Avoid this camera, or at least don't try to get it repaired by Canon!

Author's Rating:

Pros: Tilt view screen. 12 Meg (available) Uses Compact Flash cards

Cons: Canon Consumer Service Center Poor design/ergonomics Heavy Limited quality inspite of 12megs

The Bottom Line: 
Other, much better picture quality and customer service available elsewhere. Start looking by going to http://www.dpreview.com/ and looking at their "Highly Recommended" cameras.

Author's Review
I'm a pro photographer. I own four Canon pro cameras along with a dozen "L" lenses that I use in my work. I bought this camera because of the tilt out viewer which could have been very handy in crowds. However, when the camera arrived, the control buttons on one side were 'depressed' (i.e. too low to push with my fat fingers, only a finger nail into the hole works). I sent it in to Canon's own repair center near Chicago with a description of the problem. It came back a week later, unrepaired and damaged on the outside. I sent it back with a further description (and called ahead of time) and the damage was repaired but not the original problem. I called and spoke with a "supervisor" who had it shipped on their nickel, I described the problem with photos and it was sent in a third time. Two weeks passed, I called them and yet another "supervisor" told me that all the A650 IS's were like that and their obligation was over. I've dealt with their pro repair shop and those folks are fine. However, both their QA and their process are flawed.

(With Nikon's just announced new line, I'm likely to move all my business to a camera company, not a huge, multi-product line corporation.)

If you are interested in a 12meg point and shoot, consider Fujifilm's E990...amazing picture quality, reasonable price and light weight.