Canon PowerShot SD3500IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 3.5-Inch Touch Panel LCD and 5x Ultra Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

I purchased this camera recently from Amazon. When I bought it I paid roughly U$ 270, which was a very good price when the same camera was advertised by other vendors at over U$ 300. For the money I paid, this camera is awsome. I am personally not too fond of touchscreens (I am more into the "analog" and "buttons" designs.. call me old fashioned), but this camera blew my mind. The touch screen is so intuitive you can get to every corner of the menu in seconds. It has nice futures as touching an area of the picture to select where to focus. Other things it has are creative effects, like selecting one particular color and leaving the rest of the image in black and white: this creates very nice artistic images whan you want a particular item to stand out in the picture. You can even select any color in the image and swap (in real time) for another... I tried taking a shot at the swimming pool, which locked pale and white, and swapped for an aquamarine turquoise which really enhanced the picture without making it cheesy or fake-looking... It's like working with Photoshop in real time.. The camera is really small and practical. As I had read in other reviews, the batery/SD lid is quite flimsy, built of a thin plastic which doesen't look very promising. The lids on the HDMI and USB connections also look like they'll break before the camera's first birthday. However, this is not a tough-built, rugged camera to take under the rain or on the trail, so provided you serve its intended use (parties, home, theatre, and anywhere where you'd take reasonable good care of a high quality optic instrument!), you should be fine. It doesen't require silk gloves... just don't fumble with the lids too often. The quality of the pictures is good but not outstanding, at least in auto modes indoors (I have an Olympus 570UZ which I think handles white balance more nicely). The HDMI is superb, and the real plus is the 24mm equivalent widescreen, which is great for indoor group pictures where little space would usually require everyone to huddle up so as to fit in the picture.. I would purchase this again.

Overall this camera is another success for Canon. I find this camera to be a bit closer to the DSLR family in many ways because the simple Point and Shoot element on 'auto' can leave the pictures less than perfect, but still great. If you have experience with cameras and understand the different settings using white balance, ISO, etc then this is the perfect camera to obtain nearly DSLR shots for a fraction on the cost. I feel that Canon dedicated more of their focus (pun intended) on the more 'manual' settings than on their auto-capture mode.PROS:Picture Quality: It's great! I love that there is a P&S camera with 14.1 megapixels!Touch Screen: I was hesitant to purchase this camera because of the touch screen - being the first P&S model to have it by Canon, I was nervous the technology would be more buggy that useful. Quite the opposite. It has streamlined everything. Not having all the buttons allows for a larger screen and that is nice. Not having a view finder has not been a problem - and I have not once missed it.To date I've owned the camera for 2+ months and do not have a protector on it and no scratches or damage have occurred. I do not recommend putting it in your back pocket, etc.. Care is still required in order to keep it pristine. I have read other reviews that say if you do wish to put on a screen protector to buy directly from Canon because the 3rd party protectors perhaps aren't the right thickness and make it harder to operate the touch screen. Although I have no personal knowledge of this tidbit, just figured I'd pass it on. ;-)Features: Canon has remained faithful in providing you the standard settings: foliage, firework, snow, etc.. They've added the 'miniture mode' and 'fishbowl' into this camera from my last Elph model - and while they are not terribly useful on a regular basis they are a fun quirk to play around with.Cutom White Balance: I find the interface to set your WB to be very simple and extremely effective/accurate! The touch screen really helps add to this feature.CONS:Sharpness: I compare this to a DSLR alternative, but don't get me wrong - you are still not quite there. This camera fails a tiny bit in the sharpness of the picture - part of that is the 'hold halway down to focus' method, part of it is the camera. For a P&S its ok.Programable Settings: I am sad there is only one "program" mode - I would have much preferred to have had 2 or 3 dedicated in order to have various programmed for different events. As it is now I have to go in and alter that each time that I need to shoot in different light, speed, etc..Flash Recharge: I don't think the flash on this model is any slower than on others, but I wish Canon would dedicate some techology research and money into developing a quicker recharge for the P&S cameras - it often is the cause for delay in taking a second picture - and not always but occassionally is NOTICABLY delayed. While I don't consider it a deal breaker and more just the nature of the beast that is the P&S with flash - it is something to be aware of.Buttons/Lens 'Cap': I feel the buttons on the top of the camera and the lens cover are made with cheaper plastic than previous models - my previous Elph the mode to switch from video/auto was made from metal and now it seems very cheap plastic that might break in the future. Seems like a step in the wrong direction of quality. I've had no issues with them, but I'd prefer something more sturdy so I wouldn't have to worry at all.

I have owned a few Elph Series Cameras (which are still going strong) and this Latest GEM ! The Canon SD3500 is last years model, but has this year and future wants of what a camera should be all about. The camera has an F 2.8 lens, wide angle lens of 24mm, A True Wide Angle Lens! These two items alone are important. Many do not realize the higher the numbers (specs) the less capabilities/results in low light, as well as getting in the picture group shots or when capturing scenes. The SD3500IS offers touch screen, also largest size LCD with 461,000 pixels compared to half of that of other models. The 5X optical zoom with additional digital zoom is good. The Canon SD3500is also has a built in HDMI port for High Definition to your TV, as well as USB to PC and Video Out for DVD recorders. Another impressive item is 30 frames per second Video (others are limited to only 24 fps) The ISO is expandable to 6400 for low light. Auto is 80-1600 ISO. So my opinion for choosing last years model is that it still has future important features and performs well in all areas when tested. A great camera, that slips in your pocket.