Electronics : Canon PowerShot A470 Digital Camera - Grey (7.1MP, 3.4xOptical Zoom) 2.5" LCD

Rating: - Unbelievable quality at a great price
There are a wide range of digital cameras in this price brand, but I have to admit I am impressed with the Canon A470.

There is a large amount of easily available information on the model, so I will just list the main features I have impressed me the most.

Firstly whilst so many are getting smaller and smaller, this Canon has a nice comfortable fit in the hand, with not too many buttons and is not too fiddly to use.

The screen is of a good size which makes it much easier to frame the picture and also in bright sunlight, the image is still visible (unlike some screens).

I plugged in a 2Gb memory card (which was really cheap) so I can now take nearly 1000 pictures, in standard format, before I have to unload to my PC. Connection to the PC is very easy, just appears as an additional hard drive and you can drag/drop the files accordingly.

On the functionality side, the out of the box standard settings are more than adequate, but are easy to adjust. I managed to work most of them out without reading the manual.

As an overall package this camera is great!

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Rating: - Excellent value for money
I wanted to buy a camera that would take AA batteries rather than come with rechargeable batteries for 2 reasons. Firstly rechargeable batteries loose their capacity over time & secondly when I go on holiday I dont want to take the charger with me which adds weight. With AA batteries you have the option of buying disposable batteries & just throw them away after using them thus saving you weight on holiday.

The camera itself is very good. Size wise its not the slimmest but for the price its very good. You get 7.1MP for around £70 (what I bought it for from Amazon) The supplied memory card is only 32MB but thats to be expected with any camera you buy. Picture quality is very good for a compact & especially considering the cost. If you really need good quality then you would need an SLR.

Canon is a well known brand when it comes to digital cameras. I gave it 4 stars as I wish it would come with a case which it didnt but thats not a big issue.

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Rating: - Not Quite Ultra Compact but Great Pics
This isn't the slimmest or tiniest compact digital camera, but it's still easily pocketable (jacket, not shirt!) and for the price, produces great pics in a compact form. The screen is a good size and nice and bright and the extra bit on the zoom makes a difference - most of the competition stops at 3x. The colour choice allows a bit of personalisation.

There are an amazing number of presets, but you won't need most of them, and the most important ones are the most accessible. Anyone unused to digital cameras or who is a bit of a technophobe upgrading might find the menus a bit of a fiddle, but for most purposes, they won't be used much.

Pictures are bright and sharp with comparatively little distortion. Colours are bright and zingy - not quite true - but the bit of extra saturation makes them very attractive.

All in all, a bargain little camera.

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Rating: - Perfect - unbelievable at the price
I bought this as a present for my 6 year old who is always grabbing my Ixus. At this price I was a bit dubious, but with the Canon name you can't go wrong. I almost got the A460 which had fantastic reviews but then saw that this had been released.

In summary it is a supoerb item. My son is able to take perfect pictures, with a good zoom lens and MP count, and an excellent screen. It also has face recognition which works very well. Response and start up times are very good.

The camera is a bit more plastic than an Ixus but still looks like a quality item, which it definitely is. Video is very good, and the box includes all the cables you need to play back on a TV.

I recommend getting a charger and some rechargeable AA batteries, and then you have a very good camera for a beginner or moderate user.

Very impressed, and I still can't believe the Amazon price, especially when you think it's posted free. Get one now!