Canon PowerShot SD870IS 8MP Digital Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver)

I've owned this for a month.
Purchased just a few days before vacation.
I've taken a lot of photos, but I'm not well educated about cameras.
This is pretty straightforward to operate,
and provides ample freedom within the automatic settings,
and a great deal of flexibility on customized settings.
The "macro" mode did very nicely, as did the custom exposure adjustments and the image stabilization.
For the price, I've been very pleased.

I had to return this camera because of an inherent design flaw. If the camera is in a case, and the camera is somehow turned on, the lens will jam against the case and will not retract and the camera is shot. Not sure if the 880 addresses this issue but the 870 is not designed well. The camera took great shots and movies (when it worked). I ended up buying the Panasonic TZ5 - larger camera but with a 10x zoom, wide angle and 720p movies (with optical zoom)

I bought my wife a SD800IS and was looking for another one for one of the kids. I ended up, over time (6 months) picking up 2 more. The 870 replaced the 800 so I now have 2 870's and 1 800. Biggest thing I like about this camera is that it has a wider angle than any of the other ones. Mostly, the wife and kids shoot indoors or in a close setting. The wider angle allows for them to get more into the picture. They take great pictures and if/when we really need a good shot I have a Canon Digital SLR I use. So, it really works out great. They all have loved them, they're fairly easy to operate and if you want to get a bit more advanced, they also have that capability. Obviously, as I now have 3, I'd recommend them to anyone. In a close, say under 50', setting, you really can't tell the difference between their pictures shot with a $250.00+ camera or mine with $3500 between the camera and lense. If you're not planning on blowing them up past about an 8x10 you won't be able to tell the difference. Good luck!!

so far (2 weeks) everything is fine. pictures have beautiful colors. the screen is really big. and i like the zoom. two things I don't like so much:
1. with the red-eye-reduction it flashes so long and so bright nobody can look into the camera and leave the eyes open. without the reduction the eyes are completely red.
2. it's difficult to take pics without flash even when it is really bright sometimes. you have to increase the iso, just turning the flash off, you can't take pics of things and people moving just a little. but increasing the iso decreases the quality of the pic :(

I like this camera for great battery life and decent pictures. For most of us (amateurs) 8mp should be quite sufficient. Also wide angle on this camera is very nice. The camera easily fits in a pocket and is not a burden when you are traveling. I snap 1000 to 1500 shots on 4gb card without a recharge. You can use this camera in addition to a professional SLR (if you just have to have one).