"Steve" <srhaymesSlaysSpam@attbi.com> wrote in message news:<53SHa.60612$YZ2.224599@rwcrnsc53>...

> I could not agree with you any more.  Manual controls do not equal quality,
> and reviewers in particular confuse the two. 
> ...
> Then there is the Canon A series soft image problem which translates into
> loss of detail that may never be recovered with sharpening.
> 

Let me add another alternative--the Kodak DX6340. It had the following
features and performance advantages over the A60/A70--

   Sharper pictures!
   4X zoom (equivalent to 144 mm zoom on a 35mm camera)
   Flash power to 19 ft
   1.8 inch LCD screen

   It has some manual controls such as Aperture or Speed priority, but
not distance setting; doesn't have low-light level autofocus light;
slightly larger than A60/A70; uses more battery power; picture burst
is 4 pictures in about 1.5 sec.

   I haven't tried the Nikon, so can't give any comparisons.

   If you're looking in this price range for a 3 MP camera, you should
try the Kodak.

Fred