Canon PowerShot A530 5MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom (OLD MODEL)

This little camera is a gem. (I had a Fuji FinePix, which was darned unintuitive. And it broke!) It's small, lightweight (even with the batteries). Low-battery icon. Low-memory peep. Software for transfer to computer is excellent and pretty intuitive, but do read the manual for the transfer software. Cables and all that included. It takes AA batteries, which was the next-most-important criterion for me. AA batteries are easy to find anywhere, and they don't cost an arm and a leg. AAs do add weight, but this was a small matter to me bcs I didn't want to be tethered to a battery charger for proprietary batteries. Also, another deal-maker was a viewfinder. This camera has one (in addition to the screen on the back). Zoom is easy to work. Button to take picture is centered in zoom dial. Easy to manage both with the same hand. Buy an extra memory card (the one that comes with it holds about 8 pix!). The camera takes a garden-variety memory card, not a proprietary one (cf.: Fuji). Buy the case. Front pocket holds 2 extra AAs. Good, strong velcro on flap. http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PSC-60-Compact-Digital-Cameras/dp/B00009U0XI/ref=sr_1_31?ie=UTF8&qid=1360303250&sr=8-31&keywords=camera+case+canon+A530 I couldn't be happier with this camera. I can even take decent pix with it. I wish the "refresh time" were shorter, but you can't get everything in one camera at this price point! And this is about the only negative I can think of. While 5 seconds to refresh seems long....aren't we all spoiled with instantaneous-ness of the world these days?!...5 seconds is not that bad! Great camera. I shopped this purchase very long and very thoroughly (many places, many brands, many types), and this one was hands-down the best for my needs and honoring my deal-makers. Don't hesitate to get this camera. mb UPDATE, 2011: Turn off the flash entirely and choose smallest length of time spent in "view" mode (where you look to see what you just took) for faster refresh. Still not as fast as I'd like it, but it's an improvement!

I am so satisfied with this purchase! Consider the info below before purchasing: 1. The design to me was clearly thought through. The curves of the camera accommodate to you hands and allow for a steady grip when taking pictures. 2. I haven’t yet been able to use the camera because I found out that a regular SD card is required. So before you purchase, please note that an SDHC or an SDXC is not going to work in this camera. You will need a regular SD card. It was recommended to me through many sources that a 2 gb SD card from amazon would surely suffice. (Ensure that you search up that it is specifically for old digital cameras on Amazon. They’ll know what you’re talking about :)) 3. My camera came with a camera case, and batteries. It didn’t come with a charger but it’s no problem! They use AA batteries so if I do want to charge this camera, I could just replace the batteries. (In case you want to know why charger it requires, it is a mini USB cable. For more information you can search up “mini usb cable for digital cameras) 4. Considering the high demand for these camera at the moment, the price was actually pretty good. Typically once digital cameras are high in demand, prices shoot up! 5. I was pretty annoyed when I found out that this camera uses a different sd card from what i had already bought; but from what I could do ok the camera without the memory card, I determined that the camera is pretty easy to use. The buttons and notches move really smooth and satisfying. Overall I would rate this camera a 7/10. Even considering the situation with the SD card. I cannot WAIT to start taking photos with it! Digicam girlies..your welcome in advance

First, the pros: This camera packs a lot of nice features into a small box with easy to use buttons and a small price tag. As a rule I've found that blurriness/darkness/brightness/etc. tend to be the photographer's fault much more than the cameras, and if you use the camera a lot and get familiar with the controls you can generally find a way to take care of the problem. One feature I love is the color change: black and white shots are clear, sharp, and dramatic and can make a pretty bland subject more interesting, and portraits come out great. There's so much more detail that you would miss in a full-color photo. Sepia photos are antique-looking, and with a few props you can take photos that look just like the ones you might see in a Civil War book. For a beginning digital photographer, or someone who doesn't make high demands on a camera, this one is pretty sweet. Now, the cons: first, plan on either buying rechargeable batteries or buying a lot, because this camera burns batteries like they're going out of style. This could be because I took nearly 500 pics the first week after I bought this camera :), and probably this camera doesn't burn batteries faster than any other model in this category-I've heard digitals are notorious for spending batteries. Just thought I'd warn you. Secondly, plan on getting at least one additional memory card. The included card takes about 15 Medium photos before the you have to upload-very annoying. The zoom is ok, especially if you utilize the digital zoom, but at just 4x it's not quite enough for my taste. It's great for normal use, but to capture that shot of a bird (or something) in that tree way over THERE-you may want to look into a few more "x's". It's also a little slower than I would like-it's "point-pause-shoot." Which means someone can make a face at the camera and have looked away before you get the shot-so it's not so great for children or active pets! Also, it's not a "click-click-click" continuous camera; there are a few seconds between the time one picture is taken and the time the camera is ready for the next. Overall, despite my critism, this is a great starter camera that goes far above and beyond the conventional film cameras most amatuer photographers have (the birthday/Christmas 35mm cameras that are limited to a flash, a viewfinder, a shutterbutton, and a wriststrap) and I'd recommend it to anyone who doesn't make big demands on a camera, like really fast speeds and a powerful zoom (most people don't, I expect, need pro capabilites!) and who just wants a versatile camera for taking pictures of the kids (or the parents, whichever the case may be). It's pretty simple to use, it can give clear tight closeups of objects within its range, and with a little practice it can fill most people's needs, I think.