It's outdated & unavailable new but I still think the Canon A-series line is the best balance of features, ease of use, & price.

My A20 is still going strong after 2 years and 3000+ photos. It has been thousands of miles by automobile & aircraft and still takes excellent shots.

There's 3 cons that keep these from being the perfect camera:
1. Finger-press to shutter time is just no good for those truly candid shots. It's hard to catch people in natural states while you wait for the camera to autofocus, fire off some anti-red-eye bursts, then finally snap the scene you just missed... You become well-trained to almost prophectic-like preparedness for moments like candle-blowing or most any kid action. Adults are far more camera-aware anyway, so an SLR is still the best way to go for any action requiring fast reaction times.

2. Weight. It's a mixed blessing since it comes mostly from the 4 AA batteries (ONLY USE RECHARGABLE, PEOPLE!) that allow you to go long between changes.

3. Size. It's barely pocketable in loose pants. And then it pulls your pants down. You won't be hiking or even just walking around much without a good belt (or suspenders). So be prepared to carry it by hand (good for quick snapshots) and/or stowing it in a camera bag/pouch.

I use a LowePro D-Res 25 AW bag which is bigger than absolutely necessary, but has MORE than enough space for a backup set of batteries & memory card, the A/V cable (in a perfect interior slot), shoulder strap, velcro belt strap, and an attached (but hidden) rain cover. Plus it's very well padded. It could fit the data cable too, but I don't carry that myself. Overall it's more of a (travelling) storage than everyday portage pouch.

I guess that's a bonus review of the pouch.

My Canon Powershot A40 was also the most user friendly piece of technology I'd ever used until it died. Same deal as everyone else I guess. The thing will turn on but something inside no longer opens as the screen remains blank. Don't bother upgrading as all Canon cameras are pretty much similar. My sister-in-law's A75, which is 6 months old, just died of the same cause.

The Canon A40 is simple to operate and takes decent images with its 2 megapixel/3x zoom features. It's compatible with a Macintosh OS/X and the digital imaging edit software is easy to use. After six months, the lens jammed and the camera did not function properly. I mailed the camera back to Canon for repair and less than six months later, the lens broke again while I was changing batteries. I googled the Canon A40 and learned that other consumers have experienced the same lens jam problem with their Canon A40. If you buy it, be sure to read the warranty details and have the 800-number ready to call. Good luck.

Since purchasing this camera, film has become a thing of the past for us, something relegated to the realm of VCRs and record players. It's fantastically easy to use, and 2MP is more than enough for users interested in printing out nice 5x7 shots (provided that you're shooting at high resolution). In the 18 months I've owned the camera, I've taken almost 2,000 pics, and have them all neatly organized on my computer and CDs.

In summary, this is hands down a fantastic product.

I have been shopping for a digital camera for about 6 months now and was told that I should get at least a 3-4MP camera. Since I had not been able to afford one yet, I borrowed this camera from my father and took it on vacation with me. It was quick to learn, easy to use, convenient and had all the features I needed. The most surprising thing was the quality of the photos when I got back home. It self adjusted so well to different lighting and there isn't a single photo out of the 180 that I took that needs to be adjusted. The print quality was crisp and smooth (I did not expect them to be since it was only 2MP). I printed my photos to 4x6 and they are great. I am really pleased with the camera and will be buying one for myself soon. There is no need to spend hundreds of dollars more when this camera has everything the average person needs.

I've been using the Canon A40 for more than a year (see my posted sample pictures). The first time I printed my photos at their highest resolution (1600 X 1200) I was NOT very impressed due to my cheap HP color printer, but when I took them to the nearest farmacy for a more professional printing I was really impressed with the Kodak Picture Perfect processing and the quality paper.

After using my Canon AE-1 film SLR for more than 15 years I never thought that a little 2MP camera will look this great on 4X6 prints. They really look good as long as you take pictures outdoors.

As expected, in low-light conditions it performs poorly but if you put it on a tripod and use the night-scene setting with flash you can still take great pictures of static or slow-moving subjects.

This is a great quality camera for the price range but considering it's discontinued now, you may want to consider a Canon A410. As for me, I'm replacing my AE-1 with a Rebel XTi.

I purchased my Canon A40 PowerShot about 3-4 years ago and never had a day trouble with it. I have taken 1000's of photos with it, I use it on the job and off the job, and I realy don't know what some people are talking about the lens giving trouble, maybe they camera fell and that will definetly cause that to happen. My A40 PowerShot was a good buy and it still works VERY GOOD.
The only reason that I will buy a new camera now is to upgrade to something with more pix and more Zoom.

BUY ONE NEW, IF YOU GET IT AT A GOOD PRICE AND YOU WILL NOT REGRET IT. TRY NOT TO BUY A USED ONE.

Bought it in 2002, and it's still working great. Of course, 2 MP is a joke by today's standards, but I occasionally use it to make a few quick shots.
I will probably donate it to a local charity.

my family bought this camera as our first 'digital' camera. we all couldnt keep our hands off of it. about two years later i got my own smaller more compact power shot. and it worked well till it finally broke after going through some serious poundings from my liking to go to concerts, and it getting kicked by people crowd surfing.

during the time it took me to save up for a new camera. i settled back with this one. taking it to local shows and things like that. i got amazing shots. (i like to leave the flash on and put it in multiple picture mode, and just let it shoot away) and it got the kind of picture i wanted. i got artsie moving pictures, that still seemed like a moment frozen in time, without them being blurry.

as soon as i got my new camera and took it to a show. i realized that it didnt have that cool stop action like the older camera did. when the fash was off.

my very next show i resorted back to this one and i still use this one when i want to do fancy shots. i could do with more MP's , but its ok. i'm still very much in love with this camera. years later. and yes. everyone thinks i'm crazy for lugging around this huge thing. but i dont care. i show them the pictures i took with it, and they shut up instantly.

I buy Canon exclusively because of this camera. Have several other newer and better Canon's, but my 5 year old A40 still takes great pictures :). Have taken over 16,000 photos with it over the years. This is a real workhorse of a camera. And as you can use rechargeable AA NIMH batteries with it is a plus. Don't think I'll ever get rid of it. I know 2MP is not very good by today's standards, but really it's all you need for your average 4 x 6 print or for viewing digitally on your monitor/tv. Digital prints come out crisp, clear, with great color and contrast. If you can get a good deal on a used one, grab it!