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- DisappointedAfter having my camera less than a year, the display screen no longer works. Yes, I can look through the view finder and everything still works. I can still access the photos after they are taken. I just can't see the picture on the screen as I take it. I feel so disappointed at the way things are made these days...It is disappointing that I need to start looking for a new camera AGAIN!!! Rating: - Excellent camera -- video capture is good, too!I bought this camera for just $[...], right here at Amazon! I suppose that was a promotional discount. I have enjoyed every moment of owning this camera. The memory card provided with the camera holds only a couple of shots; the first chance you get, replace it with a larger-capacity card with a minimum of 1 gigabyte. You can easily turn the autofill flash off. Hardly any flash is needed for outside photos anyway. This makes the cycle time (time lag between one shot and the next) shorter, and the battery last longer. Use the best batteries you can find; the lithium batteries (about $[...] a pair) are the best. A 1GB card can hold hundreds of photos. Uploading the photos into your computer requires a card-reader (about $[...]), if your computer doesn't have a built-in card reader. They do not need to be installed if your system is XP or more recent (and something similar for Macs, no doubt). The photos live in a folder on the card called DCIM, or something like that. You simply select the ones you want, and drag them across to your computer. The included software will enable you to (1) resize the pictures, (2) crop them, (3) rotate them, and (4) print them. With better software, all sorts of magic is possible. The camera EVEN TAKES VIDEOS. I have taken tons of videos, and even the sound is good. Here are some examples; the sound quality is simply because I'm using the tiny microphone on the camera, and not the microphones they're using; THOSE were to make a huge noise, which is apparently important for rock groups: http://xrl.us/Dinosaur2 It comes across as a AVI file, which can be made into a DVD with the software microsoft bundles in with their operating systems. I'm sure this capability is common in cameras, but I never expected to be able to make videos of this quality with just a still camera. NOTE: you must set the resolution to high quality on the camera beforehand. I can't remember how this is done; until I did this, I could only take low-quality videos, which invariably shut off after three minutes, and were of a small size. (Actually, I think I remember setting it that way without thinking when I took my first video. So it's quite possible that the default setting is to make high-quality videos.) The total length of time a clip can be depends on the size of your memory card; I remember reading somewhere how many megabytes a minute used up, but I forget. I think it was right in the user's guide. Another Note: The user's guide has references to basic information and advanced information. These references are to the TWO GUIDES that come with the camera. The books are referring to each other. (I point this out because it didn't strike me that that was what was going on.) In sum, highly recommended indeed. No problems whatsoever. Arch Rating: - Excellent all-around cameraI shoot video documentaries in HD with surround sound. From time to time I have a need for a decent still camera. After reading numerous reviews on respected photography websites, I decided I wanted a Canon A-series camera (excellent optics, very flexible manual control, AA battery operation) rather than a bulky SLR. In addition the most significant improvement in the past 5 years is image stabilization, with Canon's optical stabilization considered the best. Okay, that makes the choice of camera obvious--the A570. Great cam, though not as tiny as many. Still, it's easier to hold and produces fantastic shots. Downside--it eats AA alkaline cells for breakfast, so take spares, or switch to NiMh cells and triple your capacity. Best of all worlds this way, and you can still use alkalines in an emergency. This model number has been replaced by follow-on models, but my suggestion is to find either this camera or its direct replacements. Rating: - "Lens Error, Restart Camera"Avoid this camera! After only two months, the thing is non-functional, only give this "lens error, restart camera" message. A brand new camera, $250+ dollars, down the drain!! A piece of junk!! Rating: - Auto Mode Settings Make For Poor Picture QualityI don't want to duplicate what others have said. There are good things about this camera and not so good things. The one thing though that irks me me is the noise performance and in particular that the ISO setting in automatic mode produces very poor quality indoor pictures. For a entry level consumer camera that will be used in auto mode or video mode for 99% of the time this is unacceptable in my opinion.
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