Canon PowerShot SD600 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (OLD MODEL)

This is one of the last good cameras that Canon made before it decided to move onto plastic bodies and a more rounded shape such as their SD750, SD630. The SD1000 is the SD600 successor but is boxier with respect to the 600. I like the 600 because it has a sturdy body and is compact. I bought the leather case that goes with the camera and the case fits like a glove on the camera protecting it in case I drop it. The screen is a decent size and this camera is one of the few I liked which still had an optical viewfinder instead of just the LCD showing what I was going to take a picture of.Picture quality is 4/5. I had a Sony 5MP camera before I bought this Canon one and the Sony one just had a crisp clearer picture. Canon has decent image quality nonetheless and accepts SD which is less proprietary than Sony's Memory Stick and less expensive of course. Canon also is known for the different modes in which pictures can be shot, with color especially. It's nifty if you want to play with the functions (because it has so many) and if you're hanging out with your friends and want fun pictures. Indoor shots are decent and the pictures don't tend to be blurry even when taken with an unsteady hand.With a 2GB memory card, you can snap around 1100 pictures in 6MP format. Also the multiple snapshot function works well when you're taking candid pictures of people and at parties. You can always delete the ones you don't like later when you transfer them to the computer via a card reader or USB. Video recording is a bit on the rough side when it comes to recording a show because the image will blur in and out.One of the bad things about the camera/video/play switch is that sometimes you mean to take a picture and you end up recording a movie which is kind of cumbersome because you miss a really great picture moment.It's not the slimmest camera out there like the Sony T7 but it can definitely compete in the other departments like different modes and a more widely accepted memory format. If you're looking for a fashionable camera and it has to be compact as well, I would definitely recommend this camera among the others.Battery life is 5/5. (Lithium ion battery is much better than the rechargeable AAA batteries.)Image quality 4/5Functionality 4/5 (buttons are a bit squished)Cost-Benefit 5/5

I have to say it is a bit confusing when looking for a digital camera. I found it helpful to go out and see how the cameras work and see how you like the feel. It came down to a few models for me - the sony w50, canon a630 and a540 or a530 and the canon sd630 and Nikon L4. The a530 and a540 I liked but didn't care for the fact they only used 2 AA batteries as they didn't seem they would last too long with the size of the camera and I wanted something that would take better low light shots and maybe something a bit smaller as well. I liked the price on the nikon L4 but everybody told me to avoid it so I did. The one I liked the best was the canon a630 but I came to the conclusion that a small 'carry with you everywhere camera' was more the direction I wanted to go so I hesitantly moved my search to the sony w50 and canon sd600. The sony is a slick camera and pictures were ok but I liked the image quality and feel of the canon better. I didn't like having to buy the sony duo pro type memory over the sd cards, although people do love the sony and it seems to be a dependable camera. The sd630 is a nice camera too but I wanted the viewfinder and have already found it usefull and I liked the larger controls on the sd600. Sooo here I am.I was surprised how fast the camera booted up, almost instantaneous. I bought a 2 gb kingston sd memory card and it performs flawlessly. I have never downloaded pictures to my computer before but this was a snap, didn't load software just plugged it in and easy from there. I have windows xp. Movie mode is amazing and I can zoom in and out which I didn't know I could. Took some pictures of furniture I wanted to sell on craigs list and came out excellent. I didn't use a flash and just have to have some good outside light in the room and good angle. The flash is a bit strong and wish there was a message board for people who own this camera as we could give each other some shooting tips. Anyway am just beginning to discover all the shooting modes and unique features of this camera and so far I am surprised at the quality of the images and the camera itself when I have had a chance to use it. Will update after some more extensive use. If you're looking for a camera you can put in your pocket and take anywhere, then I don't think you can go wrong with this one.