra appendage.

unfortunately, i've lost two of these cameras to the dreaded "purple haze" now. my first camera broke six months after i bought it, but i don't think this was any fault of canon's. i was so hard on that thing. i carried it around in a bag without a case everywhere i went, dropped it multiple times, and pretty much did everything with it that you shouldn't do with a camera. and contrary to what others have been saying about canon customer service, i thought they were great. i sent in my camera, and despite the fact that it was dented and scratched and clearly mistreated, they sent me a refurbished one, no questions asked.

i've been a lot more careful with my second camera, but it's still been through a lot of wear and tear over the past year and a half. up until it broke, it did everything i asked of it, and then some. i realized about a month ago that it was about to go, and decided that it was fine with me, because i've more than got my money's worth in the time that i've had it. my only regret is not buying the extended warrenty when i bought my camera originally, because i would love to get another identical refurbished camera from canon.

this is a great camera for casual photographers. it doesn't take professional quality images, so don't expect to be blown away, but the pictures still look great. the video mode is pretty decent, and it's one of the features that i've come to love most about my camera. and as for battery life, i have yet to find a camera with batteries that last as long. the four double a's make the camera kind of heavy, but they last for weeks at a time. my only complaint is that the camera has troubles in low light, but that's to be expected with any digital camera in this price range. the flash tends to be too bright and washes pictures out, but without the flash, the image will blur unless you keep the camera perfectly still. this problem can be solved by buying a tripod, however.

overall, this is a great camera. my dad, sister, and boyfriend all bought similar powershots because they liked mine so much. despite the fact that my camera is broken, i would say it had a good run, and would suggest it to any casual photographer in the market for a new digital camera

good first camera
I'll make this short, but this is a good first camera. I've probably taken over 1,000 pictures with this camera and we have some good memories already, in only just over a year. Good camera for the price.

However, I will hopefully be upgrading soon. I want something with a more generous zoom and a camera that takes the pictures faster. There is a pretty big delay in the way the camera takes the pictures. It's good for portrait stills, but it's hard to capture action shots.

Overall, good camera.

Has NO Staying Power
I based my purchase decision largely on reviews I read on this site. Just about everone was THRILLED with their new camera - so I purchased.

I, too, was thrilled - for about 1 year. Then the camera began producing pictures with black lines through them - or red hues. I thought perhaps I got the camera wet - as I also have the underwater housing and take it scuba diving.

I surfed the web looking for a repair store in my area - and found many blogs where COUNTLESS people complained of the exact same issues with their PowerShot A70. I contacted Canon, as given sheer number of people who complained, I concluded there must be a design defect. Canon did not stand by their product at all.

My conclusion? The camera was not built to last. A good starter digital camera, to be sure. But you should only expect it to work for about 1 year.

DO NOT BUY
My sister and I both have A70's, and in one year, they've started to exhibit the purple-black hazy line problem. Giving the cameras a couple slaps seems to solve the problem at the moment, but it keeps on coming back, and sometimes the slaps don't work. This is a well-documented problem online. it takes great pictures, but the body & doors are rather flimsy, and it's useless once you get the lines problem. too bad.

DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA
I have two of these cameras, the A60 and the A70. Each of them worked for about 6 months. Then the screen got all fuzzy and had lines through it, and woukdnt take pictures. After a while it just turned black and stopped working. I sent it in to be fixed under warranty and they fixed it. A few months later it broke again and of course my warranty was up by then.
I find it ridiculous that I spent almost $200 on each camera and now all I have to show for it is two broken cameras. I will NEVER buy a Canon again!

Not a Bad Camera
This was the first digital camera I bought and did so after a good amount of research and playing with a variety of other ones through my friends. I've owned it almost two years now and it has served me pretty well. The batteries don't drain too quickly, even when shooting video and the picture quality is good enough for almost anything you need to do. Most of my pictures end up on-line and this camera serves that purpose well. The features are standard, nothing too out of the ordinary now. It's a little larger than I would have liked, but it's not a pain to fit in most places. Overall, for the price I think it's a good deal and worth it if you are just looking for a recreational camera.

Canon should stand behind defective products
I haven't tallied up exactly how many of the reviews here are complaining of the same problem - after about a year camera quits working (I got the purple/black screen problem). It seems to me that there is definitely some defective components in this camera. Since Canon doesn't want to stand behind their product when there is an obvious defect issue, I'm wondering if we should all band together and file a class action law suit against them. Email me at canona70sucks@yahoo.com

Agreed - awesome camera but if you are clumsy...
I agree with everyone else - this camera is awesome. the only thing i have to add is that if you are clumsy like me, and drop it with the lens open, it will break. (i'm sure this is the case with any digital camera....) the lens will turn slightly enough so it doesnt open/close properly...it kinda slowly malfunctions... it wont focus etc. if you have a canon warranty they will fix it. this has happened to me, my father and another family member that had the camera. just dont be clumsy and youre all set!

like i said... AWESOME camera. quality is amazing, and 3.2 megapixels is plenty.

A temporary camera
If you want to spend the money for a great 1-year camera, the Canon PowerShot A70 is the one for you.

I agree with all the great reviews of the A70 digital camera. It takes wonderful pictures and is easy to use. I have used the video function numerous times and it works great. When I bought the camera, Consumer Reports recommended this camera.

HOWEVER, this camera is apparently designed to "fail" between 1 and 2 years of use, depending on how often you use it. After exactly 2 years of use (4,217 pictures), my camera also now gives me the black/purple screen that numerous other consumers have complained about. When the camera decides to be operational, the majority of the pictures now come out blurry. This camera has turned from the best camera I have ever used to an unreliable piece of junk.

Bought 3. All now broken.
I bought three Canon A70s. All are now broken. This camera obviously has some design or quality issue. I am not sure if I can trust Canon now.

Canon Service Notice
I have have this Camera for about 3+ years and it was been worked very well for what I wanted it for. Mostly pictures for my website and to print some for shareing with friends.

I just recently started having problems with my camera not working all the time because of the screen, but now my lens is stock about half way out and will not right it's self. I did some searching and found that cannon has a service notice on this camera that will repair it even if it is out of warranty. I will be sending my camera in to see if I can get it fixed. To bad to because I just got a new camera for my birthday.

A great first digital camera
I've found this easy to use and produces great pictures.
To augment it I've bought a 1 gig memory card for $50 dollars and rechargable batteries.
This allows one to take lots of pictures and even movies without worrying about battery power overmuch.

Great camera, a little too slow
Best digital camera I've had, good quality for the price. Biggest problem is it's a little too slow. I click the button, but by the time it takes the photo the action is over! Also, for some reason the video only goes to 30 seconds now, but it used to do 3 minutes worth. Great camera, though.

Cannon PowerShot A70
I had purchased this camera for my job. I like the camers so much that when I changed jobs, I purchased one for my personal use.

Canon recall for CCD defects
All PowerShot A70 owners who've seen problems with the camera sensor (CCD) failing to function or exhibiting excess noise or other image distortion should take advantage of a recall. Canon will repair this widely seen CCD defect for free even if your camera is out of warranty.

See the A70 support page on Canon's website or search for "PowerShot A70 CCD failure".
http://consumer.usa.canon.com/ir/controller?act=PgComSmModDisplayAct&keycode=2112&fcategoryid=221&modelid=8776

Unfortunately, Canon isn't making this offer conspicuous on its website and is not contacting customers proactively. I only learned of it on an independent camera review website.

I had contacted Canon Support about terrible noise problems in photos I'd taken (often discovered only later, when reviewing photos on the computer), and at first they failed to reply, let alone inform me of the free repair program. After discovering the recall notice, I contacted them again to request free repair, and they've agreed to repair my camera.

In other respects, I've been very happy with the PowerShot A70's features and performance, but not very impressed with some design defects and this CCD problem. The only mitigating factor with the CCD defect is that several other manufacturers' cameras have been affected by the same problem, though they've dealt with their customers better in addressing it. Olympus offers to repair cameras with CCDs that may be defective, regardless of whether the camera is currently exhibiting problems.

This issue, combined with a Canon camcorder that is now unreliable due to a widely-seen recorder section problem, severely undermines Canon's reputation for quality. This is especially disappointing for me because I believe Canon's products are often functionally superior, and I previously had Canon film cameras that were bulletproof.

A good first digital camera
I bought this camera in the summer of 2004 and have really enjoyed it. It was my first digital camera. I have used it on a number of trips and it has made some fantastic photos. It is small, convenient, and easy to use...just point and shoot.

I did buy myself a 256k memory card, which is plenty for my purposes. Downloading pics to your computer is a snap and is very easy to use.

On the downside, it is only a 3.2 megapixel camera. This was great for downloading photos to my computer, using them in slide shows as screensavers, etc. until.........I made the photo of all photos. Yup, I got lucky and made the best photo I had ever made in my life. Unfortunately, due to the 3.2 limitation, I am unable to have this shot blown up to a large size. For this reason alone, it won't happen with my next digital purchase.

Also, this camera will do tons more than I am able to make it do. I consider a downside to be that it is a little complex to use unless you are doing the simple point and shoot kind of thing. Anything more advanced is......well, advanced. I always have to stop and look at the manual which is just not convenient when taking a shot on vacation. So, I'm left with just "pointing and shooting". Seriously, this is not one of those cameras you can just pick up and "figure out" as you go. It is a little more complicated than that when you want to try some of its bells and whistles.

All in all though, it is a good camera for the average homeowner who is not a camera enthusiast.

Junky
Generally very disappointing. It does have numerous little gadgets, but acts more of a toy than a real camera. Photo quality just isn't up to other digital cameras in the same price range. The ccd has serious problems reading images, as I say it is more of a toy than a camera, but fine for people who are not serious about photography.

The best camera ever!!
I bought this camera 2 years ago and it is just awesome. It was my first digital camera, and I couldn't have asked for a better equipment. Easy to use, high picture quality, many options. My friends always complain about why my pictures are always a lot better than theirs, and it's all the camera's fault! I never had any problem with it!

I have 3 of these, very impressed
I have been using my A70 almost nonstop since i bought it, and have had no problems, I take it snowboarding, hiking, climbing, etc and I am not gentle with it. The aluminum case is very strong. I have dropped it from ~5' onto concrete and the only thing that broke was the CF card cover, which is no big deal since the camera still works.

Recently the CCD failed on one of the cameras (not the one I abuse), I saw the post about the recall (thanks!) so I called their tech support, I hope to hear back from them soon.

... They were very nice on the phone and it sounds to them like a CCD issue, they will send me a UPS label via email for RMA. w00t!

Okay for everyday pictures, fuggedaboutit for anything demanding
I've had this camera now for a little more than 2 years and I am ready to throw it out the window. I take flower and plant closeups as a hobby and the focus zones for the lens are unpredictable and uncontrollable even in manual mode. About 60-70 percent of the closeups I take come out Completely Useless because the camera has chosen to focus on an element in the frame that I did not want to emphasize. For example, a leaf to the side will come out sharp, while the flower itself is an utter blur, even on "macro" mode, although the frame was composed with the flower at dead center. What's worse, when the image is previewed on the screen on the camera back, it appears to be fine!

It does an adequate job with meta-pictures (whole scenes) but try to zoom in on an interesting insect or a tender bloom and you will soon go bald as a rock with frustration over the results. I used to take film pictures and got quite practiced at it, so this camera really annoys me because it refuses to behave like a standardized photographic instrument -- that is, when you point the lens at something and have it dead center in the frame, the lens is supposed to look for edges on that dead-center object and calculate focus accordingly.

This piece of "equipment," however, has a mind of its own, so you wind up with lovely background foliage and a muddy blur of color in the middle where a sharp image of a bloom should be.

In short, if your photography makes any sort of technical demands and requires a sharp instrument to assist, Buy Something Else.

If all you're looking for is a good snappy camera to take pictures of groups of friends or wide vistas, this camera will probably be fine.

FANTASTIC CUSTOMER SERVICE
I had purchased the camera on Amazon to give to my daughter as her first digital camera. It was used, and had only a 64MB CF card as its only acessory, no cables or software. On the second day, all I could get on the display while pointing at a light was a slightly purple screen. I went online to Canon, checked under the model number, and found a few things out. Some of the ccd's were made by a third party company, and they were sensitive to heat and humidity. On the A70 page, it said to contact them, and they will check it out and replace the ccd for free if it had not been damaged by dropping it. They sent me, by email, a shipping label for free shipping. After one week, they emailed me and told me it would be a free repair and would take 7-10 working days. I just yesterday received the camera, and WOW, what a surprise!! Canon had replaced my older A70 with a BRAND NEW IN THE BOX WITH ALL ACESSORIES POWERSHOT A520!!!!!

That is customer service you can't beat. Just another of the resaons I will only buy Canon cameras and printers.

Canon Will Replace Defective Image Sensor on A70
I think this is a great camera for the reasons stated by many reviewers.

However, after several years of continuous use, the LCD viewer stopped displaying images and, when I took photos, the images did not appear on the memory card.

Because I couldn't find anything in the camera manual or on Canon's web site that addressed this problem, I called Canon technical support. The Canon technical support representative I spoke to told me the problem was a defective image sensor, which he said Canon would replace for free (even though the camera was way outside the warranty period). He even said Canon would pay for shipping the camera to their factory service center.

I haven't completed this process, but assuming Canon follows through (and I have no reason to think they won't), I thought this was extraordinary customer service -- yet another reason for purchasing this camera.

Nice Camera
I bought this camera back in July of 2004 and i have been a happy user of this product for over two years. One of the things that i loved about canon powershot A70 is the battery life. I use 4 Monster NiMH rechargeable batteries on this camera and they work awesome, over 100+ pics. The picture quality is nice, and the camera is easy to use.
However now that 2007 is around the corner, I'm starting to think of upgrading, one thing that I don't like about this camera is that it is pretty bulky when carrying it in your pocket. This camera is bigger than the newer cameras of its class, and at 3.2MP its starting to show its age.
Overall, nice camera.

This product is defective
I bought my camera about 2 years ago. The camera worked beautiful. I started getting error messages about a year ago. I thought it was the memory card so I continued to use the camera. The problem worsened and the camera would get stuck and wouldn't take pictures. I took my memory card to have pictures developed. The memory card was empty. I lost all my pictures. I went to get a new memory card and took a sample picture. I was able to view the picture and then tried to take a second picture. The camera said memory card error. That's when it was confirmed that this camera is defective. If you want a camera to buy, DO NOT BUY THIS CAMERA. Defects need to be handled. Canon need to give people refund on this camera.

Don't buy this camera - won't last you a year!
I've had the camera just about a year - and a great camera it was for the first year. Then..... Almost to the day, I started getting the E18 Error message (the lens is stuck and won't move in or out - takes 15 minutes every time I turn it on to be able to use it - then it just stops working completely!) So, I checked for reviews on line and, surprise, surprise - HUNDREDS of people are reporting this problem but Canon doesn't seem to be doing anything about it.

So, no. I won't be buying another Canon product. Not if this is what they're like. Stay away from this one or you will regret purchasing it.

LCD Screen issues
My camera is about 3 years old. It is my first digital camera. About 1 year ago the LCD screen began to fade and soon I could no longer see what I was taking a photo of AND when the screen was dark, the photo did not turn out. I would need to turn the camera off/on for it to clear. I called Canon support and like the other person who wrote a review, I was told the the LCD screen was defective and that they would pay for me to send it back to be fixed and return to me at their cost as well. They were very nice about it. About 4 weeks later I had my camera. While I am happy with the photos that it takes, I still have issues with the LCD screen. Every once in awhile the screen will go dark and I need to hit the "display" button once or twice before it clears up again. Very annoying. I will need to call Canon service again but I don't know what else can be done. I just had it "fixed this past summer.

W.Kohorst, Silver Spring, MD

My A70 died 12/25/2006
I bought this camera after several relatives bought it and said great things. I thought the bright light pictures were good, but low light pics always blurred.

I had some LCD trouble in November, but was able to turn on/off the camera and get some pictures from it. On Christmas Eve I took pictures without any of the previous trouble. On Christmas Day - trying to take pictures of my kids opening presents - my A70 DIED. No pictures for 2006!

The camera was less than 3 years old. I've owned Canon cameras for over 20 years and this is the first time I've gotten a defective product from them. Looks like others are having same trouble.

I don't recommend buying the Canon A70 camera. My aunt's camera died also.