I've received the
Powershot A650 and have been trying to convince myself to like it. Unfortunately, it's bigger and bulkier than my old
Powershot S50. There are a bunch of other annoying things about it. I have yet to test the image quality; can't get over the usability.
I can't find any other small camera with reasonable feature set: aperture priority, shutter priority, panoramic assist, good low light operation in a simple package that's easy to use with one hand. No Canons or Nikons fit. Sigma DP-1 is apparently too slow. Panasonics might work, like the
DMC-LX2. It's odd that nobody is filling the "highly functional compact" niche like the old Canon S. My sister's new Ixus has the small size, but I can't go back to "take what it gives you" limited feature set.
Is it a shame to consider buying a 3.5 year old, 7 megapixel
PowerShot S70 off eBay? Looks like the highest evolution of the S50 form factor I know and love (the S80 seems odd). Even used, they cost $150, half the $300 of the new A650.
Still trying to convince myself of what to do...