I bought this camera two years ago for a trip to Europe. I wanted to have something small with special features. The zoom, panoramic, dates and special subject lines, easy load small film, etc. I was TOTALLY impressed!

I took 30 rolls of film in rapid succession, within a period of 3 weeks. I didn't develop any of the film while in Europe, and even after ALL of my film, exposed and unexposed, passed through all the metal detectors of different airports, palaces, etc. it had FANTASTIC quality! In fact, the pictures of me are some of the best ever taken, other than some childhood shots and my high school senior pictures taken by a professional! These Elph pictures, held next to 35mm pictures from both my old Pentax and my Canon manual professional camera, were not any different. Mixed up, no one could tell which pictures were taken by what camera!

I loved how the film was just drop and load. It was harder to get dirty or install wrong and IMPOSSIBLE to accidentally expose to light. NOT so with my old Pentax 35 MM autofocus camera! Plus, the neat thing with Advantix film is that you can take a few pictures, rewind the film, load a new roll for different types of pictures, rewind that and load the other roll of film only partially used! With this feature, I was able to keep castles on one roll, statues on another, paintings on yet another roll!
The camera was dropped more than once, nothing broke! The metal corner bent (that's how bad the fall was) and the picture quality was not affected at all! The sliding face wasn't a problem for me to get used to, just don't slide it fast! Slide it just a little ways back towards the lens when you want to shut it off and it will recede back into the camera then you can close it fully.

I have now used this camera often for the last two years, including a family reunion. Every picture has been great (except the ones I personally messed up like not turning on the flash when needed) and I have recommended it to my friends. Nothing has been grainy, no red eye, nothing! Everything has been clear and bright! Just remember to use 400 or higher speed film, 200 and 100 definitely reduce the picture quality. I used Kodak and tried to get MAX, not regular.

I hope to join an art study program and go back to Europe next summer. The Elph will definitely be going along! Cute and functional!

If you've never used the APS format before you will be impressed by the small camera size and image results, as long as you stick with 4x6 prints. If you require 35mm results with enlargements, go elsewhere. This has nothing to do with this camera, its all in the film size. You might be able to enlarge to 5x7, but no further. These are really tiny negatives and the images get grainy when you enlarge them too much.

I've seen some complaints about reliability, but after a hundred rolls or so this camera has been flawless. It did take us a roll or so to get used to the turning the camera off (you slide the lens cover over), but once you get the hang of pressing the cover in just a bit before sliding it, it comes easy.

I'd also suggest that you check out the Canon 370Z camera. While it is a bit bigger and has shorter battery life (I've averaged 8-9 rolls per battery at best), the zoom is a full 3x, meaning that you can zoom in a bit more. That can be useful, although I have not missed it as much witht his camera as I expected.

Last spring I went on vacation with my girlfriend...

We were in Tokyo...just walking...talking..
shopping..having a great time.

It was 70 degrees..with a gentle cool breeze...
My girl looked great..I looked great.:)
It was the perfect day!
(OH! The camera...It was in the front pocket of
my jacket)

Then POW! out of no where a woman ran out of a shop..
hit me in the shoulder...She turned around looked directly in my eyes... raised her arm and fired a .38 caliber bullet into my chest. They said the force of the bullet knocked me back 8 feet..through the shop door....And....

I'm sure you all know what I'm about to write...YES!.. The bullet hit the stainless steel camera. Causing it to enter my lung instead of my heart.

I have now fully recovered from this tragic event.
The women that shot me claimed she was
having a nervous breakdown due to an abusive husband and an addiction problem. She is on the street again.
She never apologized.(thanks!)
I didn't get to keep the camera...it was used as evidence.
But I now have a new one....
It's a good camera...pictures are a bit grainy...but I'm not a very good photographer either..
This camera is easy to use, maintain and carry..I recommend the
front pocket. Have a great day! Wade...Texas.

The frame size for APS film is LESS THAN HALF the size you get with 35mm film. This means that if you blow your pictures up, you will see much more of the grains. Also, there is a noticable difference even between using a 100 speed film (which you should give you the sharpest pictures) and the 200 speed film. The film quality is just bad and the selection is very limited.

APS film is more expensive, and it also cost more to get developed. It is even more if you shoot panoramics. As far as the film goes, if you purchase the value packs you can get 6 rolls of 35mm film for the price you would pay for 3 rolls of the same speed of APS film in many stores.

Instead of this camera, I suggest the Pentax IQzoom 130M. It has more than twice the zoom for LESS money! It also features an easy to use panorama mode if you like having that option. A 35mm camera is not hard to load, and the superior quality is well worth the 3 extra seconds it will take you to load film. You'll get more camera for your money and you'll be so much happier with your pictures.

I'm in the process of returning the camera to Cannon, which will take 3 weeks before I see it again.

I'm pretty unhappy with this cutie. If you buy it, get some kind of extended warranty.

What I love about this camera besides the convenience of the size is that you can take 3 different sizes of pictures with a flip of a switch and the date imprint on the picture.

The only drawbacks that I found was the lack of zoom (but I knew there would be a trade off for the small size) and the fact that I took one early evening photo which did not turn out very well... However, I discovered there is a 1000 speed film for the APS which hopefully will take care of that problem.

Bottom line: a great little everyday camera that is lightweight, easy and fun to use....

I have another APS camera with 10x zoom, but it is not lightweight, and partially used rolls of films hide inside. What I love about the APS-format is the ability to take a roll of film out of one camera and insert it into another, even if some pictures are already on the film. So, I can check whether film is used or not, quite easily with the automatic film loading and advance features

APS-format also lets me set the coverage of the camera in three frame types. One is focused on center object without much background. Next is for group shots that elongate the lens area slightly more. The panoramic view is a large rectangular coverage. The self-timer function means that I also get to be in the picture. It seems that I was in very few family photos because I was always the one behind the camera; now I am a participant.

One of the pictures I took in this format is of my niece at her wedding as she danced with and kissed her new husband. It is a striking photograph because it is focused on them, and you see the floor, decorations, lighting, and can feel the dance and their movements to get a true impression of this moment.

Generally, I forget when I took a picture unless it is coded on the photo, especially since I may let the film sit in a camera too long. This excellent feature and stays on time and date.

Because I love this little Elph I give it 5 stars, and wish you great success with your photography as well.

Victoria Tarrani