Digital dinosaur. Product/Link: Canon PowerShot Pro90 IS Synopsis: 10X optical digital camera with Image Stabilizer. Requirements: : IBM-compatible or Mac computer, Windows 9x/NT 4.0 (Service Pack 3 or higher)/2000/ME, Pentium 133 MHz+, USB or serial or COM port, 32 or 64MB depending on OS. Power Macintosh, PowerBook, iMac or iBook, Mac OS 8.1, QuickTime 3.0, Power PC, USB or printer or modem port, 20MB RAM minimum, 1024 x 768 pixels recommended. Prices: (No longer in production) USD425 plus S&H on eBay. Rating: You can do better, and maybe for less. Comment: Cons: Just short of 2 lbs., 5-½" long, 2.6 megapixels, "warms up" with the speed of a '50s radio, tedious hunt-and-peck auto focus, sucks down batteries like linguini with clam sauce, some meaningless icons, pop-up flash where your left hand supports lens, menu button where right hand holds body, 2.5 second shooting interval, F2.8-F8.0 aperture range. Pros: 10X optical zoom (35mm film equivalent of 37-370 mm), Image Stabilizer, '39 Ford wide angle to full zoom. through-the-lens viewing, rotating color LCD monitor, good viewfinder, easy-to-read and informative LCD display panel, mode dial with preset common functions, nice balance, hot shoe for flash, spot metering on demand, 58 mm lens thread for accessories, e.g., wide angle converter, close-up adapter, filters, hood. A detailed review can be found on our favorite such site, Imaging Resource. Our experience has been quite pleasant in spite of this camera's bulk. Unlike most film camera lenses, this one does not change length - all adjustments are internal. Its extended zoom range is ideal for shooting sports, wildlife, celebrities, compromising photos of your lover. Even when on full zoom images remain surprisingly sharp without stabilization or a tripod. (As an aside, forget monopods. Better you should lean against a tree, car, utility pole and slowly let your breath out). If you suffer from the DTs, are offroading, aboard a ship in the North Sea, on an amusement ride, the Image Stabilizer is a work of wonder. Without and with IS at full zoom. We literally shook the camera within an inch of its life and still got pretty sharp stills. A drawback to stabilization is a lack of smoothness when panning the camera. Once an image is locked in it doesn't want to change. "Stitch Assist" takes a unique approach to shooting panoramas. The viewfinder displays both the image you just shot and the one you're about to shoot, so you can line them up. "Stiched" frames for pan shot. As with most computer-related devices, the PowerShot can hardly be termed "intuitive." One look in the manual at the display panel functions could result in seizures. But, if you stick with the defaults and slowly advance from there all will turn out fine. The accompanying software is initially a little tricky (particularly if you don't read the manual). But it does let you organize all pictures currently on your computer, create montage-type thumbnail files, download only those One file's thumbnails. you want to keep, send photos directly to your email client. Since purchasing what was one of a few 10X optical zoom digital cameras, many more have entered the market, most far less expensive than the original USD1299 sticker for this baby. Take a look at the Olympus C-750 Ultra Zoom for USD599, Toshiba PDR-M700 at USD449, Kodak EasyShare DX6490 also USD449, plus Fuji, Minolta and others. What you will not find on most is some kind of image stabilizer, but other improvements will probably make up for it. Movie icon. While no one in his/her right mind would spend USD425 for an out-of-production behemoth, ours did arrive with two lens hoods, a UV filter, three sets of rechargeable batteries, 256MB memory card, automotive recharging adapter, a sturdy bag to hold everything, current software, full documentation, and was nearly spotless from lack of use. Conclusion: As fun and flexible as is the Canon PowerShot Pro90 IS, we recommend something smaller, lighter, with higher resolution if you're into printing. Meanwhile we'll be the talk at every party for shooting with the equivalent of a '59 Cadillac.