Canon PowerShot A70 3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

First:
You are getting a Canon lens with this camera. I would rather have a 1 MP Canon camera (my SLR is Canon and I have never been let down) than a 4 MP of many other brands. The quality you get with the Canon name alone is worth it.

Second:
This camera is VERY user friendly if you take the TIME to figure it out. As for the person complaining about the slow shutter speed, if they took the time to understand their camera they would have realized that the button has two features. Your not supposed to just snap the picture. You push the button half way to focus (which gets you a great picture), once the camera focuses for you it will beep so that you know its ok to take the picture. Thats way you tell everyone to say cheese! The shutter opens immediately upon taking the picture. If you do not take that two step approach, the camera does a quick focus (which usually is not accurate) and then the shutter opens (hence the few second delay)

Third: The person complaining about the software conflicts....it has nothing to due with camera...those are just the brakes of computers...sometimes there is a glitch....the camera is still amazing!

Do not hesitate! Its small, its user friendly, its a Canon, its worth every penny!

Rating: 5 - I don't understand the gripes of the other people...
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.

For more details and to buy the Canon Powershot A70 from Amazon, you might like to try:

Canon PowerShot A70 3MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom