Having been involved with photography since I was 10 years old back in the 1950's, I have used every type of compact camera - Nikons, Olympus OM SLR's, Leica CL, Minox, the famous 70's Japanese point-shoot such as Konica, always seeking the maximum photographic flexibility in the minimum package. Playing with the incredibly small Canon SD780 for a few days, it's a good time to take a step back and recognize the amazing technology which has come to us through the digital revolution. There is simply no comparison to the photographic capability which one can now carry hardly noticed in a shirt pocket, including taking high def VIDEOS! Decent pictures at ISO 800 or even 1600. Amazing. Also, Canon listen to customer feedback; their menus and interfaces are simpler and cleaner than some of the other makers. Finally, the price is really very low for the sophistication that goes into one of these babies - the equivalent of about forty bucks in 1970's dollars when the first compact cameras hit the market at much higher prices.There is only one downside - this camera is so small, and the sensor is so small, that 12MP is too many for top picture quality. I would have voted for fewer pixels, 8 MP instead of 12MP - and get lower noise in return. The exposure sometimes leaves blownout highlights. If absolute image quality is your top priority, there may be other Canon's to look at. But if you're not that picky, the results are excellent. The video function works well and I use it all the time since I find a short movie (a few seconds) is a better remembrance of an event than a still photo. Forty three minutes of High Def video on an 8GB card, so who needs a camcorder?Bottom line; The best camera is obviously the one you have with you. So get one of these - no excuse ever to be without it. 

Question: How is the camera?
Answer: There is simply no comparison to the photographic capability which one can now carry hardly noticed