Helpful consumer’s review
I am a first time buyer for this type of camera. I spent days on the computer researching and trying to get the best deal for my money. I’m one picky customer and I really hunt for bargains! Consumer Reports rated the A95 as being a best buy, so when I heard that the A610 was a step up, I bought it. I’ve also purchased the charger, batteries, and case to go with it. (It’s cheaper to buy them as a kit). So far I’ve been thrilled with everything. It is a great camera for both beginning and advanced users. The menu is not too complicated, like many of the cameras out there. The quality is good also. It feels very sturdy and comfortable in my hand. The size is perfect: not too small and not too large. I have larger hands and the buttons and controls are easy to use. I love the zoom lens. This camera has 20 different settings for picture-taking which was important for my husband and I because we like to take close-ups of nature. It has other settings for taking action shots, portraits, snow, and beach pictures. It even gives you the option of taking multiple shots and later turning them into a panoramic photo! The screen is larger and swivels around to different positions so that I could even take a self-portrait if I wanted to. This camera offers many thoughtful details and is easy to use (after you read the directions, of course). I would not hesitate to recommend this fine camera! It is a real deal for the money.

Click here to check price or purchase Canon Powershot A610 5MP

Each Canon Powershot is a statement in style, and the Powershot SD450 is no exception. The sleek lines and graceful feel of the Powershot SD450’s all-metal perpetual curve body embraces Powershot luxury.

The camera features an oversize 2.5-inch LCD display, while retaining all key controls and preserving a sleek and slim body. The large LCD with wide viewing angle makes it easier to view and share images and movies during playback. The big LCD also makes it easier for the user to frame their shot and view menus, and is adjustable to 15 levels of brightness. New slide show functions allow review of images with stylish and contemporary transition effects applied in camera to create impressive slide shows with minimum user effort.

Helpful consumer’s review
This camera is amazing! I would recomend it to anyone that wants a great camera for a great price. Overall, the cameras pros highly outweigh its few cons.

Pros
-Easy to operate
-Small, compact size and it looks great!
-Big LCD screen at 2.5″ It seems so much larger than the SD400’s 2″ screen. 1/2 inch really makes a difference!”
-Takes photos quickly, sharply and accurately
-Great photo quality at ISO’s under 200 (400 max ISO)
-Many different scene/shooting modes that are usuful for all kinds of moments
-Videos look great

Cons
-Grainer images at ISO 400, although it’s not bad
-Flash can be overpowering at times
-Video files are very large

Obviously this camera’s ability to funtion and take great shots is very high, and as you can see, this camera has few things that are dislikable. I would recomend this camera for any person, regardless of age or experience. It’s a great camera, and wheter you want to take artistic shots or take pics of family and friends, I would recomend this camera over any other.

Click here to check price or purchase Canon Powershot SD450 5MP

Count on the PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph for images that will make you say “wow” every time you shoot! Equipped with a high resolution 8-megapixel CCD, this Digital Elph is just what you need to capture life’s greatest inspirations as you’ve always wanted them. You’ll get every exquisite detail in dazzling, eye-popping color. And you can print big. Plus, the SD850 IS Digital Elph is equipped with a 4x optical zoom that features Canon’s exclusive UA lens with ultra-high refractive index glass to enhance your pictures while significantly reducing total lens size. Just imagine the possibilities!

The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph is a digital camera that will really get your creative juices flowing. It starts with a high-resolution 8-megapixel CCD, a 4x Optical Zoom with Canon’s exclusive UA Lens, and an Optical Image Stabilizer for steady zooming. There’s also a DIGIC III Image Processor with Face Detection and red-eye correction, an ISO 1600 Setting for sharper images in low light, 5 Movie Modes and a 2.5-inch PureColor LCD with scratch-resistant, anti-reflective coating for easy viewing.

Helpful consumer’s review
Since October I have been researching to find the fastest (for fast moving small kids) low light (for evening indoor pictures) P&S camera. I also know 99.9% of my prints will be 4×6 or 5×7, never bigger. And I want the red-eye reduction to work! I refuse to do touch-ups. Before I review, let me say a THANK YOU, to all who do post their reviews, because I have read them ALL, and a really big THANK YOU to Steves-Digicams and the CNET staff, who test and provide shutter speeds with flash.

I have visited all local stores (BestBuy, CircuitCity, Target, Sears, Frys, Wolf, Office Depot & Max, Staples) multi-times to play with all cameras. Yes, I am retired and have the time. Plus I reviewed all CNET P&S reviews from 1/25/07 to 11/15/07. I documented speeds of low contrast shutter and shot 2 shot with flash. From my research, the final candidates, based on low light speeds, were Fuji F40fd, Canon SD 800, 850, 870(*).
* Interesting the Canon SD870 specs say it should be as fast as the 850, but comparing 850 vs 870 under store lights, at 2 different BB stores, the 850s were noticeable faster. I even had the salesperson swap the batteries, between the two, just to be sure.

I purchased(Nov. 20,2007) the Fuji F45fd and Canon SD850. I borrowed a CanonSD800 and had my Canon A610. Without question the Fuji was the fastest for evening indoors pictures. The Fuji was also the fastest for flash recharge. The Canons 800 & 850 did missed some small kids indoors action shots. All cameras had the same brand 2Gb 150x SD. After a week I printed all the shots, as 4×6s, from the same store, as different orders with different names, to ensure no pictures were mixed.

The Canon SD800 had too many red-eyes. My old A610 was to slow for evening indoor shots. For outdoor daylight shots, all 4 cameras had the same speed results.

Overall the 4×6s quality was the same between the Fuji F45 & Canon SD850. Comparing two very similar pictures, sometimes one would be a slight plus over the other, when you looked close up, then on another picture the other camera would be a slight better, but no real difference.

The Canons do have a better long range zoom, at MAX zoom. If your need is for enlarge crops, the Canon AUTO pictures are taken at lower ISO, then the Fuji, see comparison below. I also tested the Canon SD850 with different ISOs in low light conditions. It was at the manual ISO 1600, that the Canon was as fast as the Fuji AUTO(ISO800), but the Canon(1600) pictures had higher noise.

Here are the ISO results, taken with AUTO mode. I believe this to be very important to understand the results. The listed numbers will first be Fuji F40(F45) then Canon SD850.
AUTO mode:
Evening indoors F@800, C@200
Outdoors 10pm Christmas Lights F@800, C@250
Outdoors bright sun, at min zoom F@100, C@80
Outdoors bright sun, at max zoom F@100, C@160
Outdoors cloudy F@200, C@80

Conclusion:
NO one camera is perfect for all people or all conditions!!!!!
Fuji F40/F45 is for those who want a fast, low light, small simple P&S camera, whose prints will usually be normal size(4×6,5×7). It is the BEST P&S available today, to capture fast moving kids indoors. I also appreciate the battery indicator.

Canon SD850 is a great P&S choice for more outdoors(vs indoors) or indoor adults (vs kids) pictures, or if you usually print pictures bigger then normal size.

Click here to check price or purchase Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP

Helpful consumer’s review
After a few years of struggling to have a winner, someone at Olympus has gotten on a roll. The FE-240 is a great camera for someone wanting a bit more zoom, but in a very small package.

The first thing you’ll notice is the slim body, thinner than most 3x zoom cameras. The finish is nice, and camera appears solid in your hands. The 5x zoom has average smoothness and noise. That little extra reach can really make all the difference.

The selection dial makes this a joy for someone new to photography. There’s an excellent photo & description of each mode, and a very helpful “guide” setting.

The only “cons” on this camera are that it uses the xD memory card instead of the easy to find SD cards, and that it doesn’t have an anti-shake system (the anti-blur mode uses a high ISO).

It would be hard to find a camera even close in both function and style in roughly the same price range. But look at the black finish, and you’ll really fall in love!

Click here to check price or purchase Olympus Stylus FE-240 7.1MP

Helpful consumer’s review
Amazon now allows customers to upload product video reviews. Use a webcam or video camera to record and upload reviews to Amazon.

Click here to check price or purchase Olympus Stylus 840 8MP

Helpful consumer’s review
Amazon now allows customers to upload product video reviews. Use a webcam or video camera to record and upload reviews to Amazon.

Click here to check price or purchase Nikon COOLPIX S52C 9MP

Helpful consumer’s review
Amazon now allows customers to upload product video reviews. Use a webcam or video camera to record and upload reviews to Amazon.

Click here to check price or purchase Nikon Coolpix S520 8 Megapixel

Helpful consumer’s review
Amazon now allows customers to upload product video reviews. Use a webcam or video camera to record and upload reviews to Amazon.

Click here to check price or purchase Nikon Coolpix S220 – 10.0 Mpix

Helpful consumer’s review
After much research and putting my hands on virtually all Digital Cameras in the $200-$400 range I settled on this one at around $250. Best web site for research is imaging-resource.com. There you can see real tests and photos from every camera currently on the market, not a bunch of dumb opinions from idiots who won’t read manuals and can’t figure out how to use the camera. I found this camera easy to use, with a super, large and clear LCD screen. I tried photos in all modes and noticed no blurry pictures.(check web site noted above for sample test pictures) the menus were fairly easy to navigate and easy to see on the monitor. Here is what I like and don’t like:
Pro: 2.5″ LCD, easy to use, nice size and form, Good shots in all modes. takes 2 AA batteries not 4 or a expensive LiIon that needs a charger….and battery life is great
Con: Small optical viewfinder… I had to have a optical viewfinder because no matter how bright the screen is you will find a time that you cannot see the picture on it.
Memory Stick. Guess Sony still hasn’t learned the BetaMax lesson . would have a SD card instead.
chose this over the Canon A620 and Casio EXZ750 right now I am pretty happy with the selection

Click here to check price or purchase Sony Cybershot DSC-W7 7.2MP

With more megapixels than most digital cameras, the DSC-W90 captures greater image definition so you can make big prints and tight crops without losing detail. The advanced Sony Super HAD (Hole Accumulated Diode) CCD design allows more light to pass to each pixel, increasing sensitivity and reducing noise.

A top-quality Carl Zeiss 3x optical zoom lens design helps the DSC-W90 bring distant subjects closer and lets you frame shots quickly for better composition — a real advantage for family sports, outdoor fun, and travel photos.

Helpful consumer’s review
To be honest, I never much cared for Sony products before now. This little camera is just what I needed and wanted. It takes really nice pictures and most importantly, its a snap to use. I ended purchasing an extra battery, but to my surprise, the standard battery is capable of taking over 200 shots before needing a recharge. I’m impressed. The lcd screen is cystal clear and very bright. For the money, you just can’t go wrong. I wanted a small point & shoot camera because I got tired of having to deal with large camera cases, lens covers and all of the gadgetry required to take picture with my other digital camera. This is small, very simple to use, takes great photos and fits in a shirt pocket. You just turn it on and go. You won’t be disappointed.

I upgraded to this from the Sony Cybershot DSC-W50. They have made some great improvements but they have made some changes that I don’t like also, which is why I give this 4 stars and not 5.

If you’re looking for a small point-and-shoot camera, this one is great, but it definitely has red eye issues for indoor pics with the flash, so be warned! The good news though is that this camera has red-eye removal software right in the camera. I would say it works about 80% of the time, which I think is very good. The rest I just remove in Photoshop or Shutterfly.

I did some research online and talked to some camera experts and I found out that red-eye is a very common problem with these small point-and-shoot cameras. It’s unfortunately just the way this camera is designed – the lens is just so close to the flash.

Click here to check price or purchase Sony Cybershot DSCW90 8.1MP