Used from 2004 - 2010

After I broke our first digital camera, the Fujifilm FinePix 2800, I did some research (ok ... it wasn't really "research" per se, it was more or less  flipping through Best Buy and Circuit City weekly sales flyers). I settled on the Canon Powershot A80, for reasons that now escape me. Was it the price? Perhaps. Regardless, the A80 got the job done for nearly six (6) years.

Considering how this little camera was abused, that is incredibly durable. This was the family's camera. The kids took this camera out and about, as did the wife. It was plopped into glove boxes, pocket books, back packs, and brief cases. Over the years, we took thousands of photos, keeping about 6,600 images.

Camera Review: Again, I just don't  remember much. I used this camera as a point and shot. I recall that it had settings that you could use (sports, night, etc...). I fiddled with those at times. Ergonomically, I recall that the A80 was less boxy than the Fuji, but by today's standards, it was big for a point and shoot. Definitely not pocketable. Nonetheless, this was an easy camera to use. Canon's menu is simple, the buttons made sense, and the camera handled nicely.

Camera Specifications:* 4.0 Megapixel Optical Sensor Type CCD * Digital Zoom 3.6 x System * Digital Video Format AVI Image Recording Format JPEG * Light Sensitivity ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 50 Exposure * Metering center-weighted, evaluative, spot * Exposure Modes aperture-priority, automatic, manual, program, shutter-priority Shooting Programs hi-speed shutter, landscape, night scene, portrait mode, slow shutter, stitch assist * Special Effects Black & White, Low Sharpening, Neutral, Sepia, Vivid White Balance automatic, custom, presets White Balance * Presets cloudy, daylight, fluorescent, fluorescent light (daylight), tungsten light * Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec., Min Shutter Speed 15 sec * Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps X-sync * Speed 1/500 sec 1.5" LCD display Display Format 67,000 pixels * Built-in flash Effective Flash Range 9.8 in - 14.4 ft Red Eye Reduction * Features AF Zoom lens:  3x zoom - 7.8 - 23.4 mm - f/2.8-4.9 Lens Construction 5 groups / 6 elements Optical Zoom 3 x * Lens Aperture f/2.8-4.9 Min Focal Length 7.8 mm Max Focal Length 23.4 mm Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 38 m Min Focus Distance 17.7 in Macro Focus Range 1.97 in - 17.72 in * Focus Adjustment automatic, manual Zoom Adjustment motorized drive Group Qty 5 Element Qty 6 Features aspherical lens * Memory: Included 32 MB CompactFlash Memory Card  * Continuous Shooting Speed 1.6 frames per second * Shutter Speed: Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec Min Shutter Speed 15 sec * Battery:  4 x AA alkaline battery (included) Width 4.1 in Depth 1.4 in Height 2.6 in Weight 9.6 oz