Semi-professional / Novice / Photo Enthusiasts
Whether you're looking for a professional or amatuer digital this is a great digital camera for the price. In addition to 4 mp capablilties this little marvel also boosts a strong enclosure unlike other digital cameras in it's price range. It's a great value for the price. You can take simple point and shoot photos or play around with the limitless settings to capture the moment. I have not use the panoroma feature but it sounds interesting and I plan on learning how to use it as soon as possible. I just bought the camera yesterday and I was impressed with the level of detail once I view my photos on my pc (you can also connect the camera to your t.v. but I haven't tried this yet).

This camera will not replace my 10 year old trusty Minolta automatic/manual camera yet, but once I figure out all the settings it might make some sense to leave the Minolta at home since I'll be able to blow up my photos to a large size.

............

sample photos taken with the A80.

I looked at digital Fugi, Milolta, and Nikon and I loved the A70. The store had sold out (apparently so did many others!) so I had to spend an extra hundred. I'm sure I'll make this money back with the amount of film processing I'll save this holiday. I'm glad I got this camera over its predessor because it comes with the latest USB (faster downloads) as well as the latest compact flash card (32 instead of 16mB) although I bought a 128 (and will probably buy another 128). The 4mp photos require alot of space.

I also tried a 30 sec (up to 3 minutes) mpeg and the camera was very intuitive. I took 70 shots in and outdoors and 3 small movies 1 hour after charging my batteries (not included - I bout a 30minute Energizer charger kit). The software for the photos is easy to use. The movie editting software doesn't appear to be that great. I don't plan on recording movies extensively with this camera, but it's nice to know this feature is available if I left my Sony Handycam at home.

I look forward to taking many photos with this camera and recommend it to anyone whose looking for a camera that doesn't feel like a toy and will challege any photo enthusiasts out there with its many features and manual controls. To save a hundred go with the A70 - also a great product. The A60 will soon be discontinued I believe.

As we expected...an excellent follower!
Canon A70 was the biggest hit since it hit the shelves.
So everyone had high expectations about Canon A80. I think everyone should be more than satisfied with Canon's new model. If A70 was the best compact camera in it's class, then A80 is the best of the best. If you try the camera I am sure you will agree with me.
I don't want to talk too much about the techical issues, you can read it on the official pages and on several digicam review sites.
Let's talk about what made me return to Canon, may be it can help you decide if you are new to digital photography or just have a dc of another brand and cannot decide.
I had the following cameras in order: Canon A40, S40, S400 then switched to Minolta F200 and finally returned to Canon A80.
I would like to explain to you why I went from one to another and why I think that A80 is the best of all.
First, I need an entry level quality digital camera at a low price, I got the A40. Then I would have liked more megapixels in a more compact metal body, I got the S40. Then I went for a subcompact light weight dc with brand new technology (DIGIC) and fast performance (S400). Then I realized that I miss manual controls and need sharper pictures and got a Minolta F200. Finally, realized that F200 has a very high battery consumption and an extremely high noise even at ISO100. I bought an A80 this week for several reasons: I saw some pics and used some cameras of differend types, and think that Canon is the BEST in the compact middle-range category. All the reviews and tests I've read about A70 was positive, so I had no doubt that A80 will be even better. One thing I was unsure about is the quality of the LCD on A80. S400 had sharper and darker LCD, but A80's is still better than average and I think satisfies most people. Don't bother with the resolution of the LCD if you read different numbers on web pages, it is nice and clear.
The flip-out and twist LCD is a big advantage to others: not only you can use the LCD when shooting over people's head or on the floor, but the monitor can be easily protected from scratches. I can't explain how big this advantage is till you see and try it yourself. Good work Canon!
If you know Canon digicams, then you know how fast are Canons. A80 is no exception, this is by far the fastest camera I used beside my S400. If it is up to Canon, you won't miss an important shot!
And there are all the things you've already read about: 4MP,3x optical zoom, full manual control, AF-Assist lamp (great!) etc, etc. You know it! :)

Some questions and answers:
- Shall I upgrade from A70 to A80?
My answer is: YES. The more megapixel and the new flip-out LCD worth that plus. Also, the construction adds more quality feel to it (there are more metal).
- Shall I go for A80 if I have no digicam yet?
If you can afford, definitely. But consider that A60 and A70 are also excellent machines when you are on budget.
- Shall I change to Canon from a different 3-4-5 megapixel compact digicam?
Definitely yes. May be some other cameras are better in some issues than Canon, but all in all Canon makes the best consumer cameras to date. Usability, image detail, low noise, faster than average performance are important things and A80 has it all at a very good price.

One very important thing: don't let you fooled by the sharp pictures of Minolta and Fuji. They have a very high noise that are annoying. I tried to remove the noise with some photo editing software, but the result was a washed picture in all cases. Some say that Canon has no sharp pictures. This is true, the competition may be sharper...BUT! you can always add some unsharp mask with the right software and make Canon images look excellent. Unfortunately, you cannot do the opposite with those "sharp but high noise" cameras. Keep these in mind always!

Another thing: chromatic abberration and blown highlights. Yes, it's there. Not always, but there. And it were there in my S400, S40, A40 and even my Minolta F200 images as well. It is there in almost every compact digital camera. This is NOT an issue, though some are complaining about it continiously. No camera is perfect and no will ever be.

Decision is yours. Take it in hand and you'll never want to give it away! :)

Great Comeras Beware of Bad Customer service
I bought an A70 which 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 $190 instead of the $280 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 $1000 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 $500. So beware of bad customer service. Canon's customer service has all bad unreasolved reviews at the Better business Bureau

A80 Rocks
This nice little camera does everything the G3 or G5 does, in half the size. It does not have a hotshoe, but that is no problem when you consider the size. It is fast, light, sturdy, and easy to use.

It takes great pictures and for the price...it is hard to beat.

Great Camera
Great camera. Good solid feel in the hands and the photos look great. I upgraded from the A70 and I'm glad I did. I love the swivel screen - it's really useful.

Pros:
Feels solid.
Great photos.
Menu easy to navigate.
Swivel screen excellent (but a bit small).
Tons of manual controls.

Cons:
A bit heavy. This camera is almost the same size as the A70, but it's significantly heavier. Too heavy for most pockets in my opinion.

LCD a bit small. But this is not a huge issue in my mind. It's very clear and the swivel is great.

Lag time a bit long. You have to wait an extra second for the camera to actually take after you press the button. However, I think the lag time is about average compared to other cameras that I've used.

Despite my negatives, it's a great camera that I highly recommend.

Dec 29, 2003... I wanted to add a bit more... I just got back from a two week vacation in Central America. This camera did great! The quality of the photos is excellent. The battery life is great. I brought two sets of rechargeables - the first set lasted 10 days and next set is still going strong. It traveled well, it is sturdy... The more I use this camera the better it gets.

Easy to start up for a novice
Had the A80 for 2 days. This is my first experience with a Digital camera, and I chose it after reading the reviews here. It took me 10 minutes to plug in the 256M SimpleTech card (bought separately), and the 4 batteries, and to start taking pictures.

Downloading pictures to my Windows XP based PC took no time. Just connect it to the A80 (USB Port) and the PC automatically connects and asks you if you want to download pictures. Very easy. If you have a Windows 2000 or Win 98 based PC, I think you have to load the software provided.

I still need to read the manual to check the various settings and to be able to use all the features. Cannot compare to other cameras, since it is my first experience; but so far I have no complains.

The quality seems great. Made in Japan.

Sweeeeet! This is one Tight Camera!
I'm the type of person who does their research before picking out ANY electronics item. I try to hit the "sweet spot" of features versus price that won't put me in the poorhouse. I wanted something that would give me decent picture quality as well as allow me the freedom to take pictures with manual settings. I originally was looking at cameras for a bit less money, but when I saw this sugar baby I was hooked.

To sum it up in one word - Exquisite

I've had the A80 for a week now, and I'm really psyched that I picked this baby out of the mix of cameras out there now to choose from. It's Nifty, Handy, and extremely Cool.
Number one pro is definitely the view screen. Small, but bright with great resolution. The camera strikes you at first as a bit heavy, but the four AA batteries are the majority of that, and I like the substantial feel.

Canon has done an outstanding job with sophistication and elegant simplicity. I find that photography is delightful and rewarding with this camera.

In Auto mode, you just press the shutter release halfway and the viewfinder resembles what I call the "Terminator Perspective" heads-up display. In a split second, the computer inside has analyzed the subject/environment and has outlined it's choice of f-stop, and exposure speed, as well as letting you know with a green outline the brightest area of your shot.

It's frankly amazing.

It is a heckuva photo tutor too. I'm new to digital photography, and the camera is helping me learn the different settings appropriate to each differing environment I wish to shoot in.

I work with a bunch of techies, and this one was definitely passed around with many lusty glances at the office for a while - I might be the first of my friends to buy this camera, but I won't be the last, I'm sure.

The software that comes with the camera would be worth at least $50 if you purchased it separately and it has impressive capabilities as well as being very easy to use.

Accessories!!!!

You will definitely need a bigger flash memory card. I picked up the 256 meg card from Fuji for 74 bucks (at the corner megalomart) and a fast battery charger (as well as two 4-packs of rechargeable batteries). Now you're set.

Buy these all together and put them in a gift box and put it under the tree for someone you love. They will love you for doing it. Just remember to have them open it first of all so that you can enjoy the holiday pictures they will have a kick-butt time taking with this gem.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

GOD BLESS OUR TROOPS

Excellent Camera
There are many cameras on the market today. By saying that this is the BEST, is saying too much. This is an excellent camera and there are others that are on par. Just like in sports there is not ONE great athlete but many great athletes. I have owned this camera for 2 weeks now. I am a beginner at photography. I don't know how to adjust the shutter speed or what ISO is. It doesn't matter I will learn. This camera is full of features for beginner to vetran.

Weaknesses from other posts:

Flimsy memory cover
Small LCD
Poor images
Wrist strap
Must buy batteries and more memory
Camera is heavy

1.)Duh of course you need to get rechargable batteries and a recharger and more memory. What do you think you are buying? A CAMERA, any camera you buy accesories not included. This would only jack the price up and with so many aftermarket parts consumers would rather choose thier own extras. I baught the 128mb cf card and the case with recharger for $100 extra. Oh well

2.) The compact Flash case is not flimsy, IT SNAPS IN PLACE just fine.

3.) Camera is heavy!! LOL this isn't a pocket cam. This is a 4.0 MP CAMERA, its got b*lls what do you expect some lightweight crap that can't take good pictures. Stop whining and go lift some wieghts or something.

4.) NO neck strap. I agree a neck strap would be nice. Again you are buying a CAMERA, don't expect extras tacked on without a price jump.

5.) Small LCD. That is the best one yet. You gotta be kidding me. The LCD is .2 to .3 of an inch smaller than other competitors. Can you really tell the difference? WHY did you buy a digicam??? SO you can take your pictures and put them on the computer to look at. So you can take multiple shots of the same thing and not worry, cause you can take 1000 pics and still have enough room. SO you can take your pics to a computer and ALTER them and PRINT them. DUH, an LCD is just to get an IDEA of what it will look at. NO LCD can give you a a full blown up picture. Stop saying it is to small. LOL

I think this camera was well worth my money. The included software is decent. IF you like to manipulate your photos get Adobe or a better phot publisher.

PICS LOOK SWEET. READ YOUR MANUAL BEFORE YOU WHINE ABOUT PICTUREs looking bad.

Awesome camera go buy it. It isn't the top of the line and it isn't at the bottom but it perfect if you don't want to go broke and if you want to PUBLISH TIGHT LOOKING PICS> Thank you ; )

Delighted with This Camera!
After too many battery-busting Olympus digital cameras, my husband (a former professional photographer) and I (all thumbs) switched to the Canon A80. He likes the flexible LCD, so that he doesn't have to use the tiny viewfinder and can even compose from chakhra level (he claims the pictures come out better). I like the fact that I got nearly 100 shots off of one set (4) AA batteries and that the image quality is excellent.

Great product
A80 is a great digital camera. From other reviews, you might have read its great features. I would like to address some issues that were mentioned in other reviews:
1. Weight and Size:
Depending on which digital camera you used before: if you used a heavy one before, this one is as light as a feather. But, if you used a "credit card sized" one, this A80 will be big and heavy. A80 is not very light, but not heavy at all. It fits nicely in a lady's palm. It will not fit into a shirt pocket. What'd you expect for a 4 Megapix camera?
2. Speed:
Not as fast as a SLR, but among the fastest group in digital cameras. It can be easily controled...another plus.
3. Media:
Compact Flash is the mainstream. Olympus uses XD. There is hardly any card readers for XD media. Although Olympus also produces great cameras, I don't want to touch XD since I'll also be using CF for my PDA and MP3 players.
4. Power saving function:
A70 has a bad function: the power saving function cannot be controled by the user. If you turn on the camera and not use it for a while, it will turn off automatically. A80 corrected this by putting in another function for you to turn the power saving on (not off!). You will never have to worry about it.

What you are looking for
Had it for a few days and it has fulfilled all the criteria of what I was looking for except one (but we get to that later).

I wanted a 4MB camera with a good lens and a brand with a good reputation for good pictures. I also wanted an automatic camera, but one which I could control everything manually if I wanted. I also didn't want to have to worry about lens scratches or LCD scratches. I wanted a camera that could fit into a jacket pocket. Finally, I wanted a rechargeable Lithium battery.

I have a Canon point and shoot film camera and was always impressed with the quality. As long as you are not getting into German lenses like Leica and Zeiss, Canon and Nikon are the best. I happen to be partial to the Canon but it is a preference thing.

Canon has been tinkering with digital models for sometime so I figured they worked out all the kinks. And so far it's been great. The image quality is fantastic. I bought it for a magazine project and plan to blow up images to 8x10. I have been in publishing long enough to know what I have seen so far is going to look very good blown up. For vacation shots, etc. it is all you could want.

But one should not mistake this camera for a vacationers point-and-shoot. It can be that, but if you know a little about photography, you can get some creative, unique and professional looking results from this model. It takes some learning because there are sub menus and settings but the basic principals of photography are intact.

The lens folds away when the camera is off and the swing out LCD snaps, face in, to the body. This is the only model I know that has this and I read a lot of reviews where people were bothered about their LCD getting all messed up.

All the online reviews about this camera (not just Amazon but CNET and others) are excellent (pretty much the case with most Canon models) and the price is right in there with the competition.

I just wish the batteries were rechargeable like on other Canon models. Everyone knows these things gobble batteries. But realizing the rest of the camera was what I wanted, I figured some rechargeable AAs from Radio Shack would take care of the problem. Of course, I have the usual complaints about the small memory card but every camera has that problem. Memory is so cheap, when will the manufacturers figure out that their customers want more?

My Best Buy in recent times
I never write reviews, I just pick up my products and use them! I'm making an exception now for not to do so will be (1) a great injustice to Canon Powershot A80 and (2) a great injustice to prospective consumers, who like me just a few weeks ago, shopping for a digital camera. I've had this camera for 3 weeks, I've taken over 600 pics and I just get dazzled by the quality of the pics, the ease of use of this camera, and its portability. My son is only 7 years, he takes pictures like a pro!! I'm still in the learning phase of this camera, and I'm yet to discover anything bad about it.
The pros; ease of use, different shooting modes including complete manual mode, flip LCD(a dynamite; you don't have to keep the camera at eye level to get a good shot and it prevents the lcd from scratch!), crisp image, customizable my camera setting.
The cons; for me, only the 4 battery usage which makes it slightly heavy, maybe canon can find a way to reduce it to 2. The cons I've read from some other reviews include:
1. LCD not large enough .... I say get real, its only for preview, not a theatre screen!
2. Power cord and battery charger not included ...... get real, then the price will approach $500 and you will whine!
3. CF card case appears flimsy ..... lies, lies, lies, unless you're expecting it to be made of concrete walls!

My advice; you want a super camera at budget level, you can't go wrong with A80, if money is not a worry check out Canon G3 or G5. However, to really enjoy this camera, you definitely need to get a power cord, rechargable batteries with a battery charger and CF card of at least 256MB. Want to be adventurous, then get other accessories like a tripod stand, accessory lens and an underwater case!!

Great entry-level camera
This is our first digital camera. Got it yesterday and its worked great. The flip LCD screen is great and so is the picture quality. With ease we could hook it to our computer and load the photos.

The 4 alkaline batteries lost their juice after about 1.5 days of almost continuous usage. I would recommend getting the NiMH rechargable batteries with a charger.

The PERFECT first digital camera!
My fiancee bought this camera for me for Christmas, and after 5 days, I am absolutely baffled at how I ever got by without it! This is plain-and-simple the best digital camera I've ever tried, and it is all I need and more. If you're looking for a HIGH QUALITY digicam, and don't mind spending a little more money, the A80 is definitely for you. 4 megapixels, optical zoom, enough control over you photos to make a photophile out of anyone! Great job Canon!

I feel like a Pro
I'm cheap, but I don't buy cheap junk... I just look for quality deals. After weeks of research, reading reviews and going to stores to look at digital cameras, I had no doubt about purchasing the A80. I really enjoy photography but my wife doesn't, so our main concern was to find a camera that would be simple to use for her, yet still allow me some freedom in composition. Unlike a lot of gadgets out there, I WILL use every feature on this camera. Compared to my old Fuji (digital), which I really liked, this camera is faster, a lot more powerful, the pictures are great, and if they're not, the camera will tell you what's wrong with it (histogram), so you can make adjustments and take your shot again.
The only complain I can make about this camera is that the rubber cover for the USB/DC connection on the side of the camera is rubber and it is always sticking out. I'll probably just end up pulling the darn thing off.
I think Canon really got ripped off on this deal. Either that or they really know how to do business, because they have one very happy customer who will probably come back again.

Quality counts - cheapest doesn't mean best
I did a lot of research prior to purchasing the Canon A80 digital camera. I read a lot of reviews, many right here at Amazon. I also looked into lens quality and the quality of electronics. I read consumer report's test results. The bottom line - as with most things in life "you get what you pay for". You can find cameras with more than 4MPs, however, my research indicated that the picture quality may not be as good as Canon's 3MP A70. Digital picture quality is a mixed bag of tricks. MPs are one part of the "picture" when determining what quality a digital camera is going to deliver. I will give you my advice in each of four major purchasing catagories below.

Retailer: If you take nothing more from this review, please listen to what I have to say here. The cheapest price is not always the best deal!!!! In fact I would go so far as to say that the cheapest price may be the worst deal. While searching for the best price on an A80 I called four of the cheapest retailers listed at sites like Pricegrabber. EVERY store I called was either out of cameras (surprise, surprise) or the price quoted was only good if the camera was purchased in a overpriced package. The "cheap" store would then proceed to try and sell you what "they had" - not what you wanted. After four attempts at the cheapest price, I went back to Amazon and found a price of $359.00. This price was $50.00 or more than the cheapest price, but they told me if the camera was in stock and gave me a delivery date. I actually purchased through an Amazon affiliate. I received the product on time and in good condition.

Camera brand: I touched on this above. Again, the cheapest product is not always the best buy. Don't be fooled into believing that MPs alone or a fancy zoom equate to good picture quality. If you don't plan on spending in the $300 dollar range, plan on mediocre results. Now...many people will argue that a $100 camera will deliver good results - it depends on why you are buying digital. If you are buying digital to replace conventional cameras, why would you want anything but great quality. You cannot go back in time and take another picture of your child at age 2. I went digital to begin replacing my conventional cameras. Canon is not the only good brand, but it certainly rises to the top of the heap in the quality for dollars catagory. I would stick to companies that make photography their business - Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Minolta, ect.

Camera model: Do your research and have a clear picture in your mind of what you need a digital camera for. A digital camera is like a computer - it's great when it works, but a nightmare when it doesn't. Again, don't always look to the selling price as the determining factor in selecting a model. If you stick with a major manufacturer you are less likely to get junk or poor service, regardless of the model you pick.
Many people stress out over the choice of an A70 or A80. I don't think you make a bad purchase with either product. I decided that, for an increase of $80, it was worth the upgrade to the A80. Your own budget may make this decision for you.

Price: I discussed this many times over. Don't let anyone convince you that a $100 dollar camera takes the same quality pictures as a $300 camera. Buy smart and buy for the long run. Buy quality and service. Do your research - read Amazon reviews and search the web for independent reviews. Pick up a Consumer Reports magazine.

My opinion of the A80 - Well...after about a week of playing with it and reading the manual(I'm not finished yet) I believe I purchased a quality product with features typically found on high-end cameras. A word of caution - don't fool yourself into believing that you can move from "point-and-shoot" to this camera without first educating yourself. I think many people foolishly believe that perfect pictures can be taken by simply pushing a shutter release button - not so in the real world. If you educate yourself about the functions of camera parts and read Canon's manual carefully, I believe you will find the A80 to be an excellent product.

I hope this helped.

The Canon A80 "Amazing camera "
Pros: Great pictures and quality made
Cons: none

Ease of Use: Excellent - It is easy to use right out of the box
Durability: Excellent - Virtually indestructible
Portability: Excellent - Tiny, and always functional
Photo Quality: Excellent - Pictures are professional grade
Lighting Conditions: Use inside & outside, with or without a flash. (The flip out LCD is a plus for overhead shots)

I would recommend this camera primarily for anyone.

Comments:
This is an amazing camera that never fails to come up with a great picture. I am far from a pro. but this camera's function and quality enable me to take shots that look good anyway.
It even has a quality mic. that allows you to record and add sound to a picture and the software that comes with it is the best I have seen yet! (Thank you Canon)
I upgraded from the Canon A70,(sold it at Amazon Marketplace),mainly for the fold out LCD and I am very happy I did so.
Also,I teamed the A80 up with the Canon i860 printer and the results are out of this world!!

As usual, the best range of consumer digicams by Canon
You just got to hand it to Canon to come up with the best package cameras in the market today. The A60, A70 and A80 provide huge feature sets at a very competetive price.

Regarding the camera, my A80 let me just say that it performs admirably.I was initially choosing between the A80 and also the excellent Canon S45, but decided on the A80 for the foll reasons:

1. Superior handling - the A80 just FELT better to hold in my hand, due to its protuding grip, than the S45. However, i recommend you try both cameras out before you buy. You might prefer the S45 instead.

2. Flip-out-and-twist LCD - The A80's real ace over the S45. Initially, i thought it to be a gimmick, but i found out that the LCD is really useful in everyday situations, e.g. taking photos of kids from a low level without breaking your back. BUT, the A80's LCD is also a bit dissapointing, as it has only a 1.5" size and 67k pixels, compared to the S45's 1.8" and 100k+ pixels. See for yourself, and decide if you are comfortable with the A80's LCD. I wear glasses, but have no problems with it.

So the choice is yours. Both cameras are priced about same right now, i think.

Back to the A80, here are its pros and cons:

Pros:

1. Good handling and feel, Sure , it may not be as small as a Pentax S4, but come on, the camera is more 'prosumerly' oriented. Is small size is what you look for, you'll HAVE to give up on many advanced manual controls.

2. Good quality images. People in forums have complained about purple fringing and excessive red-eye on the A80. I find a bit of fringing too but it is not that noticable. And redeye? I've seen none of it even with flash shots.

3. AA batteries seem to run on and on and on...... 2100 mAh cells lasted about a week with 30 or shots a day with LCD turned on.

4. NO E-18 errors which plagued the Canon A60 and A70!

5. Flip-out-and-twist LCD. Really useful.

Cons:

1. people say the the CF card door is flimsy, but in fact I find the Battery compartment door to be even more flimsy. I wonder when the springs will break off.

2. Shutter lag: This plagues almost all comsumer digicams. I've learnt how to handle it thought, by adjusting my timing, but it still annoys me.

3. A bit low quality LCD as i mentioned earlier. Some of you may find it to be a problem. It works fine with me.

So, all I can say is that the Canon A80 makes a very strong case for itseldf in the 4 megapixel comsumer camera market. However, if price is a hassle, you can also try out the 2MP A60 or 3MP A70, good performing cameras in their own right. In the 4Mp category, also be sure to check out the A80's competitors i have listed below:

1. Canon S45
2. Nikon 4300
3. Pentax S4
4. Kodak DX 6490
5. Canon S400
6. Sony P92 ( a 5MP model)
7. Canon S50 ( also 5MP)

For the Canon A80, i recommed the following accesories, which should be definitely bought:

1. 128 MB ( at least) Cf card. 256 MB is a good size.
2. 2 sets of rechargable Ni-Mh batteries, (each set having 4 batteries)of about 2000 mAh and a fast charger.
3. Camera pouch/bag. The Lowepro Z10 which i bought for the A80 provides a snug fit.

GREAT CAMERA
i was initially set on buying the canon powershot A70, but that was until the A80 came out. upon seeing its vari-angle flip-out LCD plus 4.0 megapixels (compared to the A70's 3.2 MP), i was SOLD on the A80. i got the camera for christmas 2003 and i've been really satisfied with it. i love the flexibility the LCD gives you-- i've been able to take great angled shots which i probably would have trouble doing on a camera without a flip-out LCD. the LCD may be a little small compared to other cameras but the display is very sharp and that makes up for its lack of size. the flip-out LCD feature is also very convenient as it protects the monitor from dust and scratches when it's not in use as you can fold the monitor against the camera body.

image quality is superior-- one of the best i've seen for digital cameras in its class. the images are very clear and sharp. i use the camera for everything-- the lowest resolution (640x480) for wacky, fun shots with my friends, and the highest res (2272x1704) for graphic design work (i'm a student graphic designer)-- posters, magazines, layouts, webdesign.

the powershot A80 is a great deal too-- rarely would you find so much powerful features for a camera in this price range. actually, when people see my camera, they assume it's really expensive but when i tell them how much i bought it for, they're really amazed. i guess they're not expecting a camera with superior features selling for much less than what they expected.

all in all, i'm very happy with the A80. the only negative thing about it that comes to mind is the lack of battery power indicator. i use rechargable NiMh batteries that last me a long time (i went on a whole-day shoot with the LCD turned and at the end of the day, the batteries were still going strong), but i don't really know when they're running low on power until a little blinking battery icon shows up on the LCD display-- a minute or two before the camera dies on me. it would've been nice if canon put a battery life indicator so you aren't caught unaware.

Defect in construction
I will not address photographic quality because I believe that it is very good, but I was confronted with a significant, in my opinion, constructional defect. Namely, I found the CF card door being very flimsy. My camera was in my leather bag, but under what I consider a very small impact, the CF card door cracked. So, think twice before buying this camera, especially if you have young children around!

Wonderful little beast
For a camera in this price range it offers quite a number of features, including those found on the more powerful G series. While it's probably too big to fit comfortably in a shirt pocket, it is nonetheless a lot lighter to carry around than the G series.

I've taken a large number of shots with this camera, and I have been pleased with the results. The quality is very good, the only problem is that jpeg compression tends to obscure minute details, and it is missing the RAW/uncompressed images options. That is not much of a problem until you start to do a lot of editing of the photos, and each successive save as a jpeg results in further image degradation. This is exacerbated by the fact that the unit has a weak flash which means you'll use the higher ISO settings, leading to the use of noise reduction software.

The pros of the camera:
Relatively small
many G series/EOS series features
excellent picture quality
conservative ISO levels
relatively "smart" camera in auto mode
flip-out LCD
Lens add-ons

The cons:
no flash hotsync, so can't use a good external flash (granted some good flash units would probably approach the cost of the camera itself)
smallish LCD, though not a problem for me
Tight viewfinder, I actually find it hard to use the viewfinder to compose shots, since it is not TTL
manual focus is a hassle
movies limited to 320x240; the A70 can do 640x480
optical zoom limited to 3x
limited to f4.9 at full telephoto
poor auto-white balancing except in daylight, but it does have a custom function for those who absolutely need white to be.. well white.
bundled photo editing software is very limited. I think even Jasc Paintshop Pro would've been a better choice, if not some Photoshop variant.

minor quibble:
no raw image capture mode

There are reports that Canon cameras tend to blow out the highlights, but the fix is to use center-weighter metering instead of full metering.

Grab this camera, a camera bag, 8 AA NiMH batteris and a charger, a >=128 MB CF card, some lens addons, a tripod, and a digital photography book, and you've got yourself a relatively complete digital photography setup.

If you desire more SLR features without the hassle of interchanging lens, there are the Powershot G3 and G5 from Canon; C-5060 and E-10/E-20N from Olympus; F717 from Sony; and the Coolpix 5700 and 5400 from Nikon. The current crop of 8 MP cameras suffer from increased noise and image distortion, according to recent reviews.

A Great Camera
I had to purchase a digital camera in a hurry for a school project. This camera was easy to use. The pictures were easy to load into my computer. I especially liked how it takes regular AA bateries. Rechargeable batteries are recommended.

Great Choice
Took the Powershot A80 on vacation and took over 200 pictures on the first set of batteries. There have been absolutely no dissappointments with this camera, outdoor, indoor, portrait, every picture is great. I could not recommend it more.

Disappointed
Purchased through amazon and although the camera takes nice photos, the presentation for purchase is misleading; does not include ac adaptor nor a card with decent memory. The one included takes 16 photos.. very disappointed and very misleading and quite expensive given the small memory card. I should have purhased it locally. I will reconsider buying anything else via internet/amazon. Nelson Martinez

I finally made a decision...
I finally decided I was going to get a digital camera, and I knew nothing, absolutely zero, about digital cameras. I pretty much focused on the Canon series from my previous experience with them. So I read and read, and the first night decided on the Elph S400. It was a simple, fairly cheap camera..just what I needed. But then being curious, I looked around some more and thought the G5 would be the one since I could use my Canon Speedlite flash on it and it had 5 MP's. The price was higher though, and I knew I probably would never figure out all the extras it had on it. So I then latched onto the new S1 SI with 10x optical zoom. Wow. But it was so new there were hardly any reviews on it, and it wasn't cheap. So I went back to the S400 Elph, telling myself I could learn on that and maybe one day get a more advanced digital camera. I went to the store to buy it and while there the A80 caught my eye. The S400 seemed so small and that LCD screen just looked so easy to touch and mark up. Still, the S400 was cheaper than the A80 and I hadn't done any research on the A80, so I bought the S400. As soon as I got home I dashed to the computer and read how almost everyone loved their A80. It has everything the S400 does, and more and would only cost me $30 more. I fiddled around with the S400, but kept thinking about the swivel LCD screen on the A80 and the greater options it had for photo shoots, portrait, sports, landscape... I must have subconsciously known the S400 wasn't for me as I never opened up its sealed manual. Instead, a few hours later I was back at the store exchanging it for the A80. The A80 just feels better in your hand and I don't have to worry about picking it up with my finger on the LCD screen. It was easy to set up and start. With the camera set to AUTO, I could take photos right away. Already I am impressed with the flash, from what others said I was worried it wouldn't do well in darker areas. I took a photo of my daughter hiding under a table and it looked nice and bright, I even took a photo in a room lit up solely with a night light and a faint flashlight. AFter I clicked the shot and looked at it on the LCD screen, it looked like the lights had been on in the room when I took it...and they weren't.
Loading the software somehow wasn't flawless, my download from the disk got interrupted repeatedly and I still am not sure if it is completely installed in my computer. I was able to download photos from the camera, that was easy...after reading the manual, and I know there are tons of things I will continue to discover. I printed out some photos and yes, the ones taken in the darker room are not as sharp as the ones I took outside, but I know I never could have taken a photo in a dark room like that with my 35 mm Rebel and its built in flash.
I can't bash the S400, it just wasn't for me, maybe because I am so new to digital cameras, I just couldn't go from a full size 35mm SLR to a teeny camera. The A80 is definitely heavier and bulkier, but that wasn't an important factor for me.
With this low price you can't go wrong. I would definitely buy it again. I also have the option of adding on a wide or tele converter lense in the future for more fun and excitement.

Outstanding value - High-end features
I can't say enough about how much I've enjoyed this camera. I actually lost it for two days (note: don't put digital cameras in checked luggage) and decided that I'd use the airline settlement to upgrade to a better camera.

After comparing to many of the 5MP cameras in the $500+ range, I realized that the A80 matched those cameras feature-for-feature in nearly every category (except MP of course)! Just when I had resolved to re-purchase the very same camera, the airline found my bag and I got my killer camera back (everybody wins)!

My favorite high-end features:
* Picture stitching (make one HUGE picture by combining several individual photos) right on the camera
* Multi-point auto-focus - note that you need to pay attention to where the camera tells you it focused -- you may need to adjust your shot
* Corrections for white-balance, EV compensation
* Nice tight macro shots!
* It's not a digital camcorder, but with a large memory card, the camera takes a pretty decent full-motion video
and most importantly ...
* Put the dial on "P" and it takes perfect pictures 99.9% of the time!

Other features I like:
* The folding LCD is great - protects it from scratches, allows you to hold the camera at funny angles but still be able to see your shot
* Uses 4x AA batteries. You can find AAs just about anywhere, and you don't have to carry around a charger!
* Heavier construction makes for a nice solid feel -- doesn't feel cheap.

Minor gripes:
* The little viewfinder is pretty much worthless as far as I'm concerned. You just gotta use the LCD.
* People have complained in other reviews about shutter lag -- it's true, but you can learn to compensate for it. Keep in mind taking a picture with this camera is a two-step process:
1. Frame up the subject and hold the button half-way down to get the picture and the focus set
2. Once #1 happens, push the button the rest of the way down to fire the shutter -- it's almost instant.
I've decided the delay with this camera is the focus time and/or exposure calculation. Once you've got the green focus boxes on the LCD, you're ready to rip!
* The multi-point auto-focus sometimes makes "interesting" choices in what to focus on. If you have a tough time getting it to focus on the right thing, you can always scale back to center auto-focus and force it to focus on what you want it to
* The LCD is great, but they really coulda made it just a little bigger ...

Your first three purchases after this camera should be:
1. LowePro z10 camera bag. Perfect fit and it only costs about $10
2. A 256 MB (or larger) CF card. Save the 32 for trips to the drug-store when you order prints
3. 8 rechargeable NiMH batteries. It's a little bit of an investment, but you can take TONS o pix (and review 'em over and over) on one charge!

A80 vs. A70
Disclaimer: Before I begin let me say that I love taking pictures but am a total amateur and will not be able to explain the fine technical diffrences.

I have had an A80 for 4 months now. I got it for a cheaper price than Amazon through bizrate.com at a NJ camera store. I made sure it wasn't one of the bait and switch stores through user rating and reviews. They did ask me to buy accessories but when I declined they just sent me the camera the next day. I had an A70 for about 8 months before I got caught in heavy rain and the camera CCD was damaged due to the water after giving me about 3000+ good pictures. So I went to buy another camera and thought of buying another brand and model. However after some heavy research I came back to Canon as I love the Photostitch and the other manual and photo modes. So I bought the A80 and here is the difference between A80 and A70 through the eyes of an amateur.

A80 is heavier than the A70 and the corners are less well rounded. Its squarer and is surprisingly heavier than A70. But you get adjusted soon and I like the weight as I don't carry it in my pocket anyway.

The plastic parts of A 70 have been replaced by metal in A 80 which explains the weight and it has a more solid feel to it and is more resistant to scratches.

The flip out screen is a good addition and I have twisted it in another angle about 25% of the times. For example when you want to capture a group of people from the outside. Then you can hold it above your head to get the center of the group and still compose your shot as you can see the screen. Or when you are taking pictures of kids and don't want to neel on the ground. You can just lower the camera in your hand and twist up the screen. The same goes for landscapes. It does allow for more creativity in composing shots.

The rubber flap which covered the outlets for your cable has been reduced to about 1/5th the size. And there is a better navigator button which allows you to scroll through pictures/menu etc. In the A70 the 4 buttons at the back also serve as the navigator buttons. Now they need not.

And the on/off button which was very flush with the top in A70 is more raised in the A80 and more easily found in dim light. The picture modes have not changed much over the A70 except there are now 2 more modes C1 and C2 which can be customized to your liking.

The biggest difference however is in the 9 point AiAf autofocus. I see that the indoor pictures taken by A80 on Autofocus are 'harsher' than the A70. Outdoors I do not see a big difference and the pictures taken in daylight are as clear as the A70 but the indoor pictures are quite different. The white is whiter than it was in pics taken with A70 in autofocus, if you know what I mean.

Overall, I like the A80, especially as I got it for only a few bucks more than what I bought the A70 for (from Amazon). But I haven't quite figured out how to use it to its full advantage especially indoors. And I do prefer Canon A80 over what was available in the same price range.

Great camera
I've been very satisfied with Amazon.com and my Canon digital camera. Amazon's prices were lower than the local stores with a great deal on a memory card too. I received the camera very shortly after I ordered it.

The Canon Powershot A80 has great resolution and holds tons of pictures. I love how the screen rotates out for better viewing. The camera has many manual features for the more advanced photographer. The photos upload quickly to the computer and is very simple for anyone who isn't very computer literate.

The only complaint I have is that the flash seems to be a bit bright at times. Many peoples' eyes in pictures are squinted because of the bright flash. I might try taping a piece of tissue paper over the flash. But that's it. Everything else seems to be great. I'm very happy with the camera.

Excellent picture quality, top of the line camera
I am a mom of a toddler and also a scrapbooker so I wanted a camera that would take excellent pictures. The Canon A80 is a bit more than I needed~ I am a point-and-shoot person and didn't care to get involved in manual modes. The Canon is fairly small and easily fits in my diaper bag~ it is a bit heavier than some other cameras but this is due to the fact it takes 4 batteries, which are well worth their weight in battery life. Even in auto mode I can take excellent pictures~ I've taken close up shots of my pets that just blow me away with how detailed they are. The colors are gorgeous and true to life. This is my third digital camera (had Kodaks before) and I can honestly say the quality of the pictures far surpasses the other two cameras I have owned (the CX6330 and the DX4900).

I do have a few complaints, though~ first, the flash is a bit TOO powerful. When I take pictures of my toddler (my main photo subject) I have often gotten shots where her eyes are half-way closed, resulting in a kind of 'drugged out' look. It was suggested to me to turn off the red-eye reduction (a preflash which could be making the subject blink) and this has helped somewhat, but I still get an occasional 'drunk' look. I have compensated by staying farther away from my subject and using zoom. The flash output can be adjusted but ONLY in manual mode, which I find irritating (I think this should be something you can adjust in auto mode as well). The only other option is to turn off the flash, which is not always possible indoors.

My other complaint is the shutter lag~ there is a LONG delay between the time you press the shutter button and when the shot is taken. This can be avoided if you press the shutter button half-way and do a 'focus lock' first and keep holding it half-way until you are ready to take a picture. The problem with this is when you have a toddler that is on the move you don't want to be chasing after her and worrying about doing a focus lock; also often you have just an instant to take a picture before a toddler moves her head/walks away/etc and pictures have been lost due to this shutter lag. While all digital cameras have some shutter lag, the Kodaks I owned were MUCH, MUCH faster than the Canon, with almost no lag whatsoever. I wish Canon would improve upon this! If Kodak can do it, I'm sure Canon can.

There are a few ways to try to speed up the shutter~ by turning off AIAF autofocus system, turning off red eye reduction, turning off the flash, or going into manual mode (I learned on a camera site how to go into manual mode and program 'snap mode' which has a faster response time)~ however these all can compromise the picture, especially in low-light conditions. It can result in blurry pictures.

Aside from those 2 complaints, I am very happy with my Canon A80. I've resigned myself to learning the manual stuff so I can have control over the camera~ I know once I am comfortable with the different settings I will probably be able to overcome the issues I've had, however I really would have preferred to stay in Auto mode. It doesn't make sense to me why in Auto mode you cannot even adjust the color settings (vivid, neutral, etc.), however you can adjust these in the P mode or in manual mode.

I seriously considered returning my Canon to get another Kodak b/c of the two issues above, but I honestly find the quality of the A80 far superior to the Kodak line. I did a ton of research on camera review sites, as well as looked at many picture samples from Pbase Photo, and the Canon just takes breathtaking pictures. As I'm growing in my knowledge I'm finding I'm taking much better pictures and working through the few problems I've encountered with shutter lag and flash output.

Oh, one more thing~ the battery life is outstanding. I use my camera a lot (!) and I am just in awe at how long it lasts before I have to recharge the batteries. It is simply amazing!

All in all, I think this is an excellent camera for both beginners and pros alike.

Your friends will be jealous
Canon makes the best digital cameras in this price range, no doubt. I purchased this beauty before studying in Mexico for three months. As a student, price was a large factor. I wanted more than just point-and-shoot.

I took 700 photos in Mexico. The camera never missed a shot. Photos all come out so perfectly you don't even need ot access the many manual options. The only manual option I used was the black-and-white, which took black-and-white pictures and gave me control over exposures and the like. My black-and-white prints look better than my friends', who used 35mm cameras. My color prints, well I blew a bunch up to 8x10 and they are absolutely perfect, amazing considering I wasn't even using the highest-quality option!

I love the swivel-screen. When traveling alone, you can have the screen on the front of the camera and take a picture of yourself. It was also helpful for seeing over large crowds. The camera is NOT heavy, I don't know why so many reviws say that. It's heavier than other digital cameras, yes, but I like that it feels SOLID. I have picked up many digital cameras that felt flimsy. This one is solid metal, very strong. I love that it uses AA batteries, because if your batteries run out its always easy to find more. If you use energizer e2 batteries the camera is very light. Batteries typically lasted me 2-3 weeks, and I was taking hundreds of photos.

There are a few cons to the camera. The screen is hard to see in direct sunlight, and it feels a little too small. Also, I find that the knob on the top to choose picture-taking options moves too easily - I often moved it unknowingly and then took a photo on the wrong setting. I also find that the auto-focus often focuses on the wrong object.

Still, I would buy this camera again. My friends' cameras simply did not compete. I had so many more options, and my auto-shoot's pictures were just better. When we compared prints, you could not tell mine were from a digital camera but there's had imperfections.

Buy this camera. If not this one, stick with Canon.

This camera RULES and so does Amazon
I bought the A80 and it's a great camera. It is so easy to use, I'm relieved. In the past, I've borrowed my dad's ($900. plus Nikon), and my sister's $600. plus whatever) and they took great photos, don't get me wrong, but ease of use did not exist. The A80 is fabulous. I took it out of the box, got it ready and the camera is so self-explanatory, it was great. I had great photos emailed to friends the hour after I got it. One problem was the movie mode didn't have sound. Turned out I got a defective camera, BUT...I called Amazon and they sent me another one right away. I needed it for vacation and they had it to me in two days. They are the best customer service ever. I'm very happy with my A80, and with Amazon. Thank you.

Good price. Good camera.
I know nothing about photography, but wanted a camera that had some 'advanced features' but was also very simple to use. This is that camera. The picture quality is wonderful at the highest resolution - you won't be disappointed. Friends that see my pictures over the net (I've never tried to PRINT or DEVELOP any yet, so I can't attest to that - however, I imagine the prints should look exactly the same provided you choose a decent development shop?) usually say first - "WOW, that picture quality is amazing." When they know the picture is one that I took with a digital camera, I suppose they are trained to think this is going to be a 'so-so image.'

In fact, many of the pictures that I take seem to turn out better than the original scene. I don't know how to describe this, and it may just be b/c I'm not a camera or photo buff, but the camera sometimes seems to add a 'gloss' to the pictures that makes them seem more professional. Point being, I love the images!

As another reviewer said = "Grab this camera, a camera bag, 8 AA NiMH batteris and a charger, a >=128 MB CF card, some lens addons, a tripod, and a digital photography book, and you've got yourself a relatively complete digital photography setup."

I purchased all these things for an additional $100 after I got the camera and I do feel now that I have a complete package and ready for any shot.

Be warned though - this is not 35 mm and digital cameras won't be for a long time. You can still tell quite easily the difference in picture type. That isn't to say, however, that the picture quality is worse, but it is simply *different*. I wish I could elaborate better. Personally, I will always prefer being able to take 100's of pictures without worrying about film costs, development costs, etc to knowing that I'm shooting with 35 mm.

I'm in love...
I'm a total amatuer, but have been using digital cameras at work for several years starting with the Sony Mavacia with 640x480 max resolution and most recently using an Olympus 3.2MP camera. I'd refrained from buying a digital camera, limping along with a point-and-shoot 35mm instead because the resolution didn't seem great and the prices seemed too high. With the birth of our first grandson though, I suddenly felt the need to own a digital camera! Without too much research I bought the A80 and I'm totally satisfied with my choice and maybe even a little pleasantly surprised by some of the extra's. First, just so I don't forget--it takes great pictures! Really great pictures...I feel like the only limitation is my own ability to completely use all of the available features. If you're reading the other 50 plus reviews you'll see a lot of technical info, so let me just hit my own personal highlights. It doesn't come with a bag...but I got a great small Samsonite camera bag with snaps and straps and pockets and zippers for less than $6.00 at Walmart. Any digital camera will eat batteries--go rechargable. The best I've seen are 2300ah NIMH batteries, you'll need 8 and a charger {Walmart again} which will pay for themselves in a month or two (and trust me, when you do break down and buy it you're really going to kick yourself for all the money you've been wasting on regular batteries). The memory card they provide is too small, but at the second highest resolution, it will get you started with 30+ pictures and act as a interim backup. I like the 256mb size as an upgrade, and will eventually buy a second one as a backup. Sandisk had a price for well under $50 and a lifetime guarantee--so the backup card could come in handy if yours ever fails! The camera comes loaded with features, including manual shutter and aperture modes and more automatic and manual modes than you will learn to use in weeks if not months or years of ownership. In the meantime, just setting it on Auto or Nite mode makes you look like a freaking genius anyway. The flip-out LCD screen is one of those things that you don't know you need until you have it, and then you wonder how you ever did without! It protects the delicate screen when not in use, rotates so your wife can take centered pictures of herself (instead of the off-center ones she usually got with a regular camera), and it is great for candid pics when you don't want to spook the subject by looking directly at them with the camera or when you want to alter the angle of your photo to get a bugs eye or birds eye view. The USB connection to my computer is a huge improvement over the floppy disks the Mavacia used and even a full card of 256mb downloads quickly (plus you can upload pictures to transport them to another computer). The included software for cataloging and modifying shots is adequate and actually quite an improvement over what I've seen in the past. Considering that it's free, I'm not complaining. {If I want better software, I'd rather choose what I want anyway.} I started this review by noting that I'd been holding out for a high resolution camera with a decent price--I got that and more. This is the perfect camera for an amatuer like me, and it will tide me over quite well until the price of a 10MP digital SLR gets down to under $400! And best of all, the pictures of my grandson make a great screensaver slide show!!!

Not perfect but pretty damn close.
As with most electronic equipment, price points make all the difference between relative consumer evaluations. That said, given the price point of the new(er) Canon Powershot A80 digital camera, most recreational users will not find a much better camera with the multitude of features for the price. And, consumers seem to be proving Canon right given the immense popularity of the A80, an enviable successor to the extremely popular A70.

The basic A80 package comes decently loaded, but you'll definitely want to spring for a few goodies (upgrades). The basic package comes with the camera, cabling (A/V and USB), software (for photo manipulation), and a 32MB CompactFlash card.

The first few items I purchased (actually concurrent with the camera purchase) were:

- a 512MB CompactFlash card,
- Canon A Series Accessory kit,
- Canon conversion lens adapter (for peripheral lens transition),
- Canon wide converter (wide-angle lens), and
- Canon tele converter.

While most recreational photographers will easily be able to get by with the standard A80 bundle, I would recommend strongly the Accessory kit and wide converter (which will require the conversion lens adapter). The Accessory kit has a custom-fit A Series case, but more importantly, it has a compact battery charger and 4 NiMH rechargeable batteries. Inasmuch as AA alkaline's life expectancy is relatively short, rechargables become a must. The wide converter translates into much better landscapes and group photos. The A80 comes standard at 38mm, while the wide converter improves this to an advertised 24.5mm, a significant improvement. And, while the memory upgrade and telephoto addition can wait, the others, at least in my opinion, really make the A80 sing.

Some of the really cool features of the A80 include: the swiveling LCD (a fabulous addition to the A Series), a built-in lens cover (eliminating the need for a lens cap), and, of course, the infamous Canon lens expandability. For you skindivers, Canon offers a waterproof case, allowing you to take your A80 up to 40 meters underwater (advertised).

For me however, the nicest convenience is the fact the A80 is PictBridge-enabled allowing direct printing to photo printers (supporting PictBridge-which most photo printers do these days). If you haven't seen the direct photo printers yet (printing directly from your camera to a photo-quality printer), take a look. They'll knock your socks off!

Canon's software bundle appears to be at the head of the pack, which includes access and compatibility for both Mac and Win users. Mac afficionados will love this and feel less discriminated against to boot!

The absolute only issue I have with the A80 is the lack of compatibility with an external flash unit. The onboard flash is...adequate.

All-in-all, the A80 is a little hotshot in the mid-priced digital market. I am really enjoying this camera and, although I'm certainly not a professional, I always want to shoot the best photo possible as the moment is lost if the need to "reshoot" arises.

Pretty Satisfied--so far
I purchased this camera a few days ago and so far, it is really nice. It seems well constructed, though it is smaller than I thought it would be. I am by no means a photographer, but the auto modes seem to work just fine for me. The camera seems fairly simple to operate, yet there are a good many functions for the photo enthusiasts. The video mode isn't the greatest, but this camera wasn't made for high quality video. The only thing that disappointed me so far was the fact that you can't get the date/time imprinted on the pictures. If you use the software that came with the camera, which isn't the greatest, you can print out the pictures with the date/time below the image (like a postcard or something), but I would prefer it on the actual image. Overall, though, I love it so far.

Rugged.. whoa!
This camera takes pretty good pictures once you figure out its unique quirks. Moving from one digital to another does take time to figure out the camera and how each camera will meter a scene. In manual mode this camera can't take the same beautiful pics as my Olympus C-2100UZ, but if I tweak the settings to compensate I can get shots just as good (without the long zoom of course). The automatic settings work extremely well, and I'm happy with them. This camera has some unique features that make it stand out tall for me, being compact with a little heft it feels like a camera and yet fits in a cargo pants pocket. The camera uses AA batteries which are a big plus for me, as these are very generic and I could always buy or borrow when I run out. All the cameras in my house use AAs, so that reduces cost right there, and we never have to worry about one camera running out. The flip out LCD has gotten me some pics that I otherwise would've never been able to take... very nice.

But the camera does something else, that I never thought I could say of a many digital cameras. It can take a licking a keep on ticking. I foolishly one day was walking with the camera strapped around my wrist and the camera went flying through the air, a mere 2 weeks after I bought it. It landed in the middle of the road, and I heard a crash and I had to look away as I thought there went a few hundred US dollars. When I picked it up, there were a few visible dents and the camera looked like it wanted to rest in peace. The body pressed basck into place with a few finger presses, and the dents remained on the edges, but the camera started with no problems to either the lens, internal electronics, CCD or the LCD. That flip out LCD comes in handy at times like these to protect your screen. The Canon kept on ticking! For that alone, I'll give this camera 5 stars.

Menus and Functions not very intuitive
So far I've taken some wonderful snapshots using the automatic settings. Using the "functions" and "menus" has been a challenge-- there are too many buttons: set, menu, function, display for a gadget that is, for the most part menu driving.

A very good buy
I knew nothing about digital cameras, but after researching and reading many reviews, I decided on this one. I was also considering a Nikon and the full Kodak package with the printer dock.

One clear standout feature is the LCD screen. I almost never even look through the viewfinder anymore. It allows you to take shots with much more ease and more quickly than you would with just a viewfinder.

Another thing that's good is that you can use the auto feature if you don't want to have to worry about any details, just want point and shoot, or you can switch to many other modes if you want more control over things, as you learn how to use the advanced features. Thus, no matter how skilled you are, you can have great pictures. I also like that there are all sorts of easy to use effects, like sepia and black and white, panoramic/stitch together. You can be pretty artistic right away. You can also take 3 min. movies with sound.

The software is easy to use. You just install it on the computer. The cables come for you to connect the camera to the a USB port, and when you do that and turn on the camera once the software is installed, it instantly recognizes the camera and asks if you're ready to download pictures. Once you do, they are saved to a folder and you can view them, manipulate and edit them, and even send them directly to an e-mail message. The program interacts directly with my MSN browser automatically. You can also create little booklets and albums and cards and things with the other software that comes with the camera. I can't wait to get a color printer cartridge and some photo paper to see how that works. You also get a cable to view your pictures on tv.

BTW, a friend of mine has the Kodak system and is generally happy with the camera and quality of pictures, but said that the software often messes up on their system.

I don't know if all software does this, but I like that you can take some pictures, download them, take some more pictures, and the software knows only to download the new ones even though the others are still on the card.

Picture quality is typically excellent. I took some very casual pictures of my son just fooling around the house, and I was amazed at the clarity and color that was captured. His skin looked beautiful, and his pink lips and each long eyelash were captured stunningly, making me wish he didn't have on a juice-stained shirt. He seemed to look better on the picture than I even noticed him looking in person. I am sure that soon the house will have professionally developed photos of him all around it that I've taken.

I'd highly recommend the camera to anyone who likes ease of picture taking and good results, plus the ability to grow as a photographer also. You will not be disappointed.

One thing that I was concerned about after reading reviews was that the battery compartment hatch might be fragile. It isn't, you just have to follow the arrows telling you how to open and close it, because you have to slide a lever over and THEN lift, and there's a little spring so that when you close it, you have to push and then slide back over. It is different than other compartments, but you have to follow the instructions, and it's not hard at all once you do it once. Don't let that scare you. It isn't flimsy at all, and it's not going to break easily. You just can't be ham-handed with it and forge ahead without noting what you need to do first.

I would buy the soft case for it, available for under 10 bucks I think on this site. I didn't go for the full kit because I found a fast charger that was cheaper, and NiMH batteries from anyplace will do. I have 8 NiMH batteries, and I keep one set charged and in the front pocket of the case and one set in the camera. These batteries last a good long time, but using the movie feature can eat through them more quickly.

I'm totally satisfied with this purchase.

Beware of Canon Service
Nice camera but mine was scattering red dots throughout the pictures. I bought it from Amazon two months ago. I had to package up and send my camera to the Canon Factory Service Center in Illinois 3 weeks ago, then surprisingly I get this repair estimate for $160, a return envlope, no return phone number that anyone answers, and I am to advise them to repair, don't repair or discard. What happened to the good old days of companies standing behind their products with a warranty?
Now I am on the treadmill. They won't give me a direct phone number to the Service Center, so I have to go through the 1-800 finger-punching-talk-to-three people transfer process. Three days of calling the Service Center and I have yet to get this issue resolved with anyone that knows anything. One guy promised to check on this problem and return my call within the hour. That was 48 hours ago. Wish me luck and beware of what you may have to go through.

Flash went bad after 2 months
When I bought it 3 months back, everything looked good...now, my pictures come dark under indoor lighting...after doing some checks, I found that the flash is not working...it works ok in outdoor day light...now, I have to see, whether I can get this fixed under warranty...By the way, I am surprised that the price dropped from $350 to $270 in 2 months, on Amazon! Any particular reason!!

I am yet to test how the digital prints are...when, I got some 10 prints printed in a small shop, they were not as good as the non-digital camera prints...also, they are not as good as they look on the camera LCD screen...I don't know whether I can expect atleast same kind of prints as non-digital/film camera.

Works like they promised!
This is an amazing camera that never fails to come up with a great picture. I am far from a pro. but this camera's function and quality enable me to take shots that look good anyway. It even has a quality mic. that allows you to record and add sound to a picture. The only gripe I have with it is that in order to actually use it for more than a day you have to purchase expensive rechargable batteries.

Good Digital Camera
I bought this camera as a present for myself Christmas of 2003. I've been very pleased with it since then. I really have never taken pictures before other than straight point and shoot standard cameras. This camera allowed me to switch to digital (which I love) and try out some of the more advanced settings. While I haven't ventured too far from the preset options, I do enjoy being able to zoom and flip a switch to get the camera ready for a nighttime shot or an action shot. Two things that I've realized I didn't know enough about before purchasing the camera include:

Zoom: The 3x zoom doesn't zoom nearly as much as I thought it would - but that is an error on my part, not Canon's.

Action Shots: I took some photos at an indoor basketball game and was disappointed in the quality of the photos. A friend of mine who understands much more about photography explained some various things to me that once again, points to the fault lying with me and my expections.

I have been very pleased with photos that I have printed on my fairly inexpensive inkjet printer. I'll even frame a couple to put up.

I would purchase this camera again and recommend it for people looking for a digital camera (possibly even a first digital camera) to take the majority of 'standard' shots.

Best value among other digicam under $300.
After using the A80 for about 2 weeks, I am very happy with my purchase decision.
The nicest things about this A80 camera are:
1) The canon lens give very clear pictures with good natural color [especially in day light];
2) It uses AA type battery for power. Although the alkaline battery give poor power, the high capacity AA NiMH rechargeable batteries last at least 200 picture talking with LCD on.
But in emergency situations, (you have choice) you can pick up some AA alkaline batteries in gas stations or supermarkets;
3) Its metal case is good to hold and look at (most digicams, under $300) don't have enough metal on them.
4) Canon A80 can allow us to get the lens adapter and matching lens to do wide-angle, closs-up shoot;
5) Its 270 degree swivel LCD screen is very very useful when shooting pictures at some odds position, like shooting an object behind a crowd of people or fences;
6) Its 4.0 megapixel resolution and 3X optical allow user to print good clear pics at least 8x11 size. for a camera under$300;
7)A80 has extra mode like: aperture priority, shutter priority, and full manual mode to shoot pics. They are very handy for advance skilled users to take pics in all different situations;
8) A80 uses Compact flash memory card, CF card is the most popular flash memory card and you can always get CF card at very good prices online.

I use windows xp to install canon A80 software and driver, never have problem to download or what so ever. If people blame on Canon A80 driver or software, they should fix up their windows xp before bashing the camera.

My suggestion for all A80 owners: Get a CF card with at least 128MB capacity or 256MB if you plan to travel with A80 for days.
Always use NIMH rechargeable battery to save money in the long run. You can get 4 AA NiMH batteries and fast charger from Walmart or Target for around $20.
I owned Canon A40 before, I loved and used the old A40 for 2 years. But this new A80 is a gem, and the $280 I spent on this camera will give me years of pleasure.

Great Camera
My only regret is that the Amazon price fell $55 in the 2 months since I bought it from here. But I suppose that's just the way it goes with technology (though a $55 drop in 2 months (about 17%) is a bit drastic even for technology).

Technically, it's a great camera. Snap it up for $275, which is what it's going for now. Great pictures, easy to use.

You should also get a case for it, and you should get rechargeable lithium AA batteries. And you need to get a 256MB Compactflash card - the included one is absolutely irrelevant, and is only good for about 20 pictures at the good resolution.

Another GREAT Canon!
I have had a Canon s100 2.1 megapixel for the past 3 years and loved it, but wanted to get something that had more manuel controls, better resolution etc. I made the mistake of trying a Sony DSC W1 first, I was solid on all of it's features and 2.5" LCD, but returned it after 3 days of shooting very soft/fuzzy pictures. So I went for the Canon A80, $100+ less, loads of features, great pictures! The A80 doesn't have the big LCD but does have one that flips out and rotates 180 degrees so you can always see what your shooting. Also, if you have small children that you can never get to look at the camera, just flip out the screen so they can see themselves, works AWESOME. I have only had this camera for a few days, but the first couple of dozen pictures have been great. Plus you can get wide angle and telephoto lens that you can attach with an adapter. The other great thing with the Canon is the software, it is simply one of the best in the business, the Sony's is terrible. I could not be happier with my purchase now.

Good camera with easy use
Ordered the camera on July 25th and arrived on 29th. Really very quick. Camera is really nice. Taken a few pictures and look good. Main drawbacks are CF card, which is 32MB which comes with the card. need atleast 256MB. Also u need battery cahrger. Instead of 4AA batteries, Canon can give atleast 4 Ni-MH batteries.

Good camera, full of features, great price!
ok, so I read all the reviews and decided to go for this camera. I could live with all the shortcomings - small lcd, heavy etc - except camera/picture quality.

I received the camera and found it was "Made in China". now I read some of the earlier reviews which warned against this one and had recommended "Made in Japan" but of course, I did not have a choice here. anyway, the camera was good in every respect except a small dark spot in the LCD which turned even darker and smaller - very noticable when zooming. it was almost like a dust spot on the lens! except the lens was clean and I double-cleaned it. it was like the dust spot was inside the lens. and must be quite some dust as it was very noticeable in every picture. (...)

I have requested a replacement and hope that the new piece is better - given all the home work I did on this model, I really want this to be good!

UPDATE 08/07/2004: Amazon promptly shipped me a replacement camera. and even though this one is also made in China, the lens dust issue is not there in this piece.

There is an occasional "vignette" issue i.e. if you take a picture against a white wall or sky, the corners come slightly darker than the center. I am told (by researching the web) that this is even an issue in semi professional cameras, so given that I must say this camera does quite a good job at it.

The flip out LCD is good, but resolution is poorer than other 1.5" LCD, for example the one in the S400/410 series.

Overall, I would rate the camera 4 stars, however, somehow Amazon does not allow me to update the rating. but then I would also rate my Canon S400 a 4 stars as well. given the price, this would be a 5!

Wonderful camera!
I shopped around for months and have had this camera now since February. It has been fantastic! I love the size (not too small or large). The features are so neat. I have even used the tilting lcd screen much more than I ever thought I would. It is great to hold over your head when you aren't tall enough- you can capture that shot without pushing through the crowd.
I print my pictures through York- they have come out fabulous! I haven't been disappointed yet and I've been shooting tons of pictures in all kinds of light- action and portrait.
The AA batteries will not last long so you'll need a charger,but that was a very small investment. I put in the rechargable batteries and took probably 500 pictures before they had to be charged again.

Real quick order
I ordered the camera on the 1st of August and it arrived yesterday. Really very quick. Camera is really nice. Taken a few pictures and looks really good. Also you need battery charger, just to let you know.

Everything you need and room to grow
This camera is absolutely amazing. Whether you are a point and shoot person or a budding amateur, this camera is for you. The camera has preconfigured settings for different situations (i.e. Portrait, Landscape, Night time, etc.) and the menus are easy to navigate as well. If you're becoming more of an amateur photographer, there are also custom settings that you can save.

The image quality is superb and the flip out screen has turned out to be surprisingly useful. You can take your own picture or lift the camera above your head (like at concerts) and still be able to see what your shot would look like. The LCD is a bit small, but it still gets the job done.

All in all this camera is extremely useful, easy to use, and worth the money. I highly recommend it.

Great Camera, Great Price!
I purchased this camera for my fiance who is going to Iraq for the military. I wanted to get her a camera that would take very good pictures, but at the same time be at a reasonable price. For several months, I have researched other cameras through independent sources (Consumer Reports recommends the Canon A80) and have found this camera to be the perfect one.

Well, I can't be happier! The camera is very well built and perfect in size. Although some say the LCD screen is on the smaller size, I think it is fine. I have NO problem at all viewing the menu or pictures. Also, the swivel ability is great. If for any chance you are in a crowded area and need to take a picture over someone's head, the swivel option allows you to hold the camera high above your head and at the same time point the LCD screen downwards for you to see. It's an excellent option! The 4.0 megapixels is also awesome. The quality of the pictures are excellent and comparable to higher megapixel cameras. Plus, you can take a video of up to 3 minutes long with sound.

Overall, I totally recommend this camera. You cannot beat the price and quality, and the camera is great for beginners.

One thing I recommend is buying a higher capacity storage card (Sandisk 512MB is what I bought through Amazon) and also a battery charger. Other than that, do not hesitate to purchase!

Canon A80... D' Best Digi Cam Out There!
First of all i want to thank Amazon.com for there reliable shipping. This is my first time ordering online and was hoping i could get my Canon A80 on my Son's Birthday, and Amazon didn't disappoint me. All of the good review for this camera are all correct and much more. I love the display view and also the type of shooting modes and functions. The 3 minutes video record is also good enough to manage all my clips, aside from other camera who only offer 30 secs clips.

All in all if you're looking for the best brand and model + affordable price, i recommend you this Canon A80.

Excellent however Camera shipped was made in China
This is an excellent camera. The only reason I give it fewer stars is because of potential quality issues (yet to be determined). Canon recently changed all production for this model to China. The general perception is that Made in Japan is of much better quality. Regardless as to the truth of the perseption, it is very true that things made in China are made at a much much lower cost to thing made in Japan. So far my camera has functioned well, however only time will tell. I feel cheated since all my research (online, in stores, etc) was based on the Made in Japan version. People will tell you they are identical, however that is usually not the case. Even if the parts are the same the quality control usually differs.
I feel cheated by Canon and retailers by this change. The main point is to realize that if you are ordering a new one now that it will be Made in China.

outstanding value and quality for the price.
My new Canon A80 showed up at my doorstep the day before hurricane Charley did the same thing. Fast delivery and timely.
I can tell you from experiance that is does a fine job in low light and catches the action of wind blowing outside of a window during a hurricane. Excellent value and very good results. I needed something in place of my Nikon D70 for trips where I didnt want to carry a larger bulky camera but one that was reliable and very good. The A80 did the job just fine. Very happy with it. The software works well and is easy to use. Impressive images and the price is less than 1/2 the cost of the last point and shoot type camera I bought 4 years ago. I'd recomend it to anyone who wants a great point and shoot.

Great camera!
Absolutely great user friendly camera. Pictures taken are nice and crisp and colorful. Very nice for a beginner. Software is very user friendly also. Lightweight, easy to carry. Love it!!

What else do you need??
This camera is pretty much everything you will ever need for 98% of all your picture taking needs. The picures are crisp and full of color. I was highly impressed by how the auto focus fixed lighting problems and knew when to utilize the flash or not. Wonderful feel in the hand and the LCD screen on a swivel is one of the best features you'll find on a digital camera. Finally you can take a picture of yourself and a friend (while pointing the camera at you) and you can see exactly what you are taking. Marvelous!
The software for this product is all self-activating. You plug your camera in, download you pics, and then manipulate them if you wish. So easy its scary. I was looking at the Casio line for is small size and couldnt be happier I went with the Canon A80. I was worried about indoor pictures coming out darker (as with the apparent problem with the Casio line), I NEVER had a problem.
I am sure people could come up with this and that for why one camera is better than this one, but for the money and the tools, this is the BEST overall camera, period DOT.

Excellent Camera
I bought this camera little over a month ago. I am very happy with the results. For best use, i recommend buying rechargeable batteries, such as the ones from energizer, 8 total. They last a long time per charge, and you always have an extra set. If you plan on taking large pictures, i also recommend buying a larger card, i have a 256MB, but 128MB does the job fine as well. I have heard some concerns about the rubber part of the USB connection, and its really no big deal if you take care of it, it plugs neatly back into place. I also recommend buying an USB card reader, such as the dazzle. This helps you not drain your cameras batteries while downloading pictures onto your computer. There are two problems with this camera, neither of which are a problem. First, it is fairly large, compared to the elf and other cameras, but it is not HUGE, it is smaller than a typical film camera, yet 100000 times better. The only other problem is sharing the pictures, if you have a slow connection. to solve this, just take smaller shots, simple as that. All in all an awesome camera, especailly for the price
to see some of the work ive done with this camera, i have them uploaded onto this website: http://worldisround.com/home/grantb18/index.html

Thank God for Digital !!
I bought this camera in December 2003 -- and I am so glad I did! I have shot hundreds of photos with this camera -- and the best thing ever is NOT paying for the ones that suck. (DELETE!) I love the quality of this camera, and the size is pretty good. I didn't get to hold it in my hand until I bought it -- and sometimes wish I'd opted for the Powershot just so it would fit in my pocket without a bulge (I'm sure my cargo-pants-wearing boyfriend would appreciate my being able to carry my own camera as well). That being said -- the only complaint I have -- is that it takes too long to snap pictures. I've missed tons of shots because the camera can't move fast enough. A friend has an HP digicam, and if she presses it half-way it focuses -- and then presses again, it takes the shot IMMEDIATELY. I really wish this one did that. But now I know what thing to look for when I upgrade someday to an SLR-style digicam.

My 35mm is officially retired.
I feel like I'm the last person to convert to digital cameras, but I'm glad I waited and found the Canon Powershot A80 at supersale price. I knew there had to be a catch, so I did my research and checked up on reviews by both customers and professionals. I wanted something easy to use, but not something cheap that would only last me a few months. My studies showed that there was no catch, this camera had the features I've been looking for but could not afford. This was definitely the right choice for me.

The 4.0 megapixel A80 is the perfect camera for a beginner who does not want to look like one. In addition to its sleek style, it's easy to use (point and shoot) but also has features that I yet have to learn. I'm very impressed with the quality of the photos as they came out bright, sharp and vivid. I don't understand the complaints about the battery life (from many reviews) as I've taken over 100 photos during my vacation and I'm still on my first batch of batteries (love the AA batteries!). Just be sure to turn off your camera when it's not in use. I also enjoy the tilting/swivel LCD screen which allows you to shoot from different angles. All my friends seem to envy that feature in particular. It's also small enough to carry around but not too small that it would be easy to lose/misplace. It also has a movie mode with sound, but I haven't tried that yet.

The only cons I have with the camera (but I can live with) is that the monitor seems too small and it's hard to see images in daylight. I wish it had more zoom as well. The CF door seems very fragile and each time I open it, I feel like it's going to fall off.

Other than that, I highly recommend the A80 to those who are new to digital cameras but would like the extra features of a more advanced camera. Wonderful, brand-name camera for a low price. Look out for bargains!

Great camera
I love this camera since it has all the features you would want..
The swivel screen helped in a lot of ways to take pictures from different positions.
Pictures are crisp, clear
Gives decent battery life
Has lot of options to customize and get great photos

Exellent Camera But Require Some Learning Curves
I got this Canon A80 about a month ago. I was a little disapointed a litlle bit because of the pictures quality comparing to my Olympus (C5050). After trying many difference shooting modes; manual, Tv (you set the shuttle speed and the camera will select the proper aperture), Av (apeture priority), and Auto, the pictures are good but not great (pictures came out like the 35mm Canon Sureshot instead of SLR quality like my C5050). Yesterday, I set the camera on the P mode (program)and adjust the exposure compensation by +1/2, BANG!! voila the photos came out perfect awsomely colorful and details (very close to my C5050!!). This setting also works exellent with backlight; I use this mode a lot to shoot the travel photos because it give my kid faces more relaxing look (the flash fire up automaticaly!!). Mission acomplished!!! I just got an awsome back up. The Con. on this camera is the 9 point auto focus system; sometime it locks on the wrong subject; but this is only a minor thing, you can do the half click again until you have it right. I give this one a 5+ for the picture quality. This camera required a learning curve but so does my C5050. If you don't have one yet, this will be the great choice.

Amazing!
I did a lot of research on the internet prior to purchasing my first digital camera and I'm glad I did. I highly recommend this camera to anyone, whether a seasoned pro who wants a nice, pocket-sized camera or a beginner who needs a little experience taking quality pictures. I highly advise anyone who hasn't owned a digital camera to take a lot of shots before using it for something important. I found it to be quite different from a film camera and it took a little getting used to. Once I got the hang of it, however, I was glad I took all of those "wasted" shots. I recently returned from a trip to England. All in all, I took anywhere between 500 and 600 pictures, but some of the shots are so amazing that they could be postcard material. My neighbor, who is a professional photographer, was so impressed with the color and clarity I was able to get with this little camera that she is thinking about getting it for the times she doesn't feel like lugging her heavy camera equipment around. The only down side to this camera is what I feel to be a slow "reset" after each shot. I couldn't really get a quick sequence of shots on some things that I really wanted to, but luckily the quality of the pictures I did get almost negates the necessity for it. I've had this camera about 3 months and I still have many gadgets that I haven't discovered, but so far I've been impressed.

Marvelous Tool or Toy
The A80 is a wonderfully simple-to-use digital camera, yet has all the manual adjustments a semi-professional (or serious amateur) photographer could ever want. I bought this about six months ago as a replacement for my Canon A40, which also produced amazingly good quality pics, but is only 2.0 megapixels. The A80 is 4.0 MP, which gives you the headroom to create slightly larger prints, at least up to 8 X 10 with excellent quality.

Canon has rethought the user interface on the A80, and the camera is simple to use. The "Auto" setting works quite well for many occasions, but there are plenty of setting for special situations, or complete manual control if you want it. There are even two user-customizable settings. Forget the 32MB CF card the camera comes with- get yourself a couple of 256 or 512MB cards, and you'll be set for a week's worth of vacation snaps.

The A80 uses a lot of battery power, so a set of alkaline AAs should be used only as emergency back-up. (It's also handy that they're sold in every store all over the world.) But get yourself a set or two of Powerex 2300 mah rechargeables and a MAHA charger, and you will get 800-1000 charges on each set. For about $50, you'll have battery power for at least five years! Get your batteries from Thomas Distributing (easily found on the web)- they are good people and very knowledgeable and reliable.

Using the camera with the LCD screen shut off saves a lot of battery power. Good for when you're being touristy and don't need to review every shot. The swiveling LCD screen is very handy for shooting over crowds, pets and small children, and the inevitable self-portrait. Its nicest feature is that it swivels closed so the screen is shielded by the camera body. Get some of those little plastic protectors anyway, for $5 the LCD screen will remain in like-new condition for years.

The Canon A80 is an EASY-TO-USE camera, shooting EXCELLENT QUALITY pictures in AUTO mode, with complete MANUAL ADJUSTABILITY. It is highly recommended for anyone.

A fantastic buy
From an amateur who has never had a digital camera before, I LOVE the A80! I purchased the camera to simply take pictures of our new baby and easily email them to family and friends.

Initially, I appreciated the auto-focus feature, swivel LCD screen and 4 mega pixels to print great large-size photos (up to 11x14" photo quality).

After owning the camera for 5 months, I've discovered many more features worth using -- portrait mode, night scene shooting, short videos (a few minutes long with memory card upgrade), black and white, and even manual exposure shooting. The cons of this camera are few (see below).

PROS
* Easy to use for an amateur, but has additional features for more advanced photographers
* Lightweight, extremely portable and feels solid
* Great swivel LCD screen changes the angles of the shot without moving the camera itself
* Can turn flash and red-eye mode on and off quickly
* Has a "one touch" close-up focus mode
* Has a self-timer mode (2 and 10 seconds)
* USB hook-up to download your photos to your PC is simple (even for computer-challenged folks)
* The bundled software is decent enough for the average person's purposes

CONS
* You will need to upgrade the low-space 32MB memory card to 256MB CompactFlash card (budget approx. $50-$70 for this)
* The pause between shots (called "recycle time") seems long when trying to capture several shots quickly
* Does seem to eat regular batteries quickly (needs 4 AAs). I advise buying rechargeables.
* Does not come with a camera case

I did a lot of research and recieved glowing recommendations from several friends when buying this camera. I would definitely purchase this camera again.

Best camera I have ever used.
This is by far the best digital camera I have ever used. I also bought the underwater housing. This camera is great for underwater pictures and the quality is excelent.

OK but Craftsmanship questionable
When i received mine it was made in China. The earlier models were from Japan and they are different. you can tell just by comparing the two. Performance so far OK

Great camera!
I love this camera. I bought it for myself about six months ago. It takes fantastic pictures, great video with sound. I'm a (very) amateur photographer, but this camera has encouraged me to learn more. It has so many features, and is virtually idiot-proof. I love the optical zoom, the flip-out LCD screen. Everyone I've used this camera around always asks to see it. Both my brothers bought one after seeing the pictures I took of their kids after our last family gathering. I give this camera my highest rating!

EXCELLENT LITTLE CAMERA!
I shopped for weeks to find an affordable digital camera that would perform well, and I found it with the A80. It is a nice compact size, easy to understand, and performs well. And you can purchase additional lenses for even more features. I would recommend any of the "A" series Canons.

Fantastic Camera, Fantastic Pictures!
I have owned this camera for over six months now and I am very impressed. There are a ton of features to customize nearly every aspect of your shot composition. However, there is a very easy to use point-and-shoot mode as well that functions well.

This four megapixel camera produces images that are beautiful. They are of such quality that enlargement prints of 8 x 10 or even 11 x 14 are possible with no image degredation.

This camera does pack a lot of features into a fairly compact package. I really like the fact that this camera uses AA batteries. I purchased some rechargeable NiMH batteries and a quick charger and I have been VERY impressed so far as to the battery life of the A80. I have taken well over 100 shots most with flash and the LCD display illuminated and the batteries still had juice.

A wonderful feature on this camera is the flip out LCD display. This may be the most underrated feature on the camera. The display is capable of flipping out, rotating and pivoting so you can hold the camera in all sorts of creative positions but have the display adjusted so you can see it.

The image quality that this camera produces never fails to impress. Nearly every time I am showing someone some shots I took with the A80, they make comments like, "How come my camera doesn't take pictures that good?". Colors are rich and the contrast is very good.

There are only a couple of negative points about the A80 that I have discovered. There is a slight delay between the time you press the shutter button (button to take the picture) and the time the camera actually snaps that picture. It's probably less than 1/2 second, but occasionally when I have wanted to snap a quick shot of something moving, it was unable to capture it in time. Not a huge problem, but if you plan to shoot a lot of action pictures, this may be a consideration.

Overall, I would definately recommend this camera. Comparing features, picture quality and price, the Canon A80 is a fantastic value and should be considered by anyone interested in a low-mid range digital camera.

Just one more fantastic review
I love this camera!!! It took me a long time to get up the nerve to invest in a digital, but I have no regrets about this one in the least, and I am thrilled at my picture quality. A couple of things: I haven't tried it with lenses yet. A friend has the A70 and has used a macro lense on it; she didn't think it worked as well as it should... I don't know if Canon A80 will have similar issues, but the macro shots on the A80 without lenses are good enough I don't think I care! Plus, even the capability of using additional lenses on a camera this size and price blows me away. The flip-out screen is Worth It. Yes, that cute little addition is actually worthwhile. Go for it. The automatic setting on this is great -- I haven't improved on it (but will try the P setting adjustment mentioned in another review - thankyou!), but the landscape, portrait, and different color settings are great additions. I've only had this camera 9 months, but I have already learned a ton about photography, and this camera challenges me to keep improving! It has plenty of room to grow on! This camera is easy to understand, very adaptable, allows all the control one can expect in a camera at this level and then some -- and most of all, makes beautiful pictures even with no effort at all. Buy It! Buy It!

Very good camera.
I have been using this camera for 10 months now. It has given me no trouble at all. Batteries last well. There is enough sophistication built in if you want to be more professional. But it is also very user-friendly for the novices. The quality of photos is exceptional. The reversable LCD is good because a) it conserves battery, b) it protects the screen, and c) it allows you to take selfportraits without the guesswork.

The ability to take 3 minute movies with sound has proved invaluable for documenting classic moments at Madonna dance parties.

The camera is light, and not too big. Sure, there are smaller ones, but for the price and the feautres, I for one could not ask for more.

All in all, a great camera.

My one tiny gripe is that I wish I could make the flash less bright. At times, the flas can wash out an image, but I find that if I use the high speed setting without flash, I can get a great picture 80% of the time.

Great camera
Great pictures, many features, overall easy to use. The flip out screen was very convenient on vacation when having to shoot pictures over the heads of people in front of me. I just flipped it out and tilted it. Great camera! The Powershot A95 is the more recent upgrade so you might want to look into this model as well. Only drawback-- it is a little heavier than some other models since you use 4 AA batteries. The perk to that would be that these batteries can be found anywhere (even out in the middle of no where) which can be a plus when on a long trip. Love it!

Poor workmanship
After 10 months use, I noticed the top cap was coming loose.I sent the camera back to Canon to get it fixed before something went really bad. Canon said I dropped the camera on it's top left which made the cap loose. After our confrontation on the phone and they wanted $155.00 dollars to fix it ,I said don't fix it send it back. After I received it back from Canon, I noticed I had a dent on the bottom left of the camera, then after I started taking pictures again , the button you push to take the pictures fell off .I wouldn't buy another Canon they don't stand behind their product. Luckly the store I bought it from will let me trade it in for a Kodak!!!

Excellent Choice
I've had my A80 since November of 2003 and I'm still happy about my choice. There are so many positive things about this camera that I don't know where to start. The colors are extremely vivid, the macro is crisp, the flip out screen is an added bonus plus the camera gives you so many choices for every picture taking senario that it makes for a great picture no matter what. The digital zoom doesn't pixel out like most so it's great for closeups. It's one of the only cameras out there in it's price range that has the option of a lens upgrade. I've read most of the reviews and as for the negative ones: Read the manual. Study the camera. It's been over a year and I'm still learning. If you're looking for a basic point and shoot this isn't exactly the camera you should choose. The salepeople will tell you it's a great camera for a newbie but it isn't. The construction is better than some of the reviews. Mine has been dropped probably 50 times and I haven't had one thing go wrong. I've found that it works best with a Canon printer as well.

Great Camera
I've been very happy with my purchase of this camera. This is my first digital, which I researched before buying. I used to own a Minolta film SLR, which was also a nice camera. But, this Canon for "normal" prints (5x7 or so) is about as good as that Minolta was. And because it's digital, I'm saving $$ over a film camera.
I expect this to be my "bread and butter" camera. The everyday, pictures of the nephew and niece camera. When I can afford it, I'll get a digital rebel.
Also when I can afford it, I'll get a Canon printer. Maybe two: one for the desktop, and a second portable one. Seems to me that a portable printer with this camera is about as close to a Polaroid as the digital world has to offer.
It will take you some practice to learn how to hold the camera steady. Two tricks I've discovered. 1 - buy a little tripod. For about $10 you can get an 8" or so tripod which is great for estting the camera up on a table or car or whatever. 2 - use the 2 second delay so that pressing the button does not interfere with the shutter's movement. I'm not at all sure this "problem" is unique to this camera, I suspect it's true with most digital point-and-shoots.
This camera is not very big, in fact it's smaller than many film point and shoot cameras I've seen, but I've found that some people prefer something smaller. I'd suspect the Elf would make most people happy.

Very good camera
I bought this camera over a year ago and I have taken some totally awesome shots with it. So far I have shot about 5000 pictures, and it still works like brand new. Everybody in my family wants a new camera so they can take pictures as good as this camera. Canon has been in the photography business for years, and they know what they are doing. As long as you choose a Canon, you will be in good shape. The rest is up to features.

I have used the movie feature to record my cousin's play. They say you can't use the zoom while you are recording, but if you zoom before you start recor