what is included with the camera purchase?

not much. Charger, battery, wrist strap, instructions. You need to buy an SD card. They are not longer included. And there is no case. Love the camera though. Takes great shots and is easy to learn. compact for carrying around in my wife's purse.

What kind of battery? can I just plug this camera into the wall socket to charge like the Kodak I have?

No you can not plug the camera into the wall to charge it. This camera has a rechargeable battery and comes with a separate battery charger. The battery charger plugs into the wall but the battery has to be removed from the camera to charge it. I would suggest you have an extra battery and have it charged so you can switch them when the battery in the camera needs charged. You can get extra batteries and chargers from Amazon or at local shops like Best Buy or Staples. Hope this helps.

does this have optical image stabilization?

They say it has Intelligent image stabilization (IS). I don't see anything that says optical bit I believe the "IS" in the model number is optical. I found a video about it here along with other videos about the camera Go here for more info. http://www.usa.canon.com/cusa/consumer/products/cameras/digital_cameras/powershot_elph_115_is#Features

Aspect Ratio	16:9
Best Sellers Rank	#66,327 in Electronics ( See Top 100 in Electronics ) #558 in Digital Point & Shoot Cameras
Compatible Mountings	Canon
Customer Reviews	4.0 out of 5 stars 724 Reviews
Image Stabilization	Optical
Maximum Focal Length	120 Millimeters
Photo Sensor Technology	CCD
Supported File Format	JPEG, RAW

Canon PowerShot ELPH 115 is 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 8X Optical Zoom with a 28mm Wide-Angle Lens and 720p HD Video Recording (Blue)

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