Rating: 
Summary: I don't understand the gripes of the other people...
Review: To me, those gripes are for 5MP cameras or higher. Soft-focus in the A70 is barely noticeble if at all. This is still considered a entry-level camera guys, so if you're a professional photographer than you're really short of money or you stink. Believe me I tried every brand 3MP camera out there, even bought and returned a couple (at places w/o restocking fee), and Canon A70 far outbeats them except for a few higher-priced, metal case, 3MP Canon models. To me in addition to the great indoor/outdoor picture quality, the biggest asset is the longetivity of the battery life. I bought 4 rechargeable 4 NiMH batteries (no-brand) and they lasted 4 days on vacation. Are you kidding me, there's digital cameras out there that need a life support system just to last a couple of hours.For those who think this has blurriness, try the Olympus 560 model. That'll make you think twice before complaining of blurriness. Heaviness of the camera, focusing delay, and the other gripes I hear are so typical of the many who try only one camera and never did research at other brands at the same level. That means every little minor issue w/ the camera is magnified 100x if there's nothing to compare to. But don't take my opinion for it. Read all the professional reviews, ask every salesman, and try out as many 3MP cameras you can. To me this is the best priced, quality 3MP out there.
Rating:
Summary: A value for money camera for photography beginners!
Review: I bought this camera 20 days ago from amazon.com for slightly more than the current price and have taken about 500 pics with it already in all lighting conditions and have been happy with the results. I love taking closeups of my daughter and Canon offers 12 modes in all including a closeup potrait mode which is very useful. I am quite happy with this camera as it offers manual control along with the usual Canon features and it is easy to create some special effects. I am just learning photography and this camera has a great price with good features for this purpose. The software is easy to use and if you have Windows XP it downloads the images through the scanner and camera wizard even if you dont wan't to use the software that comes with the camera. I have used the photostich software the most which is quite easy to use, and took some great pictures with it. The image and video software is also quite easy to use and gives good results. The only drawback to me was that this camera is not as small as the ELPH series and I have to carry it in my handbag instead of my pocket to avoid creating an ugly bulge. But it is still small enough to whip it out quickly and take shots. ... Update after 6 months, Oct 2003:
For the price and the features this camera is still hard to beat. I still maintain my opinion above after taking about 2500 photographs. This camera has been tested to have the greatest number of shots from the 4AA batteries it uses. And I usually am able to take anywhere between 350-500 pictures with one set of rechargaeable Ni-MH batteries. I have used the sepia tones in the special effects to take some very special pics and many landscapes with the photostitch software. The full manual controls for this price is a good deal and I have been happy playing the rookie photographer. If you just want to point and shoot you probably do not need the features on this camera and you can go in for lighter versions, but if you want to be a little creative its a cheap first camera to have which lets you play around with different modes and manual controls. The movie mode is quite good too and with a larger memory Compact Flash card you can make respectable clips to send off to your friends. The only small complaints I have are that there is a time lag between when you press the button to when the picture gets taken and its hard to take action shots. But this is a feature of all Canon digital and film cameras and if you have used one you know what I am talking about. The other problem is that sometimes the Autofocus does not give as good pictures as my Canon 35mm film camera - Powershot used to give. But at these times I am glad that I can set the white balance manually!
Rating:
Summary: An advanced camera for a point-and-shoot price
Review: I consider myself a knowledgeable amateur and I wanted a digital camera that would let me manipulate shutter speed, aperture, etc. The A70 has these features and will accept other lenses (wide angle, telephoto, macro) if you decide to expand later on. It's also suitable for novices who think they might want to experiment later. The menu structure is easy to navigate through. I love the speed at which the camera powers up and takes shots. As with any digital, there is a lag, but it's minimal. The thick instruction manual is a little daunting at first, but the Quick Start guide gets you going quickly. Do read the manual, though, because it would be a shame not to learn all the tricks this pup can do, such as stitching together panoramic shots. The autofocus works well, and even though it sometimes reports trouble getting a fix in low light, it almost always delivers a satisfactory focus. Manual focusing is easy to do, if you decide to resort to it. The macro mode picks up stunning detail on the highest resolution setting. The LCD screen is tiny, but it has high resolution and crams a wealth of status and mode information into the space it has. I got about 4 hours of shooting time out of the supplied alkaline batteries the camera came with. You'll definitely want to get a set of NiMH rechargeables, but it's nice to know that alkalines will keep you shooting in a pinch. The camera's structure seems pretty robust, although the plastic lens over the LCD screen is probably not scratch-proof. Buy a case. The bundled software is excellent, too. I've deleted all the other photo software on my computer and now I just use Canon's. My biggest complaint is the power-saving feature, which shuts the camera down a little too soon for my taste. It would be nice if you could set the power-off time to whatever length you want. Also, it's a little hard to remember what the two LEDs next to the viewfinder are telling you. There's no brightness control on the LCD screen, so it can be a little hard to see in bright sunlight, but you can always fall back on the optical viewfinder. If you just want a point-and-shoot camera, the A70's full list of capabilities may not excite you, but you'll still appreciate the high 3 megapixel resolution. If you're an advanced amateur who occasionally likes to pretend you're a pro, to my knowledge, the A70's advanced features can't be beat at this price.
Rating: 
Summary: This is a good camera for any newbie photographer
Review: This is my first digital camera and I like it alot. It is simple to operate and takes very good pictures. The bundled software is also vey easy to use. The red eye levels are very high on this camera which should be expected because of how close the lens is to the flash. The macro mode works very well and I especially enjoy the movie mode which takes some very nice avi movies. It would be nice if you could adjust settings in the movie mode on the fly but the camera does not allow for it. Regardless, this is a terrific camera, do yourself a favor and pick it up along with a nice big memory card to capture all those great memories.
Rating:
Summary: Whoa!
Review: Really 4.5 stars. The only bad thing is that some of the pictures have looked blurry or soft (but you can just delete them and take them again.)and the LCD screen has looked fuzzy a few times. All the good stuff overshadows that, though. The camera has preformed very well in the inside(bright and dark rooms. Dark are excellent.), outside, and in dark outside scenes. I took 6 pictures the lunar eclipse last night and they are all crystal clear. It powers up very quickly and the menus are easy to navigate. The digital zoom is very useful in far away subjects. There is no delay if you focus first by pushing the 'shoot button' halfway down. I spent 3 months comparing and looking at digital cameras and I finally chose this one. I am extremely pleased. I hope you will choose this one too- you won't be dissapointed!
Rating:
Summary: Great Camera for the price
Review: I bought a Powershot A70 from a Gateway Country store and have no complaints about it. This camera takes excellent photos and has more features than you will probably ever use but its nice to have them. And even though this camera has a lot of features it is very simple to take photos with. I also enjoy the movie feature mode that allows you to take up to 3 minutes of video with sound. (Although you will have to buy a 256 MB memory card if you want to record 3 minutes worth, I purchased a 128 MB card extra and between the 16 MB card that comes with it and the extra one I bought I will never need more memory.) The software that comes with the camera makes downloading photos from the camera very easy. Also I found the AV cables to be rather handy. They allow you to plug your camera into your TV or VCR and view the photos from your camera on your TV in full screen. And there are other accessories that are available for this camera that you can purchase such as a wide angle lens, lens for greater optical zoom, a waterproof case that will allow you to take you camera underwater! For all the features you get with this camera I don't think you will find another camera that can compare to this one in the price range.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful Camera.
Review: I owned a Kodak 3700 for some time before my brother took it, so I agonized and researched all the digital cameras I could afford before I bought this... the competition was the Fuji 3800 and maybe the Nikon Coolpix. The 6x zoom of the 3800 was the best part, but its problems reported in low-light photography pushed me to this Canon A70, and boy, am I glad!...Lemme count the ways I love it : 1. [nice] Shape and size. I take it out, and it automatically attracts attention. And it weighs right, and snuggles neatly into my right hand because of the small 'bump' on the right side. ( But I wonder how comfortable lefties would be with this; it might get in their way). And the size is optimal - while I hated the elph's tiny size, the bulkier dig cameras would not fit my docker pants, like the A70 does; and if I leave out the case, it even fits my formal-suit pocket without a bulge. 2.The LCD screen functions as good as gold in low light, back-light, whatever-light. I should know, I played around with a friend's 3800 and found it a challenge to shoot indoors. 3.The picture quality is as good as I expected for a 3.2mp; someday I might be able to shell out [big money] and buy a 5mp, but then, maybe not : the biggest print I would want would be the occasional 8x10, while 4x6 would be regular, and for that 3.2MP is good enough. 4.The time-lag from the button-press-to-shutter-snap is about half-a-second, noticeable but not irritating. I know this exists for all digital cameras, so I have grown to work around this by planning the picture. This means I cannot snap a 2 year old running across the room, but I could always capture an endearing grin while seated! 5.So many modes...! This one is bewildering in the options it gives the user; it even allows you to make it 'fully manual', which would mean you set the aperture, the shutter speed and everthing else. I am not there yet, but this is where I can experiment and learn a bit...;-) 6.Stich mode. This needs special mention. You put the A70 in this mode, and take a series of pics by panning the camera horizontally, and voila, you end up with a fantastic panoramic shot of your room (or a single family photo at a huge family gathering). I am no specialist (as you can tell), but the software took care of the lack of precision in my hands and 'stiched' the photos together seamlessly! I can think of dozens of situations I can use this. I need to re-visit the Grand Canyon now! 7.I tried out the video mode and found it pretty nice, though unnecessary in a digital camera; what's the camcorder for...? 8.The software provided is awesome. I rarely depend on bundled software with any gadget, but Canon has persuaded me that they must have a great software division. Not very bulky, and extremely useful and bugfree. 9.Lastly, the optional accessories are also great : the A70 allows a lens adaptor which means you could attach other lenses you want; and there is also an 'underwater-case' which would allow you to shoot inside the swimming pool. As soon as I get some money to splurge I am getting that, just for the experience! The wish-it-was-better list : 1. The 3x zoom. I wish Canon had an A80 (or whatever) with at least 6x zoom. Would have been worth the price.
2. Red-eye reduction. I managed a bunch of great frontal portrait pics without red-eye, but once in a while it does fail, as reported by many others. I am told the design of the camera needs to change before it becomes fool-proof (the flash should be at a distance from the lens).
3. I never bothered using the bundled AA batteries; just bought rechargeable NiMH; What was Canon thinking, non-rechargeables with a digital camera?! Maybe they should not even bother with batteries, and reduce cost by some $ ;-)
4. Similarly, the 16MB Compact Flash is too small; I bought a 128MB rightaway which allows me 135 pics in Superfine, highest resolution mode.
5. I am also told that the memory usable (Compact Flash Type I) is slow and outdated. It should be at least Type II, if not a totally different and faster type. For now I am fine with the small time-lag. To Summarize, go ahead and buy this. You will enjoy shooting pictures with it!!!
Rating:
Summary: Only camera with full manual under 300!
Review: Pro's
1. Excellent features like 3MP, Video out, AA batteries, movie w/sound etc.
2. Very competitively priced.
3. Manual features like long shutter and shutter/aperture priority mode.
4. Superb battery life, works even on normal alkaline AA's.
5.Uses standard & inexpensive CF card. (not stick or xd card).
6.Good LCD screen, very good ergonomics. Con's
1. Its effectively 2 inches thick not 1.3, when you consider the battery compartment size.
2. Not pocketable, very heavy with 4 AA batteries and thick. (Canon didn't use just 2 AA's probably to protect their Elph line.)
3. AF assist is just a gimmick, doesn't help camera focus better. The weak beam reaches only a few feet.
4. Soft images and lot of time needed to auto-focus & also shutter lag.
5. Build quality and reliability isn't as good as Elph's (Elph's are made in Japan in Canon factories unlike A70/A60 which are outsourced). In short, if you want manual features and can live with its weight/size then this is the best 3MP for your money. If size/pocketability/reliability is more imp than manual features then Elph series is much better.
Rating:
Summary: A bitter-sweet experience
Review: Canon A70 is my third digital camera experience following Fuji and Olympus 2MP models. Most Canon cameras have received nothing but praise, and I bought this one with rather high expectations. Outdoor shots in bright sunlight do not produce the sharpness and color saturation I expected based on my experience with Fuji. If you are planning to take lots of nature photos including trees and shrubbery, perhaps A70 will not be the best choice. Soft focus is very apparent with tree leaves. However, in low light and contrasting light situations, the camera produces excellent shots of people that are even better than the photos I took with my Canon SLR. It will certainly produce the 'wow' you are hoping for. Red eye in flash photos were not a major problem. Besides, the plethora of manual controls not found in any digital camera of its class will please anybody who would like to experiment. Again, the menu system were not as straight-forward as I expected. The best thing before buying a digital camera is to go the review sites and see the pictures for yourself. I particularly like the comparometer in imaging-resource.com that will display the same picture side by side on the screen taken by two cameras for your judgement. Unlike Canon A40 and the ELPH series, price of the A70 has dropped markedly soon after the debut. Does it tell us something? In my view, Canon S400 probably takes slightly sharper and saturated pictures, but apart from the higher price, it has its own limitations like lack of high-res movie mode, lack of extensive manual control, use of special batteries, etc. I find Canon A70 to perform the best all-around in its price range.
Rating:
Summary: It does have issues, but I don't leave home without it
Review: Let me get the negatives out of the way first. This camera does have a soft focus, and that can be a problem if you are a precise focuser. About 90% of the time the autofocus picks up what the center of attention should be, but for the other 10% of the time learn to use the manual focus. If you're taking family snapshots, you'll be fine, so long as they're not moving too fast. This leads to the other issue: there's a slight delay (1/2 sec at the highest photo settings) when you take a shot. Most of the time, it's not noticable, but if you're trying to take action shots with precise shutter timing, it'll take some practice. The delay is much, much better than some of the waits I've experienced on older cameras -- sometimes it was a full second or more. More to the point, if you're a photo perfectionist, then why are you buying a 3MP digital camera in the first place? You should save your money and buy a digital SLR where you don't have the limitations that come with cameras in this range. All that said... you can have my camera when you pull it from my cold, dead fingers. I've had experience with a number of digital cameras, and I've never had one that actually makes me look like a good photographer. The A70 is a great fully automatic camera, but its manual settings make it the "missing link" between the entry-level and SLR models. I've never seen a $...camera that gives you this much control over your shots -- shutter speed, aperture, focus, white balance, film speed, and exposure are all under your control in program mode. There are a number of presets (e.g. fast shutter, variable aperture and time, and a few more I can't remember right now) that allow you to take control of only the settings you want to control. You can also attach proprietary lenses (with a sold-seperately attachment ring), adding still more flexibility. And, while it does have a learning curve, you can take great shots straight out of the box -- something I couldn't say for some of the earlier digital camera models I've used. If you're looking for a camera that gives you manual control, but you're not rich enough or ready to go for the high-end digi SLRs, give a long look at the Canon A70. Two other things I should mention. One, it does take 4 AA batteries, but this is a good thing IMO, since it means longer operational time for the camera. Pick up a couple sets of NiMH batteries and a charger. I took the A70 on a four hour hike and one set of fully charged NiMH cells. Never lost operation of the camera. (I didn't keep it on the whole time, but I've used digital cameras in the past that would have petered out an hour in, even with limited operation.) Two, get at least one (preferably two) 128MB or larger Compact Flash cards. The camera will fit 76 large format, super high quality images on one 128MB card.
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