Strengths: sharp pictures, easy to use

Weaknesses: picture is shaky when on the 5x and 6x zoom; lapse time between one picture and another too long when red eye is on

Summary: Since I bought this camera because of the zoom range, I was disappointed to find out that I get a "shaking camera" icon when I have it on maximum zoom, and the pictures are out of focus. I also take a lot of indoor shots with the red eye on, and the time that has to lapse before the camera is ready to take the next shot is longer than the Sony I had before. However, the camera takes great pictures (unless you have it zoomed all the way out) and is easy to use. I'm not sure I'd buy it again.

Strengths: picture quality is terrific,6x zoom is a bonus,the lcd is very good.

Weaknesses: the switch to view photos and go back to picture taking is still awkward.

Summary: after trying a few smaller compacts and being dissapointed at the quality of the photos i did more research and all the research i found pointed back to the a720.it is a little bigger than what i was wanting but in retrospect it's not really very big at all.so far i love this camera.it surpasses my expectations!

Strengths: Excellent picture quality and face recognition ability.

Weaknesses: Slow recovery after using flash.

Summary: I've had this for two months now and I am very satisfied. Love the image stability and face recognition. My only real dislikes are how slow it is to recover after using the flash and the optical view finder does not show a true representation of what is being photographed, it is also somewhat off center. Despite these short comings it is an excellent camera and I would recommend it to anyone.

Strengths: Great picture quality, 6x zoom, price

Weaknesses: Slow flash recharge

Summary: I bought this camera before my trip to Japan and was absolutely impressed by the quality of the pictures. The colors were very natural and real, focusing was great. It also has shutter and aperture priority for special cases. The camera is not small but it still fits into the coat's pocket. And the size is reasonable for 6x zoom. Runs on AA batteries so if you run out of charge you can always buy a replacement, however, my 2200 mAh rechargable batteries worked just fine for over 100 shots at a time. The flash is really slow to recharge in the evening and I haven't taken shots inside yet but other than that I think I got the best camera for my needs.

Strengths: 6x optical zoom, manual focus, high-quality movies, uses AA batteries

Weaknesses: flash is slow to recharge, image stabilization (see comments), white balance is not as adjustable

Summary: I bought this camera and its companion waterproof housing (WP-DC16) for a diving trip in Mexico. As a photography hobbyist (i.e. not a professional, but one who likes to explore a lot of the settings on the camera), I was quite happy. The camera's auto focus algorithms are definitely a plus. The photos came out excellent.There are several areas were I feel this camera may come up lacking:1) In several cases where I had to override the default settings of the camera. For example, in the Underwater Mode, the white balance setting does not adequately remove the blue hue. I would recommend the "Cloudy" setting for underwater photos instead, or use a photo editing program to help bring to balance the colors (Google's Picasa program can help with this task).2) The flash takes several seconds to recharge. Keep this in mind if you're planning on taking successive shots.3) Batteries run out very quickly if LCD is on (this is a problem in all cameras that use only 2 AA batteries).In all, I would say this camera is an excellent buy for the camera "hobbyist." It's very light, packed with features, and the non-proprietary AA batteries make it a must for the traveler.

Strengths: Uses only 2 AA batteries,6X optical zoom, large LCD withoptical viewfinder, easy to grip, great pictures in low light situations.

Weaknesses: A little slow from shot to shot when using flash.

Summary: I bought this camera for my 40th class reunion after reading the great reviews for it. The lighting was poor in the restaurant, but the pictures turned out great! The guy putting together our class album said my pictures were far better than anyone elses pictures. He even asked me for the name/model # of my camera so he could buy one. I can't say enough good things about the ease of use, quality of pictures, and reasonable price. It seemed a little slow between flash pictures, but well worth it for the quality of the pictures.

Strengths: Excellent image and movie quality, amazing feature set, no shutter lag to speak of, very useful focal range, compact size, face detection is pretty cool!

Weaknesses: Slow flash recycle, I'd love RAW capability but that's asking a lot, no swivel screen. Maybe too much camera for a beginner.

Summary: I'm an avid slr/dslr user, but I wanted a small camera that I could carry around instead of my big gear and picked up an A710IS last year. I loved almost everything about it but I got my A720IS to replace it just before Christmas at Office Depot for $179.99. It's an even better camera with a few added tweaks to make the images better and easier to capture. It also allows me almost as much control as my slrs with features such as flash exposure lock, exposure compensation, full manual control over speed, aperture, and focus, and much more. The A720IS is really a very compact camera that gives me all of the tools I need to capture an image in almost any situation, and it's a camera that allows a photographer to grow into it.

Strengths: This camera does everything you'd want in a digital camera. The twelve scene modes, including an underwater scene mode, makes it very versital.

Weaknesses: A little large by today's standards for a digital camera. It doesn't have a flip out viewer. The red eye reduction doesn't always work well. The shutter speed seems a little slow.

Summary: The Powershot A720IS is a sturdy, good multifunction camera for everyday use. It so easy to work that I didn't even have to check the instruction book! It produces great, clear pictures with it's stabilization technology. It is reasonably priced and has an amazing amount of features for a camera in this price range.

Strengths: Does everything well. Great Photos

Weaknesses: None.

Summary: I checked out all Canon cameras and it took me many days because there are so many. I suggest you check out a manufacturer's site to see the latest models.I think this camera has all the features I needed and more for a great price.

Strengths: It's a Canon, 6X Optical zoom, Image Stabilization

Weaknesses: It's a bit small for large hands

Summary: I purchased this camera as a Christmas present for my wife and got to play with it a bit before I wrapped it (don't tell her). It's a nice camera! I personally own a Canon 10D, so I'm used to having quite a bit of control over my camera -- but I'm impressed with the features of the A720. First in my mind is the 6X optical zoom, which is equivalent to about a 200mm lens -- not too shabby! The image stabilization is also a very nice-to-have, which should enable the user to take some very nice low-light pictures. For a point-and-shoot camera, this combination of features is hard to beat.

Strengths: Large 2.5 inch display, 6X optical zoom, nice pictures

Weaknesses: When using the flash, you have to wait 4 seconds between shots.

Summary: I purchased this camera looking to replace my aging 2.1 MP HP Photosmart. Using Consumer Reports and PriceGrabber for advice, I chose the Powershot A720 IS. Wow - what a difference 8.0 MP makes! The pictures this camera takes have great detail and clarity. The zoom function works well, and the camera can even record video. The menu system and accessing of functions is decent - I haven't played much with the manual settings yet, but there are quite a few. The camera has lots of preset modes for various situations, e.g. Portrait, Landscape, Kids and Pets, etc., which is probably what I will use. My only complaint is that the flash apparently takes 4 seconds or so to recharge, so you have to wait before being able to take that next shot. Otherwise, it is a nice camera, and I am pleased with the purchase.

Strengths: Picture quality, Image Stablization and Ease of US

Weaknesses: Little bulky and slow

Summary: I think this camera fits perfectly b/w Canon 570IS and 850IS. As expected with any Canon camera, image quality is excellent. You simply can't go wrong with either Canon or Nikon.It is about the same size as Canon 570IS and offers no significant advantage over it. Only difference is slightly longer zoom and 8MP instead of 7MP. If you are on a budget, I would recommend getting Canon 570IS (~$50 less). Don't run after higher mega pixels. Anything about 6MP will work fine for you. But if you are on the higher budget, I would recommend getting Canon 850IS (~$50 more). It is lighter, compact (which means it will easily fit into your pocket) and comes with a rechargeable battery.Overall, I am not impressed by it but it is certainly a very good camera and will not disappoint you. I only bought this camera because my friend had asked me specifically for it, I don?t know why.

Strengths: good pictures, mode settings generally work well, easy to use, camera provides indications of when you are zooming too far for photo quality.

Weaknesses: Eats batteries, Kids and Pets mode isn't good,

Summary: This is a good camera for a wide variety of people. It has an auto setting which works very well, making this an excellent cameras for novice photographers who still want excellent photos. It also has manual mode to make the more skilled photographers happy. Either way, it produces excellent images.This is my first digital camera, so please forgive me if I rave about features that are common to all digital cameras. I am impressed that the various modes (portrait, landscape, etc.) seem to work well. The camera knows what to do to make a photo look good, which is helpful when the operator does not. The exception would be the Kids and Pets mode. I have read other reviews indicating that this mode produces blurry shots, and that certainly is true for me as well. Also, I am not able to get macro to work to my satisfaction. This may be operator error, however. I need to study the manual more. This camera has a zoom indicator which turns colors to indicate when you are zooming too far to get a clear picture. This will be at different points, depending on what camera settings you are using. I find this zoom indicator extremely helpful. The zoom indicator also shows when you are using optical zoom, and when you have passed over into digital zoom. Very helpful. I'll repeat some of the other points that I have read: it eats batteries, and it can be rather slow. Those are inconveniences, but overall I am very pleased with this camera. I would buy it again. In fact, I already have. I just bought one for my mother.

Strengths: Size, capabilities, price, macro abilities, optical viewfinder.

Weaknesses: Flash, battery life.

Summary: This is a great camera for either beginners or as a second camera.My wife loves it. It replaced an aging Canon G1 and she was able to use it immediately without having to re-learn new features.The optical viewfinder is great in sunny conditions when the LCD becomes unusable because of glare.The pictures it makes are great.The only drawbacks are the very limited flash (and its position right where my fat fingers go...) and the battery life. Thankfully it uses standard AA batteries, so there is no problem in finding some anywhere close to civilization (unlike cameras with proprietary batteries that need to be kept charged at all times...), but it can become costly...

Strengths: Using AA batteries; 6X optical zoom; optical image stabilizer; nice ergonomics; face-detection technology

Weaknesses: stiff mode dial

Summary: This is my third canon A-series camera (after A40 and A60). The significant improvement prompting my purchase is that it now uses only two (instead of four) AA batteries, has 6X optical zoom (compared to 3X), and of course a much higher pixel resolution. The optical image stabilizer works well. It focuses well, inherits the easy and intuitive menu of canon point-and-shoot digital cameras, and brings a new face-detection technology that works well with real humans and sometimes dolls, although it does not work with faces on paper. Its size is smaller and lighter than many of its predecessors, although not as small as those S-series cameras that use lithium ion batteries. But the advantage of using easily found AA batteries outweigh the slightly bulkier size. The picture quality is very good, and the included custom button to set frequently used functions, such as ISO setting or white balance, is a nice touch. All in all, I like this camera a lot. A few downsides: The mode dial is a little stiff. Frankly quite a disappointment, but I guess I can live with that. And I am still trying to find if I can view the histogram in shooting mode. It'd be nice if I can. Finally, the tripod mount is not right below the center of the lens.