Is the Canon PowerShot SD630 a good digital camera?

You can go to this page and read owner opinions.

http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/compare_...

Personally, I'd rather see you get the SD600, which is pretty much the same camera, but it has an optical viewfinder so you won't be draining your batteries on the LCD monitor. This is a common complaint around here...

I would choose almost any camera with an optical viewfinder over one that only has an LCD viewfinder. Why?

1. You never have the option of turning off the LCD and these things eat batteries for lunch and spit them out. Why do away with the option of a viewfinder that has zero electrical drain?

2. It can be difficult to see the image on an LCD in bright sunlight, even if they are "new and improved."

3. You have to hold an LCD viewer out at some distance in front of your face. This is more conspicuous than I prefer to be all the time.

4. The need to hold a camera at arms length will introduce some shake. I like the idea of stabilizing a camera against my face when I am taking a picture. This is especially important with a longer zoom lens. No wonder "image stablization" or "vibration reduction" is necessary with these cameras. Not that there's anything WRONG with IS or VR, but it is really a requirement with LCD viewfinders and telephoto lenses.

5. Using the LCD to view photos after you've taken them slows down the camera quite a bit. You can't shut of the LCD monitor and still take pictures if you don't have an optical viewfinder.

It's great. My girlfriend has one. The 3in screen is really nice. It's a good camera for your typical use. It's really simple to use as well. So far it hasn't given her any type of problems.

Yes, the SD models are very good compact cameras. The Canon Powershot SD600 & SD630 are both identical, except that the SD630 has a larger LCD (3.0" v 2.5") and is also minus an optical viewfinder (which most people never use).
The SD630 recently won a European (TIPA) award for 'Best Ultra Compact', so it must be quite good.

Both cameras have a battery life of only up to 160 shots (less if you use the flash a lot, use continuous shooting or movies).
I have the SD700 IS, which has a better battery life of up to 240 shots.

So, if you intend to do a lot of photo taking, I would suggest that you always charge the battery before you intend to use the camera...or you could buy a second battery to keep charged as a backup.
If you don't need a camera with such a large LCD screen and you want a little better battery life, then I would suggest the SD700 IS, which also has optical image stabilisation.

I would recommend a fast SD card such as the Sandisk Ultra II for fast camera operation (1GB).

I agree with Dr. Sam. The optical viewfinder can be priceless. I have a LCD only camera and sometimes in bright light I'm just aiming and hoping to get the shot because the LCD is washed out by the sun.