I didn't really have a good experience with my Canon 35mm compact camera before, so I was pretty hesitated to order this one. But compare to my ancient Sony DSC P92 & Nikon coolpix 4300, this Canon A580 is the best for the price. It has all the features of a more expensive camera & so easy to use. Came with a software and AA battery. The only bad thing from this camera is whenever I set it into night mode the picture always turned out blurred. But other than that everything is good, just have to have an extra battery with you all the time.
I ordered this camera from Amazon & it arrived withing 3 days. The shipping was free & no sales tax even made it a better bargain.

These PowerShot "A" cameras are Canon's attempt to deliver the quality and features of its more expensive PowerShot "G" and PowerShot Pro "S" lines (such as full zoom lenses) at a budget price. The results are pretty good. (How do I know? Because I've actually gotten to use all of these cameras. I earn my living at Walt Disney World writing a travel guide, and nearly every day guests ask me to take photos of them with their own cameras, which most often are Canon PowerShots.)

Here's my opinion of the top-selling "A" series cameras:

7TH PLACE: Featuring Canon's acclaimed Digic III processor, the 2007-model A560 includes the company's face-detection metering system and a decent red-eye removal. It's a nice camera, but a better value is the new A470 (see below). $150 list.

6TH PLACE: The A570IS is the same camera as the A560 but with optical image stabilization and the ability to shoot manually. $200 list.

5TH PLACE: You can do a lot with the sweet little A630. It's a 2007 model, but has a flip-out LCD panel and lots of manual controls. The shots I've seen from this model look great. Keep your ISO under 800 and you won't get any noise. $350 list.

4TH PLACE: The 2008-model A580 (the camera on this page) is a 2008 upgrade to the A560. The face detection system works a little better than the one on its predecessor, and the new model is slightly rounder and easier to grip. A fine performer and a great bargain. $150 list.

3RD PLACE: The fully-loaded A710 IS has all the toys, including a full-range zoom (35mm film equivalent of 35-210mm), adjustable flash power and optional second-curtain flash. This last feature means you can make the flash fire at the end of a long exposure, instead of the beginning, so moving subjects streak into focus instead of out. A 2007 model. $500 list.

2ND PLACE: The 2008 entry-level A470 is great for kids or anyone just looking for a good basic camera. But frankly, it's better than basic. It includes Canon's face detection technology and has a zoom lens, 14 shooting modes and the ability to set exposure compensation, ISO and white balance manually. Plus it looks great. Everyone with this little camera always seems to be having fun. $130 list.

1ST PLACE: The A590IS is the A580 (see 4th Place, above) with image stabilization and with the option of full manual controls. For an extra $30 those features are well worth it. I bought this model for myself. $180 list.

Upgraded from the Canon Powershot A70. Good camera for point and shoot photography. Definitely less blur than on the A70.

We have a Cannon Digital Rebel XTI and wanted something smaller and easier to carry. This camera takes good pictures, is relatively fast, and has all the features you expect from a point and shoot.

it was a gift for my daughter's birthday, so I wanted something that would take great pictures (she's graduating from high school)yet be small enough to fit easily in her pocket. She loves it.

I am extremely impressed by the ease at which I was able to learn all the ways to use it. The pictures are perfect and the ability to make moives is halarious. It is soo very sturdy that it can be taken on all my excursions. Would definitly suggest all my friends to buy one.

I purchased this camera as a replacement to a canon A510. I really LOVE this new camera. They improved some features like increasing the size of the review screen and made some options a lot easier to use (like turning flash on/off, timeers in a better spot, deleting pic's). It takes GREAT pic's and is very lightweight and easy to use.

The ONLY DRAWBACK - the moved the SD card. Before it was in its own spot and it was very EASY to open and close. ON this model, they moved it with the batteries and to open that cover, you have to push a littler button, and push down at the same time and then slide the cover off. Doesn't sound that tough but it takes a lot more time to get that open and sometimes it takes a few tries to get it open.

That is why I rated it 4 stars instead of 5 stars. Other than that - I LOVE this camera!!! Get a lot of features for the price!!

versitle camera, easy to use, quick learning curve. wish it displayed battery life not just when low. nice variety of features.

This is my 3rd Canon, first one got stolen,second one fell into water. They just keep getting better and cheaper.No problems whatsoever.Love it.

Need to get easier instruction booklet. Very hard to get the camera to work with the p/c.

My wife wanted a camera that was easy to use and it has worked really well for her. She gets good, clear shots and even the movies are acceptable quality. Don't expect the quality you might get from a high end digital camera, but it is very good for every day use.

Purchased to replace 4 1/2 year old digital camera. Thus far it is easy to use, produces excellent pictures and videos. Very satisfied with the performance.

Great camera at a great price...the only upgrade would be the IS feature on the next model, otherwise this is a perfect camera for the point & shooter or the pro who wants a pocket size device to take perfect, high quality pics. Buy it...

I was hesitant about crossing over from Fuji to Canon but when I came across this camera on sale for such a great price I just could not pass it up. I would have to say that it is probably not the best Canon out there but you would be hard pressed to find a digital for this price that takes great point and shoot pictures. For the price you just can't beat it. I use the Sony rechargeable batteries and they work wonderful with this camera. I uploaded a few scenery pictures to show the quality.

very good pruduct, nice image quality, though it makes a little bit of a noise when you try to zoom in or zoom out, as long as the pictures are good I don't care.

The Canon Power Shot is an excellent camera for anyone to use. It is simple to use and it takes very good pictures.

A very good camera. I presented these to my kids and both love this camera. Its better than the Sony camera I bought them 3 yrs ago.
I got a good price at Amazon.

the canon powershot was great when i first used it. it took really good pictures. However, when the battery ran out and i changed them it would not work properly anymore. It would take about two pictures and then shut off. It would say change batteries. Even when I changed the batteries it still would stay on for just a moment then shut off. I had to return it.

I bought this camera for my trip to the States recently, and all I can say so far is, absolutely great! Bought from Amazon.com and delivered in 2 working days - spot on!

I have to admit, I am one for trying to use something without having to bother with reading instructions. Thankfully, this camera is definately user-friendly. It is so easy to use. Sure there are more sophisticated options available to use on this camera, that will I probably need to address the manual for but, for a camera that you can just pick up and shoot impressive photos straight away, this baby does the trick. Even at full zoom, the picture quality is not distorted much at all.

I previously had a Samsung 8 MP camera, and the difference in quality of pictures this Canon takes compared to the Samsung are impressive. I could ramble on about how good this camera is, but if you are like me, you will just want to be re-assured that this is worth buying - IT IS!

Easy and simple to use, great pictures (day or night), nice looking and compact camera. Oh and I nearly forgot, I don't know what Canon put in there batteries, but the standard alkaline ones that came with the camera are lasting ages. I have taking over 80 pictures so far and no sign of them running out (no doubt they will, now I have mentioned it!); very impressed.

This Canon A580 PowerShot camera is a great buy!

When it comes to digital--forget me, I am a ranked novice. But after reading the discriptive booklet, started to get a good idea of this A580. This is a great camera for the money, and the sample photos I'm taking are out of this world. My recommendation, [if looking for a good digital], BUY!!

Amazing how much better (and cheaper) digitial cameras have become in recent years. The number of true pixels has increased while prices decline. What I like about this one is the autofocus capability (which makes sure that faces are in focus) and the fact that yoiu can use it like a point and shoot or play with it if one is more adverturous. Does it provide all of the features a serious photographer would want? No. But is is certainly serviceable, takes excellent pictures, and is quite handy to use. The fact that it runs on regular batteries is a plus. The memory card it comes with is insufficient, so you'll need a bigger capacity card right away.

This camera is so easy to use and the pictures turn out wonderful. Great if you are just looking for a point and shoot camera.

Had the camera for about 5 months and used it seldomly until the LCD went all white except for a small sliver at the edge. Not having an LCD made picture review in the field impossible, and so I sent in the camera for repair under the 1-year warranty. Canon contacted me via email and stated that the repair would cost $79 plus shipping. They determined that the malfunctioning LCD was caused by impact/pressure. Upon questioning as to what kind of scenarios would lead to impact/pressure to the LCD, they cited the example of putting the camera in your front pant pocket then sitting down. With the pants becoming tighter, the pressure on the LCD could cause it to break internally. That's BS! Canon won't warranty repair the LCD, and won't accept that it was essentially defective. That was my third and last Canon. I'm switching to Sony.

I purchased the camera in June and I'm loving it. Takes great shots and is very easy to operate even though I'm a novice really. Size is perfect for me and I'm anxious to take on my cruise in January which is the main reason I bought a new one. I'd recommend to anyone looking for a nice, easy camera. My friends also have the same model and I guess that's why I chose it. Great price, great deal and arrived really quick.

I am very happy with this camera for the price. It is my first digital camera and I haven't had trouble figuring out it's basic operation. Regular batteries don't last very long so I would advise getting rechargable batteries and a charger. The memory card that comes with the camera isn't very large either, so I am looking at buying one or two more sometime soon. The only thing that has been a little bit dificult to get used to is the two click shoot. The first half click focuses the camera and the second click takes the pictures. That is a little bit different, but I am getting used to it, and overall I am very happy with this camera considring the price etc. It is also easy to upload pictures to the computer. One thing you have to be careful of is holding your hands still as you shoot pictures because this camera doesn't have image stablizer; nevertheless, I have only had a few blurry pictures because of this.

Canon PowerShot A580 8MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical Zoom

This camera takes excellent pictures and for a person new to digital photography, this camera is easy to use. I would recommend this camera for any person, but especially those who are looking for a digital camera for general use.

The pictures are excellent and reflect the 8.0 megapixel format. However, the time lag time between each picture ensures that this is only good for still pics and no action. But, what do you expect for under $200. You will pay three times that to get the speed.I was also disappointed that I could not use any of my former Canon memory cards or batteries.

I have had cameras like this one in the past and I have loved them all! We had to replace the one we had because it was lost. The quality of the pictures is fantastic, especially on our photo printer. I don't think I will ever go with a different brand!! Thanks!

I bought this camera to replace the older version that I had that broke. It is a great replacement. It's affordable, easy to use, and takes great pictures. The video quality is much better on this camera than older A series Canon Powershots. The body is very comfortable to hold and the screen on the back is large enough for you to really see what you photographed. The only complaint I have is that the viewfinder on the camera isn't exactly centered the same as the actual image so you are forced to use the screen on the back instead to get better pictures.

I loved my old Canon. I bought another brand as the price was good. After less than 1 year, I switched back to this canon. This is a great camera at a very good price. Shipping was also quick. Thanks

I was pleasantly surprised by the features of this camera. It does have a few quirks to learn if you don't use the Easy feature, but other than that I've gotten some great pictures very quickly and easily. I had read online about the difficulty of opening/closing the battery/memory card compartment, but that hasn't been an issue at all. I would recommend it to people who just want the ease of picking up a camera and shooting without worrying about settings. A good camera for it's price.

I currently have a Canon Rebel Xti but honestly, it is just too bulky. So, in order to take decent pictures on family trips and such, I chose this Canon Powershot. I gotta say, I am very impressed with this camera! For a little, hand-held unit, it's got a lot of options on it. It's very easy to use, and it fits in my purse. The screen is nice and big. I really don't have anything bad to say about it. The batteries I put in when it came to me (I didn't use the ones that were sent because those packaged batteries never last long) two weeks ago are still in there, with full power. I've transferred the photos a few times and do definitely recommend purchasing at least a 2 gb memory card because the smaller cards don't fit many pictures on them but that's the case with all cameras. If you are a person that likes to take pictures of family, friends, parties, pets, and want mobility in your camera, this is the one for you!

This is the perfect camera for everyday use. The camera is lightweight and has a large display. Great for taking along when you are out.

The Canon PowerShot A580 was exactly what I wanted: a small camera that would fit on a belt in a case or around the neck, one with an actual optical viewfinder in addition to the LCD screen, decent optical zoom (4X), a brand with a good reputation, and good value for the money (about USD $150). This camera has all of these features.

Because I have used Canon cameras in the past, the dials and buttons are almost intuitive now although there are some differences which were easy to learn. Adjusting for light variation in the shot (light background and dark foreground) was difficult to do quickly. Fortunately, one can easily make adjustments on the computer using Adobe Photo Shop (the less expensive version). I would recommend a larger SD memory card than the one provided or the maximum available through Canon (512MB.

While I prefer my Canon Digital Rebel SLR camera for overseas travel, this A580 is perfect for city shots, candids of friends or family, and as a backup camera. I would recommend this camera without hesitation.

excellent product. i have one at work for technical work,and was so impressed I bought one for home

Easy to use, great pictures. Wish it came with carry case to protect it though

We recently returned from a month long trip, my wife has a Canon A540 and I was using a Sony DSC700. There is no comparison in the quality of photo's between the two cameras...we both shot several hundred photo's...the Canon photo's won hands down! So I purchased a new Canon A580 and we both love it. Plus now the the SD cards can be used in either one...Sony uses a proprietary duo-card....Canons for us from here on out.

I did a little research before buying a camera and when I saw the sample photos and videos shot with the A580 I didn't look further. This was all I needed. The photos are all clear and huge. I took a shot in complete darkness and it came out like I shot it at daylight. I really can't find a flaw to this camera. Even the price is excellent. One of the best things I ever bought.