As I described in another article, I decided to go with a Canon Powershot A720is based on the specs as listed below:

• Manual exposure mode
• Av exposure mode
• Tv exposure mode
• Manual focus mode
• Manual flash power control (3 steps)
• Exposure compensation +/- 2 stops in 1/3 stop steps
• Flash exposure control +/2 2 stops in 1/3 stop steps
• 35-210mm (equiv), 6x zoom lens
• Shutter speeds from 15s to 1/2000s
• 8MP CMOS sensor
• Optical stabilization system good for 3 stops increased stability
• ISO settings from 80 to 1600
• Pocketable size

Of course it also has all the usual fully automatic program modes for things like portraits, landscapes, sports, etc., plus "scene" modes for fireworks, underwater photography (in a housing), snow, beach, foliage etc. This makes the A720IS easily usable by a novice, but the extensive manual control options also makes it suitable for more advanced photographers who want at least some of the control over the image that an SLR gives them.

Movie Modes

The A720IS also has a set of movie modes. It can record VGA (480x640 resolution) video at 30 frames/sec for either 1hr or when the file reached 4GB, whichever comes first. In the highest image quality mode, 4GB gives you just over 30 minutes of recording. With higher compression you can get about 1hr of VGA video. The A720IS is also capable of recording at 240x320 resolution at 30 frames/sec or at 160x120 resolution and 15 frames/sec (for emailing). The time limit for 160x120 recording is 3 minutes. Sound (mono) is also recorded while shooting movies.

Image stabilization operates in movie mode, making handheld shots much smoother, however you can't optically zoom the lens while recording.

IS and ISO - Low Light Shooting

The image stabilization system allows you to shoot in about 3 stop less light than you could without it. At the 35mm lens setting I could get sharp images down to a shutter speed of around 1/4s, while at the 210mm setting I could get sharp images down to about 1/25s. This is remarkably good performance.