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Excellent point-and-shoot camera
I have been nothing but extremely pleased with my new camera. The shots it takes are lovely, clear, and detailed. It could not be easier to operate and for someone who just wants to take pictures of family, friends, pets, pretty scenery, etc, this is an exceptional camera for the money. I was a little nervous about buying it because some users reported that it took blurry photos, but it only takes blurry photos if you do not allow the camera to focus (hold the button down part way)before you force the shot. Basically, skim the instructions and you will be very happy with this camera.

great camera!
This little camera takes excellent pictures!! In my opinion Canon makes the best cameras and this one does not disappoint:) The pictures (as well as movies) come out great! If you are in the market for a new camera buy this little beauty:) The only con is that when the battery charge is low you only have about 10-20 pictures left before it dies on you. It would be a good idea to buy a spare battery with this camera:)

great camera
This is a very good camera and you can easily see what you are doing and what pictures you have taken. I would recommend this one to anyone who wants a point and shoot!

Great little camera!
I love this camera. I've had one of the earlier versions and decided to get a new one after my four year old did who knows what to it. Luckily the prices are dropping on these things - at least since I bought my first one. This one has even better zoom and I love the larger viewing screen on the back. Glad I decided to buy another Canon.

Just what your looking for form the Digital Elph line from Canon
If your looking for a canon Power Shot Digital Elph, this unit is for you! The compact design along with packed features and reasonable price (under 0) makes the SD750 a perfect gift; as I found out. I personally own an SD600 and love it! This updated design is a little larger, due to its screen but easily fits into your pocket or small purse. The processor is quicker and the viewing procedure is a little more complex, but I can understand why they did what they did. The ease of use is amazing and VERY user friendly. The one thing I LOVE about Canon is ease of use and features packed into their units!
Kodak makes a great line of cameras that are very comparable and would highly recommend them, if you are looking for something a little less expensive and / or like the Easy Share docking station.

-you wont be disappointed : )

Got this to hold vertical shots. Good for that.
Heavy. More to grip. Good with my 300mm lens. If you want one, you've got to pay to play. Don't get the Hong Kong junk. You will regret it.

Great addition to my 40D
For me the BG-E2N is a must have. As a Wedding & Events Photographer I use the added power and the flexibilty of the vertical shutter release as I make alot of vertical shots. I find it more comfortable and controlable using the battery grip. Feels good in my hands and it looks good too!

Why it's NOT a must have
Many say this is a must have, and the reasons have been repeated literally a million times. But I returned the grip for a refund. Why? And why is it not a must have?


- Adding the grip makes your camera look and feel like a 1D Mark III. As a result, you have lost the advantage of using a smaller SLR, and for street and other types of candid shooting the smaller and less noticeable, the better.


- If you are the type of photographer who uses tripods almost as often as you do cameras, adding the grip means you'll want to mount your quick release plate on the grip. By common sense this tends to destabilize your tripod setup. If you use live-view mode on a windy night, you can easily observe how much more your camera wobbles in the wind if you mount your camera with this grip on top of your tripod head. If you don't want that result you will have to remove your grip every time you use your tripod.


- The benefit of using AA batteries with the grip virtually does not exist if you are truly a pro (meaning you always have backups, including a spare battery). If I remember correctly, the much heavier AA batteries in the magazine only have about 20% of the "endurance" of the Canon battery.


- The grip allows you to shoot with up to 2 batteries for up to 2000+ shots. If you are concerned with the lost photo opportunities when you shoot without the grip, check this out: it takes only ~10 seconds to swap a battery. The grip will not make your battery or batteries last longer.


- In your camera bag, the extra space needed to accommodate your camera with this grip attached is roughly enough to hold a Canon 580 EX II flash gun. Well, your bag may be differently arranged. At least in my case, only if without the grip was I able to carry 580 EX II.


- Obviously if you legally own this grip your pocket most likely has been about 0 lighter. What else could you have purchased?


Roughly speaking, the grip can be a really nice add-on if you hand hold your camera to shoot in studio or otherwise controlled settings. When it is a nice have, it is nice even if you don't shoot vertically at all. But it is at most just a nice have, not a must have. That's because you can always live without it (no matter how big your hand may be, your hand is nevertheless only a human hand, right? So it simply can't be that big!).

Great for balance and vertical shots
Enough positives being mentioned already. I am all for it.

Only negative I can think of is the wheel that turns the screw that connects to the camera. This wheel feels cheap, wobbling quite a bit more than it should. But once tightened, the grip is very secure and firm without any shake or crack as some others mentioned. My Canon grip for 350D Rebel XT is better, believe it or not. The wheel doesn't wobble, the whole thing is tight, and finish feels more solid.

And one wish - Canon will remove the power switch on the grip and let the camera switch drive both the camera and the grip. Hope this is not too hard for Canon.

Dissapointing Overall
PROS: Extra long battery life, nice for vertical shooting, gives you a bigger grip on the camera. This unit DOES include the plastic AA battery tray so that you can run your camera off of 6 AA batteries. No need to purchase it separately.

CONS: My first one broke. From day one, it always attached a bit loosely. Then the fastener wheel got jammed one day and I was BARELY able to get it off the camera, so I exchanged it for another one.

Now I'm on my 2nd unit and the fastener wheel spins a little loose when tightened all the way, just like like it did on the first unit I sent back. HOPEFULLY it won't jam up again. It attaches to the 40D more solidly than my first one, but it doesn't feel nearly as tight at my BG-E3 did when I used to own the XTi/400D.

My second unit also holds the left battery so loosely that the white plastic tab BARELY locks the battery in place and will allow the battery to slide out and fall if tilted downward with the battery door open. Very dissapointing, and I might be sending it back to C*non for warranty repair.

Given the high price, I think it's disappointing that the grip isn't made with more solid metal parts instead of plastic. Apparently the gear inside the unit is made with plastic teeth! It feels almost like a cheap toy in my opinion. It just feels flimsy overall. Another problem I've had is sometimes the vertical shutter button won't work unless I hold it down for 1-2 seconds. I press the shutter button firmly and simply nothing happens. Other times it works fine.

Incredible camera
This camera is awesome! I upgraded from a standard point and shoot and couldn't be happier! So many options and features! I'm in love! I can't stop taking pictures. A must have for a starter DSLR camera!

Not to mention Amazon.com and their customer service! Truly awesome!

Review of Canon Rebel Xti (400D)
Very good camera. Provides a lot of flexibility in taking pictures. It is reliable, and the price is very good.

Canon Rebel XTi compared to Canon 40D
My husband and I regularly use the XTi and 40D, both with separate Canon 28-135mm f/3.5-5.6 zooms. (He always used the lens, so I caved and bought a 2nd one - it's a great all-around.) We've used these bodies for nearly a year now.

My husband has large hands, but he prefers the XTi body. I like the extra weight of the 40D, especially for a largish lens like the Canon 70-200mm L. The smaller XTi body fits better into holster bags. The off-on switch is easier to operate on the XTi - it sticks out, whereas the 40D's off-on switch is flatter to the body. The XTi's buttons and menus seem a bit more intuitive than the 40D, but has fewer options for people who like to fiddle with new things. I think the 40D battery lasts longer than the XTi, although that's an impression, not a scientific study.

(For the record, I had a chance to shoot with the Sony Alpha A200. That body feels cheaper to me in its build. And I think the lens choices are much better for Canon and Nikon.)

Looking at similar shots taken with identical lenses, it is very difficult to differentiate between the results. We are amateurs. My husband likes landscape mode, I like Av mode. One huge difference between these cameras is that the 40D has the ability to automatically set the ISO film speed in creative modes as well as point-and-shoot modes. When I'm using the XTi, I find it a pain to have to remember to check the ISO number and set it for conditions. For example, as it gets darker towards dusk, you might want to set the ISO to 400 rather than 100. (Remember: for both bodies, the ISO setting is automatic for basic modes like "landscape," but I shoot mostly in Av mode.)

Another interesting difference is the sky. When the XTi takes a picture of, say, a sunset in landscape mode, the sky is rich and red while the rest of the shoot is too dark. If I use landscape mode (or Av, for that matter) with the 40D, it adjusts things so that the sky is always washed out or white in order to make the rest of the shot visible. It often washes out a blue sky to white as well, even shooting Av mode at aperture 22. So if I want to get that sky color (at the expense of everything else too dark,) I have to point at sky only, press shutter halfway for exposure, and then recompose the shot. Then the picture turns out like the XTi. (I know, I know - probably need to buy a graduated neutral density filter, but I am so lazy and so cheap.)

Something else to consider is that the accessories for these two cameras are not compatible. Although the CompactFlash cards are the same, the remote switch for the 40D doesn't work with the XTi, the batteries and chargers are not interchangeable, etc. This makes the pair less than perfect backups for one another, and more stuff to haul on a trip.

For the price, I think the XTi is a better bargain than the 40D, although I suspect it's a lot like my brain: I'm only using the 40D at 18% of it's true capacity! Although I would still choose the 40D over the XTi, my husband prefers the XTi. For people who don't do weird things like reset the white balance or shoot in raw, the XTi is a superb choice - it's just an outstanding deal now that the prices have dropped even further. If you're not a real gadget nerd, I'd recommend buying the Xti, taking the money you save over the 40D and putting it towards a great lens.

Best bet for beginners!!!!
This camera is great. Although my title suggests this is best bet for beginners, this camera can be great for intermediate to semi-pro photographers with a limited budget.

Pros
- Relatively economic compared to other higher end Canon D-SLRs. Value for money. I purchased:
- This camera (body only)
- a 4 GB CF card
- Canon 200dg Camera bag
- Canon 50mm f1.8 lens
- Extra battery for Canon
All this for a total of 0.

- Excellent resolution pictures with a lot of detail.
- LCD is larger and brighter.
- The 9 point AF is fast, accurate and performs well in low light.
- Settings are very easy to get to. For eg it is very easy and quick to change ISO and AF modes
- Low noise as you go higher up in ISO modes. This is extremely important in low light situations where you want good pictures with less noise.

Cons
- The kit lens is disappointing. I purchased a Tamron 17-50mm instead and am extremely happy with the buy.
- Sporadic shooting after buffer gets full when shooting in continuous mode. You will face this when shooting sport pictures. you have to know after how many shots the buffer gets full in order to not wait between taking pictures. It takes about 15-20 seconds for the camera to get back to normal once the buffer is full.
- Same issue as above when using built-in flash. you will be able to shoot 4-6 pictures without any issue but then the flash will need to recharge and this again takes 15-20 seconds before you can start shooting again.
- No spot metering. Not a big issue for beginners.
- uses CF card. I am not a big fan of CF cards and that is why I put this as a con.
- If there is data in the buffer and you open the CF card compartment, you will lose the data as it shuts off the camera.

Overcall, the camera is great. Even with the Cons, the XTi is Canon's best selling D-SLR camera for the reasons I have listed above. Most important the value for money. One cannot go wrong with this camera.

However, for those enthusiasts who are wanting to get into photography and are looking for a good D-SLR camera, should also look at Rebel XS. This is a model that is between the XTi and the XSi, with features from both the models and improvements from the XTi. It is priced well as well at 9 (less if you are able to find a good deal).

I own the XTi and am extremely happy. This camera is the perfect way to begin photography. It can easily get you to semi-pro level after which you can start looking at other high end cameras. And the best thing is all the lenses you buy for the XTi, work with all Canon cameras (Note: there are exceptions, please make sure the lens you buy will work on Full Frame cameras).

Cool Camera
For the money I don't know if you will find a better camera. I like the Nikons too, but for 600 bucks a 10 megapixel dslr is a very good deal. Only thing: I don't like the stock lens. Getting a fixed lens is better.

Too Hard to Resist!
Somewhat long/complete review...get a cup of coffee.

Gotta check out the quality of this thing before you buy, it is amazing. Go to youtube or vimeo, search HF100 (or HF10, same thing but with built in memory and different color).

Pros: Video Quality!!!, Size, Weight, look, LCD Screen Resolution, Stereo recording (Left and Right Mics), Flash memory (so easy, cheap, reliable?), 3MP Stills, onboard light (for camera flash or somewhat lighting up your videos), lots of manual options (mic level, zoom, recording qualities), External Mic Jack(important for us music/band folks), Menu is ok once you get to know it.

Cons: Could offer better optical stability, wind interferes with sound, battery life, cost of official replacement batteries

Cons to AVCHD (not camera): Limited editing software, requires powerful computer (I'm running off a NEW laptop, barely keeps up...3GB Ram, AMD 2GHz)

The video quality is highly dependent on the settings you use...60i, 30i, or 24fps? Cinema Mode, Portrait Mode, Auto, etc? LP, XP+, etc?

I suggest Cinema mode in 60i for most recordings. I tried the "easy" button at night, was grainy. I have yet to try the easy button in sunny conditions. I recorded a few scenes in 24fps Cinema, came out pretty choppy, I'm guessing it would be best on a tripod, capturing movement, instead of moving the camera around (I'm no pro).

Some people have mentioned long waits between switching from Video to Still mode...I have tried this with both a 4GB and 16 GB disk...it takes 3-5 seconds with the 4GB and 9-11 seconds with the 16 GB. As other folks have mentioned, it appears to be inventorying the empty portion of the disk, to inform you how many pictures you could take. I suggest recording with a 4GB card if you plan on switching between modes frequently. (Note: I was counting, not official Omega seconds)

For Memory, I have a 4GB PNY Class 4 and the Amazon recommended Transcend 16GB class 6. They both work great, I haven't been able to notice any speed difference.

As we've all read, AVCHD editing is limited. I tried the Sony Vegas 9 Platinum trial version, works well. The Corel Ulead trial software doesn't include the capability of importing the mts/m2ts files. However, I have purchased Corel Ulead VideoStudio 11.5 Plus [AMAZON.COM EXCLUSIVE] from amazon. I hope it works well with the avchd files.

Incredible package
One of the neatest things about this camera is the ability to shoot a full 1920x1080 HD movie, remove the flash card from the camera and plug it directly into the PC. Plays back in full HD, with full stereo sound immediately.

As for the HD quality, it's as good as anything I've seen on commercial TV.

And even though there are hundreds of options you can setup, I like the fact that I'm just two buttons away from shooting (the power button and the start button) ... so it's always ready to capture, even when I'm not.

The built in screen is incredibly clear, and the integrated joystick lets you set a custom option very quickly.

A unique feature that I've come to enjoy is the ability to take hi-res stills while filming a video. A separate button, on top of the camera, controls still shooting. Best of all, you can pre-set the desired resolution of the still image to be different than that of the video.

And finally, this thing is ultra-compact and ultra-light. That means I can take it anywhere and everywhere ... always ready to capture full HD. And in addition, it imports into both Pinnacle Studio 12 and Sony Vegas Platinum.

Disappointing
Not the greatest. I was much happier with the quality of the video clips from my little Canon SD1100--not high def., but better??? I don't understand why that would be the case.

Flash memory is the way to go
This camera is amazing, small size, full Hi-Def 1080i, no worry about tape or disk, excellent image stabilizing, good zoom,
Would be nice to have a viewfinder so can save battery with LCD off.
Getting wind noise from mic, will check how to avoid.
Happy with purchase.

very happy with it
* Video is wonderful.
* Audio is great.
* Low light indoor video quality is very good.
* Still picture is very good. I no longer need to carry my Olympus DC.
* Easy to transfer files to computer
* Even in a sunny day, LCD display has no problem.

Awesome Videos
I was pleasantly surprised given the price that the picture and sound quality were as good as they are. With a one year old, I just don't have the time or patience to lug around a big video camera and set it up. All I need is to throw this in a bag or my purse and I can pull it out and get it going with one hand. The software is really easy to use and I am extremely pleased it stores the videos by date. Highly recommended!

Simply brilliant!
Finally, a video camera on the market that brings simplicity and sophistication to the forefront. I couldn't be happier with this purchase. Every family needs one of these!

I'm happy that I got it.
I bought this camera because I wanted one that I could carry everywhere without worrying that it could get lost or stolen. The quality is lower than a regular video cam, but much better than a cellphone or photo cam. The only weak point of this cam is that the image is poor when you move as you film. Slow moves and firm grip will give you quality shots. Otherwise, it is a great camera, I recommend it. Also, I am woking on editing my vacation on Apple iMovie, and so far it is working just fine.

Love it!!!
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R191B3T3G41LBG this is a movie mix i did of my son- it was sooo easy.

oh so easy!
great deal for a portable digital camera when you're on the go and don't have much space. No need to find outlets, or worry if the battery's dead, or finding a blank tape. instant gratification! Especially with easy/fast download to computer. love that you can delete clips separately. wish it had more of a zoom but hey, it was a great deal at 6.

LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I researched the heck out of this camera before buying it....it's purpose was for our Disney trip, specifically the water parks. I tried it out at home in the pool and just love this camera. People are amazed at the underwater videos I've taken, and the pictures come out great too. Not so good on maximum zoom in low light, but that's the only complaint. I got a 8gb microsd and came home from florida with 300 hundred photos and a TON of video, with a ton of memory to spare. This camera has given us video memories that NO OTHER little camera would do. My only suggestion is to keep an eye on the lens if you're using it in the water. Sometimes a droplet of water will stay on the lens and show up on subsequent pictures. I just blow on it to get rid of any water. No viewfinder is really no problem....I haven't used one since my first digi camera 10 years ago!!! I feel bad for those who have had trouble with this camera, because for me, it's been amazing.

Worked Only for a Few Days
Appears to be a nice product, but if the LCD goes black then you have no view finder and no access to the functions. The camera only worked for a few days so I would not recommend it.

Defect in the Olympus Stylus 1030sw
The Olympus Stylus 1030SW has been shipping with a known defect by Olympus. In the video recording mode the sound track contains a popping sound. It is generated by any touching of the camera. Olympus is supposedly coming out with a firmware fix in September. The buyer should beware of this problem and perhaps wait to purchase until a fix is incorporated in the cameras.

TOTALLY AMAZING CAMERA
The Olympus Stylus 1030SW is the coolest camera I've ever seen!!! I just got back from the beach with my family and it worked great. We had a ball with it in the ocean and now have some great memories to boot!!! The picture quality couldn't be better (as long as you use good photography techniques, you cant fight physics). I took video of myself and family riding waves in the ocean and it looks amazing. This camera is a great product that I am recommending to all my friends and family. Also, as a creative arts director for a non-profit I will be recommending its purchase by all of our new recruits.

-Make sure you buy a huge memory card though...I have the 2gig and it allows almost 2 hrs of video.

-The floating wrist strap is a must if you intend to use the camera anywhere near moving water.


Great Job Olympus!!!!

Great Camera on Paper...
I really wanted to love this camera. It has everything I wanted: rugged, compact, waterproof, and takes great pictures. I currently have a Panasonic Lumix TZ-5, and a the Panasonic waterproof casing for it, and never used this combo with the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW around!

It was so easy to carry the Stylus 1030 SW around on the pool/beach and into the water. It starts up almost immediately upon pressing the power button so I never missed a shot. I loved that it was shock-proof so I didn't have to mentally treat it with kid gloves, and there are no protrusions on the camera to worry about breaking.

Now the bad news. After the first time going into the pool for about 3 feet underwater, the camera seems to be adversely affected. I was extra careful and followed the directions regarding checking the seals for foreign objects that may cause leaks, and they were properly closed.

I noticed that the videos taken (maybe from this point on, maybe always had this problem) had a smudge about the middle of the screen. This was not dirt on the outside of the lens where I can get at and clean. It would disappear under certain lighting conditions, but most underwater shots had it. My guess is that it's an internal reflective defect or dirt on the optics. Curiously, I don't notice it in my photos, just videos.

In addition to this, the lens would fog up during the night after some underwater excursions. The fog would cloud up the lens internally, so all photos and videos were foggy. Holding the camera in my hands would warm it up, causing the fog to get cloudier. As a work-around, I would air dry the camera each night with all its ports open, but this doesn't always work.

Another major drawback of this camera that was not publicized very well is that you MUST use the type M+ XD memory card to record VGA in 30 frames/sec. Using the included adapter my 4GB MicroSDHC card, you are limited to 10 seconds VGA 30 frames/sec videos. You can record lower resolution or VGA with 15 frames/sec videos without the M+ XD memory card, though.

Additionally, my videos would sometimes have strange regular very loud clicking sounds, about once click per second for certain stretches. This was very disconcerting.

I also noticed that the videos of bright lights indoors would sometimes have vertical glares above and below the light sources. I never noticed this phenomenon on my TZ-5 videos.

The final weird restriction that I found out only after using this camera was that it had two video modes: Underwater, and Non-underwater. In Underwater mode, you have no audio, but can use zoom. In Non-underwater mode, you can record audio, but cannot zoom. Perhaps the zooming caused horrible audio noises to be recorded so the engineers decided to never record audio while allowing zooming?

In conclusion, the Olympus Stylus 1030 SW was everything I was looking for on paper and would have been a wonderful all purpose point-and-shoot photo and video camera for all occasions. Unfortunately, my particular unit seemed not be quite waterproof as advertised, and the model had some major design drawbacks in the areas of video recording.

I really cannot recommend this camera based on the unit I had.

Great little zoom camera
I purchased this camera for my wife to use on a trip to Africa because of its zoom capability. Detail and color on pics was right on (set to bright mode). Once you learn to use all of the features (of which there are many) it is a gem! Only down side was the lack of a viewfinder. When in bright light it was hard to see image on the screen and at max zoom, hard to compose picture and hold the camera steady.

Best features, worst picture quality!
Best features:
Wide angle, 10x+ zoom, HD video recording, best screen resolution.

Worst picture quality:
In comparison to my old Canon and Casio, the picture quality is the worst especially under low light. Video quality is poor also. It is only OK under bright daylight.

I bought this because of the nice features but unaware the picture quality is so poor. Beware!
BTW, I have the latest firmware installed.

Great option for the price and 10x ZOOM!
My cousin recommended this camera to me. It's great! for the price and options and easy to use. I am impressed with 10x zoom, dial options can be preset to specific scene, large LCD - 3", battery life is good and it is still fitting your pocket.

Perfect for Real Estate agents!
It's wide angle lens and small size make it a perfect choice for Real Estate photo's. Interior shots are so difficult to convey the size and openess of even large rooms, and I had to retake shots of all listings after I saw what it can do. The zoom lens allows me to frame the shot, eliminating unwanted background images without changing positions. I haven't taken the camera off intelligent automatic yet, don't see a need to. Just the best camera on the market for my purposes after researching and trying them all. Get the extra battery and the leather Panasonic case with it.

photos in auto GREAT! video NOT SO GREAT
If you know panasonic LUMIX digicams you probably know that the sound bitrate on the videos is cropped at 8khz, that's almost the same quality as the phone line. I knew that but i didn't care because the quality on the video of my previous FX50 was very good.
The BIG thing on this camera is the INTELLIGENT AUTO, and IT WORKS flawlessly, even taking 4cm macro photos with flash on... the photos looked perfect.
The video (HD video also) are better than the FX50 mainly because you can zoom and you have autofocus, but BIG FLAW on this camera is the autofocus hunting issue, even updating the firmware (version 1.2 that you can download and read the instructions from here http://panasonic.jp/support/global/cs/dsc/download/TZ4_5/index.html) the autofocus doesn't work well. But you can select fixed focus if you want.
Anyway i think it's a great camera.