Canon Powershot SD790 IS Digital Camera Review
Posted on 07/09/2008
Lots of Control in a Small Package
By Brenda Paro
The Canon SD790 IS is small, but that doesn't mean it's not powerful. This camera has all the control you'll need in a comfortable, portable package.
The Canon Powershot SD790 IS is a sharp little pocket-sized camera that is surprisingly flexible. While some point-and-shoot or ultracompact cameras offer only a few manual options, the SD790 is a pleasant surprise. Canon has packed this camera full of such things for shooters who like to have control over their photographs. At the same time, however, if you prefer letting the camera do your work for you, the "auto" mode is perfectly capable, as well. In short, this is a great camera to consider if you want a high-quality pocket camera prepared to handle almost any situation.
All the Speed You Need
The first thing you notice when you switch the SD790 on is its speed. Before the opening chime has finished sounding, the lens is extended and the LCD is illuminated. You're ready to shoot immediately. The quickness doesn't stop there: photo-recycle time, even with the flash on, is absolutely excellent. Lag time is basically a non-issue, even in quick shooting situations. Obviously, this isn't the best camera for snapping shots of a sporting event (you'll need a more substantial or advanced camera for that), but if you're taking photos of kids, animals, or anything else that moves reasonably quickly, the SD790 is quite capable of handling it.
Great Control for an Ultracompact
The SD790 IS offers a wide range of scene modes, providing quick camera settings for a variety of environments. These modes include underwater, foliage, night portraits, and indoor shooting, among others. All the old standbys are here, and they all work just fine. The real fun begins when you discover the high-end features packed into these menus. If you set the camera to manual mode, you're given control over exposure compensation, colors, and the white balance. The white balance even offers a "custom" option, where you can shoot your own white object to manually configure the meter correctly for particularly unusual lighting situations. Color me impressed.
The Canon SD790 IS: In Pictures
Indoor Low-Light
Foliage Scene Mode
Digital Macro Mode
Color Accent Mode
Focus lock, Auto focus lock, face detection, and a choice of metering (evaluative, center weighted average, and spot) are all easy to use and give this camera the hands-on feeling often only associated with pro-sumer models. Having recently purchased the Canon 40D, a high-end, professional level dSLR, I was pleasantly surprised to find many of the features offered on that camera inside the SD790. Obviously they are marketed toward different crowds and different situations, but I like the fact that Canon is giving their casual consumers the chance to have this much control over their images.
Have Some Fun With Color
There are also some fun options, too. Color swap mode lets you transform a certain color to a different color while shooting, and color accent drops out every color except the one you've pre-selected. This leaves you with a black and white photo with highlights of color throughout. I'll admit that I was expecting Color Accent mode to look pretty cheesy; I had visions of those greeting cards that are all black and white except for the pink roses in the child's hand. In actuality, the result is subtle and beautiful; the color you've chosen shows up even in facets of the shadows and light, giving you a delicate wash of color and grays that look like you spent hours touching the image up in Photoshop.
Adequate Zoom Doesn't Really Impress
The SD790 IS offers a 3x optical zoom, which is pretty standard on a camera of this size. I sound spoiled, but I do wish it was a little more powerful. Nowadays, a 3x optical zoom seems to have the same effect of taking a few steps forward. It doesn't add much to the functionality of the camera, but it's better than nothing. I've never been a fan of digital zoom (the fake, unhelpful kind that usually messes up your photos), so I wasn't sure how I'd like the SD790's Digital Macro mode. It's essentially a combination of digital zoom and the camera's regular macro functions. My results were surprisingly successful. Focus is a bit hit or miss at this level, but if you take your time setting up the shot and half-press the shutter button to check and make sure the focus is capturing the area of the photo you want, the final photo looks like it was taken with a much more powerful and expensive lens.
Image Stabilization and Low-Light Shooting
The SD790 features built-in image stabilization and operates on the DIGIC III sensor. Low light photos are a pleasure to shoot. Rather than going grainy in low light situations, the SD790 reacts, as most Canon cameras seem to do, with a slight yellowish wash on the photos that I personally think is a gorgeous effect. If it bothers you, you have the option to adjust White Balance to remove the yellow tone, and you still end up with an extremely low-grain photo. My previous experience with Canons has convinced me that low light shooting is where this manufacturer is strongest, and the SD790 upholds that reputation admirably. The image stabilization eliminates camera blur in dark conditions with longer exposure times; it works so seamlessly I didn't even think about it, except when I looked back and realized the lack of blur in even my nighttime photos.
One Caveat: Control Dial Issues
Having said all that, there is one small caveat to this camera. When I first handled the camera, turned it on, and started shooting, I was sold. The slim, comfortable body, the big bright LCD, the quick response times… It was then, however, that I discovered the SD790's Achilles heel: the control dial. The SD790, because it offers so many shooting options, has an interesting layout for cruising through menus. There is a toggle switch up top which scrolls through the various menu options, and once you're inside the menu you want, you're expected to turn the control knob on the back to scroll through the menu options. The control dial is flat, small, and textured; it seems you're supposed to turn it with the pad of your thumb.
The problem is that the dial is a drifter. Too fast of a turn and you will fly past the option you wanted; too slow of a turn, and it won't move at all. The sensitivity of the dial just doesn't seem conducive to comfortable changing of the settings, particularly if you were in a situation where you needed to move quickly. This may just be me; you might find that the dial doesn't bother you in the slightest, or that repeated use makes it easier to estimate the amount of strength needed to turn it properly (I did, in fact, get better at it as I spent a few days with the camera). But in spite of all of its strengths (and it has several), I highly recommend handling the SD790 before you purchase, solely due to this control dial. Make sure it's something you can live with before you buy the camera. It may differ from person to person depending on the sensitivity and size of your fingers. Honestly, the rest of the SD790's performance is so pleasing that I might be tempted to overlook the dial and buy the camera anyhow. But, especially considering how often you'd use it and how comfortable it is (or isn't) for you, that dial could be a deal breaker.
Canon Powershot SD790 IS Comments & Questions (write your own!)
This camera comes with a anti-reflective, anti-scratch coating on its 3" LCD screen that is marketed to be easy to see in any lighting situation from a wider degree of angles (when compared with the original Canon PureColor LCD screens).
Andrew
Both Canon and Nikon make great cameras, it just depends on what you want to do with them.
To start off, I'm going to count the Nikon S550 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) out right away. While the camera does have the most optical zoom at 5x, the image stabilization is electronically based, so it only adjusts the shutter speed and ISO setting. It does not shift with the lens or sensor to balance any camera shake.
The big differences between the Canon SD770 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and the SD790 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) are that the SD770 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is about $50 less expensive, it has an optical viewfinder and a smaller LCD screen (2.5" vs 3.0"). In my opinion, the optical viewfinder is handy in bright light, the LCD size difference isn't that big of a deal, and $50 can go towards a larger capacity memory card.
When compared to the Nikon S600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) it is a closer call. This camera has about the same price tag as the Canon SD770 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), comes with sensor shift image stabilization (the Canons both have lens shift/optical IS, which is just as good), and both cameras have 10MP resolution photos. This camera also has more optical zoom (4x vs 3x) and comes with a larger ISO range (up to ISO 3200). Larger ISO settings will cause your photos to have a grainier look to them though.
While these features are nice, I would still pick the SD770 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). Where the SD770 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) comes out ahead in my book is the manual exposure settings. Having the ability to adjust settings manually (when and if you get to that level) lets you manipulate the photos that much more at the point of taking them to achieve the exact exposure level you're looking for. While its not to the level of a dSLR, it is still a nice feature to have. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
If you've narrowed it down to those two cameras, I would go with the [digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... SD790[/url]. While it costs a little more, the manual features are still a good thing to have. I have personally used both Canon and Nikon cameras and like the user interface on the Canons a lot more. I find it more intuitive than that on the Nikon. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
I am a big fan of the Canon cameras (I currently own 3). That being said, this Sony W170 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) looks impressive. If you're just looking to play around with the camera on trips, the difference between 8 and 10 MP is not going to be huge. What will be a big difference is the optical zoom. The W170 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has 5x optical vs the 3.8x on the Canon SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and the 3x on the Canon SD790 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The ISO range on the W170 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is also a lot higher, wich will help adjust for lower lighting situations. This looks to be the camera I would pick for what you want to use it for. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
Sony: Lens Aperture F/3.3-5.2
Canon sd870: Lens Aperture F/2.8-5.8
1. more than 5x joom (i like 10x joom)
2. sony brand
3. best picture in low light
no, it is not suitable for non standard use.
the camera you need is the pentax w30
h20camera.com/camera/w30
Next, check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side.
The bottom line though, is that with the exception of subtle differences, they are essentially the same camera because they're from the same SD line. But one thing. Don't get caught up in the "larger LCD screen is better" myth. Sure, you get a 1/2" larger screen, but you sacrifice battery power to run it. Power that's better used to take pictures.
Good luck.
Still, the devil is in the details - SD790: 0.9 seconds startup time, SD950 - 1.2 sec startup, 0.5 shutter lag, SD1100 1.0 sec startup - lag .4, SD870 starup 1 sec, lag .38.
10 Megapixels
3x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom
3.0-inch LCD monitor
I reviewed this camera, and found the LCD to be not too bad in bright light. I've dealt with worse, basically. In extreme light it did have the wash-out problem that many screens have, where you can't really see what you're shooting, but that was only in direct sun and in "normally" bright outdoor conditions I didn't have a problem with it. Hope that helps.
1.great quality lens
2.special low-dispersion
Lenses made from extra low dispersion glass have less air bubbles and glass deformities that are more likely to cause image distortion.
Consequently, most professionals and some serious amateurs are more likely to buy higher end cameras that come equipped with extra low dispersion glass lenses. Pictures taken with ED lenses tend to be clearer and sharper with little or no chromatic aberration.
3.good macro lens
using the above criteria my choice is panasonic tz5
here is an example of a tz5 in use
flickr.com/photos/merhawk/2...
I reviewed this camera (digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... and really, having handled quite a few cameras that are in a similar price range, I was impressed with its speed. Even in low light it was fast and pretty much lag-free; I mean, you'll never find a camera with zero shutter lag in darkness, but this one was really very speedy. I think you'd be very happy with this. The only time there was any hesitation in auto focus was when the subject was EXTREMELY difficult to focus on. It also has a Kids & Pets mode that's designed for capturing fast-moving subjects, and I loved it; I took tons of test photos with it and don't have a single complaint. Unless you want to go up to a higher-level, prosumer style camera, I can definitely recommend the SD790.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. And with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
I just discovered that I can find it as low as $135 at woya.com/products/canon_pow...
Thank you
the nikon and sony produce good pictures but in my opinion
the best travel camera is the panasonic lumix tz5
10x- 15 x optical zoom lecia lens 3.00 inch display all metal body . hd video at 30 fps sd card standard ports
if you want a full size camera the fz28 is my choice($375)
the best all round compact under $300 is still the tz5
digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...
It's fast and gives fantastic results under all sorts of lighting conditions. I recommend it.
Any feedback.
JFC
the canon sd 790 shutter speed is quite good at 0.42 seconds without pre focus
shutter speed should not be the only factor used when choosing a camera
a wide angle lens is a great asset for family groups
also consider the quality of the lens and the easy of use of the controls
my choice for this type of photography is the panasonic lumix tz5
For me, I agree, the 870 is the way to go.
Frankly, I htink you're better off with the SD1100IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). Cheaper, too.
Be warned.
thanks so much for your help and time!!!!
One these cards, even the 2 gig ones, will let you take hundreds, if not thousands of pictures before it is full.
If you need to erase pictures a lot just to take more pictures, you probably depends on the built in card to store your pictures.
Try switching over to the 2 gig card or 4 gig card and your problem will be over.
James, can you recommend a self stick film to put on the back screen to protect it?
Thanks,
Evy
Thank you for your response. So far....I love the camera.
Evy
Your better bet would be to look for a video camera that shoots digital stills and writes them to an SD card. These days the MP is approaching 6 on some models and some even have a flash.
Here's a few places to narrow your choices. First, since there all Canons, go to the SD 790 IS Canon site ( -usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ). In the upper right hand corner you'll see a button for "choose the right product." Then, click on "product comparison." A popup window will let you compare up to three cameras for features. This will give you a chance to compare them side by side to see the differences, and more importantly, the similarities.
Next, check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side.
As for HD, even if you can shoot in HD, the audio still won't be all that great. Just keep in mind.
Also, you can try exposure compensation if you have it. That'll open your lens up as much as possible, although it's probably already wide open. If you have to, you could try using a monopod to keep your camera still while shooting.