I started this thread on the A60 because I believe it is incredible value for $130. There have been several posts expressing concerns about the reliability of the A70 which I would like to address.
Let me begin by saying that the primary reason that even made me consider purchasing the A60 was due to my previous experience with the A70 which has delivered outstanding quality and performance for a 3MP digicam. My wife absolutely loves the A70. BTW, I also have a Nikon CP995 which my wife didn't really like due to the size and complexity. Comparing the two is not easy. I believe the Nikon may deliver better pics but the difference is neglible and becomes inconsequentional compared to the convenience of the A70.
To top it off, I was one of the fortunate ones who got in on the OfficeMax deal earlier this year. If there was a "Deal of the Year" award, it would receive my nomination. OM ran a sale on the S100 (I think it was) for $250 which included a 128MB CF card and a Dazzle CF reader. When they sold out, the A70 was substitued. Using a $50 off $250 coupon, I scored the A70, CF card and reader for $200! Looking back, my only regret was that I didn't buy one for myself at the time.
I can't comment on the error codes mentioned because the camera has never failed, not even once. Although the camera is not abused, it is used on a very regular basis. My wife keeps it in her purse and takes it everywhere.
The only issue I have ever had with the A70, was the focusing. I was disappointed in the first batch of pics which seemed to be hit or miss on the focus. I was having second thoughts on the camera and posted the observed problem on the Canon forum on
www.dpreview.com. Got a tip there that I will pass on to A60 and A70 users: When using as a P&S, place the camera in "P" (Programmed) mode rather than "A" (Automatic).
The reason is that in "A" mode, the A70 uses the AiAF 5 zone autofocusing system. When shooting in "P" mode, the camera switches to a center weighted focus. AiAF is sometimes too smart for its own good and will focus on what it believes is the subject of the picture. The best I could figure out is the camera would incorrectly focus if some of the zones happened to be on on a portion of the image that has a high contrast. Most of the times this works fine, but not always. For example, the subject in center of image may be low contrast, but an object in the foreground or to the side of the subject (but not the same distance as the subject to the camera) have high contrast. AiAF ignores the subject and focuses upon the object with the high contrast, assuming the object is really the subject of the photo. Try it, you will see what I mean.
Anyway, back on topic, I have no complaints about my A70. It is also my understanding that the A70 is the best selling 3MP semi compact digicam. Can you get a better camera? Absolutely...but you are going to have go deeper into your wallet. To repeat earlier statements, these cameras offer excellent image quality and unmatched features at their price points.