Ken - the Canon SD800 Powershot is in your price bracket, and it's excellent - for great flower shots, it comes with a "macro" that's dead easy to set, and will give you closeups to within 2 inches. It'll also let you take movies (with sound - for the garden, and those delightful rugrats of yours ;-) Get a 2nd (they're all rechargeable) battery when you get the camera, and you'll be all set. I use this baby, and am very pleased with it.
If that sounds like too much camera, you can get the next-lower of the small Canons: SD500 or SD550, or SD600, or SD630 for example. They're all good - Canon is (obviously) a very reliable brand.

which store... make it easy for me.. is it at staples.. with a memory card.. and a good package???

ken

Digs is correct. According to a friend of mine (a professional newspaper photographer), Canon makes the best lenses.
I have the SD500 and love it.
Michele

One aspect I found VERY important for taking pictures of plants - you want a lot of optical zoom, digital zoom is not as important for the macro closeups. You also really want image stabilizer since you will not be using a tri-pod for most shots (or will you?)

The Canon are simpler to use than most (read: idiot-proof) so that is another bonus. I also like having the option of using an LCD screen OR viewfinder, but I use the LCD much more often.

Go for the Edge 2GB Proshot 130X SD Card. It will hold about 500 +/- photos of hostas, and that is an AWESOME price for the card. If you want to be completely idiot proof, pick up a card reader/writer that is USB. The card comes out of the camera, into the card reader and you look at the photos just like they are already on your computer. They also copy really quickly.

This one runs on "AA" batteries. Get the rechargable ones, keep 2 in the camera and 2 on the charger. It will take a LOT of pictures before a set runs dead. You can always use regular AA batteries in a pinch.

THe Canon Powershot S3 in the link looks like it will do everything you want, with the big optical zoom.

It got great reviews on CNET
http://reviews.cnet.com/digital-cameras/canon-powershot-s3-is/4505-6501_7-31740582.html?tag=prod.img.1

and Epinions
http://www.epinions.com/Canon_PowerShot_S3_IS_Digital_Camera/display_~reviews

They have it at staples....

Alexa

Get a Fuji F31fd.

From all the compact cameras this one is by far delivering the best output quality.

I know a lot of photographers owing for over $10000 photographic equipment that have a Fuji F10, F11, F30 or F31d, just for those occasions where their other gear is to incovenient. I'm one of them (my DSLR system is Canon)...

Check out this review, it compares that Fuji with the Canon SD800 IS

The main disadvantge to me is the lack of a viewfinder

I am actually going to disagree with everyone on Canon and recommend that you get an Olympus Camedia (I prefer the C-765, that is what I have), you can get a good deal at:
http://cameraforless.com/itemdetail.asp?itemid=1662

It is almost $400 but well worth it and you will never want to buy another digital camera again! My uncle is a professional photographer (does weddings, and more) and will only ever buy Olympus (digital, etc) because no matter what Olympus camera you buy- they have glass lenses! Not all digital cameras have glass lenses and that makes very poor quality.

I have owned 3 Olympus digitals (still have them, one my husband has, one my 10 yr old son has, and I have the other one). We have bought 4 other brands of digitals but the quality isn't the same. I would never buy another brand ever again, it is throwing your money away.

Spend the money right the first time and buy something your not going to want to replace in a year.

There are many different Olympus cameras- Walmart's, Staples, Meijers, Kmart don't sell them because it is too high of a quality camera for their store. Seriously, buy Olympus! You won't regret it!

It comes with rechargeable batteries and a charger, everything you could need and more. They are the best!

This is my honest opinion! If you want to see some of the photos I have taken with mine, I would be more than happy to share with you. I photograph everything from my animals, to my children, to my hosta's, and more!
Hope that helps
Michelle

Ken,

I just purchased a Canon PowerShot SD1000. It has 7.1 megapixels and is a basic point-and-shoot. It doesn't have the image stabilizer that Alexa mentions, although you can purchase another Canon point-and-shoot with this feature for about an additional $100 (e.g., Canon PowerShot SD800). I paid $208 for mine at a CNET certified store and await its arrival, although its price went up slightly and is currently available for under $212 at Dell Small Business with free shipping (link below).

You can also check out the photo quality (including close-ups of flowers) of the Canon PowerShot SD1000 here: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/customer-images/B000NK8EWI/ref=cm_ciu_pdp_images_all/002-7636482-6585614?ie=UTF8&s=photo#gallery

I will also purchase a SanDisk SDDR-99 ImageMate 5-in-1 Reader/Writer (under $19 at Amazon), a SanDisk 2GB Extreme III SD memory Card (SDSDX3-2048-901 ~ under $43 on Amazon) and an additional authentic Canon battery pack (NB-4L ~ under $43 on Amazon). These three qualify for free shipping.

So, I will pay $312.50 for the camera, extra battery pack, SanDisk image reader, and SanDisk memory card (which has a much faster read/write time for downloading images and includes data recovery software in case I accidentally delete photos I want to keep).

We also have a Canon PowerShot Digital Elph SD500, which we paid over $400 for a couple/few years ago. It works fantastic and the only reason I purchased this other Canon, is because my spouse travels extensively for his job and is taking this camera with him...he'll be sending me photos of his travels, and I want to send him photos of home, including our pets and hostas. ;-)

The Canon SD800 has image stabilization, although the lowest price I see on CNET is $305 at Willoughby's (free shipping).

Good luck, and let us know what you decide!

Ken, here is the link to check out the photo quality of the Canon PowerShot SD1000:

Key,

Just bought a Sony DSC-H2. Just posted pics with it. About $285 at Wal-Mart. So simple, I can use it. And my 5 hosta are........

Thought I would post a few of the photos I took with my camera to show you how nice the Olympus is.
*keeping fingers crossed that I do this right*

Seriously Ken, the Olympus cameras are so easy to use you will never need to open the owner manual to figure out how to use it. I have Windows XP too and have no problems with this camera working on my computer, in fact I don't even use the image software it comes with. Seriously easy to use and very high quality photos! I send them through a photo finisher to get printed copies and they are always flawless.
Michelle

I love the Olympus too. I have the 7.1 megapixel with 10x optical zoom. It's great and so easy. You can get it on the Dell site with free shipping usually. And Polyview is a really, really simple photo editing program.
Pam

Hey Ken!

My 74 yo mother has a Canon Powershot and takes wonderful photos with it. SHe is a portrait artist (painter), so she has to have accurate detail, color, etc. in the photos she takes.

Oh - and she is so technically inept, she can't even figure out her answering machine or DVD player (insert eye roll here).

Alexa

I'm shopping for a new camera too.

The one thing I'm insisting on is a lithium battery. Talk about quick and easy ... it takes about 2 seconds to pop it in.

anxiously awaiting to see your new photos.
{{gwi:998580}}

I have a Canon Powershot A530. I shoot about 40-50 pictures every day. It's completely fool proof. The best part is it only cost me $150.00 It has 5 megapixels, a good macro lens, movie mode with sound, a 16mb memory card, and it runs on AA batteries. I use rechargeable, but when they go, i can put regular alkaline batteries in and just keep shooting. This camera has everything you need, and nothing you don't. I bought mine at Best Buy, and I bought four 256 mb cards for less than $200.00 out the door. It uses the SD format cards which are pretty cheap. This camera is great for work, garden, and family. I love it. Think about where you could spend the money you save by getting this camera!
Here's a link to the camera, and a few reviews.

I have the powershot s3 and love it
The super macro on it allows pictures like this to be taken.

The fast shutter allows pictures like this to be taken.

And the 12X zoom allows for pics like this...

All of the above are "clickable"

Available everywhere. I bought it last spring when it was
$500. Less than $300 now. available anywhere.

Bob

Hello Ken,
Do you just want to simply point and click for quality photos? Do you want to view pictures quickly? Do you want a large viewer to evaluate your photo right after it was taken? Do you want easy to use software and no-fuss, space-saving equipment (hopefully not sounding too girly) to download the shots to your computer and view them?

Then here is where and what to buy!

1. Go to Walmart:
Canon Powershot A560
Point and click, styled for easy grip, pocket size, good hosta closeups. 7.1 Megapixels and a 4X optical zoom
$198.84

2. Go to Amazon.com and enter following items in search and add to your shopping cart:
Delivered in about 3 to 5 days.

a) Sony BCG 34 HE4 Superquick Battery Charger with 4 AA NiMH rechargeable batteries.
Camera takes two batteries - will need to recharge after about 400 pictures)
$22.95

b) Sandisk Ultra II 1.0 GB (high speed memory card)
(holds about 250 pictures - save a lot of money purchasing online)(card with camera useless)
$22.07
(upgrade to the 2.0 GB SD Card for $42.95)

c) Kingston Travel lite SD Card Reader
Simply plug reader into the USB port on your computer - insert SD memory card and download pictures to your computer.
$7.55

Software to facilitate photo download comes with the camera. A total investment of $250.41 and you can photograph and display all your lovely hosta to your online friends in a FLASH!

Good Luck! Here are some sample shots:

Great Expectations

Kiwi Forest

You can also take the above hostabuff shopping list into Staples and purchase the above items or a comparable and pay approximately the same amount except for the SD Memory Card (will be higher, even on sale). Simply show the list to the Staples sales representative and they will do the work for you!

If you look at the link I posted, the Edge 2GB Proshot 130X SD Card (which is the same as the SanDisk, just holds twice as much) is on sale or $39.99 PLUS a $10.00 rebate. Final price for a 2GB card is $29.99

Thanks for having us investigate this, otherwise I would not have known these cards are on sale. I am going to go pick up another memory card for my camera. Yes, they are pretty universal and make wonderful backup storage. They work just like an external drive and if you have a USB card reader/writer you can move things from your computer to the memord card.

I have all my important docs and files stored on memorycards then in the safe deposit box. No worries about losing everything if a hard disk dies. $29.99 is CHEAP for a 2 GB card!

Alexa

I would buy a canon for sure I have one now that I love and have used their film camera for over 20 years. I have heard nothing but great things from anyone that has a canon. I would also check the prices at b&h photo they have great prices on higher end stuff but not sure if they can beat walmart etc. I have used them many times over the years with nothing but great service.

I have also only heard great things about Olympus but have never owned one nor do I know anyone very well that uses one. I do know quite a few people using canons

link to b&h
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/

A pretty good site for reviews on cameras
http://www.dpreview.com/

A link to cnet (they will review by price)
http://reviews.cnet.com/Digital_cameras/2001-6501_7-0.html

they rank the canon sd750 the best in that price range

It is $250 at walmart so you could get that with a 1 gig card and stay in your price range
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5623012

1 gig card
http://www.walmart.com/catalog/product.do?product_id=5715283

total = $262 plus tax not sure what rate you are at but at 7% we are talking $280.34 out the door

link to canon web site
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=14919

I believe walmaet will have the best prices on memory cards (now that i looked)

scratching head wondering why i paid 2x as much

Ken, one of the MUST have features IMHO is an adjustable LCD screen, particularly when doing close-up work. You can find this on only a few cameras these days, such as the somewhat older Canon Powershot G6 for example. It seems though as if this feature is becoming less and less common. I have one on my 4 year old Olympus C5050 and I'd venture to say I see that feature on probably 60% of my shots! Couldn't live without it!

Another vote for Canon, here. I love my PowerShot A95. Very easy point & shoot, but lots of manual controls, if you like. It has the adjustable LCD screen Pieter mentioned...very handy.

I don't like the proprietary batteries that bluepoppy likes. If it goes dead, you can't just run out and buy one. My first camera had one. I much prefer rechargeable AA.

Hey Ken...what happen to your "just get whatever you can afford...they'll all do the job" reply I've seen you post on similar threads??? ;P

Hi Ken,

Here is my 2 cents worth:

First, buy the highest pixels within your price. Pixels = picture quality, there is no ceiling.

Second, read this http://www.jr.com/templates/guides/digital+cameras.tem#10
Experts wrote it, not me.

My recommendation is Canon SD1000 PowerShot 7 Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera. It has everything you need. Buy it on-line from J&R at $250 less $50 mfg. rebate. It is a heck of a camera for $200. Use the extra money to buy an extra memory card and an extra battery (one can be charging while you use one). These are the only accessories you will need.

Why Canon? They have set the bar and have the experience behind them. Why J&R? great prices and customer service.

MAinMA

Another vote for the Canon PowerShot S3 IS, great all around camera. It is a point & shoot and has a macro button for great closeups. Another perk is if your kids are into sports it is great for action shots without breaking the bank.
I got mine @ Best Buy-they are currently on sale for 315.
A great place for camera reviews is at Imaging-resource.com.

Here is one more link that is really good.

Ken

Don't go for the camera with the highest megapixels for the money. It's a common mistake that more megapixels = better, but this is completely wrong.
When there are too much pixels crammed upon the same sensor, each individual pixel gets too small to capture enough light.

Tom

Ken, old buddy, old pal, old fart...er... um, as I was saying... OLD. After 6 or 8 megapixels, you just plain don't care how many mpx there are, and more can actually be worse, because the chip inside the camera has not gotten bigger. In these cameras, all the makers are using the same size internal chip/sensor/whatever. To process more mpx, it sacrifices quality somewhat; thus spake the experts I read, and read, and read.

Here's the deal. I spent four days researching this question last week. Based on that, your needs, and your budget, I recommend the Canon S3 if you can manage with a 2.0" LCD. If you cannot, I recommend either the newly-released and over-your-budget Sony H9, with its giant 3.0" LCD, or its slightly cheaper fraternal twin, the Sony H7 with a 2.5" LCD which just came out too. That's where being old comes into this. How well can you see? is 2.0" enough? 2.5"? or must you have the giant 3.0" LCD to see what you're doing?

DETAILS

The Canon S3 is a wonderful camera and $300 now. Its newest sibling, the S5, is what I am getting when it's released in July for $200 more. Why? Because the S5 has a 2.5" LCD screen, and the S3 has only 2." If you can see that, the S3 is for you. As Pieterje likes, you'll be able to tilt AND swivel the LCD on the S3 or the S5, nice when you are shooting down at ground level. The Canon S5 AND the S3 both have time-lapse capability, important to some gardeners who want to watch a leaf unfurl over the course of a day or whatever. The Canon S3 was rated as having the absolute best macro ability among the four good quality cameras I'm listing for you, very important to a gardener. (I'm hoping the S5 will be as good, but no reviews on that yet). The S5 is 12x optical zoom, 8mpx; the S3 is also 12x, but 6 mpx (which is still plenty!). Bonus: as a guy with kids, you may want to know that both of these Canon models have the best video capability of the four manufacturers I'm describing to you here.

My second choice would be too pricy for you, but its baby brother, also a new release, might do. Just released this week, the Sony H9 does almost all the Canons can do, but oddly, no timelapse. On the other hand, what the H9 and little brother H7 CAN do that the Canons cannot is output photos suitable for viewing on an HD TV. Not just a regular TV, but HD. Probably not an issue for you. It wasn't for me. My notes: The H9 ranked second because the nice big 3.0 LCD doesn't twist (will tilt up but not down, which is still pretty good even without the twisting) and lacks timelapse, $480.00, before you buy the expensive proprietary batteries! The H9 is 15x zoom, 8 mpx. The baby brother, H7, $440 or so, has a 2.5" LCD but I don't know if it tilts or not and is also 15x zoom, 8 mpx.

The Canon S3 and Sony H9 have identical picture quality so far as I could tell, and I looked very hard at photos taken at various light settings taken by many professional camera reviewers.

Third: Panasonic FZ8, a good camera, good photo quality, but here are my notes to myself: Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ8 -- ranked third because 2.5 LCD does not twist or flip; no timelapse; worst macro of the four (but still pretty good, you can get as close as 2" -- but the Canons let you get focus on things actually up against your lens!); slow to start and slow between shots; image quality not quite as good/sharp as the Canon and Sony here but better than the Olympus below. $310.00 "street price", 299 at Amazon. 12x zoom, 7.2 mpx

Like Canon, most Olympus cameras also have timelapse. However, some of their newer cameras, like the amazing $500 18x optical zoom 550 UZ, sacrifice a little photo quality for all the tricks they can do, and are just not as good and sharp as their older siblings -- or their young competitors above. Multiple professional reviewers griped about this considerably, feeling Olympus is both riding on, and ruining, its reputation by doing such a thing. My notes to myself: 2.5" LCD Olympus 550 UZ -- ranked 4th because reviewers pref all three of the other models above, "especially for price" -- slow; image quality; video controls strange, price high $450-490.00 -- good point is it has a "real wideangle" per Dpreview, which most cameras of this class lack, and that record-setting 18x optical zoom. But you're not taking photos of the football squad, so what do you care about wide angle? 18x zoom, 7.1 mpx.

All of these cameras have image stabilization for shots without a tripod. All except the Sony use regular batteries (rechargable if you like). All will make foolish and extravagant claims about something called ISO (akin to film speed in the olden days) that you don't care about, because on all four of these, photos at ISO levels over 400 range from pretty dang grainy to truly atrocious. Walk into the store of your choice (cuz if it breaks, you want them nearby, not mail-order) and handle the Canon S3 and the Sony H7 and H9. Pick the one that's easiest to use for your hands and your eyes. If you need the larger LCD, suck it up and get it; sticking to your price point on the S3 is a false economy if you can't see what you're doing.

Ken, Daaaaaalinc, if your offer is still open, I would like to put my bid in.

I swear by my Olympus. You did ask for a camera that was idot proof and the fact I use mine with no problems should prove that point very well, lol.

I do want to say that one thing I can not live without in a digi camera is a 10x or better optical zoom. I'm afraid with my bad back, I can not be bending down to get close ups, so I just zoom in. The zoom also has come in handy for wildlife shots or if you are far away from your subject, say one of your kids is in some school funtion. Here is my example of a using the zoom, I didn't want to wade through wet hostas to get up close for this shot.

Rain on Bigfoot.

Mine also has settings if I want to do macro and all that but personally, I just set mine on auto and it does the work for me, all I have to do is press a little button to zoom in or out, and the camera takes over from there, auto focus, auto flash if it feels it needs it and once it's done, I just click. I will say that I do wish it had a faster shutter speed, but most of that is my fault since I keep it set on auto, takes time for it to adjust, there are settings that would make the shutter speed faster, I'm just taking the easy way out.

Mine came with a small xd memory card, holds about 16 high quality pics, more at a low quality, less at super quality, but I find the HQ selection still gives me good pics. I did buy more cards, but that's for when I'm on an outing, as you know, pics from the card can be deleted from the camera itself or from card using the computer, and the card reused, I've heard each card is good for about 1,000,000 deletions, don't know how true that is. The cards are available about anywhere and price depends on the size you buy.

It also did come with rechargeable batteries, but also uses 4, double A batteries, which is handy if you are not somewhere where you can recharge, I always keep extra batteries in my camera case if I'm on an outing, but for around the house use, the rechargeable are great. While I like the litium batteries because of their long life, I have found in my camera, even the standard alkaline last a long time.

As far as megapixal go, mine is only a 4mp. Where you need the higher mps is if you are planning on blowing up and printing some of your pics. I view my pics on a 19" lcd monitor and they look great to me as far as quality and clarity. And the ones I do print out are printed on standard 8x10 paper and they also look great. This is just my personal opinion, I know others swear by higher mp's

don't buy a sony
mine was not a good deal
they only worry about specs. on paper not real pic. quality jmo

Before buying the S3, check out that link I posted you with a test comparing the Fuji F31fd with the S3, and question yourself which seems the best (page 11). That test is done at dpr, the worldwide reference site for camera reviews (over 20 millions hits per week)

And, my advice is for free, sending me those hostas would be a bit too difficult, and I don't have place for them anyway...

I have been taking some garden shots today (not with the Fuji though). Hope you enjoy these shots

Ken - if I may be so bold -

I have the Cannon - my hubby has the Olympus. We're both happy with the camera each of us uses.... sharing is NOT an option - BUT - on the computer monitor it's painfully obvious which camera took which pic. The Olympus is no competition - even the alpha male in the family says it loud & clear.

So, hie thyself to the nearest Future Shop or the Yankee equivalent thereof, and grab the best Canon in your price range. You'll be happy.

BTW, I'm a Nikon digital SLR fanatic -so for me to admit to another maker as being barely tolerable, never mind GOOD, is nothing short of remarkable. But I know you don't want an SLR - $$$$ - so I don't even mention it here, do I.

D.

I will not bother with giving you all the info, go to kodak and check out the specs on Z710. I really am happy with it, cost $250 at WalMart. Great pics, downloaded program does wondeful things, including a way to name them so when you look up a pic you can do it easily.

Before you buy, check the price of your camera on beachcamera.com. I've purchased 3 cameras from them, their prices wiped away Best Buy every time.
PS. I have 2 Fujis and a Kodak... I like Fuji better.

I have to jump in here and recommend what a believe is the best camera and that is Pentax Optio. You will definitely want one which has a rechargeable litium ion battery not the AA batteries. Two I recommend are the Pentax Optio A30 and the Pentax Optio T30. I did try to find one that has a viewfinder in addition to the LCD screen, but evidently newer models of cameras do not have the viewfinder (perhaps the very expensive ones do). Pentax cameras are of very high quality with easy point and shoot.

It appears that Staples has the A30 for $349.99 and the T30 for $299.99. Beach Camera has the A30 for $249 and the T30 for $238.89.

well ... Xmas came early here ...

father in law.. made it real easy.. so i guess he gets the 5 hosta ... HE BOUGHT IT ... lol... family Xmas gift.. go figure ...

and the winner is ....PowerShot A630 ....

ken

Eh! Fix! Fix! :)

I'm lovin' my Canon S3 more and more but I am sure you will be happy with the PowerShot.

Do I get anything for recomending a Canon? ;)

I found this all very interesting. Any of these would likely take a good picture. Since I seem to be "obcessed" with pictures as well as hostas, I thought I'd add my experience. The fist picture below was taken with a Sony 4.1 Cyber shot. That's the camera I used last year. I found it very easy to use and it seemed to take the picture "fast" which means to me it would be clear and you didn't have to even think of if you moved your hands. The second picture was with a Pentax 7.1. That's the camera I've been using this year. It's very good too and has closer close-ups. I do have to be more conscious of holding still though. The batteries in the Sony are regular double A's. In the Pentax they are a flat, square looking thing that comes with a charger. Neither is a problem. I'd say the Sony is slightly easier. Both take great picture. Good luck.

{{gwi:906070}}

Great
I am sure you will love it

canon makes good stuff imo

now you need a couple of sets of rechareable AA's

now you will need a new computer with a larger hard drive to store the larger pic. files

i smell a new contest

I use a Canon Digital SLR, but since this thread came back up to the top, I thought I'd add that I was seeing some really excellent bird photos on the http://nature.gardenweb.com/forums/bird/ forum the last few days, posted by a guy named Kenn (if anyone wants to check them out) so I asked him what equipment he used (thinking it had to be a really pricy camera and lens, mounted permanently on a tripod, or something of that sort) and found that he is using a camera mentioned earlier in this thread, the Canon S3 IS and he was hand holding it! Birds move around a WHOLE lot more then hostas do :-) so the fact that he was getting that kind of pics from a hand held camera was amazing. Of course the IS technology is amazing anyway. I recently bought an IS lens for my Canon SLR and it's made a world of difference in my photos. Anyway, I did some searching and reading on this camera, and found that right now, Amazon.com has the basic camera (without extras) for $269 and free shipping. It's a great buy. I'm very very tempted.....

Wow, this thread has been extremely helpful and prompted me to buy a new camera to replace my very trustworthy and solid Olympus Camedia w/2.1 megapixels that I paid over $300 for it about 5 years ago.

After much reading and research, I ended up going with the Canon Powershot S5 IS at USAphotonation.com. I upgraded to the silver package and got free 3 day shipping for $319.00. The base price (without any accessories) at this site is $279.00 with free ground shipping or an additional $15 for ground 3-5 day shipping.

Thanks for all your asisstance and motivation in buying myself an early Xmas present!

NAL

I read this thread with great interest.

In the beginning of 2005 I decided that my 35mm camera was just not cutting it anymore and that I needed a digital camera.

After much phoning and talking to people at different camera shops in our city with my long list of requirements that I needed in a camera to...

-point and shoot...easy to use.

-ability to take action pictures for insects moving (since our kids were basically gone from home already, so no sports to photograph).

-clear closeups without having to bend down to take the picture...so I wanted the best zoom that they could offer for the best price.

-great quality because I would be taking lots and lots of pictures of the flowers in my yard.

-rechargeable batteries

The winner...

Canon Powershot S2 1S. Just new on the market in June 2005. It has 5mp and a 12 zoom. I use the foliage setting to take pictures of flowers...since it gives a richer truer picture.

I got the first one that came into Brandon into Future Shop. BTW, Staples didn't carry high end cameras, just cheaper models. Individual camera stores were just getting one or two of these new Canon cameras in at a time on preorders.

I have put 25,000 pictures through the camera since June 2005. (Not all saved, thank goodness). I love the camera.

If I was to ever get another camera (and retire this one to my DH's business for him to use on construction sites or whereever) I would get the newest Canon, a 5S 1S or if a 6 is available that would be it.

Met someone at some event somewhere and they had the same camera I had. Their son ran the Don's Photo in Saskatoon. When they wanted their first digital camera he recommended this one also for all the same reasons. They loved theirs and used it all the time.

All the pictures in my photobucket album have been taken with my Canon S2 1S. Pictures I took this summer will not be inputted into each individual sub-album until this winter when it is less busy around here.

http://www.valleyrimgirl.thenewtonfamily.ca/

By the way if anyone is browsing the albums and find something mislabelled, please let me know...which means it was sold to me incorrectly labelled. I hate that when that happens...another NOID in the yard.

Brenda

This thread is over a year old! I didn't know they kept these around that long. When I first saw it, I had that "deja vu" feeling. Ken's new camera is probably "old" now. Ken?

-Babka

rimhblmao! In my p.c. forum we have this discussion every year and boy does it open a can of worms! For the serious jewelers who need close up shots they all had canons powershots of one sort or the other, but according to consumer reports theyre are all just about the same. Go to the counter, close your eyes and grab. If you dont like it , throw it in the driveway! It is only a camera.

WOW! KEN!! I couldnt read all of this but it looks like a lot of people want some of your hosta!!
Mine is just a cannon powershot a530, just thought that i would let you know!! And all cameras probably come with a reference manual that will boggle your mind!! Point and shoot days are a thing of the past, just like averything is closed on sunday. Just go to a Best Buy and talk to a sales man and your head will explode!! there was a cannon salemen there when i got mine, and he did a real good job to sell it!! 5 people bought one right then and there!! still dont know how to use it to its best abilities tho, the manual is quite boring!! I guess that i will have to pull that book out when i really want to know my camera!! but for now I just point and shoot, and hope for the best!!

Paul

PS you can also buy larger memory cards for it, mine holds well over 300 pics with the larger memery card