Rating: 
Summary: Outstanding value - High-end features
Review: I can't say enough about how much I've enjoyed this camera. I actually lost it for two days (note: don't put digital cameras in checked luggage) and decided that I'd use the airline settlement to upgrade to a better camera.After comparing to many of the 5MP cameras in the $500+ range, I realized that the A80 matched those cameras feature-for-feature in nearly every category (except MP of course)! Just when I had resolved to re-purchase the very same camera, the airline found my bag and I got my killer camera back (everybody wins)! My favorite high-end features:
* Picture stitching (make one HUGE picture by combining several individual photos) right on the camera
* Multi-point auto-focus - note that you need to pay attention to where the camera tells you it focused -- you may need to adjust your shot
* Corrections for white-balance, EV compensation
* Nice tight macro shots!
* It's not a digital camcorder, but with a large memory card, the camera takes a pretty decent full-motion video
and most importantly ...
* Put the dial on "P" and it takes perfect pictures 99.9% of the time! Other features I like:
* The folding LCD is great - protects it from scratches, allows you to hold the camera at funny angles but still be able to see your shot
* Uses 4x AA batteries. You can find AAs just about anywhere, and you don't have to carry around a charger!
* Heavier construction makes for a nice solid feel -- doesn't feel cheap. Minor gripes:
* The little viewfinder is pretty much worthless as far as I'm concerned. You just gotta use the LCD.
* People have complained in other reviews about shutter lag -- it's true, but you can learn to compensate for it. Keep in mind taking a picture with this camera is a two-step process:
1. Frame up the subject and hold the button half-way down to get the picture and the focus set
2. Once #1 happens, push the button the rest of the way down to fire the shutter -- it's almost instant.
I've decided the delay with this camera is the focus time and/or exposure calculation. Once you've got the green focus boxes on the LCD, you're ready to rip!
* The multi-point auto-focus sometimes makes "interesting" choices in what to focus on. If you have a tough time getting it to focus on the right thing, you can always scale back to center auto-focus and force it to focus on what you want it to
* The LCD is great, but they really coulda made it just a little bigger ... Your first three purchases after this camera should be:
1. LowePro z10 camera bag. Perfect fit and it only costs about $10
2. A 256 MB (or larger) CF card. Save the 32 for trips to the drug-store when you order prints
3. 8 rechargeable NiMH batteries. It's a little bit of an investment, but you can take TONS o pix (and review 'em over and over) on one charge!
Rating:
Summary: I finally made a decision...
Review: I finally decided I was going to get a digital camera, and I knew nothing, absolutely zero, about digital cameras. I pretty much focused on the Canon series from my previous experience with them. So I read and read, and the first night decided on the Elph S400. It was a simple, fairly cheap camera..just what I needed. But then being curious, I looked around some more and thought the G5 would be the one since I could use my Canon Speedlite flash on it and it had 5 MP's. The price was higher though, and I knew I probably would never figure out all the extras it had on it. So I then latched onto the new S1 SI with 10x optical zoom. Wow. But it was so new there were hardly any reviews on it, and it wasn't cheap. So I went back to the S400 Elph, telling myself I could learn on that and maybe one day get a more advanced digital camera. I went to the store to buy it and while there the A80 caught my eye. The S400 seemed so small and that LCD screen just looked so easy to touch and mark up. Still, the S400 was cheaper than the A80 and I hadn't done any research on the A80, so I bought the S400. As soon as I got home I dashed to the computer and read how almost everyone loved their A80. It has everything the S400 does, and more and would only cost me $30 more. I fiddled around with the S400, but kept thinking about the swivel LCD screen on the A80 and the greater options it had for photo shoots, portrait, sports, landscape... I must have subconsciously known the S400 wasn't for me as I never opened up its sealed manual. Instead, a few hours later I was back at the store exchanging it for the A80. The A80 just feels better in your hand and I don't have to worry about picking it up with my finger on the LCD screen. It was easy to set up and start. With the camera set to AUTO, I could take photos right away. Already I am impressed with the flash, from what others said I was worried it wouldn't do well in darker areas. I took a photo of my daughter hiding under a table and it looked nice and bright, I even took a photo in a room lit up solely with a night light and a faint flashlight. AFter I clicked the shot and looked at it on the LCD screen, it looked like the lights had been on in the room when I took it...and they weren't.
Loading the software somehow wasn't flawless, my download from the disk got interrupted repeatedly and I still am not sure if it is completely installed in my computer. I was able to download photos from the camera, that was easy...after reading the manual, and I know there are tons of things I will continue to discover. I printed out some photos and yes, the ones taken in the darker room are not as sharp as the ones I took outside, but I know I never could have taken a photo in a dark room like that with my 35 mm Rebel and its built in flash.
I can't bash the S400, it just wasn't for me, maybe because I am so new to digital cameras, I just couldn't go from a full size 35mm SLR to a teeny camera. The A80 is definitely heavier and bulkier, but that wasn't an important factor for me.
With this low price you can't go wrong. I would definitely buy it again. I also have the option of adding on a wide or tele converter lense in the future for more fun and excitement.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Camera!!!
Review: Have spent quite sometime reading from the net on which camera to buy, finally made up my mind and got my A80, worth every cents spent. Image quality is excellence. Great features. Only thing is the lack of RAW option, but personal view, I think it has enough features to play / explore / experiment or simply to learn photography with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed
Review: Purchased through amazon and although the camera takes nice photos, the presentation for purchase is misleading; does not include ac adaptor nor a card with decent memory. The one included takes 16 photos.. very disappointed and very misleading and quite expensive given the small memory card. I should have purhased it locally. I will reconsider buying anything else via internet/amazon. Nelson Martinez
Rating:
Summary: A Great Camera
Review: I had to purchase a digital camera in a hurry for a school project. This camera was easy to use. The pictures were easy to load into my computer. I especially liked how it takes regular AA bateries. Rechargeable batteries are recommended.
Rating: 
Summary: Defect in construction
Review: I will not address photographic quality because I believe that it is very good, but I was confronted with a significant, in my opinion, constructional defect. Namely, I found the CF card door being very flimsy. My camera was in my leather bag, but under what I consider a very small impact, the CF card door cracked. So, think twice before buying this camera, especially if you have young children around!
Rating:
Summary: GREAT CAMERA
Review: i was initially set on buying the canon powershot A70, but that was until the A80 came out. upon seeing its vari-angle flip-out LCD plus 4.0 megapixels (compared to the A70's 3.2 MP), i was SOLD on the A80. i got the camera for christmas 2003 and i've been really satisfied with it. i love the flexibility the LCD gives you-- i've been able to take great angled shots which i probably would have trouble doing on a camera without a flip-out LCD. the LCD may be a little small compared to other cameras but the display is very sharp and that makes up for its lack of size. the flip-out LCD feature is also very convenient as it protects the monitor from dust and scratches when it's not in use as you can fold the monitor against the camera body. image quality is superior-- one of the best i've seen for digital cameras in its class. the images are very clear and sharp. i use the camera for everything-- the lowest resolution (640x480) for wacky, fun shots with my friends, and the highest res (2272x1704) for graphic design work (i'm a student graphic designer)-- posters, magazines, layouts, webdesign. the powershot A80 is a great deal too-- rarely would you find so much powerful features for a camera in this price range. actually, when people see my camera, they assume it's really expensive but when i tell them how much i bought it for, they're really amazed. i guess they're not expecting a camera with superior features selling for much less than what they expected. all in all, i'm very happy with the A80. the only negative thing about it that comes to mind is the lack of battery power indicator. i use rechargable NiMh batteries that last me a long time (i went on a whole-day shoot with the LCD turned and at the end of the day, the batteries were still going strong), but i don't really know when they're running low on power until a little blinking battery icon shows up on the LCD display-- a minute or two before the camera dies on me. it would've been nice if canon put a battery life indicator so you aren't caught unaware.
Rating:
Summary: The Canon A80 "Amazing camera "
Review: Pros: Great pictures and quality made
Cons: none Ease of Use: Excellent - It is easy to use right out of the box
Durability: Excellent - Virtually indestructible
Portability: Excellent - Tiny, and always functional
Photo Quality: Excellent - Pictures are professional grade
Lighting Conditions: Use inside & outside, with or without a flash. (The flip out LCD is a plus for overhead shots) I would recommend this camera primarily for anyone. Comments:
This is an amazing camera that never fails to come up with a great picture. I am far from a pro. but this camera's function and quality enable me to take shots that look good anyway.
It even has a quality mic. that allows you to record and add sound to a picture and the software that comes with it is the best I have seen yet! (Thank you Canon)
I upgraded from the Canon A70,(sold it at Amazon Marketplace),mainly for the fold out LCD and I am very happy I did so.
Also,I teamed the A80 up with the Canon i860 printer and the results are out of this world!!
Rating:
Summary: As usual, the best range of consumer digicams by Canon
Review: You just got to hand it to Canon to come up with the best package cameras in the market today. The A60, A70 and A80 provide huge feature sets at a very competetive price.
Regarding the camera, my A80 let me just say that it performs admirably.I was initially choosing between the A80 and also the excellent Canon S45, but decided on the A80 for the foll reasons: 1. Superior handling - the A80 just FELT better to hold in my hand, due to its protuding grip, than the S45. However, i recommend you try both cameras out before you buy. You might prefer the S45 instead. 2. Flip-out-and-twist LCD - The A80's real ace over the S45. Initially, i thought it to be a gimmick, but i found out that the LCD is really useful in everyday situations, e.g. taking photos of kids from a low level without breaking your back. BUT, the A80's LCD is also a bit dissapointing, as it has only a 1.5" size and 67k pixels, compared to the S45's 1.8" and 100k+ pixels. See for yourself, and decide if you are comfortable with the A80's LCD. I wear glasses, but have no problems with it. So the choice is yours. Both cameras are priced about same right now, i think. Back to the A80, here are its pros and cons: Pros: 1. Good handling and feel, Sure , it may not be as small as a Pentax S4, but come on, the camera is more 'prosumerly' oriented. Is small size is what you look for, you'll HAVE to give up on many advanced manual controls. 2. Good quality images. People in forums have complained about purple fringing and excessive red-eye on the A80. I find a bit of fringing too but it is not that noticable. And redeye? I've seen none of it even with flash shots. 3. AA batteries seem to run on and on and on...... 2100 mAh cells lasted about a week with 30 or shots a day with LCD turned on. 4. NO E-18 errors which plagued the Canon A60 and A70! 5. Flip-out-and-twist LCD. Really useful. Cons: 1. people say the the CF card door is flimsy, but in fact I find the Battery compartment door to be even more flimsy. I wonder when the springs will break off. 2. Shutter lag: This plagues almost all comsumer digicams. I've learnt how to handle it thought, by adjusting my timing, but it still annoys me. 3. A bit low quality LCD as i mentioned earlier. Some of you may find it to be a problem. It works fine with me. So, all I can say is that the Canon A80 makes a very strong case for itseldf in the 4 megapixel comsumer camera market. However, if price is a hassle, you can also try out the 2MP A60 or 3MP A70, good performing cameras in their own right. In the 4Mp category, also be sure to check out the A80's competitors i have listed below: 1. Canon S45
2. Nikon 4300
3. Pentax S4
4. Kodak DX 6490
5. Canon S400
6. Sony P92 ( a 5MP model)
7. Canon S50 ( also 5MP) For the Canon A80, i recommed the following accesories, which should be definitely bought: 1. 128 MB ( at least) Cf card. 256 MB is a good size.
2. 2 sets of rechargable Ni-Mh batteries, (each set having 4 batteries)of about 2000 mAh and a fast charger.
3. Camera pouch/bag. The Lowepro Z10 which i bought for the A80 provides a snug fit.
Rating:
Summary: One he// of a Camera
Review: This is an amazing camera that never fails to come up with a great picture. I am far from a pro. but this camera's function and quality enable me to take shots that look good anyway. It even has a quality mic. that allows you to record and add sound to a picture. The only gripe I have with it is that in order to actually use it for more than a day you have to purchase expensive rechargable batteries.
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