<Here are some of the features I like:
- Great picture resolution. At 3.2 megapixel, the pictures come out with great detail that rivals 35mm film.
- Great optics.
- Uses (4) AA batteries. Quite nice that you don't have to buy custom batteries for it.
- Good battery life. I took 52 pictures, all with flash, all with the display on forever and futzing around with the settings, zoom etc. Using the batteries that came with the camera. Not bad. I hear the rechargables will last much longer.
- Easy to use software. I'll admit I haven't read the manual for the software yet, but to get the pictures off the camera took no time to figure out.
- More manual settings than you'll ever really use.
Here's what I don't like:
- When I read of other people complaining that the LCD display is easily scratched I figured I'd get a decent case and that would solve the problem. Uh no! Simply taking it out of the case a few times has already made tiny scratches on it. I'll have to add a cloth or something to the case to keep the fragile thing from looking like a cutting board
- Lag. Damn the thing is laggy. You click, you wait, and then it takes a picture. I'm used to SLRs and it really stinks to press the button and 3-5 seconds later it actually happens. Cannon engineers: Think about buffers in the next design...
- Its hard to tell if you've taken a picture on not. There's some sweet spot for pressing the button that I haven't figured out yet. Press it to short and it doens't take a picture. Hold it too long and it also doesn't take a picture. I don't quite get it.
- Weak flash. You need to be very close to your subject if it needs flash. At about 12 feet, you might as well leave it off because it barely does a thing.
Some general thoughts that probably apply to all digital cameras:
Be sure to play with it and get used to its settings. Go through an entire set of batteries before you go out and take pictures of anything you' really interested as a keepsake. I learned that lesson yesterday at the Firefly talk. I missed a bunch of shots due to my inexperience with the camera. And last, take WAY more pictures than you would with a film camera. It doesn't cost anything and you can always delete them when you get home.
