Canon IXUS 970IS

Excellent – There's really a lot to like -- photos can be taken quickly and easily. The camera focuses quickly and is nicely responsive to the press of the 'shutter' button. It has survived (in a leather case) at the bottom of my handbag for ages, and has been dropped a bit and it still soldiers on. Only caveat is as mentioned -- beware windy days in areas with debris that could become lodged in the lens cover. Will definitely purchase another Canon when one is needed (not for a while I'm sure!) Fast response time is what I purchased it for (it had the best time in the reviews I read), and I'd admired the Canon IXUS since the Elph came out a few years ago. This camera is a little bigger than the standard IXUS, but I love all the features. The digital macro is awesome, and the 5x zoom is great too. Battery life is excellent. I also like the way you can view photos stored on the camera using a 'view' button that doesn't turn the whole camera on. The movie feature (up to 4GB in size) is great too. I use the face detect feature sometimes -- it works very well. It is a little larger than some cameras, including some other IXUS, but that hasn't affected its portability. Beware taking the camera to the beach on a windy day -- sand can become lodged in the lens iris. This is a known problem (e18 - lens error). Returned the camera to Myer within the warranty period and it was returned at no cost to me in great shape (it worked again). Thank you Canon and Myer! After one year and a half, the body is getting a little worn-- the on/off switch especially (it's a little fiddly).