Canon PowerShot A3400 IS 16MP Digital Camera w/ 28mm Wide-Angle Lens + 720p Video (various colors) $70 + Free Shipping (expired)

hows the built of this camera? does it feel cheap?

Quote from wrapcity : hows the built of this camera? does it feel cheap?

The "A" line of cameras is Canon's bottom end, so I wouldn't expect much from it, either build-wise or image quality-wise.

It's $70 though, so it's a "get what you pay for" scenario, really

Review got some 1 and 2 stars, anyone here got one cares to post some input?

"1/2.3-inch CCD sensor" <-- small sensor + CCD + bazillion megapixels = tons of noise on most indoor shots/dark environment.
Spend a few more bucks and get at least their 3 digit Powershot series (i.e. HS 110, etc).

Quote from DKTVPN : Review got some 1 and 2 stars, anyone here got one cares to post some input?

Picture quality is Ok outdoor with good light. PQ indoor is not very good. The Sony W50 has a much better indoor/outdoor PQ.

PQ is the same for the Canon 2300, 2400, 3400, and 4000 line. I think you could wait for a better deal down the road. The Panasonic SZ7 was on sale at Newegg around BF for $80. That's my first choice for a sub $100 point and shoot cam.

Quote from DKTVPN : Review got some 1 and 2 stars, anyone here got one cares to post some input?

I think this is a good deal. The slightly lower spec a2400 was this price from Adorama and went FP about 10 days ago. I bought that one as a gift, It has the same lens, and sensor, but lacks a touchscreen. I cannot comment these camera's picture quality from my own experience, but I can tell you that the camera is nice. The front is metal, the rear is made of plastic. It is pretty thin, but not as thin as Canon's SD line. The professional online reviews that I've read say that the image quality is well above average surprisingly good for the price, but a bit worse than Canon's more expensive SD line.

I have an two year old 10MP a3000, and I love it. The image quality on that one is superb. The lens quality on the a3400 is probably similar. But since the a3400 has 16MP, as opposed to 10MP from, image quality when zoomed in on a computer screen all the way will be worse. That's because more is being demanded of the lens, and because of the physics of small sensors. It's an unfortunate fact that consumers demand more megapixels, but megapixels just mean bigger picture file sizes. If you zoom in 90% of the way instead of 100% then the image will probably look great. You should also get better quality if you set the camera to take smaller sized image files, particularly above ISO 200. Pixel bucketing has improved results on other cameras.

The camera has real, physical and not digital, Image Stabilization. That is rare at this price point.

CHDK has not been ported to this camera yet, so extra features such as time lapse photos, via a firmware tweak are not available until and if some diligent hackers complete the port.

I've read through the 1 & 2 star amazon reviews. The first one guy may have really gotten a dud. But he's also expecting a P&S camera to perform well in poor lighting. None do. Other reviewers seem to be pixel peeping, and complaining about blurriness and grain. Any 16MP P&S will be grainy when pictures are viewed at 100% zoom. That is why most semi-pro P&S sized compact cameras have around 10MP. That's about the most MP's that you can put on a P&S sized sensor before you begin to start to lose quality.

Quote from E4300 : Picture quality is Ok outdoor with good light. PQ indoor is not very good. The Sony W50 has a much better indoor/outdoor PQ. PQ is the same for the Canon 2300, 2400, 3400, and 4000 line. I think you could wait for a better deal down the road. The Panasonic SZ7 was on sale at Newegg around BF for $80. That's my first choice for a sub $100 point and shoot cam.

incorrect 3400 and above has physical image stabilization not just digital which improves PQ compared to the lower models

anyway, bought one as a cheap xmas gift

Quote from airshaq20 : "1/2.3-inch CCD sensor" <-- small sensor + CCD + bazillion megapixels = tons of noise on most indoor shots/dark environment. Spend a few more bucks and get at least their 3 digit Powershot series (i.e. HS 110, etc).

1/2.3" CMOS isn't that much better. And it's not a few bucks, it's $130 on Amazon, making it TWICE as expensive. At $130, might as well go a bit more and get a m43 camera.

Charging can be a pain as you take out the battery and put it in a charger every time. No built-in charger. Not acceptable in 2012 or for my work. Many sub $100 cameras are like that. Beware.

Quote from itaintrite : 1/2.3" CMOS isn't that much better. And it's not a few bucks, it's $130 on Amazon, making it TWICE as expensive. At $130, might as well go a bit more and get a m43 camera.

How can you compare a fixed lens point and shoot and a M43??
Why not add a bit more and get a Leica or a 5D3??? The M43, Leica and 5D3 can't fit in your pocket and are marketed to different consumers.

Yes, the CMOS chip on the 110 HS will be much better in low light than the CCD chip on this camera.

Quote from airshaq20 : How can you compare a fixed lens point and shoot and a M43?? Why not add a bit more and get a Leica or a 5D3??? The M43, Leica and 5D3 can't fit in your pocket and are marketed to different consumers. Yes, the CMOS chip on the 110 HS will be much better in low light than the CCD chip on this camera.

Yeah, "much better" (1/2.3" CCD vs 1/2.3" CMOS, probably 1/2 a stop at best) for "a few bucks" ($60, price of the A3400). If that's your opinion, then I have nothing left to say. But if money isn't really a problem and you want portability, then by all means get the HS 110. Oh wait, screw that, get the RX100.

Quote from itaintrite : Yeah, "much better" (1/2.3" CCD vs 1/2.3" CMOS, probably 1/2 a stop at best) for "a few bucks" ($60, price of the A3400). If that's your opinion, then I have nothing left to say.

If "1/2 stop" is nothing to you, then you need to shut up coz you don't know anything about photography.

Quote from airshaq20 : If "1/2 stop" is nothing to you, then you need to shut up coz you don't know anything about photography.

And if 1/2 a stop on a 1/2.3" sensor sub-$150 P&S means that much to you, then you need to learn to take better pictures instead of obsessing over camera specs.

*Here's where you pull out the "but my instagrams pics are so popular and get so many likes" retort.