Canon A570 IS Point-and-Shoot

This camera is perfect for the quick,candid shot to record those family moments that only happen once. Zoom optical viewer as well as a vibrant LCD. Off-the-shelf AA batteries are easily obtainable and you can use rechargeable NiMH or NiCads. Using rechargeables will give you a "battery-low" screen notice, but you can ignore this.

I have compared extensively with the Nikon CoolPix line and the optical image stabilization of the Canon is far superior to the Nikon electronic system. Also, the Nikons use CompactFlash memory (about $20 for 1gb, compared to less than $10 for some 1gb SD cards), and the Nikon Li-Ion batteries are a less cost-effective than using AA rechargeables.

I have found that although there are high ISO settings available, anything above a setting of 400 gives you unacceptable "noise". The 7.1 mp definition of the image is quite adequate for enlargement to 8x10, although almost all of mine have been printed on an HP inkjet at 4x6 and get glowing reviews from the family.

I also have an optical image-stabilized Canon IS3 IS and the larger LCD screen of the A570 IS is much easier to frame shots and to utilize the on-screen menus. I have also noticed that the screen of the A570 is hardly reflecting except in bright sunlight coming over your shoulder--then you can switch to the optical view-finder where a view of the settings is also available.

The maximum optical zoom is 4x, but maxes out at an additional 3x digital. I seldom find a need to go beyond the optical zoom, since the digital does reduce the resolution a bit.

All-in-all, this camera is a very worthwhile addition to even a pro photographer's bag since you have both shutter and aperture priority modes for real flexibility in candid or quick shots. Portraits come out great when you select the aperture priority mode and even the auto-aperture mode does a great job.