Review on Gray Canon PowerShot A470 Digital Camera - 7.1MP with 3.4x Optical Zoom by Erik Snyder

Bought as a backup camera. This means I can take my camera with me anywhere, mainly for cloud photography when I can't carry my Canon PowerShot Pro Series S3 IS 6MP 12x zoom with image stabilisation. I chose this camera because it has some features that I didn't have. found in other cheaper point and shoot cameras. In manual mode, it has an infinite focus mode that I haven't seen anywhere else. This is great for photos of clouds as my other camera was almost never able to focus on it, but this camera lacks manual focus so I wasn't entirely sure it would work. Infinity Focus has completely solved this problem. Another important advantage is the ability to "super macro", ie focusing on objects that are almost in contact with the lens. It's also in manual mode. My S3 can do that, but I didn't think I'd find a spot and shoot with that ability. Especially since I've played with some of the more expensive Canon cameras and they do NOT have that option. This makes up for the measly 3.4x optical zoom. One feature I haven't played with is the long shutter, even in manual settings, which you can access by clicking the menu in the Exposure section in manual settings. It seems like it could take up to 5 seconds or so. Another feature I didn't expect from a camera without manually adjusting aperture or shutter speed. The lack of a viewfinder is a bit annoying and a noticeable problem in direct sunlight, but the focus modes more than make up for it for me. has a lot of lag in flash photos, even with NiMH batteries. You MUST buy another memory card as it can hardly hold 10 photos in high quality on the one that comes with it.