"The A700 is a midsize camera made of metal and plastic. It's pretty solid for the most part, though the door over the battery/memory card compartment could be stronger. The controls are all easy to reach, and Canon didn't go overboard with buttons. The camera features a 6X optical zoom lens, which is a lot more than you'll find on other cameras in this price range. While it's not quite an ultra zoom, you can turn it into one by purchasing the telephoto conversion lens. The A700 has a 2.5" LCD display, though the resolution could be better, and the screen doesn't flip-out and rotate like on the "lesser" A610 and A620. The screen was easy to see in low light situations, though."Man, this looks like a great camera. I mean I am looking at the cons and am honestly willing to put up with all of them. I believe this is a really good deal for around $300. Has anyone invested in it yet? I need to get a small camera, something that can be put into a water proof case, and the Canon Powershots are looking pretty good.