I picked up this camera on an impulse without doing any research at all. Luckily I am happy with my impulse buy. I got this camera from Argos for £79.00 from Argos. From what I can find this seems to be best deal for this camera. Argos are advertising this as half price and I like a bargain.

You can find all the technical specifications of this camera by clicking on the technical details tab above so I wont list them all here.

***What it looks like***

The Cannon Powershot A3200IS is a pretty stylish little camera. It comes in a range of attractive colours including silver, pink, aqua and orange. I previously had a sony cybershot in silver and wanted a change so chose the pink but in my opinion the aqua colour looks good too. For a mid priced camera I am pleased with how it looks. It has a metallic look so doesn't appear cheap or tacky.

***What's in the box? ***

With your Cannon Powershot you will get a disc to install on your laptop or PC, a battery pack and charger, your USB cable to allow you to connect it to your computer and two AV cables AVC -DC400 and AVC-DC300. I have used neither of these AV cables so can't comment on them. You will also receive your warranty and a guide to getting started. You will also find a wrist strap to attach to your camera to keep it secure.

** What do I need to buy with this Camera?***

You will need to buy a memory card as it does not have a built in memory and you will probably want to buy a camera case if you don't already have one as it doesn't come with it.

** My experience of using the Canon Powershot AS3200IS ***

I simply wanted a camera to take snaps for fun and for this this camera does the trick. As this purchase was purely for fun taking photos of family and friends on nights out or trips away I did not want a complicated camera. I am not particularly technically minded when it comes to cameras and can get confused.

The Powershot fits the bill it looks pretty and is easy to use. Unfortunately, although the camera looks good for a mid priced camera it doesn't feel as good as it looks. The casing is very light and has a plastic feel to it and the rotating programme selection disc at the top feels a little flimsy compared to more expensive cameras I have owned.

Aside from the slightly cheaper feel to the camera their are a number of features I do like about this camera.

PICTURE QUALITY - I was impressed with the quality of the photos this camera takes for a mid range camera it performs very well producing nice clear images. You can also use the camera to adjust contrast of your photos and remove red eye.

THE DISPLAY SCREEN - the display screen is a good size and allows you to view your subject and resulting photos clearly. This camera has a nice feature where you can switch between displaying your photos in full screen or in different tile effects if you want to look for one without going through them all.

INTUITIVENESS - the camera is easy to use and I was up and running without any need to refer to the instructions. My only gripe is it takes a good bit of button pressing to get to the menu you want. For me this is arose when trying to delete photos you have to press a few too many buttons here for my liking. It did take me a while to figure out how to press the snapping button at the right time as you need to press it a couple of times to take a photo but you do get used to this very quickly and will be snapping away with no problems.

THE FLASH - the flash is strong and powerful enough for a dark room.

THE ZOOM - I don't think the zoom is particularly great but then I don't really expect that from a mid priced camera. Even using the zoom you still need to be pretty close to your subject matter when taking a snap.

BATTERY LIFE - I like the fact that this camera comes with battery pack and charger saving you money on buying batteries. The charger is easy to use and the battery easy to insert. I have had this camera for around a month now and although I haven't had it switched on for long periods the battery hasn't run down at all. It takes two hours to charge the battery completely on first use. The camera will switch itself of when you are not using it to preserve battery life.

Their are also a number of useful modes you can use I found the following useful or interesting...

EASY MODE - helps you take good quality snaps if you are a beginner or a hap hazard snapper like myself.

AUTO MODE - this auto determines the scene and puts the camera at the best settings. I have tried this out in a room with low lighting and I am very pleased with the results.

VIDEO MODE - shoots great quality videos I really was impressed by how good the video looks.

DISCRETE MODE - This stops the camera making any noise when you take a snap. I have never seen this function on a camera before and must admit my imagination did run away with creepy reasons this may be used but it may come in useful if you are at a performance of some kind or if you just don't like the noise.

FISH EYE EFFECT - I am no photographer maybe this explains why I am not sure why anyone would want to use this mode. I don't think I will be using this one which puts a peculiar bend on your images like you are looking through a goldfish bowl.

CONCLUSION

Overall, I am very happy with my purchase. This is a great little camera if you just want to take simple snaps and the features it includes are good considering the price. It would also also make a good gift for any young snappers out their as it looks snazzy, the colours are pretty and the easy mode is their for any inexperienced users. It's a good little piece of kit.