Specifications
- 7.1 megapixels
- 3.8x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom
- Auto focus, auto and manual exposure
- "Shift-type" image stabilization
- JPEG file format
- ISO 80-1600
- 2.5-inch LCD
- Secure Digital card storage (16MB card included)
- Lithium-ion battery
Editors' Comments
Another wide-angle entry from Canon, the SD800 IS features a wonderful 28mm 3.8x optical zoom lens, with image stabilization. The SD800 IS is a nice bump for Canon's Digital ELPH series, the first of its kind to feature a wide-angle lens. With a 7.1 megapixel sensor and curvy, all-metal body, this ultracompact is sure to turn heads in the next few months.
Canon PowerShot SD800 IS Comments & Questions (write your own!)
Looking for my "perfect" camera model:(1) minimum 5.0 MP or better
(2) optical image stabilization(3) decent zoom (would prefer 4x- 6x range)
(4) good photos, of course!? - subjects generally children and lots of indoors or motion shots
(5) Is there a brand better known for less red eye?
Secondary "wishes" would include decent start up and battery re-charge times. Would prefer a proprietary battery or only 2 AA rechargeables. And why are they all dropping the real-life viewfinder?!
The reviews on the newest panasonics still complain about "noise" - is that true? Have considered the Fuji F30 but really holding out for more zoom (its only 3.0) and I don't think the F30 has OIS - just faster shutter speeds. Have also looked at Canon S3 but size and weight is too much.
Maybe the Canon G7 or SD800 coming out? My budget is up to $500.
Any suggestions would be appreciated.
This year's crop of cameras might just be the one that gives you what you need. Although I will say that the need to handle "children and lots of indoor or motion shots" sets a high bar indeed. I think sport photography and children photography tie for the most demanding photo challenges, with children being a touch harder :-) The issue is that they move a lot, and move unpredictably, so it's very hard to have your camera ready when they happen to be in the scene.
Frankly, I have tried several cameras, and only the dSLR with a seriously fast exposure and focus system are up the the challenge (and then, about 1 in five shots is any good). Otherwise, you need to set up a photo and snap at the perfect moment, or worse, get the kids to pose (and you know the fake smiles that come from that!). That these pictures are indoor means light is a challenge. So pretty much anything small will be a little less than perfect, I think.
All cameras need to focus and set exposure before they can take the picture. I bought a Canon G6 as a smaller camera than my Canon 10D dSLR, and it was supposed to be "great" at this. But compared to the 10D (and the Canon lenses), the G6 is terrible. That was a couple years ago, but by today's standards, the G6 is huge. I haven't seen the G7 yet - maybe it's better. And really all compact and point-and-shoot cameras suffer from taking a "long" time to focus and set exposure (even if that's only 1/2 second) and it gets worse in low light. So I think this is the real challenge.
I think you're right to go for image stabilization, and I think a good zoom, which will allow you to get away from the subject.
When you are further away, you have a little more maneuverability, so can track the subject (sounds like we're hunting deer, or something, no?) and lock in for the kill... er ... shot ... er photo at the right moment.
An important trick is that all cameras can do focus and exposure in a first phase (shutter button half-way down) and the picture as the other and much faster phase. Even with your current camera, getting the knack of this can make a huge difference.
Red-eye happens because the camera flash is very close to the lens: eyes of people (and especially animals) are shiny, and reflect the light of the flash back at you, so if the lens and flash are an inch apart, the eyes act like a mirror shining right back. Compact cameras and flash all cause red-eye. "Red eye reduction" features work by sending a burst of flash at the subject's eyes which (in theory) causes the pupil to contract making the mirror of the eye smaller. In practice, it makes taking the photo take even longer, and doesn't really work anyway. Pro photographers who have to use flash have flash units that are separated a long way from the lens (a foot or two, or more). One big advantage of the larger cameras is when they have a pop-up flash -- even a few extra inches can make a difference. Another technique is to hold your finger or something up away from the camera, which draws the subjects' eyes to look there, instead of right into the lens or flash. The best solution for red-eye is: no flash!
But zoom, again, can help on this score. If you are away from the subject (and your camera's flash is strong enough) the subject really has to be looking right at the lens to get red-eye. But compact cameras usually don't have very strong flashes -- cameras like the Canon S2 or S3 both have decently powerful flashes that smaller cameras may not. Since camera makers know this, you might assume that at a camera's maximum zoom range, the flash is going to be a little weak, but if you have a 10x zoom and are only using 5x, you should be in good shape. The best way to deal with red-eye, is to not have to use flash at all, although this may not be practical.
As to "noise", this is the presence of pixels that are the wrong color and lightness, e,g, a bright red pixel in a black background. When you have enough of these pixels, it can make an image look lousy. Image noise gets worse as ISO in increases, so one might think that cameras with higher maximum ISO settings are less likely to have noise at any one setting -- wouldn't you think a camera that can go to ISO 3200 would be better than one that can only go to 800? But the proof is in the pudding, and it's really only after the cameras are tested that you find out who has the real highest ISO. The Canon cameras tend to have low noise at high ISO. I would be sceptical of any ISO greater than 800 in all but the best camera -- noise may be better than no picture at all, but the noise in a lower-end camera claiming to go to ISO 3200 is probably going to produce a bad result. And the camera that will automatically set to a higher ISO (auto-ISO) as needed to deal with low light, are a good thing as long as that high ISO isn't higher than the camera can do well. I suspect this is what people are seeing in the Panasonics you mention.
So I would wait to see what people say about the G7 -- if it is comparable to the G6, it's still a reasonably big camera, about the same size as the S3 (but without the zoom and IS). This line is aimed more at people who wanted an SLR but couldn't afford one. Now the SLRs are cheaper, so hopefully the G7 is a completely new design that competes with some of the better non-SLR high-end cameras.
I would have to say on the inexpensive and small end that the Panasonic TZ1 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) might be a good bet for you. It's small, but it will probably be slow. The Canon A710 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) comes from a long line of pretty good cameras so is probably a good bet -- the A700 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is getting good reviews and seems like it's probably the same camera just without the IS. The SD800 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) doesn't have the 6x zoom, so I would go with the A710. The Kodak V610 also looks like a good bet ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ).
Thanks for other tips and info. Much appreciated. For some reason, there seems to be no happy medium on my coolpix. The photos are dark and blurry or the fill flash makes the faces all washed out of detail and bad bad redeye. My kids are blond, blue eyed and fair - so we get lots of red eyes here.
So.........I'm looking forward to giving a try to a new one!
You'll get a better deal online!
Thanks again. Happy shooting....
Good luck!
The movie mode on your PowerShot SD800 IS is able to zoom while you are taking movie clips. We hope you enjoy the camera.
That, plus the optical zoom which you pointed out.
The SD550 and SD800 are pretty much the same size.
Dimensions 90 x 58 x 25 mm (3.5 x 2.3 x 1 in)
All image stabilization is not equal. I understand Casio's idea of Image Stabilization (Anti-Blur Technology) is to turn up the ISO which does result in the camera taking a quicker picture (faster shot means less movement) so that much is true. The down side is it adds noise/grain to the picture. I understand Sony has a good image stabilization system which Sony calls, "Super SteadyShot."
Each brand calls it something different, but "Image stabilization" only helps and good picture taking techniques need to be in place first. Practice taking picture of something else other than the ground. Again, sorry.
I would add one point about the image stabilization in the Canon SD800 and others: it is done by a small spinning gyroscope that adjusts one of the lens elements to compensate for small camera motions. This is the real deal, and it does work.
Compare which features you would use for other things and figure out if the price increase is worth it becasue obviously the Canon has more options and more power.
If you're looking for Image Stabilization (which I think you probably should), that narrows it down to the SD700 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and A710IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). Both are fairly comparable cameras, the major difference being that the A710IS is a larger, point-and-shoot camera that has more of a grip to it, while the SD700 is a tiny ultracompact.
You may also want to consider the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). This recent update on the SD700 also has image stabilization and is ultracompact, but supports ISO sensitivities up to ISO 1600 (which is good for capturing fast-moving subjects without blur, like your grandkids. It's also roughly the same price as the somewhat older SD700.
<a href="DigitalCamera-HQ.com/digita...
im not sure about the A710IS but the sd550 and the sd700 lacks a plastic built-in cover that protects the LCDs (i wish i had known about this cuz my LCD on my sd700 cracked after a month that i had it)
the sd630 has the built in cover. also it has that gorgeous 3inch cover to boot. i think that the durabilty/lack of headaches makes it somewhat worth it, dont you? my friends have this camera and they love the picture quality despite the fact that it lacks Image Stabilization. well ppl in the past have dealt with not having IS in the past...also I.S. doesnt really help when it comes to taking manual pictures with high ISO anyway...
I have read reviews for this camera which timed it at a mere 0.4 second shutter lag time. It also has about 1.3 seconds in between shots (2 seconds when the flash is on), as well as a 'warm up time' when it's first turned on of just over one second.
Hope that helps!
The SD800 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) vs. the SD700 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is sort of a matter of taste. The improvements are all debatable according to your needs:
-SD800 has a wide angle lens (28mm-105mm). To balance this, the SD700 has a slightly better zoom with 4x compared to the SD800's 3.8x. Some would argue the wide angle lens is what sells the SD800; I would agree, provided you NEED/ WANT the wide angle.
-SD800 has 1 more megapixel; this won't matter unless you're printing huge images.
-The SD800 goes clear up to ISO 1600, while the SD700 only goes up to 800. However, the high ISO images are supposedly very noisy, and the Noise Reduction feature can result in some cartoony pictures... many people don't like the effect. So it is debatable how much of this high ISO you would actually use.
As you can see it is really up to you whether it is worth the cost.
Regarding speed, <a href="review.zdnet.com/Canon_Powe... SD800 was clocked</a> at 1.3 second intervals between shots (2 seconds with flash), with a tiny .4 second shutter lag. Burst mode operates at 1 shot per second. <a href="imaging-resource.com/PRODS/... review I found</a> shows the SD700 at more or less the same speeds.
Did Canon added the fearures to the new SD800 ?
supposed to be faster shooting performance and lower noise. Also "face detection" when shooting people.
I noticed that you haven't marked any replies as the "best answer." Are you still looking for a reply? If so, I recommend you re-submit it on <a href="digitalcamera-hq.com"&... so it will have a better chance of being noticed. These days it looks like most questions are being answered within a few days. Good luck!
A lot of cameras come with a "sports" mode built in already. If you are used to a Canon already, you might try a Canon Powershot like the Canon PowerShot SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ).
Andrew
If you want the wide-angle lens, go for the SD800IS. I have it, and love it.
The Canon SD 800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) if you want more of a compact camera. This version also has Image Stablization which helps when taking those often quick and shaky pics of the kids (or kidz). This is a nice small pocketsized camera.
The Canon a540 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is a great camera that doesn't have the power of the other two but is great for the average user. It is also considerably cheaper but still good quality.
You are probably wondering, which one is the best? The truth is they are all great cameras that will take wonderful pictures of you kids. It basically comes down to what features you like and how much you are willing to spend. You will not be disappointed with any of these three cameras. If you are very undecided I would suggest going to your local Best Buy or any tech store and trying a few of these cameras out then purchasing the one you like online so you get the good price deals.
Good Luck
It doesn't have image stabilization, so you may experience a little more blur than you would with say the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), but there don't seem to be many complaints.
(Firefox didn't work, I used IE to get them)
Go to:
usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...
and click on "Click on "Product / Software Manuals".
I would be very grateful if someone could give me ideas for what brand to purchase for her. Thanks so much.
Regards
Jan
Ciao!
So here is what I hope to get with my camera. A camera that would be good on vacations such as panoramic views, museum shots(low light/no flash) and a decent video recorder. I don’t own a camcorder. Although I know this isn't the same as a camcorders quality, I think they do a decent job. I probably will also take it to parties and such since it is so portable. We also like to snorkel and scuba dive and I think all of them would do just fine for underwater shots.
So knowing what I need. Which one would you suggest? I can possibly get the S80 a little cheaper but money isn't the issue.
I hope someone that has more knowledge about this than I do can help me determine what I need.
Image stabilization is important if you have issues with camera shake. For example if you use your zoom a lot, or if you take pictures "on the fly," or just generally have problems with blurry pics from shaky hands etc., image stabilization can help you. And the stabilization on the SD800 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is supposed to be excellent.
The difference between the S80 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )'s 8.3 megapixels and the SD800's 7.1 will probably be hardly noticeable. Unless you zoom and crop a lot, or unless you print very large photos, you most likely won't notice a difference at all.
The higher ISO in the SD800 is nice, but be warned that the images in this camera can be very noisy once you get above ISO 800. The High ISO Auto mode helps images somewhat, but all the same ISO 1600 is probably going to be so grainy you won't want to use it very much. Still, this camera offers a wider range of ISO since the 800 is useable, and the S80 only goes up to 400.
The SD800 is a wide-angle lens. If you've never shot in wide angle you may think it's weird or you may love it. Most people love it, particularly for vacation scenery shots etc.
I think the best choice is the SD800. It has full manual mode for plenty of creativity. It's also in my opinion better suited for travel and it's also got an excellent response time- short shutter lag, etc.
The choice really comes down to how much manual control you want since they both have the 28mm wide angle. The manual mode on the SD800IS is very limited compared to the s80. It has no aperture or shutter priority, nor has it manual focus. But it is much smaller and it has image stabilization.
If I didn't want the full manual control of the s80 I would definitely go for the sd800. However, I really love being able to choose the aperture or the shutter speed in certain conditions and I am prepared to use a monopod (or any wall or post) when the light is low or I am using full zoom so I can manage without the IS.
I really love my s80 while my point-and-shoot friend loves her sd800is. Go with what suits your needs best, they are both great cameras.
Jacqui called this one- not sure what camera I was thinking of. The S80 also has a wide angle lens. The SD800 offers manual white balance, ISO and exposure but no manual focus or aperture/ shutter priority. Sorry for the confusion.
I bought the SD800 because it is suppose to be better with focasing, better in low light situations, better video(which I question), and smaller/durable body than the S80. The photos with the SD800 are amazing and not blurry. I tried with and without the IS. Without image stablization=very blurry, with IS=perfect photos. This camera is fantastic in low lights as well. So I'm impressed with this little guy as a digital point and shoot but just wondering if I should have gone for the S80. Any opinions on this would be greatly appreciated.
I have a question about the S80. I bought the camera a while ago and had no problems with it.
However when I take pictures using the flash( dark rooms or close caption nigh scenes) I see these weird flakes on the images and it is really annoying. Has anyone of you experienced this? Or do you know a way to get rid of the flakes?
Here is an unsuccessful picture due to this issue:
i127.photobucket.com/albums...
These flakes sure look like they may be the result of a dirty lens, though I may be wrong.
LCD screen
video
flas
stabilization
Megapixels= this camera has 7.1 which is more than enough for most users unless you plan to print HUGE photos or you use major zoom.
LCD= 2.5 inches, 207,000 pixel resolution. Very clear and bright. Brightens automatically in dark conditions; above-average viewing even in sunlight.
Video= nice large memory of 4gb, you can record over 30 minutes in high resolution with 30 frames/ second & sound. "Fast Frame" lets you record at 60 frames/ second (excellent). Cannot use zoom during movie mode.
Flash= not terribly powerful, but should be fine for general use. An external flash is available to add on if you want it.
Stabilization= Very effective. Uses optical stabilization which is highly recommended. Sensors detect camera shake and move an element inside the lens to compensate for it.
I currently have a 3 year old Sony cybershot. But it is terrible in low light environment. I heard really good things about the Canon, but it looks more bulky (thicker) than the Sony T-10.
Also since I have existing sony equipment, should I look the choice of media sway my decision?
Neither camera is impressive on the zoom front. Both end up at about the same telephoto setting (actually, the Sony is slightly more zoom), but the Canon has a nice feature of having a wider wide angle (great for indoor shots).
Both have good upper limits of ISO, and this year's image sensors and processors are better at dealing with noise than a year or two ago, so low-light capabilities should be better. But the truth is the ultra-compact cameras are not the best for speed: you give up something with size, and one of those things is the ability of the camera to gather the light it needs to make a quick focus and exposure calculation. And small cameras also tend to have minimal flash.
But how do they compare? Really, they are about the same. Both have only a few reviews, but no red flags. The Sony is a little less expensive and your memory stick might still work. Sony?
Andrew
Here's a great review. Keep in mind it's a professional review, so the little nitpicks he presents won't be discernible to the average photographer: dpreview.com/reviews/canons...
This same site doesn't review the SD630, but here are the customer opinions from the site. As you can see, they're also very good: dpreview.com/reviews/read_o...
Don't mistake the customer review score with the professional review score. Just use it as a relative measure.
Here's a more casual review and a lot of pictures to judge for yourself for each camera :)
SD800IS: amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-...
SD630: amazon.com/Canon-PowerShot-...
Again, all I can say is that I love my SD800IS. With wide-angle lens, 7+ megapixels, image stabilization and great pictures (and video) I wouldn't trade my camera for any other.
no.2 battery, a710 universal aa battery, no need to worry to charge. while sd800 cost around $50.00 and take time to charge. it come down to how often you use camera, if you out all day and take alot of picture, a710 is the answer unless you willing to spend more extra battery for sd800.
no.3 sd800 - 3,8 optical zoom, a710 6 optical zoom.
hope this well help your decision.
Hope that helps.
These are very close to the same camera. The main difference is that the SD800 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has a wide angle 28mm lens on it. This is a matter of preference but most people love it. The SD800 also has a slightly better processing chip, with faster speed and lower noise although most users will probably tell you they don't notice much if any performance difference between the two cameras.
Go to pricegrabber.com, find the camera model (sd800 or anything else), click on "Compare Prices", click on "Enter Your Zip", and sort the table by "BottomLinePrice", and you see you actual best price that includes taxes and shipping.
This should be the easiest part of your camera shopping. :)
I have to say, the Amazon price listed here (899.00????) seems super high. Most reviews I'm finding <a href="imaging-resource.com/PRODS/... it in the $500 range</a>. Not sure why it's now retailing for so high. I've also heard from a few photographers that in spite of its good performance this camera is just plain overpriced.
The SD800 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is also an effective camera and offers a wide angle lens which most people love to work with. It's got great image stabilization and a comfy little compact body. Between the two I might be apt to lean towards the SD800 just because of the fact that you're still getting a quality camera for a fraction of the cost. Maybe wait till the S80 comes down to sensible standards. =)
Here are some stats that might help you decide:
Canon A640 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )= 10 megapixels (PLENTY for posting pics on Ebay as well as printing good photos if you want to). Nice super easy to use camera with good results and user friendly controls. Really effective although it doesn't have the greatest low-light effects.
Canon A710 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )- a step up in the Canon line, this one has a better zoom and features image stabilization, which is good if you take lots of zooms or if you have problems with camera shake. However, the 640 offers 4x zoom, which should be plenty for the average user... this one has 6x zoom which might be 'a little too much camera' for your needs.
Powershot SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) also has image stabilization. May also be a good choice for you, but it does have a wide angle lens which not everyone appreciates, so that's something to consider.
Finepix F30 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is another solid contender... 6.3 megapixels is again more than enough for printing basic-sized photos and posting online, and this camera has some very good light sensitivity and performs well in various settings.
For your purposes I'd lean towards the SD800 or the F30.
What price range are you looking for?
The idea "very good zoom" means different things to different people. For example the Canon Powershot S3 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) came to mind as I was reading your question (that might be a good one to check out), but 12x zoom may be rather heavy-duty for your needs. It also makes the camera bulkier. It does have good battery life and a good movie mode, though. Is that the kind of camera you are thinking of or did you have something different in mind?
Thanks for pointing out things that I should have inculded in the question...
Ideally, the price range I`m looking for is below $300. But if I find a camera that is worth it, I`d be willing to pay more.
As for the "very good zoom," I have been through the entire DC-hq website and could not find a zoom other than 4, 6 or 12x. I was wondering if someone else would know more about it, or if someone could point out that there are no other zooms.
I was considering the Canon S3 IS for a while, yet I find it looks more like a professional camera (i.e. too bulky). I am currently looking into the A710 IS, since Canon PowerShot A-series are the kind of cameras I am interested in.
The A710 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) may be a good choice for you, but the one caveat is that it can only hold 1GB of movie which is about 8 minutes' worth depending on what resolution you're at.
The SD800 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has 4GB of movie storage and is another one you should consider- it does have a wide angle lens, but some people really like that. It also has fewer manual controls, so if you like to adjust aperture, focus etc. you may want to look elsewhere. The A710 allows you to manually set everything but focus, I believe.
amazon.com/Panasonic-DMC-TZ...
dpreview.com/reviews/panaso...
The Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does come with an audio movie mode. Specifications for the movie mode can be found at the bottom of the spec page on Canon's site ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ).,\
Andrew
I noticed you haven't marked a response as Best Answer... are you still looking for help? If so, I recommend re-submitting your question at digitalcamera-hq.com so it has a better chance of being noticed. Lately it looks like questions are being answered within one or two days. Good luck!
I hope the new one works out for you (the A630 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is on my list of best cameras, I loove the A series Powershots) and if you're OK with it not being an ultra compact and not having IS then it should be great for you. Let us know if anything else comes up.
Jacqui
I noticed that your question hasn't been responded to yet. Are you still looking for an answer? If so, I recommend you re-submit it on www.DigitalCamera-HQ.com, so it will have a better chance of being noticed. These days it looks like most questions are being answered within a few days. Good luck!
digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...
digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...
You should have no problem using these two together. The faster SD card will increase the cameras ability by storing the image faster and allowing you to move to the next shot sooner.
Andrew
Ideally the camera would have movie capability, manual exposure capability, decent optical zoom and be very compact.
I am unsure whether or not to stay with Sony or to look at Canon or something else.
Help!
The Canpn SD 800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is another wonderful choice. It has even bettter low light options and all the other movie features you are looking for. A great deal. Excellent image stablization.
So if the manual exposure is very important to you then I would make the switch to Canon.
I'm not sure if there's a way to turn it off or not. I would hope there would be. Check the Setup menus.
Also if you go to canon web site, theirs new printer SELPHY ES1 should be hiting stores shelves.and this printer will automatically detect red eye and get rid of it.
I noticed you haven't marked a response as "Best Answer"... are you still looking for help? If so, I recommend resubmitting your question at digitalcamera-hq.com so it has a better chance of being noticed. Lately it looks like questions are being answered within one or two days. Good luck!
3072 x 1728 format, which is a setting on this camera.
Are you still looking for help? If so, I recommend resubmitting your question at digitalcamera-hq.com so it has a better chance of being noticed. Lately it looks like questions are being answered within one or two days. Good luck!
The SD900 has the higher megapixels but still the low zoom typical of ultra-compact cameras.
Read the review here if you're interested: dpreview.com/reviews/canons...
And as for reliability, Richio is right. You can't tell until the camera's been out for awhile. But if you're referring to the reliability of taking consistently good shots, this camera is supposed to deliver.
You can set the date and time to print on the photos, but it will only work if the photos are set to 1600x1200.
All cameras mentioned, fortunately, have great image quality, and you won't be disappointed with any of them!!! But you have to first determine the amount of zoom you need and the size of camera you're willing to carry around to take the pictures you want.
i also want to take pictures that can show the sharp and real colours of the scene, whereas it is said that using canon SD800 will get warm picture result, as it dominated by yellow and red colours..
is the 1600 iso wont show grainy result?
i also wonder whether this canon SD800 can stand in all type of weather??
so overall,what type of camera that can suit my needs?? i also want the image stabilizer,the battery that can last long, and the high ISO..
need help..as i need digital camera soon for travelling next week..
Thanks again.
Norma
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What I would love in a camera
1.No time lag
2.Compact-camera will go everywhere all the time
3.6 plus megapixels
4.Zoom,better than 3x
5.Suitable for moving objects,ie my children
6.Indoor and outdoor suitablitity
7.most of all good quality photos with no blur
8.a wide angle option would be nice if it doesn't affect quality
9.A viewfinder - I think!
I am thinking of buying a 400d for more serious photography next year so this camera needs to be all about p&s,ease of transport and ease of use- with the best possible quality photos.I've spent hours and hours researching this and it seems the more time I spend on this the more confused I get!I am interested in the canon sd800is and the all weather olmypus 740 but am open to suggestions.
Any help at all would be greatly appreciated!!
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Any suggestions? Thanks!
The SD800is has wide angle lens. So if you want to take pictures indoors then for this purpuse the SD800is will be much better than a710.
I noticed you haven't marked a "Best Answer"... are you still in need of help? If so, I recommend re-submitting your question at digitalcamera-hq.com so it has a better chance of being noticed. Lately questions are being answered within just a day or two. Good luck!
However, there is an option to display a 3:2 guide on the screen so you can frame it in 3:2.
Also consider the Casio Exilim EX-Z750.
The Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is tiny, has 7 megapixels, plus image stabilization. Its only downside is that it takes a lithion ion battery, which may be a challenge to charge in some locales.
If double-A batteries are a must while you're traveling, I recommend the Canon A620 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) - also 7 megapixels, but without image stabilization.
Both are great cameras. Enjoy the trip, and take lots of pictures!
Good luck-
DParker
The main differences are listed below (the Olympus 720sw ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is listed first). Anything not noted, is equal between the two cameras.
Zoom: 3x optical zoom / 5x digital zoom VS 3.8x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom
Manual Exposure: no VS yes
ISO Settings: ISO 64-1600 VS ISO 80-1600
The Olympus 720sw ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is touted as a "rough and tumble" camera that even goes underwater (to ten feet). The Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) boasts the first wide angle lens by Canon in a camera that size. How and where you want to use your camera will fuel your decision. Good luck.
Andrew
I haven't heard about the durability (or lack thereof) of the body, although I do believe both cameras are made almost entirely of metal, so they're probably pretty similarly built.
-Avoid using the flash whenever you can. Flash slows it up quite a bit.
-Before you're ready to shoot the pic, push the shutter button down halfway. This will let the camera frame and focus. Then, when the action happens, push the button the rest of the way down and it should fire immediately. This can be kind of a pain to do if you want rapid-fire shots one after the other (and it's not really fun to sit there with one finger on the button), but it will Definitely speed up the shutter lag problem.
Are you considering a different camera? If so I can try to point you to something that might be faster. Hope this sort of helps.
But for your needs I think it is time to make the brand change to Panasonic.
How can you find out if the SD 800 has the better screen?
You're going to need a camera with wide angle capabilities, but something portable enough to carry with you to different sites. A decent amount of resolution will be needed since you will most likely be posting the photos on the web. The new Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) offers all of that for you. It has a 7.1 MP resolution, image stabilization and a 1600 ISO setting for lower light situations, and is the first in the ELPH series to offer a wide angle lens. It should work perfectly for what you want to do.
Andrew
Unfortunately this camera has not yet been released by <a href="canon.com.cn/front/product/... China</a>. I would monitor that link for when it is to get the manual.
Andrew
Unfortunately this camera has not yet been released by Canon China ( canon.com.cn/front/product/... ). I would monitor that link for when it is to get the manual.
Andrew
I'm guessing that both cameras would be a pleasure to use, but based on these differences I'd have to put my money on the Canon.
[url=]digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...
Thanks in advance!
You could try Canon's Dealer Locator ( canon.ca/product_reg.asp?ln... ) to see what pops up.
bestbuy.ca/catalog/proddeta...
ncix.com/products/index.php...
The SD700 has a longer focal length. That's about it; my personal choice is the SD800, because I love the wide angle.
Andrew
I noticed you haven't marked a Best Answer... are you still looking for help? If so, I recommend re-submitting your question at digitalcamera-hq.com so it has a better chance of being noticed. Lately questions are being answered within just one or two days. Good luck!
Remember, and this is important!: Image stabilization will NOT help remove blurriness from a moving target, it only helps remove blurriness caused by the user! Keep this in mind when you try taking a low-light picture without a flash and think the image stabilization will make the picture clear. The only option of a moving target is to increase the ISO, which will increase noise and so decrease picture quality.
I haven't used my new SD800IS for aquarium shots. I was planning on going to the zoo, and my sister at least has a small aquarium I could try taking pictures of.
I hope that helps, but I can tell you this camera takes pretty amazing shots. Check out the rest of the images at the website I posted, to give you a good idea :)
-ultra compact
-great in low light
-decent zoom
-artsy features (sepia, negative, b+w, etc)
this will mostly be used at concerts and low light places. needs to fit easily in a pocket.
The Kodak V610 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) might be more up yout alley if you really want the 10x optical zoom. High quality as well. I would suggest you read the user reviews for each othe these cameras to narrow your decision down.
good luck
For this, I would recomend something with a high ISO (1200+), and high megapixels. Sonys and Canons usually have the market cornered in this area.
Most cameras come equiped with both optical zoom and digital zoom. Optical zoom won't distort your pictures in any way. Digital zoom, however, digitally crops the image in the center and enlarges it causing the subject to appear closer. The reason I recommend high megapixels is because if you have high resolution to begin with, you have the ability to use your digital zoom without distorting the image.
The Sony W100 has 8 mega pixels and an ISO of about 1200. The Canon SD900 has 10 megapixels and an ISO of 1600. Both are really compact. Obviously I would recomend the Canon over the Sony, but it really depends on how much you want to spend. The Canon will cost about $499, and the Sony $299, which is a significant price difference.
As far as artsy abilities, I would recomend using software such as Adobe Photoshop after the photograph is taken. This way you can have a color copy in addition to greyscale, sepia, and etc. Otherwise, you will be stuck with a sepia picture and never be able to get the same photo in color.
I noticed you haven't marked a Best Answer... are you still looking for help? If so, I recommend re-submitting your question at digitalcamera-hq.com so it has a better chance of being noticed. Lately questions are being answered within just one or two days. Good luck!
These are the same cameras. The "IS" stands for image stabilization, which is a function of the camera.
Andrew
Canon, on the other hand, uses the SD storage format which is competitive in it's pricing and faster.
All things being equal, and it seems to be here, gives Canon the edge.
There's also a "postcard" size that you can select, which is the same resolution as Medium 3. This is the only setting that lets you print the date on your photos.
which one of the these
would you buy and why
sd600($212), sd800($354)or sd630($244)
Are you looking at the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), or is your question just connected to it by coincidence? =) If so, the SD800 is one of the speedier ones on the market, so may be a good place to start. The Kodak Easyshares are generally faster too. Let me know if there are a few specific cameras you're interested in and I'll try to help explain further.
I am interested in the SD800 IS and the Sony T10. I need a fast camera since my new puppy always seems to move before I take a shot with my old camera. I also want something bcompact so that is why I have narrowed it down to these two. Thanks for your help.
Susan
weight
lcd size difference
photo quality
regular or rechargeabe batteries?
battery lifetime
memory card size
Obviously there is a $$$ difference :)
Weight: The SD630 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is slightly lighter at 6.2oz to the SD800's 6.9oz.
LCD Size: Again, the SD630 wins here at 3.0" to the SD800's 2.5".
Photo Quality: This is, of course, highly subjective, so let's stick to the stats that influence photo quality. The SD800 IS offers one substantial gain on the SD630, in that it features built-in optical image stabilization. This will allow the camera to compensate for blur and hand-shake. The SD800 also gets 1MP more out of the same sensor, which means it will produce photos with slightly higher resolution and prints with slightly larger size. The SD800's zoom is also slightly longer at 3.8x to the SD630's 3.0x. In addition, the SD800 has a wider-angle lens (28mm to the SD630's 35mm), which means that you can pull off some cool shots you might not with the SD630.
Batteries: Both use custom Canon lithium ion rechargeables, though they each use slightly different models (NB-4L for the SD630 and NB-5L for the SD800).
Battery Life: For lithium ion batteries, lifetime is generally 2-3 years. They lose up to 20% of their capacity per year and will lose it whether they're in use or not. Furthermore, they lose charge from time of manufacture, not time of first use. However, they are quite powerful and you should get many pictures out of them before they need a recharge.
Memory Card: Both cameras come with a 16mb SecureDigital card. They will both support the largest SD cards you can find, so it's a dead heat here.
Hope this helps!
thank you,
Gina
The Nikon S10 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )'s size and lithium battery are a definite plus in what you're looking for, but you might look at the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). You don't get as much zoom out of this camera, but you do get wide angle capabilities in a small body, plus more megapixels (7.1 vs 6) and you still get the lithium ion battery. Whichever camera you choose, I would recommend purchasing a second battery to have on you when you're out shooting. Good luck!
Andrew
Since you've mentioned these two specific cameras, let's start with them first.
Both the Powershot SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and the CyberShot W100 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) are excellent cameras. Both have excellent resolution, zoom, and extra features. There are, of course, small differences. The SD800 IS, for example, includes image stabilization. This means that if your hand moves when you press the shutter release, or if other environmental factors affect the stability of your shot, the camera compensates to provide a clearer, sharper image. On the other hand, the W100 beats the SD800 by 1 megapixel. This won't make that big of a difference in anything except printing, where it will allow the W100 to produce slightly larger prints. The SD800's zoom is slightly longer and it offers a larger ISO range; the W100's shutter speed range is a little wider and it's several dollars cheaper. There are tons of little differences between the two, but the short answer is that either one would be a wonderful camera for someone looking for a top of the line compact point and shoot camera.
If your son is seriously interested in photography, however, I'd recommend stepping up from the compact range to what's called a "prosumer" camera. For the same price as either of the above cameras (or perhaps a little more) you could easily get him a prosumer rig. You can identify prosumer cameras by their shape (they look like SLRs with fixed lenses) or by their features in comparison to most compacts. In general, they bridge the gap between point and shoot consumer models and the professional SLRs. Some common features of prosumer machines are extended, stabilized zoom (see: Canon's S2 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and S3 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )), many manual controls (aperture, exposure levels, manual zoom, etc) unavailable on consumer models, and the capacity for add-on lenses, hoods, flashes and other accessories. In general, prosumer cameras are bigger and heavier than their consumer counterparts, but the bump up in features makes them worth it for many.
This question really comes down to how serious you think he is about photography. If he's really interested in fiddling with minute setting adjustments to get that perfect exposure, or to create an interesting effect, a prosumer model might be the right move to make. If he just wants to take nice snapshots and carry the camera in his pocket, there are tons of great solutions in the consumer realm. Good luck making your choice.
As for the LCD cracking issue, other users have contacted Canon and requested an RMA for this, returning the unit for a replacement. It seems to be either a design flaw for a bad supply in maufacture.
For one thing, the FX01 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) DOES have image stabilization (something the DCHQ page for it fails to mention). All cameras in the FX line have had image stabilization as far back as the FX7 (not to be confused with the FX07), which is this camera's direct predecessor. But what does the FX07 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) brings to the table in terms of new features? Well, not that much, but maybe enough to sway some people. For one thing, it tacks on another megapixel, albeit on the same size sensor chip. For another, it gives you greater manual control over shutter speed and other important adjustments. Finally, it is equipped with the newest version of Panasonic's Venus engine, the Venus III. This should theoretically mean shorter shutter lag, shorter lag between shots, and generally quicker operation from power up to power down, hopefully with less power usage. Frankly, though, for a point and shoot user, these differences are minor, and the $50 to $100 difference in price tag might be enough to sway them toward the older model.
As to the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), it's a fine camera and it outclasses both Panasonics in most departments, but it's also a little pricier. I personally lean toward Canon in most areas of photography, and I think it's the winner here too, but really all three are great machines and you'd be served well by any of them. Good luck in your decision.
This is a gift for my wife's birthday, mid-December. I'll post our satisfaction after a few weeks of useage. The FX07 has a "baby mode" which stamps photo with the age of the baby, once you enter the starting age. This may be a useful feature since our first grandchild is due late December, 2006.
I would recommend you to test it by yourself. If you will be not satisfied then just return it to the store.
If you don't mind the up to $100 price difference, maybe the SD800 is for you. If you're lucky, and you find the SD800 for cheaper, and maybe the potential price difference won't mean as much to you.
The important thing to remember when choosing image stabilization is that optical image stabilization works better than digital stabilization. Optical actually physically moves a lens element to compensate for shake; digital just electronically tweaks the image and you can lose some image quality with it. If there's a specific camera you're looking at/ wondering about stabilization on, let us know and we can tell you if it's effective.
I can probably help you out here. This list might not be complete, but these are the most popular models with stabilizers (optical stabilization only--all others are kind of a joke):
Canon:
SD700 IS
SD800 IS
A710 IS
S1 IS
S2 IS
S3 IS
Fuji:
No image stabilization
Kodak:
Z612
P712
P850
Nikon:
P3
P4
L5
S7c
S10
Panasonic:
All recent Panasonics
Pentax:
K100D
Sony:
T9
T10
T50
N2
H2
H5
a100
Again, this isn't anywhere near a complete list, but it's a fair representation of some of the more popular models.
Hope this helps!
On a typical outing with my camera, I can take hundreds of shots... so I really want something reliable - with a great Auto mode but manual options as well (if possible).
I want a compact camera that's speedy, reliable and takes fabulous-quality pictures! So far based on this site, I'm leaning towards the Coolpix S7c or the PowerShot SD800IS. Any words of advice?
Seems like you've been bitten by HP much like I was years ago with my first digital camera. It's a shame to hear they haven't improved since then.
The SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and S7c ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) are both nice cameras, but they have slightly different feature sets that will each appeal to a slightly different kind of user. I can tell from your choices and your description of your issues with the HP camera that you have a few main desires from a camera: you want it to be fast, you want decent battery life, you want it to be small, and you want ease of use with the option to control things yourself. All of this can be had with today's cameras.
First, let's take a look at the two you've selected.
The S7c, unfortunately, has several bugs that render it (in my opinion and the opinion of many users) inferior to Canon's SD line. Many users complain that on auto mode, the S7c uses extremely high ISO settings, causing grainy, unattractive images. Further, many users report getting fewer than 100 shots per charge on the S7c's proprietary battery. Customization of manual controls isn't the camera's strong suit, either. One reviewer at Amazon goes so far as to say, "If you want control and flexibility, don't get this camera. Manually changing the point of focus or, exposure is not easy. By the time you do it, you'll miss the shot." Finally, Nikon's electronic vibration reduction solution isn't a patch on Canon's optical image stabilization system. It uses software to sharpen blurry images in-camera, but in doing so often destroys fine details of the shot. The S7c DOES offer wireless transfer of images (something the SD800 doesn't do), but it too is limited in some ways. The camera can't transmit images wirelessly while it's charging, and since the batteries run down quickly anyway, you may have to recharge them before you can stream back your photos. In addition, the S7c cannot transfer images wirelessly to a computer that isn't using a wireless connection. If, for example, your computer is connected to a WiFi router with a LAN cable, the camera cannot see it through the router. The computer you're transmitting to must also be using the WiFi.
The SD800 has several major advantages over the S7c. As stated previously, Canon's optical image stabilization is by far the best blur reduction method available. Furthermore, the lens on the SD800 has a 28mm-equivalent wide angle, which allows for stunning landscape and architectural photos in comparison to the standard 35mm. Its manual controls are more customizable than the S7c's, but still are by no means fully manual. (For full manual control you'll need to step up to Canon's A series or higher.) Its LCD is smaller than the S7c's, but it's still very respectable and quite large. It gets good marks from users on battery life and image quality.
In short, I think the SD800 IS is the clear winner here, but if you want more manual control you might want to sacrifice some size and bump up to the Canon A-series. The A640 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) would be a good choice.
Hope this helps. :)
There are several major differences between the SD550 and the <a href="digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... IS</a>. I'll try to detail them for you here.
The two are roughly the same in terms of size and weight, so we can ignore that. Let's get straight to the tech specs.
Both cameras use a 7 megapixel CCD. The SD550's, however, is larger than the SD800's. In theory, this should mean that since the SD550 isn't trying to cram more pixels into a smaller space, it should produce photos with less digital noise. However, some reviews of the camera do comment minor "softness" in its images (lack of detail).
The SD800 offers more choices in terms of ISO settings (up to ISO 1600 compared to the SD550's ISO 400). It features a 3.8x zoom compared to the SD550's 3.0x. Its macro focus is 3cm to the SD550's 5cm. Both cameras have 2.5" LCD screens, but the SD800's is much higher resolution (207,000 pixels vs. 115,000). Finally, the SD800 offers USB2.0 transfer capability, where the SD550 is only USB1.1-capable. This should mean much, much faster transfer times for the SD800.
The SD800 also has several features that weren't in common use when the SD550 came out. First of all, it uses optical image stabilization, which will combat blurriness caused by hand movement when pictures are taken. It's quite effective and will rescue many photos that would otherwise be lost to blur. The camera also has new "face detection" technology in its autofocus mechanism, which Canon claims "detects up to nine faces in a frame and automatically optimises the focus and exposure for great people shots."
In short, the SD800 IS is a pretty big leap forward from the SD550, which is to be expected since it's over a year newer. A year is a pretty long time in the digital camera business.
Hope this helps!
Assuming you are in GB since you are going to AUS and want to know a pound value, I will use a conversion ( coinmill.com/GBP_USD.html ) of 200.00 pounds sterling (GBP) to about 382 US dollars (USD).
You'll probably want an ultra compact camera ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) to fit in your pocket that is easy to carry around. For that type of camera in your price range ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), you'll do quite well. A camera you might think about (with the places you'll be going), is the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It is a member of Canon's ultra compact ELPH series, has image stabilization for unsteady or low light shots, goes up to ISO 1600 (excellent for low light settings), and also boasts the capability of wide angle shots. This is great for landscape photos or large group shots (which you might be doing both of while away). DHCQ recommends purchasing a 1GB memory card to go along, while I recommend three or four depending on how often you'll get to a computer to download shots. I would also recommend purchasing travel chargers and extra batteries so you don't run out of power at inopportune moments. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
To answer your question, yes, the processor changed between the two cameras. The A60 used the original DIGIC processor, while the A540 uses the DIGIC II, its successor. Many other things have changed between the two, however, and it would be a mistake to blame a difference in image quality solely on the processor. The lens, CCD, and pretty much the rest of the internals are all entirely different. I don't think you could get anyone to say that the DIGIC II processor is inferior to its ancestor, but you could certainly get a few people to accuse Canon of what's known as "pixel-stuffing"--essentially attempting to cram more pixels onto a sensor chip that's roughly the same size. This practice often results in noisy, overly processed-looking shots. The A540's sensor chip is 1/2.5", as compared to the A60's 1/2.7", so the A540 is fitting 4 million more pixels into those few extra millimeters. There have certainly been some great advances in CCD technology since the A60 was produced, but Canon is definitely cutting corners a bit here.
thank you! that explains a lot. now to the problem of finding one that i DO like...
do you have any favorites?
thanks so much!
It seems like a lot of other users share your opinion of the picture quality with the A540. If you're looking for cameras that are generally in the same size range as the A60 and A540, the A630 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and A640 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) are rated quite a bit higher. The A710 IS also has some nice features, including a 6x stabilized zoom. Canons are the cameras I'm most familiar with and the ones I'm most comfortable recommending, so there you go. Good luck!
i will check those out. i don't mind bulky. its harder to misplace that way! :)
you have been a great help!
I don't plan onmaking large pictures, just want a camera to take grandkid shots and vacation shots, maybe witha little extra zoom and such. I have an old HP612 now. Any suggestions? I was leaning toward Canon A620, mostly based on consumer reports.
Thanks
Debby
The main differences between the A and SD series boil down to two points:
1. Size. The A series cameras are somewhat bigger and heavier than the SD series. The SD models can generally fit easily into a shirt or pants pocket, while you'd have some considerable difficulty getting an A-series camera into your jeans pocket.
2. Features. The A series cameras offer a much broader range of manual controls over things like ISO, shutter speed, white balance, and other technical settings than do the SD cameras. They often have longer zooms, as well.
At this point, based on what you're looking for, I'd recommend staying away from the A620 (since it's pretty old and will be harder to find at reputable dealers) and I'd suggest the A630 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) or A640 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) instead. They're rated extremely well by the pros and regular users alike. The A710 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is also a good candidate, as it's equipped with an image-stabilized lens that will help rescue photos that would otherwise be blurry due to your hands moving as the shot is taken.
If you value the smaller size of the SD line and can live without the extra features the A series is equipped with, I'd recommend the new SD900 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), which is a fantastic (and fantastically small) camera. There's also the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), which features the same image stabilization technology that's in the A710 IS.
The SD800 IS will most likely provide more usable shots than the SD900 for action photography, due mostly to its optical image stabilization. They're both fine cameras, but the IS system is a major advantage here. Good luck!
Unfortunately, I like them both..but for different reasons. I do want easy, well framed non blurry shots, but also am a key believer in best resolution....here is what I have found after 1 week with both:
*The SD900 has amazing resolution and clarity....really amazing
*The IS really does work and the wide angle is fun......really fun
Guess I am gonna carry 2 around till Canon puts IS in the next generation of digital elph. If I had to choose one it would be the SD900...the pics are really amazing for a small compact.....really !!
I can live with a few fuzzy shots out of a card, but the SD800 pics beyond anything other than auto with flash indoors at low iso looked poor...and some look very poor. However, how many people feel the need to turn off the flash indoors.........any zooming beyond normal (without flash) was of poor quality
I have the Nikon D80 and its a great camera, but need small one for quick oportunities. My pick would be the SD900 because I rarely ended up shake problems and can live an occasional blur.
Not knocking the sd800..........does what it says but not for the resolution faint of heart.
Good Luck
I have the SD800IS and took great pictures at a wedding receptions with very little lighting, with no problem. Possibly someone was taking pictures at the wrong ISO. I'll be the first to admit you want to stay at ISO800 or below (preferably ISO400 or less).
The image stabilization works great and is something you'll probably want if you're going to be skiing and taking pictures! Since you (generally!) ski in good light, you won't have any problems with the SD800IS. On top of that, the wide-angle will give you great shots close-up or for scenic pictures.
I agree, though, it would sure be nice to see the SD800IS next time at 10MP... but if they don't start increasing their CCD sensor, Canon may start running into problems keeping up with the ultra-compact competition.
Unless you plan on blowing up pictures beyond 16"x24", you won't see a difference between 7MP and 10MP anyway. Choose accordingly :)
I personally think the only RELEVANT difference is whether you are willing to pay extra for the wide angle the SD800 offers (at the expense of reduced zoom). I think its worth it. I am a dSLR user (and SD800 IS owner) and can't emphasize the benefit of the wider angle. The main differences between the two are as follow (with my subjective opinions/comments).
1) Megapixel difference: SD700 6 megapxls; SD800 7.1 Megapix - the difference is irrelevant unless you plan on printing poster size pictures. Don't let Megapixel amount sway your decision.
2) Zoom: SD700=4x zoom; SD800=3.8x zoom - This is optical zoom (not the useless digital zoom) - this is personal preference - I suggest sacrificing the higher zoom (SD700)for the better wide angle (SD800).
3) Focal Length (35mm equiv): SD700 = 35-140mm; SD800 = 28-105mm; you can't beat a good wide angle. You can always zoom the image in photoshop later (with the larger megapixel, you won't loose quality) but you NEVER zoom out to a wider angle.
4) Weight - the SD800 is 0.5 oz lighter if that matters.
5) ISO: higher ISO with the SD800 but its not useful. Such high ISOs will produce so much noise that the picture will be pretty useless unless you are not picky about the image quality and want to take pictures in the dark without flash. Nice option to have but unlikely ANYONE will ever use it (since these cameras don't have a true manual mode)
6) Sensor: Better/newer image sensor on the SD800 - either camera is great because Canon makes outstanding cameras, but this factor is probably the other IMPORTANT difference between the two.
These are just my opinions and I hope they help anyone who is on the fence deciding between the two models.
Good luck and, honestly, you'll be happy with either camera. The Image Stablization is worth the camera's weight in gold.
Though it may seem minor, I've owned 2 digital cameras, and each has died from the battery door being too flimsy. After spending a year with various rubber bands, hair ties, glues, etc, trying to keep the battery door closed on my last camera, the metal contacts fell out for the 100th time and I lost them... Which is why I'm looking at new cameras.
I REFUSE to let another camera die because of this oversight!
Sorry to hear about your stolen camera.
The NV10 has sort of a split critical consensus--lots of people love its design and features, but have issues with the quality of images it puts out. Check out the reviews at Amazon ( amazon.com/Samsung-NV10-Dig... ) for an example of this sort of reaction.
Personally, I'd recommend the Canon A640 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) (or its little brother the A630 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )). It's got roughly the same feature set as the NV10 with a few added bonuses (flip-out LCD, longer zoom, etc) and a much more solid critical reaction. Everyone seems to love this camera. It is, however, a little larger than the NV10, mainly in thickness. If you really need to go small, check out the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), which is comparable in most categories to the NV10 and A640 (fewer megapixels, though) and also features optical image stabilization, which will save a lot of shots that would otherwise be lost to motion blur.
Hope this helps. :)
ALOT ALOT of the pix I took with the T7 were on nights out with friends, and the fact that Ive had such a slimline camera in my hands kind of makes me reluctant to go much bigger.
Ive also never printed my shots. Theyve all been for email and online use.
What do u recommend as the best of the Sony Cybershot series?
And does your choice fair better than any of the Casio Exilims?
Im going on vacation next month and need to buy it soon, just so baffled with all the choice.
Thanks so much for ur advice.
As far as Sonys go, the top-rated ultra-compacts seem to be the T9 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) (the newer T10 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) seems to have some serious issues with pictures using flash) and, a little bigger but still smaller than the Canon A-series I mentioned, the W100 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It's about 4mm bigger than the T9 in all dimensions--not bad.
In the Casio range I'd check out the EX-Z70, which is pretty feature-packed and rated well by users.
1. Fairly compact (enough to fit in a normal purse)
2. Image stabilizer or something like a wider aperature range that helps with night pictures
3. A viewfinder since it seems to be the opinion that it's most likely needed for outdoor pics
4. And at least a 4x optical zoom
5. SLR
I'm not too picky on megapixels either but these are the features I know I want. Can anyone help me? Thanks
If you don't like the size of your Kodak, then you certainly won't like the size of a dSLR camera ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). They are just as big or bigger than your present camera. With that being said, you might want to look at some ultra compact cameras ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). They aren't SLR capable, but do fit into your other specifications. The Canon SD700 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) with 4x optical zoom and the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) with 3.8 optical zoom both come with optical viewfinders, image stabilization and a high ISO range for low light shots. I hope this helps.
Andrew
My first choice would be the Canon G7. It is fairly high-tech and is the first camera to employ Canon's new DIGIC III image processor. It takes high resolution pictures with its 10 mega-pixel ccd sensor and performs comparably to pretty much any dSLR camera. Also, like dSLR, this camera has the capability to allow you to swap its lense out for others lenses and tele- or wide-converters. Furthormore, this camera has a bright, 2.5 inch LCD screen that you should have no trouble seeing outside, however, if you still prefer a viewfinder, this camera has an optical viewfinder built in. The G7 is perfect for night pictures because of its high ISO rating of 1600. You would probably appreciate the G7's huge slew of manual features due to your implied experience with dSLR. Also, this camera comes fitted with a high-quality 6x optical zoom and uses Canon's nine-point sensor, optical image stabilization with face recognition. Due to the new image processor, this camera gets pretty good battery life, although you can buy additional Lithium-ion batteries at a pretty good price. Also, this camera has a pretty good movie mode, allowing you to record in QVGA, the usual VGA, and most notably, XGA. This XGA mode allows you to take vidoe in an incredible 1024x768 resolution. The Canon G7 measures in at 2.8 in. in height, 4.2 in. wide, and 1.7 in. thick. This is slightly bigger than the usual ultra slim-line camera but is still small enough to fit in a pocket and definetely in a purse. In addition, this camera is priced at about $540 dollars, somewhat expensive, although if you are used to dSLR, this shouldn't be a problem.
If the Canon G7 is too expensive or not small enough, i'd recomend the Canon A710 IS. This camera has a 6x optical zoom with nine-point sensor, optical image stabilization, just like the G7, however, it doesn't have face recognition. It also has a viefinder as well. Although, it takes lower resolution pictures at 7 meagapixels and doesn't have quite as high an ISO rating (800 ISO). This camera is cheaper (about $360) and smaller; 2.6 in. in height, 3.8 in. wide, and 1.6 in. thick. In reality, this camera is much thinner. The only part that is 1.6 in. thick is the hand grip with the rest at about half this thickness.
These are both great cameras with image stabilization and good performance... but there are some differences, and I think the SD800 would be better for you.
<a href="digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... IS</a> has a higher ISO available (handy for low light!) and it also has a neat face detection feature- it picks out the faces in photos and ensures that they're properly lighted (or at least helps try to make them properly lighted). It works really well from what I've seen, and could definitely help if you were photographing people in low light.
Image-wise, these cameras have the same sensor and same megapixels. The <a href="digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... IS</a> has a longer zoom (6x vs. 3.8 in the SD800). Also, one big difference: The A710 offers full manual control while manual control on the SD800 is very limited. Then again, I have heard it said that the low light performance of the A710 on Auto is not that great sometimes- the camera can take wonderful low light photos, but sometimes it requires the user to manually tweak the settings to make it perform to its full potential, which eliminates the point and shoot convenience you could get with something else.
So, I think the SD800 wins. Hope that helps!
Thank you very much for being so helpful. You know A LOT about cameras! You have definately helped me make an informed decision. Thanks again.
Good luck and come back if you have further questions.
I am considering the CanonA710 IS, but that may be "too much camera" for me.
There's a decent start for a list here ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) but as it says it's by no means comprehensive. The list essentially picks the best offerings from each class of image stabilized cameras for you. For instance, there are several Canon and Sony cameras that compete quite well with the Panasonic FZ50 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) that appears on the list.
The A710 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is unlikely to be too much camera for anyone, unless they're looking for an ultra-slimline camera. Tech-wise, it offers a very easy-to-use automatic mode that even the newest of newbies could handle. And, on top of that, it allows you to customize just about every setting if you should so choose, so there's room to grow.
Good luck!
The quickest way to see if a camera has image stabilization? If there's one you're considering, go to google.com and type in the camera name with the words "image stabilization." What you pull up (reviews, user opinions, etc.) will quickly tell you in a glance whether that particular camera has that feature or not.
For example, a search for ultra-compacts with image stabilization and rechargeable batteries maxed out at 10 results. When I specified a street price of less than $200, the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX3 popped up as the only candidate.
I've found that the site's listings of camera specs are very accurate, and their reviews are very thorough.
I noticed you haven't marked a "Best Answer"- are you still looking for help? If so, I recommend re-submitting your question at digitalcamera-hq.com so it has a better chance of being noticed. Lately questions are being answered within just one or two days. Good luck!
amazon.com/Canon-NB-5L-Batt...
The only question I would ask is how much lighting you have available to you. Since you are doing hair and make up, I assume you have a good amount of light available. If you do have some low light settings, you might want to invest in a mini-tripod, monopod, or look at the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) because of its image stabilization function. You will lose resolution, but reduce the amount of blur from camera shake in low light settings. Good luck.
Andrew
dpreview.com/reviews/canons...
Please read. This will answer all your questions :)
Canon's SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) fits all of your considerations except the AA batteries (it uses Lithium Ion batteries). Frankly, it's pretty much impossible to find a slimline camera that uses AAs, simply because they take up so much space in comparison to other battery types.
Some other cameras that fit your needs are the Panasonic FX07 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and FX50 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), and the Kodak V705 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The Canon and Panasonic models are all 28mm wide angle, while the Kodak is 23mm (wider angle). Each camera has at least a 3.8x zoom. They're all in roughly the same price ballpark, at $275-$325.
Hope this helps!
Ben has made an excellent recommendation in the Canon SD800 IS. 7mp 3.8x len 28-105 and Image Stablization. Dimensions are 3.5 x 2.3 x 1
However, I believe the battary issue is critical. I have been in similar situation as your son and the availability of batteries will be critical. Therefore, I am recommending the Canon A710 IS. 7mp 6x (35-210) and image stablization. dimension are 3.8 x 2.6 x 1.6.
Yes, its a little larger but you have a bigger zoom which can be a big plus.
Godspeed.
The A710 IS takes AAs. You can get him both AA alkalines (the normal disposables) or AA NiMH batteries with a charger. It might be a good idea to get both, just in case. The NiMH rechargeables will last much, much longer than the alkalines, but as you say the chances to recharge them are scarce. Getting both means he can take advantage of the NiMHs when he has access to electricity, and he'll have the disposables for backup.
Personally, I like long zoom optical lens as it gives you the ability to get closer up to your subject. For less money, you can get the A710 with the same 7.1mp but a 6x lens. It also uses AA batteries so if you lose power just stop by the ski shop for a new set. With the SD800's battery you must find some place to charge it. The A410 is a little larger in dimensions but not much but the 6x verses the 4x is a great trade-off
To add a little more fuel to the fire, men like long zooms (generally speaking) myself included and if you are willing to accept a little more bulk, you can get some great alternatives.
My personal favorite is the Canon S3 IS. 6mp 12x Image stabilization, great photos and probably one of the best video clips. You should be able to find it for under $400 on-line.
I have also listed a few other you would not go wrong with. Just remember, most cameras in the $300 and up range will all provide you with very good photos and most of them have a movie feature. You just need to determine which one you like. Size, shape, feel, and features.
Don't stress out over the number of mp they have. Anything over 6mp will provide great photos unless you really crop them.
The new digital camera are great fun so select the one which fits your budget and livestyle. Then go have fun taking photos.
SD800 IS 7.1mp 3.8x Image Stabilization $380
Canon PowerShot A710 IS 7.1mp 6x Image Stabilization $350
Canon PowerShot S3 IS 6mp 12x Image Stabilization $400
Sony Cyber-shot DSC-H2 6mp 12x $335
Kodak EasyShare P712 7mp 12x $415
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ7 6mp 12x $300
ram
It would be nice to take a closeup without being close (Zoom).
Price is not important.
Thin is king!
I'd recommend the Panasonic Lumix FX07 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )/FX50 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). (These two are essentially the same camera, except that the FX50 has a larger LCD, so if that doesn't make a big difference to you, go for the FX07 and save a bundle.) It's a 7 megapixel, 3.5x optical zoom ultracompact with very good optical image stabilization and a nice size (3.7 x 2 x 0.9 in). Users rate it pretty well in terms of speed, especially for an ultracompact (ultracompacts often sacrifice speed in their effort to cram everything into such a small shell). Finally, it has a nice 28mm wide-angle lens, which is a feature not offered by many other ultracompacts.
You mentioned that you would like to take several features in a row without falling asleep. One other camera you might want to consider is the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), which also features a nice optically-stabilized wide-angle lens, 7 megapixels, and a 3.8x zoom. What sets the SD800 IS apart from its competition is its burst mode shooting (continuous drive), which will let you shoot at 1.7 frames per second continuously until you run out of space on your memory card. The SD800 IS isn't rated quite as well by users as the FX07 is, but it might be worth a look anyway.
Good luck!
Having just bought a new camera, my short list was Sony T10, & your choices for the same reasons - I've got 3 kids under 3!!.
The only noticable dif between the FX07 & 50 is the size due the the 50 having a 3" LCD.
Sony T10 looks great, it really does, starts up v fast, is the smallest by far & the lens is housed within the camera.....but had poor reviews for indoor pictures - mainly red eye probs - so unfortunately it was out for me. I know you can correct red eye but I don't have time - I needed a camera that takes good pictures full stop - with no farting about.
There was little in it between the Canon & panasonics - but the genuine wide angle lens on the FX07 / 50 was a real incentive. Reviews I read also suggested that the Canon had red eye probs too.
In the end I went for the FX07 - it's the next smallest after the Sony (the canon is the biggest) & I prefered the aesthetics - Canon's are so boring! (personal opinion!)
I,ve only had it 3 days & haven't had a chance to play with it much but so far I'm very happy - the menu's very user friendly, is very solidly built and looks great (it is a gadget after all!). I've only taken about 30 pictures so far - all indoors, with flash & of family - only ONE image has any noticable red eye - v impressive!
I had a Minolta XG before & the pictures already look much better - more natural. Can't wait to try it in daylight. Didn't realise it before but wide angle is great - no back against the wall or cutting Aunt Prue out of the picture at Christmas (not Thanksgiving, I'm in the UK!)
Oh, it's a lot cheaper that the Canon too.
Have fun!
Slim , fast , better pic quality and even a wide angle lens. it is rated at 1.7 fps.
Even faster is the older sd 700 IS which shoots at 2.1 fps.
Its simple go with the above cameras (sd 800) and you'll make a great choice.
Lissen to Mike. :)
I can't find one at the official Canon site, but eBay is crawling with them. Here's ( cgi.ebay.com/Charger-FOR-Ca... ) one example. I haven't personally used this product, so I can't vouch for it, but it looks pretty straightforward. Hope this helps, and good luck!
I will warn you that the A710 has some issues with a slow recharge between photos when using the flash. Some people are disappointed with this, and it might get in the way if you want to take photos quickly. But, it does have a nice zoom and is super easy to use as well as compact, and the image quality is great. Might I suggest the <a href="digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... IS</a> if you haven't looked at it already?
In terms of the red eye, this is just a fact of life with ultracompacts, since the flash is so close to the lens. In order to really avoid it you'd have to give up a few features or move up to a larger camera in most cases.
One issue with this camera is that it doesn't have Manual control- it has 16 or so selectable Scene Modes, but if you want Manual control this isn't the camera for you. Not everyone cares about that. It's generally speedy although some people find that the Auto focus runs a little slow. The menus and controls take a little getting used to- the camera has a joystick plus a few levels of Menus and Record Options that you'll have to learn before you can quickly find the settings you want.
Overall though, I've heard that it's a really fun camera to shoot with and that image quality is good particularly for this level of camera and price range. Hope that helps.
The S10 uses a lithium-ion; about 300 shots per charge average, which is pretty good. If that one's still in the running for you, I would say don't worry about the batteries. I prefer AAs myself but the lithium ion with this one is decent.
The H2 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is an excellent camera. The image quality is really good, handling is nice and quick, and it's got great battery life and a nice flash ... my only real issues with this camera are that it doesn't handle itself as well as it could in low light situations (some graininess), and sometimes colors/ highlights seem a little overblown. It also has issues occasionally with chromatic aberration at high zooms- this is fairly common with all extended zooms, it's the purplish fringing around contrasty objects that can sometimes be seen. I also think the movie mode in this camera leaves a little to be desired, but I don't know how important that is to you.
You've mentioned the things you like to take pictures of but I'm curious, what features are important to you? Do you need a large LCD? Do you have to have a lot of zoom? Do you want the option for manual control, or would you rather just point and shoot at all times?
I am really tempted to point you to the Canon S3 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), which in my opinion is the H2 only better, but it is more expensive as well.
Let me know what is important to you and maybe we can help narrow this down a little more.
I would say, after all the cameras we've talked about, swing for the H2 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) if you can afford it. I think the manual control that it does offer will be good if you learn a little more (it's sort of an investment camera to grow on, if that makes sense; I think you'll be more satisfied with a little bit of a learning curve than you would be with a point and shoot). It's also larger than the others we talked about and thus doesn't have the same red eye problems, plus image quality is awfully good esp. considering the price range. I would say, if you can swing it it's worth a little extra cost for the extra features/ flexibility.
I dug up some H2 sample photos too:
dpreview.com/gallery/sonyh2...
Let us know how the H2 goes- <a href="digitalcamera-hq.com/forms/... a link</a> if you want to write a review after you've tried it out!
Can you repost your email address or check it to make sure it's correct? I can't figure out why it won't send to you.
Rob, the ones you mentioned are definitely each good cameras in their own way but they have some distinct differences. For example:
SD800 IS= good all-around performance, neat wide angle lens, maybe not the best in low light but pretty good
Panasonics= excellent bargain for price, possible graininess issues in very low light (depends on if you're blowing images up, etc.)
Fuji F30= excellent low light performance, lack of manual control
A710 IS= great image quality, some slow operation times when shooting with flash
As you can see, it will sort of depend on your needs/ preferences as a photographer. Can you give me a few more details on what is important to you/ what kind of shooting you plan to do?
I need assistance in choosing a compact camera with this criteria:
auto focus (I'm not one to fiddle with adjustments).
pocket sized or similar, otherwise I probably would not use it that much.
Long zoom, hopefully 10x as I'm going to Egypt, Turkey and Greece soon and want to capture everything.
Clarity and color.
Optical view finder is preferable.
Fast start up and repeat shots to catch my toddler grandchildren in action.
Good battery life.
Light weight.
Built in lens cover.
I also use a camera to take a lot of house interiors, probably 100 per week in my business.
Is this too tall an order?
I currently use an Olympus C-60 which I've hated from day one.
Previously I used an Olympus D-450 which I loved! It took excellent photos in low light. It took excellent photos period! I broke the battery door or I'd still be using it!
Any help you can provide would be appreciated.
In my experience, Canon's image stabilization system is worth quite a bit more than its (small) weight in gold. I have the PowerShot S2 IS, but their IS system is common to all PowerShot cameras, so I think my experience applies here. Anyway, it's a fantastic addition to a camera, and one that will save a bunch of shots that would otherwise be irretrievably blurred.
On other technical fronts, the SD900 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has a slight edge in some areas and the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has it elsewhere. For example, the SD800 has a true wide angle lens (28mm) compared to the SD900's more traditional 36mm wide angle. This means that the SD800 will do better at scenery/architecture shooting. The SD900 has 3 additional megapixels, but that shouldn't make too much of a difference unless you're planning to make huge, huge prints. The SD800's zoom is a little longer (taking advantage of the IS system).
Overall, I think that if you're looking to take mainly handheld snapshots, the IS system will be a great help in many situations, and it's enough to recommend the SD800 over its cousin. Good luck!
I'm not just wanting a digital camera. I'm DYING over here trying to find a good deal on the SD800. I found one, but it sold from under me. I found another but the promo ran out before I made my purchase. I WANT and SD800 bad for the IS and the wide angle. Most people are taking regular shots in and around themselves and thus the wide angle will be sufficient as the 7.1 megapixels. The reviews I have read have been exceptionally good. www.dpreview.com give great ratings and it's probably the best selling camera on the market in the "Worth Buying" catagory, which is why I can't find one in my local retail stores. Maybe I just need to let go of looking for a bargain and pay it out right because I WANT ONE BAD.
Help Rob
You've got a couple of factors working against you there in your ideal specs.
First of all, large zoom cameras often lack optical viewfinders because the larger lens makes it difficult for the manufacturer to produce a viewfinder that will represent what the lens sees accurately enough. If you're ok with an EVF (electronic viewfinder--essentially a mini-LCD where an optical viewfinder would be) then your options are expanded somewhat.
Second, ISO 3200 is going to be pretty much useless on all but the highest end cameras (SLRs). It's essentially a marketing gimmick, since at ISO 3200 compact digitals produce images so noisy as to be unusable.
Those things said, I think the Canon A710 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) would be a good match for you. It's a 7.1MP camera with a 6x optically stabilized zoom. It also features an optical viewfinder (albeit not the greatest) and advanced manual controls. Canon's movie mode is tops in the industry, and the image stabilization system does wonders when you're shooting handheld at the long end of the zoom. It does have its down sides--most notably a longer-than-average flash recharge cycle--but it's a great camera overall and fits many of your requirements.
Good luck!
The primary concern is ease of use (because my parents will use it as much as I will) and that's why I have ruled out any SLRs and have brought down my budget to $400.
I really don't want to compromise of the quality of pictures despite the fact that they will almost never be used for professional purposes. So far I was considering the Canon A710 but, now I'm not sure if I should buy it or go for the SD800 or the SD900. Please help me out. Also, please suggest me any better camera considering that IS is a must for me.
Obviously the right choice was the SD 900 because it's feel like a one solid piece of pure metal (titanium) made by one of the best cameras/lenses maker. As the result image quality is superb with not blur in every situation and most environments, intuitive controls and easy to learn menu.
Someone said SD 800 "Is" with wide angle? well, maybe but not everyone needs a wide lens unless you gonna take a full view of a bridge.
The 900 looks beauty and expensive ----a lot more than the SD 800 Is----. I quote that I couldn't find the "great" improvement of the stabilization considering that nice antishake features are included in most cameras today.
In fact, the SD 900 looks expensive (as really is) however I can say with no doubt it's the best camera on the market nowdays (including SD 800 Is) and worth in one each of it 10 megapixels.
Are you saying that the SD900's image quality is a result of the titanium body? You must be joking. In reading your post I noticed you used a lot of words touting the SD900's great looks, and few words discussing issues of PERFORMANCE. I think most would agree it's nice to be able to find what you're looking for in an attractive package but let me remind you that it's a camera, not a sculpture. You claimed, or at least alluded to having performed "an intense test" yet you say nothing of what that test involved or what the results were. You say the SD900 is "obviously the right choice" because "it's feel like a one solid piece of pure metal (titanium)". I suppose if a titanium body is more important than any other feature then you are right, because the SD800 does not have that feature. But let me suggest that the SD800 just might be a better choice for those of us who put function before form, not that the SD800 is significantly less attractive than the SD900 as you imply. Yes, the SD900 does have a titanium body and yes, the SD900 has a 10MP CCD as opposed to the SD800's 7.1MP, but the SD800 has something to say, too, not the least of which is it's VERY effective Image Stabilization. Your comment that you couldn't find "the 'great' improvement of the stabilization" tells me that either you didn't adequately test the feature or your unit was broken. And what's this about "nice antishake features are included in most cameras today"??? What anti-shake features, exactly, are you referring to? You can limit your answer to the SD900 since that is what we are comparing against. BTW, a tripod is not a feature of a camera. At this point I should mention that I, too, have used both the SD800 and the SD900, and I noticed a very significant reduction in blurred photos due to camera shake, particularly in indoor shots without the flash. To test this feature I took 10 shots from each camera of the same indoor scene using the same composition, standing the same distance from the subject, using the same lighting and the same ISO settings on both cameras. The scene I was shooting represented a typical low-light shot I would attempt without a flash. Both cameras indicated that the inadequate lighting called for a flash, but I left the flashes off for the test. Truthfully it wasn't all that dark but I typically don't use ISO settings greater than 400 because of the artifacts or "graininess" higher ISO settings produce. ISO 400 is bad enough. Unfortunately when you're shooting at anything less than ISO 800 it doesn't really need to be that dark before your camera is crying about too much camera shake without the flash. I personally prefer NOT to use the flash if I can get away with it, as the flash casts unwanted shadows and produces glare, not to mention the unnatural lighting it produces in your shots. With each shot I tried holding the camera as still as I could. To be fair I took the first 10 shots with the SD900 when my hands were likely to be the least shaky. The results were quite conclusive. 8/10 shots from the SD900 were severely blurred -- the kind of shots you can't delete fast enough. The other two shots weren't too bad, but they weren't completely clear either. In contrast, every single shot from the SD800 was perfectly clear. So, in summary, don't discount Canon's IS technology. They have many years in R&D perfecting it and it is EXTREMELY effective. My only gripe is that Canon didn't include IS in the SD900, perhaps because it would have bumped up the price of the already expensive flagship model too high. It's too bad because I would have gladly paid it, whatever it would have been. To those of us who prefer not to use the flash all the time Image Stabilization is a Godsend, and the weight of this important feature cannot be overstated. It's one of those things you cannot fully appreciate until you've used it, at which point it quickly turns into a feature you can't live without.
Before I go away I need to address one more thing you said in your post that I found to be lacking in reason. With regard to the wide angle lens on the SD800 you said, "maybe but not everyone needs a wide lens unless you gonna take a full view of a bridge." I don't know if I'll be taking any pictures of bridges any time soon, but I can guarantee you that I'll be taking pictures of the interior of houses (I'm a real estate investor) where you don't ever seem to have a wide enough angle, and I'll also be taking large group pictures from time to time (I come from a large family), and I'll probably want to take some scenic landscape shots, as I spend a lot of my summers in the great outdoors. I believe the average person would find plenty of use for the extra wide angle, bridge or no.
Be it known that I am by no means bagging on the SD900. After all it wasn't THAT easy a decision for me. With the increased use of plastics over the years it's refreshing to see so much metal in a consumer electronics device. I don't know how much more abuse the SD900 can really withstand over the SD800. I didn't perform that particular test. I doubt either one would survive a 10-foot fall onto bare concrete, even though the SD900 might look better than the SD800 after impact, but it almost doesn't matter -- a titanium body is just plain undeniably and inherently cool. I also like the SD900's beefier battery door compared to the SD800's flimsy thing, although I don't understand why they didn't go ahead and make the one on the SD900 titanium, too, instead of painting the little plastic piece to look like the rest of the titanium body. You're not talking THAT much more titanium. Sheesh! Cheap compartment doors on electronics are a huge annoyance with me, but the SD800 gives me enough good reasons to put up with it's weak points. When I weigh all the features of both cameras the scale teeters a bit, but ultimately tips to the SD800. But I realize everyone is different. To some people having the best looking camera on the block is so important that they are willing to make some sacrifices to achieve that goal. Then there are those who have bought into the megapixel lie and believe that the extra 2.9 megapixels will give them far superior image quality. The difference is really not that significant. And then I suppose if you had a rock steady hand or didn't mind carrying around a tripod then you wouldn't find the IS technology as attractive a feature as I do, but then you probably wouldn't be in the market for a subcompact camera if you were planning on packing a tripod everywhere you go. Wouldn't you rather have a pocket camera that would take clear pictures shot after shot in almost any lighting condition? If the advantages of the SD900 over the SD800 are more important to you than the advantages of the SD800 over the SD900 then you'll be plenty happy with the SD900, but those of you still obsessing over the looks or physical qualities of the SD900 consider this. Both these models will likely be thrown in the trash can after a few years to make way for new technology, but the pictures they take will be around for a lifetime (unless you forget to back them up or print them and your hard drive goes caput - DOH!). I don't know about you but I'll take a razor sharp 7MP photo over a blurry 10MP photo any day of the week.
But i'm waiting for the Nikon Coolpix p5000 to come out
Among other things, we're going to Greece this summer, and I'm not sure if rechargeable batteries will turn out to be a nuisance!
Has anyone compared the SD800IS with the Nikon L12? Any input on battery life? Are the non-Canon batteries (which are much cheaper) worth buying as spares?
Thanks!
I'm a strong advocate of having the right tool for the job. You could use a flathead screwdriver and a file (or a Dremmel) to remove a crosshead screw, or you could just use a crosshead screwdriver. Likewise, a SWAT team could feasibly clear a crack house while running naked and carrying .22 caliber pistols and Louisville Sluggers, but their results would be less favorable. Conversely, silenced .22 caliber pistols and Louisville Sluggers might be more effective than MP5Ks, 12-gauge Benellis and flash-bang grenades if you're a hit man trying to carry out a precision job with a minimal amount of commotion. If you want to take the best possible photos then take some photography courses and buy an SLR. Learn about lighting techniques using reflectors and flashes and be ready to spend some serious cash on lenses and other equipment. If you're on a limited budget (like me) get a decent DSLR like Canon's 30D or RebelXT, but still be prepared to spend some time learning the basics of photography and honing your skills. I personally own a Canon 30D into which I have invested considerable time and practice. The photos I take with my SD800 can't compare to those from the 30D, but the 30D can't go with me everywhere like the SD800 can. Still, I ONLY use the SD800 when the 30D is not an option (i.e. I don't have it with me), or for taking short video clips, which the 30D doesn't do. That's the SD800's "job" -- to go where the heavy and bulky SLR cannot -- it is NOT to take photos worthy of a 20x30 enlargement for your living room wall. Some would argue with me on that point but I stand my ground. Call me picky.
In recommending the SD800 it is with the understanding that you are in the market for a superior subcompact camera -- not a superior camera. In other words, if you were to ask me what I thought was the best camera on the market I would have to ask you, "best at what?", and even then since I can't personally test every available model my answer would be based on my own research combined with my own limited experience which would make my point of view somewhat subjective to say the least, but still based on facts and plenty of homework. Your own homework might reveal to you things I missed, which I hope you will share with the rest of us.
Good luck!
Anyone ever tried/compared the Fuji finepix that many of the reviewers rave about? Still going to buy the Canon again but thought I ask.
If you're going with a camera that uses a proprietary battery pack, though, I'd stay away from third party knockoffs, as many users have had issues with aftermarket batteries that completely melt down or at the very least function poorly.
There are several good brands for memory cards. SanDisk is pretty much the market leader, but brands like Kingston and Lexar are also good and often cheaper.
Hope this helps.
I was asking if anyone had actual experience with any of them other than the Canon-branded ones, which are 2-3 times the price.
Thanks!
I use SanDisk SD cards in my cameras and they've always been good to me.
I just bought a Li-Ion batt for my Casio. It wasn't a Casio battery. The new battery was ALMOST identical---but it was slightly thicker. The depleted Casio batt came out easily (much clearance), while the new battery was slightly tight. Not enough to require 'forced entry' ---but a bit unnerving. Hope I can get it out in three years. :)
I too, was vascillating between the SD 900 vs the SD 800IS. Per my research & reading of countless reviews, I'm on the threshold of opting for the 800... HOWEVER, my last 2 concerns are as follows:
1) The SD900 has a CCD size of 1/1.8" & the SD800IS has a CCD size of 1/2.5". The former being bigger & ergo, ideal (between the two). My only defense, to the SD800IS is that since it has a lower resolution, it can take par pictures with less CCD size.
2) The SD900 video capture is 1024 x 768 @ 15fps vs. 640 x 480 @ 30fps. The former being ideal for showing on my 50" plasma...I think!!!
Anyone with any KNOWLEDGABLE input would be appreciated!!!
Thanks~ Joey
I think a significant plateau has been reached in the digital camera world, similar to what happended to PCs a few years back. When PCs were introduced about 1977, every new model with a new processor provided a noticeable improvement in speed. PC hobbyists like myself upgraded along the way, sometimes as often as every year. This pattern continued until 200?, when PCs were FAST enough and had plenty of MEMORY to suit just about everyone. So why upgrade? Indeed, as an example, sales of Microsoft Vista are slow.
So now that digital cameras (and digital printers!) have gotten to the point where the average amateur photographer can take excellent photos with your basic 4-5MP point and shoot camera, and then easily print these, with or without a PC, I feel that the digital camera 'upgrade cycle' is coming to an end. Sure, a camera owner might want to 'trade up' to another camera, because the new LCD is 3" instead of 2"---but eventually, people with say, a 5-7 MP camera, with 4-10 zoom, and a 3" LCD, ARE NOT really going to be in some big hurry to get the same model with just a boost to 10 or 12 MP.
Larger pixels (physical size, not quantity) are supposed to increase sensitivity, and hence lower noise in low light. In the case of the SD800 and the SD900, the SD900 has larger pixels. The pixel size of the 800 is 1.76901E-08 sq. inches, while the pixel size of the 900 is 2.42284E-08 sq inches; this is almost 37% percent larger. This increase in size would explain the increase in sensitivity---the 800 is rated at 1600 ISO, while the 900 is rated at 3200 ISO.
You really don't want 15 fps; Chad is right. This is 2007---15 fps is really choppy, like using a brownie movie camera.
thanks for the speedy reply! I agree w/ you, insofar as the resolution of the video of the video not being paramount... considering the primary role of it being a CAMERA, as opposed to a CAMCORDER. I was just thinking that the surprising quality of video, in todays pocket-sized 'point & shoot' digicams, offered a bridge to the camcorders, warrants factoring in the video-taking attributes of the digicams. Case-in-point, I actually have the Sony HDR-HC7 HD camcorder & tote it w/me, when the occasion warrants. However, the camera accompanies me 90% of the time, being that it's so much smaller!
Alas, to the crux of this novel... when the desire/need arises to take unannounced video w/my digicam, the foresight , for having researched the better video capabilities of 2 (or so) given cameras, WILL be recognized :-)
PS Guyz.. thanks for the info... I will now be buying a SD800 IS :)
Thanks
I am trying to decide whether to purchase the SD800 IS or the latest SD750. Price isn't really an issue but quality is. I will most likely use this camera for everyday and vacation purposes and usually print 4"x6" pictures. I heard that the IS option is the most important feature, thus I should buy the 800. However, I heard that there is a lot of "noise" at high levels with the 800 and the new 750's High ISO feature is almost or even better than the IS in the 800. Previously, I had a Sony cybershot and one of my biggest problems was getting blurry pictures. So should I get the 800 or 750?
Thanks
Get the 800. You won't be sorry.
I'm not sure why people are so concerned about the battery in the SD800IS. The battery is one of this model's strengths. I've taken this camera on 2-week vacations, filling up several 2GB SD cards without needing to charge the battery once. If you're that concerned buy an extra battery, but in my opinion it's not necessary. I'm a picture taking freak and the one battery has been sufficient for my needs. In fact the problem you'll find yourself running into most often is forgetting to charge the battery because it's such a rare occasion that it needs a charge.
My typical use will be taking photos of the kids in general outdoor/indoor settings. The viewfinder is not so much a factor either as I could take it or leave it. What I really want is something that takes great pictures and is easy to use.
If money is not a factor in this decision which camera do you think is the best out of the bunch?
Thanks for any help you can provide.
Shane
I also bought two Lenmar NB-5L-equivalent batteries from Amazon for $13.99 each, to use as spares when traveling. They fit perfectly, appear to have equal capacity, and cost 1/3 of the Canon-branded ones. I'll post this board if I find out anything to the contrary on our vacation. At that price, they cost about the same as the Energizer Lithium AA batteries I was buying every week for my Nikon, so even if I throw them away after a few charges, I'll be way ahead!
I also bought 2 Transcend 2GB 150x SD cards at about $20 each. They seem to be a better deal than the SanDisk II cards that were closer to $40. Again, no problems so far- although the first time I used one, I didn't format it in the camera first, and I had problems downloading the pictures. Since then, they've worked fine.
One thing about the camera- if you set the Manual settings to something weird, such as a high ISO speed, or photo effect, and accidentally set the camera to "Manual" instead of "Auto", you will get results that are weird! I was getting very grainy pictures until I realized I had set the ISO to 1600, and was in MANUAL instead of AUTO. It's an easy mistake to make . . .
Honestly I'm split here. The SD800 IS is a great, trustworthy camera, and it has image stabilization and a wide angle lens, which the other two lack. However, the other two have very, very good reviews so far and they're based on (slightly) newer technology. And, despite being older, the SD800 IS costs more.
Between the three, I think any pick would result in you getting a great camera. I would personally go for the SD800 IS because I've found the IS system invaluable on my S2 IS, and the added bonus of wide angle shooting is enough to push me over the edge.
Hope this helps.
Some have recommended the SD700 IS for better picture quality, but I'm sure the SD800 IS will be fine for me. I currently have an Olympus 5060 with a wide angle lens and it has served me well.
To be honest I haven't taken any pictures in the past four years with a non wide angle lens, so I wouldn't know the difference. I love my Olympus, but it is a bit bulky and dated. It has a small LCD and slow between shots. I'm looking forward to getting something with better performance and small enough to fit in my pocket.
I look forward to picking one up soon. Now I'm just trying to find the best deal.
Thanks again for the feedback and especially the link to the comparisons of all three cameras. Having all that info really helped solidify my decision.
Shane
you should check out the price for at Dell. A couple of weeks ago I was checking out the prices and they seemed to have one of the cheapest prices.
It's definitely NOT due to image stabilization. That's a load of crap, and you can tell the salesperson that some guy on the internet told you so. (Just kidding, don't do that.)
It's possible that the camera is defective, but I wouldn't immediately jump to that conclusion.
When you're using the camera outdoors in good light, does the graininess problem entirely go away (replaced by the streaks)? Also, are the streaks only present when the sun is in the frame, or are they there when, for example, the camera is pointed at grass, or pavement? It's common for there to be some graininess in low light, and it's also common for there to be flares of bright light on the LCD when you aim the lens at the sun or another super-bright source of light.
If the purple lines are consistent no matter what you're aiming at, it's probably some sort of physical defect. You can contact Canon's customer service department to request a repair here ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ).
Good luck!
Ben is right about the salesman. Tell him TWO people on the internet said so, because that is total BS. There is no conceivable way that image stabilization would cause your LCD to streak!!
This sounds ridiculous, and is certainly not a comment on your intelligence (I promise!), but please do one thing for me: make sure there isn't a clear protector sticker over your LCD. The only reason I mention this is because my friend once opened a new digital camera when I was with her, and I was playing with it and thought the LCD was very weirdly grainy and had a few lines in it, and it was just a protection sticker. That probably is not your problem, but I thought I'd mention it. =)
The fact that your pictures are coming out clear and your LCD is messed up tells me you probably have a defective LCD. Not the news you want, but at least it's brand new and still under warranty.
Definitely answer all of Ben's questions before jumping to conclusions on this one- he might have other suggestions on the way!
Yes, LCD screens have trouble adjusting to darkness--you'll notice that not only are they grainier and streaky when bright lights are present, but the frame rate also seems lower (choppier). This is simply because the image sensor thrives on light.
The reason that the camera produces softer images when you shoot bright images in the dark is probably something we call "focus hunting". Especially when you're using the zoom in the dark, the autofocus system has trouble locking on to your subject. When the subject is closer, the camera's autofocus assist lamp (that little amber or green light next to the lens) helps out, but if you're focusing on something far away it can't quite reach. You can usually fix this by half-pressing the shutter release button and waiting for a small beep and a green rectangle to appear on the LCD, indicating that the camera has locked focus. Then press the shutter release the rest of the way. This is actually good practice for shooting in general--you'll get sharp shots a lot more often.
Good luck!
It's funny to zoom in to 15x (including digital) in a lower-lit room, then take a picture with a flash. The "picture" showing on the LCD screen is a very blocky mess that you can barely make out sometimes. But as soon as you depress the button to take the picture, the picture on the LCD turns perfect.
It's something to get used to, and something you should expect on such small cameras. It's kind of like taking a picture in a pitch-black room... you don't expect the camera to show you what the picture will look like once the flash goes off, right? :)
I'll let you know what happens when it comes back.
Since they're rated almost exactly alike by users, and since the SD800 IS is newer and has better features than the SD700 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), I'd say it's a no-brainer to go with the SD800. It adds an additional megapixel over the SD700, a 3:2 shooting mode, a wide angle (28mm) lens, a better flash, and a better LCD. Go for it! Good luck.
As far as I can tell there's no software provided by Canon or any third party to make the SD800 IS work as a webcam. If you have a video-in card on your computer, it might be possible to use the A/V cables that came with your camera to produce some kind of a live feed, but I don't know the specifics. Sorry!
PSREMOTE will allow you to control your camera through the USB cable. You will see what the camera sees on your laptop screen.
The F20 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is a nice little camera. It works particularly well in low light situations where you don't want to use flash- it captures what light there is very well, and does a good job avoiding "graininess" even when the photo is fairly dark.
There's no such thing as a camera that delivers 'no blurry shots,' but this camera does have what they call Anti-blur. But it's not quite what you might think. It is based on the idea that in low light situations, cameras usually use a very slow shutter speed (the shutter stays open a longer time to capture more light so the picture isn't too dark). This long exposure time can increase the chance of the image becoming blurry. The anti-blur speeds up the shutter by making the camera more light-sensitive so the long exposure isn't required; this reduces the chance of a blurred image due to a slow shutter. Also, the faster shutter speed is better at capturing fast-moving things (like grandkids!)
I would recommend this camera but I have one question for you first. Are you concerned about blurry shots for a particular reason? If it is because of fast-moving subjects, then this camera will work great. If you are getting blur because the camera is shaking or because of something else, you may want to look for a model with Image Stabilization instead.
In terms of speed, you're looking at a very close race between the A630/640 and the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). I think the SD800 is a hair faster, but you're also paying more for the ultracompact size and the image stabilization. But both are speedy cameras and you should not have the issues you're having with your current one in terms of lag time with either of the A cameras (630/640) or the SD800.
My advice on shutter lag: regardless of what camera you have, you can reduce shutter lag a lot with a little trick. Put your finger on the button and push it down halfway; let the camera frame and focus. Then, when the action actually happens, push it the rest of the way down, and the picture will fire much much faster. It can be a pain to have to set it up beforehand like this, but it does lower shutter lag to fractions of a second over pushing it once and making the camera do all that focusing before it snaps.
Also, I was going to say that Casios seem to be speedy little cameras from what I've heard. But I don't know a lot about them beyond that so I'd hesitate to recommend one.
Night shot mode
i80.photobucket.com/albums/...
Auto mode
i80.photobucket.com/albums/...
Auto mode
i80.photobucket.com/albums/...
The absolute ultimate test: this shot was taken to truly test the camera's power. It was pitch black in my bedroom. I sat on my bed about 4 feet away. My fan is on high speed. I pressed the button half way to meter the light and set the focus - CLICK! Zoom in on the fan blades if you can. Not a hint of blur. Remember - the fan is on high in total darkness. BEAT THAT!
i80.photobucket.com/albums/...
I got the Canon A630 (two of them in fact, one for mom) in March for $213 from PCrush.com. Now the list price is just over $190 and two of my friends are each getting one tomorrow. The shipping is 2 or 3 days via UPS and is under $20 (that's how much to ship to Hawaii, which is normally more that most other places in the US).
If you are a first-time Google checkout user, they knock $10 off your order.
As for IS, the Canon A630 has a warning light. I thought the red shaking camera in the corner meant that the pic was going to be blurry, but it is just a suggestion to use a tripod based on a calculation by the processor based on the settings, light, focal distance, f-stop, aperture, etc. However, I read a reviewer who said he TRIED to make the shots blurry while shooting (HAHA) his son outside in daylight (and I have taken shots from moving vehicles) with no problem. The only time there is a problem is in low light, which I have addressed above.
Happy shooting!
I would recommend the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) for movie capture. It captures frames at a variety of speeds, up to 60fps, and various resolutions.
Andrew
Flesh/skin tones are excellent, sharpness is beautiful (the default settings are slightly soft, but you can change it. I personally like the slightly soft sharpness, it makes the picture look more real)., the flash is strong, the red-eye has worked well for me so far, ISO400 is perfectly acceptable, and ISO800 is OK.
Video quality is very good, holding up to 4GB of video. The digital zoom is very impressive, being one of the few cameras I've come across that actually have a digital zoom that's useful. Image stabilization is not the gimmick/novelty I thought it once was. I haven't used Macro mode yet, because I've been able to take any picture I've wanted by just zooming in as much as I've wanted.
Make sure you familiarize yourself with the camera, and set your own Program Auto. You don't want to ruin a picture by having Auto set your ISO to 1600 for no reason. Maybe I'm just paranoid, but I like having control over my pictures.
Color accent mode is a neat feature, and the ability to set your own white balance and increase/decrease certain colors is nice, too.
I actually ENJOY taking pictures again. It's that freedom and fun that really makes this camera stand out. Very responsive and quick to take the picture when you want it to, too. Fast auto-focus.
The second camera I would recommend is the Canon Powershot Sd800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) it has the best image stablization in the price range and it is almost insanely compact (in a good way). It is not as thin as the two other models in discussion but it is petite to say the least. It has a powerful flash and great red eye reduction. I know you mentioned that you like the non moving lens and the style of the T10 but I really think this is your best bet for a camera with some powerful in a small body, like Nepolean.
2)Nikon Coolpix S7C
3)Canon powershot Sd800IS
. . . looking to purchase a camera that I can grow into.
I've got it down to these two cameras, however I don't mind someone recommending me others.
I've been basically going by reviews, however I'm beginning to understand the specifications in
which I desire. Although I'm afraid I don't have enough experience yet to determine what I'll
actually need.
. . . or do you believe its the best choice for me at the moment?
The S9 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is a wonderful little camera but it depends on what you mean by a camera you can grow with. The S9 offers auto control only, and if you want to grow in terms of photo skills you may want to consider something with manual control options.
and the Fuji Finepix F30. I wanted the camera to perform well in fairly low-light conditions. I also didn't want the shutter lag to be too bad. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
These are all great cameras, but for what you want to do, I would go with the Panasonic FX07 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The high ISO range (100-3200), larger 7.2 MP resolution, and the image stabilization make it a great camera. As for the shutter lag, you'll find that in most lower light situations, but can combat it by holding the shutter button half way down to lock the camera's settings. In low light, you can also set the camera at ISO 3200 for a faster shutter speed, and the IS will help too. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
As for the IS differences, I'm not completely sure. When deciding between these two, I would still go with the Panasonic FX07 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), and I currently own 3 Canon's.
Andrew
Reasons -
1. Price is less than Canon for the same set or features.
2. Images are crisper.
3. Better features - IS, battery life.
4. This Canon doesn't support SDHC cards. Not sure at this point.
5. What else? My Pana is made in Japan. Great built quality and performance.
6. Plenty of settings to achieve good picture quality in all lightning conditions.
Now, if low-light is your main type of shooting, the Fuji 31FD is probably your best bet. But between the Panasonic and Canon, I'd choose the Canon.
You can get this camera for about 200 dollars on this, an most other online stores, although it is a little more expensive at most physical stores (what I mean by this is: a store you actually go to). It has 5 MP, which is perfectly adequate for almost any non-professional photographer. However, what makes this camera noteworthy is the fact that although it is less than 2 inches thick, inside of it is a 10X optical zoom. This may seem impossible considering that this camera is a compact, but this engineering feat is accomplished using a technology called folded optics. Also, this camera employs Panasonic's covented MEGA image stabilization, which is imperative for such a large zoom. Without it, you will find it literally impossible to capture an un-blurred picture without a tripod, no matter how steady your hand is. Panasonic leads the camera industry with the best stabilization. And this is proved, for many reviews that I read about this camera vouch for the IS's worth. In fact, one review I've read claims that they took a picture of a moving ceiling fan, and the snapshot had the fan shown perfectly still, not blurred at all. That is incredible in itself, but from a compact camera, this is astounding. However, there are many more cameras like this out there. The best way to decide it to get out there, and try them out for yourself.
Many cameras will get glares like this with certain types of light. Blue light is refracted through the lens differently, so at certain angles this will show up. The simplest way to reduce this is to tilt the camera like you have been doing. A dSLR camera or one that could take different lenses, could be equipped with a filter to reduce the effect too. If you purchase a Adorama Lens Adapter ( digitaladvisor.com/lenses/a... ) (this one will work with your camera), you can purchase step up rings and a "81A" filter to reduce the blue light issues. I hope this helps.
Andrew
The Canon SD900 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does not come with image stabilization, but that does not mean it isn't as good. The ISO 1600 makes it a good option for lower light settings and the 10 megapixel resolution is just outstanding.
The Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has some great features too though. Image stabilization (mentioned before), the same ISO 1600 capability, higher optical zoom at 3.8x vs 3x. The 7.1 megapixel resolution will still yield very clear shots. For the money, I think the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is the better choice.
Andrew
I made a lot of shots under different circunstances with the SD 900 getting better clear and solid images than the SD 800 Is; even at ISO 3200 pictures were acceptable.
I read a lot about Image Stabilization but frankly speaking there is not a dramatic improvement ---maybe a little bit just for night shots without flash using zoom at maximum--- but not that much.
I have the SD800IS and can see a big difference when I have image stabilization on and then off. To subjectively say image stabilization doesn't help is wrong.
There's a reason image stabilization is going to be a default setting on all future cameras. I'm not saying the SD900 is bad or anything, but I'm extremely happy with my SD800IS and notice the Image Stabilization difference.
SD850: dpreview.com/reviews/specs/...
SD900: dpreview.com/reviews/specs/...
Essentially, the verdict (for me, anyway), was the SD900 was charging you for the 10MP resolution, which is completely unnecessary, especially compared to the 1/2.5" CCD. For the price, the SD850 has the better picture quality, options and performance.
But as always, read the reviews and judge for yourself... maybe the megapixels mean more to you because you plan to blow up your pictures to posterboard size, for instance. If it were my decision, and I had only these two cameras to choose from, there'd be no contest -- SD850.
This camera does give exposure compensation of plus or minus 2 stops in 1/3 increments. You can also change your light metering method to evaluative, center-weighted average, or spot (locked to the center). This should give you the flexibility that you're looking for. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
Mor
Canon SD900 is (0.5 sec) and that of Canon SD800 (0.4 sec)
You are probably more concern about the " shot to shot" time where SD900 registers a higher figure of 2.3 sec whereas SD 800 scores 1.3 sec.
"shot to shot " time increases slightly when recharging of flash lights are required, being 3 sec for SD900 and 2 sec for SD800.
If consistent " shot to shot " time is needed, for the same camera, you may wish to ensure that your batteries are fully charged before every photographic session.
Betty38
You will not be able to use your old Minolta battery or its charger with the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The new camera does come with a charger of its own though as well as some other accessories ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ). Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
The Kodak V705, V610, and V570 all feature a unique-to-Kodak dual lens construction with a 23mm wide angle lens and a longer zoom lens.
The V705 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is a 7.3MP camera with a 5x optical zoom.
The V610 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is a 6MP camera with a 10x optical zoom.
The V570 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is a 5MP camera with a 3x optical zoom.
Hope this helps!
I'm sorry, I messed up. Of the cameras I listed, only the V705 has a 23mm wide angle. I got confused and thought that all of the dual-lens models featured the wide angle lens. Apologies!
I can't think of any other super compact cameras with a 24mm or wider lens, but there are several 28mm models. The Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), for example, has a 28mm wide angle with a 3.8x zoom, and also features optical image stabilization. Something to consider...
If you want widescreen movies, the Lumix LX2's movie mode takes full advantage of the 16:9 format with a higher-than-average movie resolution of 848 x 480 pixels at 30 frames per second with sound. It can also record with VGA (640 x 480) resolution at 4:3 (std TV), The wide screen is not “high definition".
The camera can easily be adjusted between 16:9, 3:2, and 4:3 settings. When shooting at 16:9 the camera uses all 10mp. When you flip to 3:2, resolution drops to 8.5 megapixels, at 4:3 it goes to 7.5 megapixels. Remember the camera uses the widest sections of the 16:9 10mp and crop shots for 3:2 and 4:3.
On-line price $400.
Another option is the Canon SD800. Image stabilization, 7.1mp and 3.8x lens (28 – 105mm) Another wide angle and besides it’s a Canon. Great in low light and will take movies with sound. Picture quality is GREAT. On-line price under $375
You can not go wrong with either. I am a Canon fan but for your use I recommend the LX2.
Happy movie and picture taking.
For a wide angle at 28mm I have already one model in mind: Olympus FE-200. Its 5x optical zoom is from 28-140mm, longer than both Canon SD800 IS and Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX2. It has almost all the good features such as IS and movies, and it costs substantialy less ($175 at J&R). The only downsides are: 1. It uses xD cards which cost more and not interchangeable with other more common memory cards; 2. It is slow according to some reviews. Any other reasons that I should not buy Olympus FE-200?
I personally prefer the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) because, frankly, I haven't found a brand that produces pictures as smooth, well-exposed, and sharp as Canon. However, these are both fine, fine cameras and I doubt you'd be going wrong with either of them. You've clearly already researched them and know they're very similar cameras, but you can get a side by side comparison of their specs here ( dpreview.com/reviews/compar... ).
The truth is, both of these cameras have some issues with image quality. The Canon has problems with corner softness at full 28mm wide angle, while the Panasonic (like all non-SLR Panasonics) has very high image noise levels, particularly in low light conditions. You can see side-by-side images taken with both cameras here ( picasaweb.google.com/chiend... ). The photographer has carefully staged and cropped photos taken with both so that you can directly compare their results in different lighting conditions.
Hope this helps!
I can't recommend a specific converter, but what you need is a step-down 220->110V converter. This page ( thailandguru.com/infra-elec... ) has a lot of useful info on what to buy and how to use it, but it also states unequivocably that it's always a better idea to buy products designed for 220V systems because there's always a potential to fry your 110V device, even with a perfectly good converter.
Give that page a good read and see if it answers your questions.
Good luck!
TechPower Premium battery charger will autoswitch between 110v and 220v and is designed for travellers in mind.
You may buy TechPower battery charger for Canon SD800 from Amazon.com
Of course, if you're also storing still pictures on the camera, then you could use a larger card than 1GB and get more video recording time, but you won't be able to get more than 1GB of video.
"One of the big complaints about the movie mode on Canon's previous cameras was the 1GB file size limit. When recording at the highest quality setting you'd hit that limit in a little over eight minutes. The SD800 brings good news to movie fans: the DIGIC III processor has allowed the file size limit to rise to 4GB. So now, you can record over 32 minutes of 640 x 480, 30 frame/second video with sound. Now that's more like it!"
According to that, you can't record as long as you want to, but most users don't have a memory card larger than 4GB (or even that large), so it translates to the same thing, I'm assuming.
Thanks for the clarification on this. Sometimes there is conflicting info out there and it's always good to get it straight.
I purchased (but have not opened the box) a San Disk Extreme III, 2.0 GB SD card.
Would the San Disk Ultra II, 2.0 GB SD card be a better choice for my purposes ?
a. double the speed of Extreme II
b. operates in a wider temperature range - from minus 25 degree C to plus 85 degree C.
c. a bonus of photo recovery software ( RescuePro ) should there be a need for it.
EG
Yes, I would certainly say you need a camera with a good IS system. Aside from that, I can't really think of any features that would benefit you on a boat. Perhaps weatherproofing? I don't know, though... most of the cameras that are advertised as weatherproof are unimpressive in just about every other area.
What kind of shooting do you want to do? Is long zoom important to you? Megapixels? (Hint: don't get hung up on these.) Is any type of memory card better for you than the others? Is a good macro mode a priority? Do you want wide angle? Anything you can tell me will help me help you.
Thanks!
Good luck!
That said, many people still prefer dealing with the single rechargeable battery rather than a whole mess of AA rechargeables. Basically, whichever one works best for you is the one you should go for.
Thanks for your help.
These are very well-matched cameras, both in terms of stats and in terms of reputation. As you can see from their pages here on DCHQ, both cameras are pulling around a 4.5 out 5 score from user reviews. Both cameras feature 10MP sensors, and both include 3x optical zooms.
Each camera has slight edges over the other. The N2 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has a beautiful 3" touchscreen LCD, though it's the same resolution (230,000 pixels) as the SD900 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )'s 2.5" non-touchscreen LCD. The SD900 has a better continuous shooting mode (2.1 frames per second compared to the N2's 0.8fps). The N2 uses Sony's proprietary memory stick storage format, and memory sticks are often more expensive than the SecureDigital cards that the SD900 uses. The N2 is lighter and smaller than the SD900, particularly in its thickness. Finally, the SD900 includes Canon's much-ballyhooed "face detection" technology, which actually allows you to maintain focus on your subject's face, even as they move.
My personal preference is for the SD900, but having used the N2's predecessor (the N1) I can say that the Sony is also a fine camera, and might even fare a little better than the Canon in low light/party situations.
Hope this helps!
These two cameras are pretty much tops in the ultracompact market. You might also consider the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), which has an optical image stabilization system that will get rid of a lot of low-light blur and save a lot of pictures.
My vote is still for the SD900, but you should consider the other two/try them in-hand at an electronics store.
Good luck!
This review ( dcresource.com/reviews/cano... ) of the SD800 IS says the LCD "is nice and sharp (not to mention bright). Outdoor visibility was above average, and in low light the LCD brightens automatically, making it easy to see your subject." User reviews both here ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and at Amazon ( amazon.com/gp/product/custo... ) seem to indicate that that's an accurate review.
As far as I know, SD850 is just the name given to the SD800 in some foreign markets. There is no difference between the two cameras.
Good luck!
If you put the camera in playback mode (represented by the blue arrow icon on the back of the camera) before you turn it on, the lens should stay retracted when you power it up. There is no way to shoot pictures without the lens protruding, though.
Let me know if this doesn't work and I'll investigate further.
Hope this helps!
thanks,
ruth
The SD800IS has a wide angle lens that makes it easier to capture more of the scene than the900
think zoom but in reverse. This is useful indoors where it can be hard to get everyone into the picture. The SD 800IS has image stabilization so it can take better pictures in lower lighting without using flash. The SD 800IS has less megapixels using the same size sensor as the 900 which is great for lower noise in pictures.
So far the 800 wins hands down, but
the SD800 does suffer from corner softness, which means that the pictures are in focus in the middle of the picture but out of focus towards the middle out. so in the end the 900 will take a better picture even if everyone is not in it or if some of them are blurry due to camera shake.
i would also consider the 700IS
which is less noisy than the other two and has image stabilization and a non-wideangle lens with less corner softness ... and it's cheaper
The SD900 isn't replacing the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )--these are two fairly different cameras.
The two differ in the following ways:
1. Pixels/CCD size. The SD900 is a 10 megapixel camera, and it uses a much larger (which in this case means better) CCD imaging sensor. The bump up in pixels matched with the bump up in sensor size should mean that the two cameras have roughly comparable image quality (assuming everything else is equal), but the SD900 will give you more real estate (more pixels) to work with (i.e. you can crop more while still retaining a fairly large image).
2. Lens/Zoom. The SD800 IS has a 28-105mm lens. 28mm means it's a wide angle, and 105mm telephoto means it has a zoom factor of 3.8x. The SD900 has a 37-100mm lens. 37mm is not wide angle (it's actually a narrower angle than the standard 35mm), and the 100mm telephoto means that it has a zoom factor of 3.0x. All of this means that while you'll get slightly tighter zoom shots with the SD900, you'll have a substantially wider zoom range with the SD800 IS, and you'll be able to take nice wide angle landscape and group shots.
3. Image stabilization. This is pretty much the most important difference. The SD800 IS has an optical image stabilization system, which means that the lens elements move to compensate for your accidental hand movement while shooting. This can greatly reduce image blur, especially when zooming or in low light conditions. For this feature alone, I'd pick the SD800 IS over the SD900.
These are both very good cameras, but I personally prefer the SD800 IS simply for its wide angle lens and image stabilization system.
Hope this helps!
He's given you all the info you need to choose a camera able to give you excellent pictures. If you wish to buy a Canon, you should always check out the Canon JAPANESE web pages to find out what's really going on; the North American distributor just wants to sell off his obsolete cameras for top dollar!
The Sd 800 is obsolete!! In Japan, Canon calls the SD line the IXY digital.
Here's the url to the next IXY/SD IS camera model, the SD 900IS:
web.canon.jp/Imaging/ixy900...
You'll notice that THIS camera REPLACES the "new-to-us" SD 900, and it has all the missing features that the SD 900 should have had in the first place. As near as I can tell, it was released in SEPTEMBER of 2006!
You can see the info on the IS feature here:
web.canon.jp/Imaging/ixy900...
While I cannot read Japanese writing, I can see from the picture that the IS system moves the lense element in 4 directions, and appears to move the sensor as well. There's enough English to figure out the most important features of each camera model. Most pictures will open up another page.
ADAM, here's the next SD/IXY in the line-up:
web.canon.jp/Imaging/ixy100...
dpreview.com/news/0609/0609...
* US name: Canon PowerShot SD800 IS Digital ELPH
* European name: Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS
* Asian name: IXY Digital 900 IS
And the IXY Digital 1000 is the SD900.
dpreview.com/news/0609/0609...
* US name: Canon PowerShot SD900 Digital ELPH
* European name: Canon Digital IXUS 900 Ti
* Asian name: IXY Digital 1000
Other reasons include alteration of the file format when a picture is read, modified and saved by the computer.
I would consider a faulty camera or Sandisk card as the last reason.
There are only four Canons with image stabilization, and only two of these are truly compact.
The S2 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and S3 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) are bigger cameras (not as big as SLRs, not as small as the A and SD series). They're very powerful cameras, (5 or 6MP sensors, 12x optical zoom, fast and intuitive operation) have good continuous shooting modes, very long battery life, and a class-leading video mode (in terms of quality). Unfortunately, the compression mode that they use for video is pretty inefficient--the longest you can get from these cameras at top quality is 8-9min per gigabyte. The S2 IS is limited to 1gb video files, while the S3 IS is unlimited (but obviously you're limited by your total card size--4gb or less). The S3 IS can shoot at 2.3 frames per second in continuous drive mode.
The SD800 IS and A710 IS are smaller and less powerful, but still very good.
The SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is the smallest image stabilized Canon. It's got a 7MP sensor, a 3x optical zoom, and the same image stabilization as in the S2 and S3, and a nice wide angle lens (28mm). It lacks most manual settings and is essentially a point and shoot camera. It can shoot 1.7 frames per second in continuous drive mode.
The A710 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is slightly larger than the SD800 IS. It's got a 7MP sensor and a 6x optical zoom. Unlike the SD800 IS, it offers full manual controls and has a sweet flip out and swivel LCD screen (as does the S3 IS). It can shoot at 1.7fps in continuous drive mode.
Hope this helps!
The A710 has a fixed LCD, it doesn't flip out.
Another Sony camera that is probably better fitted is the Sony W100 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) it has everything you are looking for plus more.
Check out the user reviews, they are both excellent cameras.
Good luck!
If you're looking for an ultracompact camera with fast shutter speed, natural flesh tone, strong flash, image stabilization, wide-angle lens, long battery life, good movie quality and ability to use large-capacity memory cards, the SD800IS is a good choice, too. If you were to try this camera out in a store, I'd suggest just putting it on auto, taking a picture of a person, and notice how responsive the camera is, and how amazing the image of the person appears. Very natural coloring. Great camera.
The Canon does have the best image stablization system out there too. I would go Canon for this reason and Memory card prices.
Good Luck
The photo quality is dropped than as compared to Canon's older version SD700. The image shows softness at edges and corner. less sharpness anything above ISO100.
Canon's DIGIC III processor's heavy noise reduction blurring away fine, contrast at higher ISO 200 and above.
It ove rexposes when shooting in bright,contrasty situation.
i have not seen review for Sony W100 intensively. But the few i have seen i think Sony W100 has red eye problem. As truly said the batteries/memory card are expensive. Memory card not universal.
Can you suggest me on this reviews/problems.
If you buy a Sony-anything, expect to add another $100 in a couple 2GB cards.
sorry about the car accident.
I like Nikon too but if we talk just about point and shoot cameras then it is not very important to stay with a specific brand.
If we compare the SD800 and S7c (or 7900) then I would prefer the Canon just because of the wide angle lens. 35 or 38 mm regular focal length is really not suitable for any indoors photography. 28 mm makes big difference. Image stabilization may be helpful if you often need to take pictures in low light without using flash.
But if the main criteria is to have something really solid, stylish and strong, then you might look for Leica.
When talking about ultracompacts, however, I don't think Nikon does as great a job. I can tell you from my few months with the SD800IS that, even on Auto, 95% of my pictures have been beautiful, and everyone's amazed when the find out it was from my ultracompact instead of a full dSLR camera.
I've already read the mixed reviews of the SD800IS. Sometimes I think some reviewers are just trying to repost professional reviews, which complain about edge-of-picture distortion, purple aberration, more blurriness than the SD700IS, etc... Barring getting a defective camera, I can't imagine anyone could complain about the SD800IS. It really is an amazing pocket camera.
The downside to the Canon is that it basically doesn't offer any manual control, while the FX50 does offer some. But you mentioned that you wanted things simple, so as long as you're happy with point and shoot, I think the SD800 will give you much better results for your purposes.
The SD 800 was rated as one of the worst digital cameras in the last year. The image quality is not as good as if I paint it!!!
Go right away for the Panasonic... or just buy the Canon SD 900. Go for some other camera, if not. I highly recomend Samsung NV7 OPS, or Ricoh Caplio R40 (which has a 28mm wide angle). If not... just pay some more and buy the Canon G7.
Hope this other point of view helps you,
Alan.
Sounds like people really like the SD800 to me.
Buy the SD900 instead, or even the A710 IS.
The SD 800 has a lot of noise despite the strong noise reduction... and because of this, it has not that sharp or contrasty images either.
My opinion is to look for the best image quality posible for the money, but also features, versatility and camera size.
In my opinion, buy the G7... if that's too much money, go for the SD900, or the A710 IS. In my opinion, I like more Panasonic cameras... but I would go fot the DMC-LX2 (but it's also much more expensive).
Keep on reading reviews, and comparing models. That's the way to know what you are buying, and why you are doing it.
Alan.
The SD800 IS has a lot of nice features and takes high quality photographs. Very high quality photographs for a camera you carry comfortably in your pocket.
Yes, its image isn't as sharp as the highly-acclaimed-for-its-sharpness SD700.
But that's only noticeable if you are printing out two poster sized printouts and comparing them side by side. Its a slight difference - not a huge difference.
The kind of person who can appreciate this difference is also the kind of person who knows what 20 seconds worth of work with an unsharp mask filter can do.
As for the slight barrel distortion and some of the edge problems, again, the kind of person who this matters to, knows how to adjust for it in seconds in post production.
To ninety five percent of the population, they wouldn't be able to see these things if you pointed to them!
The SD800 IS takes exceptionally nice photos for a point and shoot.
To joe citizen, it takes absolutely gorgeous pictures.
the "Image Flaws" which I consider technology limitations at the time of manufacture, which are discussed in the trade reviews are professional observations which need to be reported. Non are reported as huge problems though.
It depends on what you are shopping for.
But few people will tell you the SD800 takes anything less than great photographs.
Look at the sample pictures at the various testing sites.
Just look at those pictures!
Then go to a store and spend some time with the actual camera.
So, no, its not the very sharpest camera on the market.
But the photos it produces are sharp. To me - Very Sharp!
Its got a wider angle lens than the others
Its got image stabilization
It shoots in low light (ever see 400ASA film pushed to 1600ASA? - its grainy!)
it has all sorts of features which most people find extremely easy to use.
Its a quality product. The people in the stores will point to other brands when you ask which cameras come back the most?
Its got a great metering system.
Decide what you need from a camera
Then look at the samples at the sites that test all these cameras using the same set ups.
But don't "read all the reviews"
Reviews are hundreds of words - Pictures are worth thousands words.
If absolute sharpness is your priority - than seek out a camera that is the sharpest on the market. Of course people will be complaining that that one has too much contrast and produces harsh photographs.
A Cannon PowerShot SD800 IS takes beautiful photographs a professional will appreciate. No, its not a studio camera, its a fit in the pocket point and shoot, and its one of the best ones out there.. ..this week.
Hey - even dpreview rates it a "Recommended" Buy!
There isn't the kind of sample material for the Panasonic available on the internet yet, as there it for the Canon. So it is a bit difficult to compare the image quality of the two cameras.
Both these cameras are in the same price range and both these cameras offer a 28mm lens.
For you Joan,
My thoughts are to suggest you going to a store that caries both of these cameras
Take a picture of the same thing (whether it be cameras on the counter or the sales person in the same spot) (you could even bring in something protable that is similar in nature to your sculptures) using both cameras.
Do the same with the room or a part of a display area in the store.
There, you have your sculpture and your interior design.
Then, compare the two after they print the pictures out for you.
They should, without hesitation, print out the pictures for you on one of the printers they are trying to sell.
If there is something you see in one of the photos that bothers you (like shadow detail loss, or color shift, or burned out highlights, or etc...) ask the salesperson to adjust for that -- and watch and see if that is easily adjusted for.
For you Joan, I would think now that you narrowed it down to two fit-in-the-pocket point-and-shoot cameras, both with 28mm. and both at the same price point - it comes down to taking the pictures and looking at the pictures!
Good luck to you!
To increase from even 20 minutes to 2 hours, or from 20 minutes to 5 hours, that would mean factors of 6x and 15x, respectively. You really can't increase the output of a lithium-ion battery much, without increasing its physical dimensions. Since the battery has to fit INSIDE of the camera, it would be impossible to have these 6x and 15x increases in power.
So, if there is any scam going on, it sounds like it would be because they want to charge you for the 'fancy' batteries. This kind of operation makes me nervous! I would be tempted to cancel. Which web site is it?
If you can't or don't want to cancel, I would accept the '20 minute' battery. Assuming the camera and battery are new, the original battery from Canon should be satisfactory. If the dealer is one of the gray market specialists, then gosh knows what they might be sending you.
If it were me, I would like to see factory-fresh wrapping and seals on the box and items, just to make sure you are getting 'new'.
well, the website is digitalsuperdeals.com, and after a few hours we decided to try and call and cancel and buy from a regular retailer, but the man said the order has been processed and in order to refund us, they would have to charge 20% so we kept it, and for the inconvenience, he offered me a free 512 MB memory card.
I'm not very experienced with any form of cameras, but I figured, since they are some sort of independent company, maybe they took out the standard canon battery and put in a flimsy one, thats why they can sell the "good" battery back for $99 which actually made the total come out to what I would have paid- from, for instance.. best buy.
I just hope i see all the "canon" packaging once it arrives in the mail. He did say it came with a one year warranty.. so I'll just wait and see. Thanks again for your help.
I noticed on that site a 'magnet 2x telephoto lens' for $149.99. You can buy a complete Canon A530 camera with 4x zoom telephoto for less than that!
Just how refurbished IS that? What does that entail?
It would be one thing, if a MFG, like Canon, were selling directly to the public, and they had gone over the entire camera, and tested everything, including the battery, and then gave some kind of warranty with it.
I got a new Canon a few months ago, and the LCD had a removable piece of plastic protection. The pair of AA alkaline batteries that came with were wrapped in plastic, the 16MB mem card was sealed in plastic, the cables were in plastic. I know this because...they still are! I didn't need any of this stuff, I have another Powershot that came with the same accessories.
Let me know about the camera ...I'm thinking in getting a sd 800 too and digital superdeals is the chepest place ...for $260 including shipping....I'll call just in case and I'll ask if is a factory SEAL box !!!!
Thanks
PS what you are doing up at 3:41 AM with e-mails?? :)
i'm excited. im takin my camera out tonight.
Same with me though, we called just a little bit after and said no refunds.. but the guy gave me some free stuff because we were unhappy..
They shouldn't be able to do this anymore. I'm glad your camera was ok but sucks about the battery. If you know anyone else that had a problem tell them to contact the BBB.
In other words, "sealed in box" may or may not mean the same as buying the item at your local stores.
I bought the the SD800IS from beachcamera.com - excellent price and service. Still learning to use it so it's too soon to write a review.
But the biggest difference is the 'face recognition' feature in the 800. This feature will find the face (or faces) in a scene, and focus on those. Plus, the wider-angle lens (at 28mm) would make it easier to get group shots indoors.
The two cameras are nearly the same size and weight. Is the 800 worth the extra fifty bucks? Perhaps, if you want the 7 megapixel capability, and/or the face recognition feature.
Yes, you will probably have to use a photo editor from time to time. But if it is an important photo, wouldn't you be massaging the photo with an editor anyway??
I am wondering if the the Red-eye Reduction setting for the flash works OK at least part or most of the time?
And rather than using photo editing software on my computer, will direct to printer (Pictbridge/SD Card compatible) photo printing resolve whatever red-eye problems that the camera doesn't handle.
What higher quality photo printer works well for this purpose?
The problem with testing red-eye on live subjects (humans or animals) is that they MOVE! So you are never going to get the same photo. You take a photo of a person, and then you get no red-eye, and you wonder, 'well, maybe their eyes were looking in a slightly different direction this time'---so you never quite know for sure about the red-eye reduction scenario.
In the past year or two many models of printers that are geared primarily to photo printing have been introduced. Some of these might have some type of red-eye reduction built-in with the internal software. You could go check at hp.com or canonusa.com (or to whomever your favorite printer mfg. is) to research that topic. Or perhaps another responder can help with the printer issue, or you could even pose a brand-new question to get the printer topic visible at the 'lead line'.
the red eye reduction feature really does not solve the problem at all. The eyes themselves, lighting, contact lenses and glasses all effect the result. The only way to fix it is to use an appropriate software. Some of them, like Photoshop Elements, do it automatically in most cases and remove the redness completely. So do not look forward to spend any extra money trying to find a "magic" camera that helps in this case.
The information required is stated on the first line, input voltage.
In the event that the label cannot be read, for whatever reasons, and you do not want to take risks, there will be a lot of chargers for sale in the market for around $25-$45. Just make sure that it is meant for Canon SD800is and you would have no problem.
Or you could call Canon, look at the web site
canonusa.com
My first response was because I thought you were talking about the charger that came with your camera, specifically for the camera's battery. Now I realize you might have meant a generic AA battery charger.
The charger I own is multi-voltage, it adjusts automatically from 100 to 240 volts. It is a Maha C204W, I bought it 18 months ago. Best money I spent in a long, long time. This charger does AA's, AAA's, has a 're-conditioning' button, has a top-off routine, works internationally on voltages from 100 to 240 automatically, will charge up to 4 batteries 'in pairs'---which means that 2 batteries can be in the charger indefinitely, while YOU ADD two depleted batteries which then start charging with a different program, etc.
Check out thomas-distributing.com/ind... if you want one like that.
mdbaldwin11
Kycon
I sent an inquiry to Canon about this subject. This is their response:
Thank you for your inquiry. We value you as a Canon customer and appreciate the opportunity to assist you with your SD800 IS.
Your camera will accept both MMC (MultiMedia Cards) and SD (Secure Digital) cards. This includes newer SDHC memory cards that are over 2GB. Utilizing the newer SDHC or High Capacity cards, your camera
should be able to accept any size cards available on the market today as well as into the future, up to 2TB. Even though memory cards do not come in capacities as high as a terabyte, the camera is capable of accessing that amount of memory.
Unfortunately, due to the ever-increasing number of companies manufacturing and selling these cards, we cannot test and evaluate all the different brands, sizes, and speeds of cards available in the retail market. As such, we are unable to speculate as to the performance of the camera with a particular card installed, or to recommend a specific type of card.
Good thoughts. You said several sources stated that the faster cards would speed up the shutter release, and the shot-to-shot times. I can't quite envision speeding up the shutter release time, since the memory card really isn't in play until the button is pressed. When it is half-pressed, the camera reads exposure info, and also focuses, and then the shutter takes the photo, right?. AT THAT point, the data would be sent to the memory card. Maybe I'm missing something.
Naturally, faster throughput to the memory chip would enhance shot-to-shot time, but by a little, or a lot? My point is that is it worth it to spend a lot extra on a high-speed card, if your shot-to-shot time decreases from say, 1.5 seconds to 1.4 seconds? I suppose even a minute increase might be desirable to some people, regardless of cost.
Rich
I can't dispute what you say. I'm only stating what other people have said about this issue.
I'm sensitive to the amount of time it takes from the time you press the button to the time the shot is actually taken. According to most of the reviews the SD800 is quite good in this area. I've tried several cameras where a good shot can be lost because of the shutter delay. I take a lot of pictures of my three grandchildren ages 1,5, and 6, so you can probably understand where I come from. I'll spend a little extra if it speeds things up.
Hank
I thank you for your input; it's very informative. I've just found a review of the SDHC card by Tony Smith @ reghardware.co.uk/2006/12/0...
According to the test, the SDHC card is comparable with the Ultra II. What is your input on that?
Kycon
Thanks for the web link. I went there, and sifted thru it. (ASIDE: Why doesn't the color order on the chart MATCH the color legend at the bottom?@#!?? How tuff is that?? IS it just poor editing, OR are the descriptions at the colors mis-matched?) Also, at the bottom of the chart, there are additional comments about the SanDisk Ultra II card. QUOTE - "These numbers compare well to SanDisk's Ultra II, which is pitched as a high performance alternative to standard SD cards. The Ultra II's numbers: 3.73MBps for the on-card copy test, 6.97MBps for the copy-to-card run, and 8.47MBps for the copy-to-disk test."
So after re-reading and re-reading, I finally figured out that the "copy to card" description is the same as "copy on card" and that the SECOND item "copy to card" is the same as the THIRD item on the chart "Copy ON card", and the THIRD item "copy to disk" is the same as the SECOND item on the chart "read from card" (whew).
Hey, Tony Smith, can you kindly keep the nomenclature the same, to say nothing of keeping the ORDER the same throughout your piece, for the sake of the readers? Thanks!!!!
Frankly, I often wonder (when I see stuff like this) if the author is either so much in a hurry or else so disorganized or just too damn lazy (take your pick) that I wonder if the actual INFO is correct.
Anyway, assuming that the data are correct:
"Copy on Card" ---In my life, not useful. I suppose if you transfer photos back and forth to cards, to take to show to others on the their PC's, that might be useful. I do none of that, perhaps you do?
So the read and write speeds are the most critical, you will use those tasks the most. Particularly the write test, which matters during shot-to-shot times. On the 'read' speed test, it is almost a wash between the two SanDisk cards. However, on the 'write speed, there is considerable improvement, actually about 33% WITH THE SDHC card over the Ultra card.
However, due to wariness brought on by the author's bad organization, I would like to see other results that substantiate these results, before I believe them whole-hog.
Rich
You said "...However, on the 'write speed, there is considerable improvement, actually about 33% WITH THE SDHC card over the Ultra card." I'm confused as looking at the chart I see that the SDHC yields only 4.48 write to card compared to Ultra II which yields 6.97 write to card.
You are right. I got it backwards. In trying to make sense of it all, guess I was staring at the text, the chart, the numbers and the legends for so long I forgot which end is up...
Rich
Good Luck
I've had no fuzziness except when recording at 105mm (farthest zoom) in lower light. But that's expected.
Well, 10 megapixels versus 7 megapixels does not really give you any advantage. You can have pretty good poster of 20x30 inches if you have only 6 MP. What makes the real difference here is the SD800 wide angle lens. If you ever want to take indoor or group or architecture pictures then the SD800 is the one you need.
check out canonusa.com
Any suggestions???
This is a very good question. As you said, the SD600 covers much of the same territory as the SD800 IS, and costs quite a bit less. So why should you choose the SD800? Well, there are a couple of possible reasons:
1. Wide angle lens. The SD800 IS has a 28mm wide angle, which is significantly wider than the SD600's 35mm. This means that with the SD800 you'd be able to get much better crowd and landscape shots.
2. Image stabilization. This is the big one, really. The SD800 IS offers a great optical image stabilization system--in essence the lens elements move when your hand moves, in order to compensate for unintentional shakiness in your hands. The result is dramatically improved sharpness and much reduced blur, particularly in low light. It's a great advance in digital camera technology and should be the norm pretty soon (Panasonic, for instance, already includes it on every one of their Lumix cameras).
Those are the big two. There are several other smaller differences between the two. The SD800's LCD screen is a bit better than the SD600's (same size, higher resolution). The SD800 offers both 3:2 and 4:3 aspect ratios for shooting, while the SD600 only offers 4:3. The SD600 does have a slightly better continuous drive shooting mode.
Personally, if you want a simple, small point and shoot with good quality shots, and price is a worry, I'd say the SD600 is plenty of camera for you. The SD800 has a lot of perks, but I'm not convinced it's worth double the price.
Hope this helps!
THANKS!
Given the fact that you don't like to use flash and you're taking extreme closeups, the SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) seems like the best choice here. It has a 3cm macro focus range, which paired with its 7MP sensor should give you plenty good results with lots of room to crop. The biggest bonus it has, however, is the optical image stabilization system, which will really help you out when you're shooting non-flash handheld at close range. The lens elements will actually move to compensate for the movements of your hand, and will this save a lot of shots from blur (particularly in indoor lighting).
Hope this helps!
Thanks!
Rick
These are indeed all genuine Canon products, but they're not all the same camera. These are two cameras. The confusion here is from the naming conventions Canon uses for different countries, so I'm going to use the US names as the base here.
1. SD700 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) (also known as the IXY/IXUS SD800)
2. SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) (also known as the IXY/IXUS SD850 IS)
You can get a side-by-side comparison of the cameras' stats here ( dpreview.com/reviews/compar... ). Here are the key differences:
1. The SD800 IS has slightly higher resolution (7.1MP vs. 6.0MP).
2. The SD800 IS has a 28mm wide angle lens, while the SD700 IS has a basic 35mm lens. (This means it can take better crowd/landscape shots.)
3. Both have a 2.5" LCD screen, but the SD800 IS's is higher resolution.
Hope this helps!
I did sort of cover that in my reply, but yes, that's exactly what's going on here. In Europe and Southeast Asia, they use one naming convention (IXUS). In Japan they use another (IXY). And in the US, another (ELPH).
According to the wikipedia page for the line, the only different comes in the form of the front faceplate. All the other parts are identical. As far as I can tell, the differences are merely marketing choices.
Thanks for the complete answer. Someone out there always seems to have the answer.
Thanks for taking the time to answer my question.
so the US version and none US version does have difference?
Honestly, ANY digital camera execpt the very best dSLRs will get very noisy at ISO 1600. Most are already showing significant noise at ISO 800, some as low as 400.
The SD800 is by far the better camera here. It offers a host of little improvements over the SD700--a wide angle (28mm) lens, Canon's "face detection" capability, a higher resolution LCD, the ability to shoot in either 3:2 or 4:3 aspect ratio. The first two will be especially handy. The wide angle lens will allow you to more easily capture big crowds and wide landscape shots, and the face detection really helps to shoot a human subject in motion, as it locks onto a face and keeps focus on that face whether it's moving or not.
Hope this helps!
For an extra $75, the SD800 is a smaller camera, and has image stabilization, and one "stop" higher max ISO setting, and is NOT encumbered by the pointless 10MP of the A640 :-). To me, these are worth the extra money, although sometimes smaller is not better. The A640 takes 4 AA batteries, and this gives the camera a nice grip that makes it easier to hold. As to the AA batteries; some people swear by them, some swear at them :-)
To back this up, I had a friend who travels the world frequently and takes lots of photos. He was pretty adamant that his camera had AA batteries. Recently he bought a Nikon SLR, which only takes Lithium Ion rechargeable batteries (like the SD800) and returned from his most recent trip with a change of heart -- he said he was amazed at how many shots he could get from a single battery and even though he had brought several spares, he only had to use the second one after 4 days of shooting. I hike for days with my Canon 10D, and a few spare Lithium Ions is all I have ever needed. Different cameras, to be sure, and the battery in the SD800 is certainly going to be smaller and take fewer shots.
You can get third-party "NB-5L" Lithium batteries for your SD800 at about $30. Canon claims that with the LCD off you'll get 600 shots, and with it on you'll get 270 shots out of one battery.
Performance from AA batteries is comparable, albeit a bit heavier.
Bottom line, either will do. I would go with the SD800, personally.
I don't like the bulkiness or the battery requirements of the Canon A-series cameras. I know it's a preference, but I'd give all thumbs to the SD800IS.
For further information, log on to
dpreview.com/reviews/specs/...
Thanks for your response though! Any other ideas?
Can you swap cards?
Image Stabilizer
7.1 Megapixel
2.5" color LCD
6x Optical
However, after realizing what I really use it for, I think I would be better off with something smaller and easier to carry around, which I might lean towards the SD800 IS or SD700 IS.
I also currently own a Nikon D50 which I use when I need an SLR.
Between the SD800 IS or SD700 IS, is the SD800 IS mainly intended more for wide angle use since the SD700 has a longer focal length (140mm compared to 105mm)? Noticed also the SD800 IS has a fast shooting speed compared to the SD700 IS.
Looked at the SD900, but noticed it doesn't have any IS. Also, just realized the A610 I currently have, has the 1/1.8 sensor, but the SD700, SD800, A710 IS, and many of the other recent Canon models had the 1/2.5 " Type CCD. Any idea with what gives as to why they dropped to the 1/2.5 " Type CCD after the A610/A620? Seems the recent replacement for the A620, the A640, has the 1/1.8 sensor.
Any comments/feedback would be appreciated.
Smaller sensor? Cheaper, less space.
If you want something supercool---and can wait---how about the PowerShot TX1? It is the size of a deck of cards, all-metal, 7MP, and shoots hi-def movies. $499. Supposed to be out mid-March in Australia (who knows why?) and in April in the US.
I might blow my birthday money on THAT one.
Do you think the G7 is overpriced for what it offers?
The 800IS does have the smaller sensor, but in typical pictures, I wonder if there really is any noticeable difference?
I think a significant plateau has been reached in the digital camera world, similar to what happended to PCs a few years back. When PCs were introduced about 1977, every new model with a new processor provided a noticeable improvement in speed. PC hobbyists like myself upgraded along the way, sometimes as often as every year. This pattern continued until 200?, when PCs were FAST enough and had plenty of MEMORY to suit just about everyone. So why upgrade? Indeed, as an example, sales of Microsoft Vista are slow.
So now that digital cameras (and digital printers!) have gotten to the point where the average amateur photographer can take excellent photos with your basic 4-5MP point and shoot camera, and then easily print these, with or without a PC, I feel that the digital camera 'upgrade cycle' is coming to an end. Sure, a camera owner might want to 'trade up' to another camera, because the new LCD is 3" instead of 2"---but eventually, people with say, a 5-7 MP camera, with 4-10 zoom, and a 3" LCD, ARE NOT really going to be in some big hurry to get the same model with just a boost to 10 or 12 MP.
The G7 should take better pictures, although the 800 has a few advantages: the Digic III processor (faster throughput) and the face recognition focusing.
As for the SD700 compared to the SD800, seems like the SD700 offer better imagine quality and is almost a better camera than the SD800.
I had heard that there may not be another camera in the G-series line and that the G7 may be the last...any word on this?
What is a good +6MP ultracompact?
First of all, I'd recommend staying far, far away from SVP's products. If you'd never heard of them before you started looking at cameras, that's because their cameras are cheap knockoffs that no major sites/retailers carry and no major review sites would consider reviewing. You'd be much better off saving your money and buying something from a known brand name.
...which is not to say that every model from the big names is a winner.
The NV3 is a very nice camera. It has superior build quality (feels "like it was carved from a block of metal," as one review put it), takes very good shots, and has lots of extra features like mp3 and video capability, and can view text files as well. It has a huge, sharp LCD screen and a handy anti-shake feature (which does slow down shot-to-shot time quite a bit, unfortunately).
Other 6MP+ ultracompacts you might want to consider:
Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )
Panasonic FX01 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )
Sony N2 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )
Hope this helps!
Thank You
Thank You
Thank You :)
If you're looking for a compact camera, I would not recommend the Panasonic FZ50 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It will be closer in size to your SLR cameras. The Canon SD800 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does stay at 28mm at the widest angle, so that may be an advantage for you. It is also slightly smaller. I love the ELPH that I have (S230 thats 5 years old), and it still captures great images. I'm sure you'll find the 7.1 megapixels compliment the 28mm lens just fine. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
Am I crazy to wait? Any word on whether a thinner version of the SD800 (with better image quality and keeping the IS) will be out any time soon?
Thanks,
Mike
With this camera being only recently released, you will mostl likely have a year, two or even more to wait before an updated version comes out. If you like the features, I'd say get this one. If you can wait, and you have a good camera now, then I would say wait. Good luck.
Andrew
Anyone else?
Mike
I'd also say to go for the SD800IS. I did, and have no complaints.
This will be the first camera I have ever purchased and I want to make the right choice. Is the Canon really a better camera or will I not notice the difference? If it helps you to answer, I think most of my pictures will be outdoors on hikes and at the beach. Thanks for your help.
Super zooms are characterized by powerful zoom lens, in this case, FZ50 can zoom up to 420mm equivalent, whereas 800is stops at 140mm equivalent.
In layman's term, FZ50 has a lens nearly 3 times the zoom range of 800is.
FZ50 actually should be compared to Canon S3is which is also a super zoom.
Back to your needs, FZ50 or S3is will be more suitable for you if you hike a lot and want to zoom in to distant objects from the hills, or zooming in to birds & wildlife that you can't get too close for a picture.
Close on the question, or do you need anything else, Jim?
Personally as a Pro I will tell you that image stabilization in consumer cameras are over rated and more of a marketing ploy. If you are young and do not have nervous shaky hands, that feature is not going to do allot for you. Especially with a 3x-4x optical zoom lens. It would be more helpful if you had a camera with a 10x optical lens, then it will help you hold a steadier shot better.
As far as the red eye effect goes, its very common with point and shoot cameras, because the flash is to close in alignment with the lens. The flash hits the subjects eye and bounces back into the lens. How the the reduction works is, the camera sends off two-three tiny bursts of flashes before the main flash goes off. The tiny pre-flashes makes the eye pupils shrink before the powerful main flash burst. The smaller the eye pupils the less chance they will turn red when the main flash goes off. I have done a better job with putting a lens cleaning tissue in front of the flash and softened the shadows at the same time.
I am sure the overall picture quality are good in all of them, so your concern should be if you need other specific features that would help take better pictures in multiple scene situations like, night shots, fast shutter speed modes for action shots, and most important manual controls. A sign of a good camera is manual functions. The more manual function options a camera has the more versatility the camera can offer. That's a sign of good overall performace.
Happy Shopping!
This isn't really answering your question, but I just wanted to give my two cents: don't give up on Canons because of the E18. I do agree that the E18 error is a big problem, but it doesn't happen to every Canon, and it doesn't happen to every consumer. The thing is (and this makes me sound pretty pessimistic, but it's true) all digital cameras have their quirks and problems, so it's hard to choose one on the basis of avoiding possible problems. Sonys and Nikons, for example, get 'lens error' problems that are very similar to the E18 error. Kodaks have their own quirks, as do Fujis. The thing is that (at least partially due to Canon's popularity), the E18 error has been extremely well publicized, so everyone hears about it rather than the other problems with other brands. I'm not trying to suggest that all digital cameras are riddled with huge problems, because it really isn't all of them that these things happen to (plenty of people own Canons, myself included, and have never experienced the E18). But I've heard plenty of people say "I will never buy Sony/ Kodak/ Fuji again!" based on errors, so avoiding Canon just to avoid the error may not be the best plan, as you might just have something else happen with another brand.
Have you been to the website www.e18error.com? Give it a look if you haven't, since it is very helpful in terms of learning about this problem. There are lots of 'at home' fixes people are trying; it also gives you status updates and gives you an idea of what cameras are having the problem more often. Finally, it gives you some ideas on how to avoid the E18- for example, rough handling of the lens or allowing dust or dirt to enter the lens mechanism seems to be a major contributor to whether or not the E18 happens. I think this is the main reason many people can't get Canon to replace their cameras under warranty- Canon is able to say that the error is due to mishandling because of these factors. While that sure doesn't speak very well of their customer service, it does tell you that being gentle with your camera can help you avoid the error. Of course, that's all just my opinion. But based on the questions I answer here, I just wanted you to know that I hear about many problems just as prevalent (if not more) than the E18.
Hope that helps.
In my opinion this part is a weak spot on the Z2, anyway Konica-Minolta shut down their camera division i 2005, and now I'm unable to get spare parts.
Now I want to buy the new SD950, and I'm not worried about E18.
Kr Michael
Why are ? Am I the only one who insists on a veiwfinder of outdoo sunny conditions? Beach, ski mountain? This winter I ran into about three separate people on the mountain who told me they could neither see the picture they were taking nor review it immediately after. Just too much sun. Why are we consumers allowing this?
Mainly, the A710 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has a longer zoom but the SD800 can go wider (35 - 210mm on the A710, compared to 28 mm to 105 mm on the SD800); the SD800 is also more compact (and more expensive). Both are excellent cameras. I would recommend the A710 for more general purposes and for close-ups, and the SD800 if wide angle is your main concern. Also, just to make your life more complicated, the A710 can take conversion lenses, and it offers more manual controls- if you just do basic point and shoot, either camera will work, but if you want to control the aspects of the shot the A710 will suit you better. I do think that the SD800 performs faster, particularly when shooting with flash.
Hope that helps!
You can find this table at the Lexar site.
A similar table is found in this article :
digiprintuk.com/information...
or at Cnet site :
cnet.com.au/digitalcameras/...
Based on the table, your will need a 1gig card to get approximately 250 pictures for your camera. To be on the safe side, get a 2 gig card and you have no worries. The calculation assumes you are taking pictures in the best quality possible with your camera. At lower qualities, you can actually take much more pictures with a 1 gig card.
Here's what one review states:
"Overall quality is excellent, with movies very smooth and showing few compression artifacts. The AVI files are large - at the best quality setting (640x480 / 30fps) you're burning around 1.7MB every second, so if you intend to shoot a lot of movies you're going to need to invest in some big, fast SD cards. The old 1GB limit has now been lifted to 4GB too."
But there's a downside:
"You cannot use the optical zoom during filming, but you can use the digital zoom."
It won't compete with a full one camcorder, mind you, but I think Canon makes pretty good stuff.
My recommendation is downloading PICASA 2 by Google. It's an amazing photo editor software and it's free! Another option is Adobe Photoshop Elements. But only if you want to do a lot of photo editing. Basic stuff can easily be handled by Picasa. It's fabulous photo management software.
As for the Panasonic TZ3... I hope you plan to use it in bright light, because Panasonic's noise-reduction is way overdone and can ruin even smaller pictures. Great for in the light, though.
Sam
I needed to replace a lost SD600 and was at costco and saw the Panasonic TZ3 and was amazed by it's features to decided to go for it over a canon.
After using the TZ3 for a full weekend I am disappointed. The camera is fun and full of cool features, but I found it's image quality to be no where near my SD600 and previous canon compact cameras. I had high hopes for the TZ3 with the 10x optical zoom, but first and foremost I want a camera that achieves the quality of pictures I have become accustom to with the canon line.
To be specific, the TZ3 works good in proper light. However, the image quality deteriorates dramatically in lower light situations. The images seem dull and over exposed. I played with several scene modes and settings that helped a little but not enough to please me.
I expect I will return the camera to costco and purchase another canon.
Anything else you need to know, or can we close the question, walker?
Will the IS function or better flash help take better photos at night or will I still need a tripod?
Also, can someone recommend a good SD card, the brand and type please?
Also, shutter speeds at night are quite slow. Two settings that can increase the shutter speed (with consequences) are ISO and Aperture. The larger the aperture (eg F4 is bigger than F8), the more light gets in and the shorter time is needed for the exposure. With ISO, the higher the ISO (eg ISO 400 is higher than ISO 100), the more "sensitive" the camera is to light and therefore (once again), less time is needed for exposure.
The consequences of faster shutters with bigger apertures are the loss of depth of field (you can see this in images with an in focus foreground and out of focus background. Can also produce softer images). The increasing of ISO in all cases will increase grain (or digital noise) which will degrade the image quality somewhat.
A tripod is recommended for night shooting (even with flash for me). Also make sure your camera is in auto mode and if the Sony has a night setting, use this as it will pre-set features for you to accommodate the decrease in light.
One thing to mention, though, is that all cameras are not created equally when it comes to low-lighting conditions. I believe the SD800IS is better than the Sony T-models in low-light. I also believe the Fuji Finepix 31FD is better than the Canon SD800IS with low-light, too (moreso than the difference between the T7 or T10 with the SD800IS).
The Canon SD800IS is a great camera, even in low light. But if you're going to take the majority of your pictures in low-light, you may want to consider the Fuji 31FD.
dpreview.com/reviews/specs/...
In an ultracompact, you have to look at sensor size, as well as the image stabilization (which can help the motion blur by up to 2 F-stops). The Canon SD800IS also has a better noise reduction than the Sonys, IMO.
So to answer your question, I think your problems with the Sony cameras are part camera, definitely no flash, and no image stabilization or tripod. (Keep in mind, though, that if your subject is moving, no tripod will help avoid blur... only a higher ISO to take the snapshot faster will minimize blur, which will result in a noisy image. You can clean it up some in post-processing, though. You can't fix blur.)
As to memory cards... the SD cards are becoming so cheap, that it pays to get the best brand name and avoid the no-names. I'd prefer the SanDisk HC cards, preferrably a 4GB. You should have no problem getting one for <$50, especially if you hold off for a sale. Also opt for a higher speed, but don't pay a killing for top-of-the-line speed, as you won't notice the improvement vs. the cost you'll pay.
Is there no circumstance in which your up button works, or does it only not work in menus?
Thanks
What exactly do you mean by a "landscaping program"? Do you mean a program to create panoramics?
Thanks.
You might also get by with a wide-angle shot, which the SD800IS also does.
Check out what you can do with the SD800IS by looking at Image 4 at this site: amazon.com/gp/product/custo...
1) This whole ISO thing is at the behest of the marketing people. Above 400 you're going to get noise (grain etc). I'm still at a loss to explain what possible use I'd have for 1000 let alone 3200.
2) The image stabilization is by no means over rated. With digital phitography it's an absolute necessity in low light situations and if you have any tremor at all in your hands it will show up in blurs if you don't have IS. In my opinion, before long, any camera without IS will be considered a dinasoar.
I personally have chosen the Canon SD 800 for those very reasons
I'm EXTREMELY satisfied with the SD 800, and ISO is only one of the reasons.
far better and cheaper is the panasonic fz3
reasons:1 lumix cameras have a very good optical stabilizer
2. they have special modes for babies
3. they have a good spot focusing mode
Good Luck
The SD750 is a great camera, that takes great pictures, especially in good light. But you can get all the features on the SD800IS, including (IMHO) a lot of important other ones, for the same price. Definitely the SD800IS.
The SD1000 is about a 1/4 inch thinner, though, if that means anything.... And about $50 cheaper.
Ideally a camera would have both options. Panasonic has that in it''s latest introduction TZ2 I believe.
As to which of the Canons to choose from, that's a toss up. Do some reviews and you can better decide. I think the SD800 is a winner but that's just me.
Hope this helps.
Canon Sd800 is a hi-tech camera that will handle most normal situations. It won't deal well with being dropped or man handled. It also has a 4% failure rate with the dreaded error 18 that canon won't back up. If rough handling is in your futire you might want to consider Sony, Panasonic or some of the other brands. I'm not a big fan of Olympus but that's just me.
I also find long times between shots to be a PITA. With advances in technology, those cameras will soon be dinasoars.
Hope I've confused you adequately... LOL
Hope that helps!
Matt, is the difference of the sharpness really noticiable between 2 models?
You even have the option of increasing the sharpness of the Canon's. From what I've heard, +1 sharpness from default is the best. I don't mind the softness, because it gives the pictures more of a "real" look, instead of the high-sharpness, almost unreal pictures. But, good news, you can have it either way!
The steady price of the SD700IS is testament to how good the camera is. To say the SD800IS isn't as good isn't a fair comparison, since you're getting the wide-angle lens, too. But anyway, you will not notice a difference for all intents and purposes.
Ready to close on this question, mike?
1) Put the W90 on ebay and get the SD800.
2) Look into a good editing program such as Picasa 2 or whatever. You'd be surprised at the editing possibilities these days.
#2 choice really isn't an option. I'm not that impressed with Sony cameras either, but love my SD800IS. Best of luck.
also, camera is very noisy while taking pics. Also, there is a noise everytime I review pictures. Do I have a lemon?
Iso 80 will yield photos with no noticeable noise normally. If there is then you may have a problem though I think it is limited to lighting, so play around also with the lighting settings if u still have noisy photos.
The current marketing rage is ultra high ISOs. Not really worth a flip IMHO. Take Mikes advice and/or stick with the auto settings until you get to know your camera and what it will and won't do.
Personally speaking... I'm wondering what in gawds name anyone would ever use an ISO setting above 400 let alone 3200. Sheesh!
What size prints can you get at night using the 1600 ISO? It's generally conceded that anything much over 400 pretty much limits the print size.
I am thinking of getting either Canon SD800 or A710. I like the SD800 more because of the wide angle which fits our needs -- we take group pictures on almost all holidays, and also our 2 boys are in soccer, basketball, and school plays. My brother who has a SD800 and didn't recommend me it because of the white spots that he has on his pictures that he still doesn't know how to get rid of. He recommended me the A710 instead.
I want the one that give me the better quality in pictures---sharp and bright but true color. Which one of these would give me that?
Don't keep trying to get satisfaction from the dealer. Go directly to Canon support.
canon: Since the powershot SD800IS digital camera has the DIGIC III processor using
high ISO setting will provide less noise than our older processor. Set the
camera to "M" mode and try turning the flash off and increasing your ISO speed
to 800 or higher
Hi,
The advice given below is not helpful because most of my pictures are taken
indoors in low light conditions therefore I need the flash... I take
pictures of salsa dancers in club or shows... Theres at least 50% of my
pictures that have white specks on them.. I do not think that its normal
for
a camera of that price and reputation. I really not satisfied with this
product... It's the first time that I use a camera that documents dust in
the air... the shop owner does not want to take it back and give my money..
so now IM stuck with an expensive camera that I cannot use... I would you
guys to do something cause Im really frustrated!!!!
>
>
>
Canon: Thank you for your E-mail inquiry regarding your PowerShot SD800 IS
digital
>camera. This phenomenon is likely caused by the flash reflecting off of
>dust particles in the air.
>
>If the flash is used in environments where dust particles are in the air,
>it can reflect off of particles close to the camera. This flash
reflection
>may appear as unusual white circles in your captured images. To prevent
>this from occurring you may consider capturing images without the flash.
>As long as there is sufficient lighting in the scene your images will be
>exposed correctly. To obtain additional information on disabling the
flash
And turning the flash off in some situations is just not an option, especially when your target is moving! A tripod won't prevent the blur from a longer shutter speed on a moving target! And an ISO higher than 800, while reducing the shutter speed, will produce very noisy pictures to where anything larger than 4x6" prints are out of the question.
Your flash should work, and it should work correctly. You may have a defective camera, and I'd insist on a new camera to at least verify this problem is inherent in all of them.
Best of luck with Canon customer service. Have you had the camera for long? You should be able to at least send it in for repairs free of charge if you're inside the warranty period. I've read a few customer reviews that gave the camera a 1/5 stars, but then came back to give it a 4/5 or 5/5 stars after they got their camera repaired...
so I writting a formal complaint... cause canon customer service said that all this is quite normal... and im kindda tired of this back and forth thing... heres a link the last pic is an example
forums.steves-digicams.com/...
Cute girls in your picture, though! :)
it must be only the higher zoom cameras that have the digital finder.i prefer the opticle. fred
Many thanks to the excellent answers posted on this website.
I love the way my night-flash pics come out (warm, faces show up fine, but colors not washed out and lighting in background remains true to life natural).
Shooting Modes
Auto, Camera M, Special Scene (Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot), Color Accent, Color Swap, Digital Macro, Stitch Assist, Movie.
Also here is the link for where found it. usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...
Here is the link Valerie, just copy and paste. Have a nice day
software so i can hook up my digital camera
can i do that on this web site
Take Oceana, for example, the site can be <a href=" canon.com.au/drivers/index.... at this location</a>
One point to note is some cameras are sold under different names in different countries. So if you buy your camera in US, it is better to go the Canon site at US to look for downloads under support & service.
Just type canon.com will let you choose the region/countries.
usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...
I can not find find such Sony camera in any markets. Maybe you mean w80 or w90?
About the Canon cameras. Well, the 800is is much more advanced than the 1000. The main advantage of the 800 is wide angle lens that makes the camera handy for architecture, group and indoors photography. It also has better zoom, image stabilization and optical viewfinder.
this site will serve all your needs to the questions with the Canon SD800
I agree, the SD800IS is a brilliant camera.
Pass on the SD1000, IMHO.
congratulations! paris in the spring how romantic!
as to to the camera
i would say the panasonic is the best and the the easiest to use.
panasonic.co.uk/high-zoom/d...
here is a picture taken using a tz1 .the latest model isthe Tz3.
flickr.com/photos/7232802@N...
if you prefer an optical view finder try
pixmania.co.uk/uk/uk/536231...
here is photo taken with a sony camera
flickr.com/photos/mendel/20...
Congratulations:) <A HREF="dpreview.com/reviews/compar... a link comparing all three cameras side-by-side for an easier comparison.
They all have things I like and dislike, which is typical and makes it even harder when you're trying to choose a camera. You can just never seem to find a camera that has absolutely everything you like. Guess that's sods law.
For these three particular cameras it's easier for me to say what I don't like about them from the comparison:
The Panasonic has a lower max. resolution.
The Nikon only has 4:3 image ratio
The Panasonic only has 6MP
The Panasonic has a slightly smaller sensor
The Nikon only has 38mm wide angle
The Canon only has 105mm zoom (it does have "face detection" focusing though which is excellent!)
The Panasonic doesn't have continuous shooting
Anyway you'll see the major differences in the comparison.
So for me personally, it would have to be between the Canon and the Nikon and I would go for the Canon for it's wide angle of 28mm and it "face detection" focusing system.
Hope this helps and good luck:)
Mark
Added note: Here's something about face detection which I think is really important for people shots:
"Canon's newly improved Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction to give you better, more true-to-life people shots. Simply press the Shutter Button halfway down, and the camera automatically pinpoints the faces in the scene and chooses the ideal focus point. To keep every face looking bright and natural - without scary red eyes - the camera controls exposure settings and flash, so every shot is just what you were shooting for."
Considering the Canon SD800IS is ~$300 (I have this camera, and it's AMAZING, but no optical zoom besides the typical 3x is the only fault for you). It does have the 28mm equivalent wide-angle lens, which comes in handy more than you'd think. The "blurriness" or "softness" at the edges supposedly due to the wide-angle lens in such a small body is only noticeable for when you're going to blow up a picture to at least 16x20" or so. Read the review at www.dpreview.com.
All-in-all, read these two reviews and take your pick, they're both amazing cameras:
dpreview.com/reviews/panaso...
dpreview.com/reviews/canons...
Make sure to check out www.amazon.com to see other new camera-users' pictures of the SD800IS and TZ3, so you get a taste of amateur pictures and not always professional ones (let's face it, when turning to a new camera, you won't be a professional with the camera for awhile, and the point-and-shoot auto mode will be a life saver more often than not!)
The Nikon S50 has been getting "average image quality" complaints from new buyers, and some returning it for the SD800IS that they're happier with. Just advice, but if you opt for the SD800IS, make sure to buy 1-2 extra batteries so you never have to worry about low battery. You can get off-brand ones for about $12 off amazon.com. I myself bought 2 extra ones, and they're perfectly fine.
Either way, get a minimum of 2GB memory card (highly suggest 4GB) so you don't have to tediously download them to a computer or switch cards/carry extra cards with you.
ENJOY PARIS, AND CONGRATULATIONS!!!
Do you mean the SD800 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), or am I blanking on another camera that is named S800? If you do mean the SD800, the wide angle is cool and the size is going to be smaller than the A640, but the A640 will probably be a bit faster (and a little rougher/tougher if you're hard on your cameras at all). Both are fantastic cameras for the price and both have really good image quality; the A640 may be slightly better in low light no-flash situations.
I like the SD 800 because of the wide angle but my brother who owns one of this camara told me that he got white spots on some pictures and still doesn't know why and how to correct it. I saw one of the question specifically asked about the white spots but the response didn't address it.
Please help provide your quick responses since I need to buy one right away for next Thursday's school fieldtrip. Thanks.
What it comes down to is 2 things: Do you want the smaller size, fit-in-pants-pocket camera (SD800IS)? Do you want the larger 6X optical zoom (A710IS)?
Both cameras offer great picture quality and image stabilization. The choice is yours. For possibly a final decision option, read the reviews from www.dpreview.com. They are very informative. You'll probably want to disregard all his information about 100x cropping and whatnot, but the basic idea is in his reviews. Very honest.
Personally, I'd go with the SD800IS, simply because if I wanted a bulky camera, I might as well get a dSLR. It also has 28mm zoom, which is essentially wide angle, which will be great indoors.
what about the white spots? Is it because of dirtly lense or lightning problem?.
Note:
please do not support digitalnerds.com, they used words like "tight a$$", proceded to call me an idiot, and hung up on me.
Whoever said 20 minutes needs to find another vocation... like washin' dishes.
Checkout the link to the New York Times coverage:
donwiss.com/pictures/Brookl...
Report them to the Better Business Bureau, etc! Their sites need to be shut down and Black Balled!
P.S. I've already taken 100 pictures after charging this battery, and been playing around with the features (just bought it), and it hasn't mention anything about the battery even being low. I'm guessing 300 shots on a battery.
It took about 200 pictures, with LCD screen on at all times, flash on over half the time, and using the camera to learn its features without taking pictures, with the LCD still running.
Not bad :)
donwiss.com/pictures/brookl...
Thanks Again,
Greg
ic3.gov
When I order on-line I use what amounts to a one time use credit card number. With MBNA (now Bank of America) it is called "Shop Safe". If you get a card through them (other companies my have the same thing) you go to their web site and generate a new number from your account with a maximum amount and an expiration date of your choice.
From what I've read the SD800 IS doesn't support mpeg format.
However, do u know of any limitation in this camera itself. i.e. the camera can record only upto 10 mins or 15 mins even if memory is available?
I even heard from few people that this camera can record only upto 3 mins.
I can recommend, however, the Olympus SP550-UZ ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It has this feature along with being able to edit color to b/w, sepia, and a wide variety of other features including image stabilization, 18x zoom, 7.1 mp picture resolution, and my personal fav - 15 fps burst mode. I've been testing one and so far I am quite pleased with it.
That lithium battery won't lose it's charge just sitting like ni-cad or AAs. You'll be pleasantly surprised at just how many pics you'll be able to take on one charge. That being said, a back up battery isn't a bad idea.
Just to confuse us all, the SD850 is an update to the SD700 IS, rather than a more advanced version of the SD800 IS. So if you've taken a look at the SD700 IS already and decided it doesn't suit your needs, the SD850 may not either. It has the 35-140mm lens of the SD700 (as opposed to the 28mm-105mm lens of the SD800) and has more pixels on the LCD screen (230K vs. SD700's 173K). Also has increased megapixels... unfortunately, the image sensor size has remained the same, so this isn't that much of an upgrade. The 8 megapixels are shooting over a 1/2.5 sensor, the same sensor used in the SD700's 6 megapixels... slower shoot time and less quality pics can result from piling more pixels onto the same size sensor. Doesn't make a HUGE difference, but I don't consider this an upgrade. The sensor size should increase with pixels.
A few other minor changes- ISO has been increased, which isn't that useful since it gets pretty grainy in the high numbers anyhow. New movie mode, more memory cards accepted, and the new Digic III processor. This is something of a mystery. The DIGIC III is supposed to make battery life better and camera operation faster, but this camera shoots slower than the SD700 according to the tests I've seen.
Basically, look to the SD850 if you really liked the SD700 but didn't like the movie mode, or wanted something else minor changed. Having that new DIGIC III in there is nice, but I'd sooner go for the SD1000 myself.
www99.epinions.com/content_...
"The SD800 uses a wide-angle lens similar to the S70 and S80 that Canon rates as a 3.8x optical zoom. This F2.8-5.8 lens has a focal range of 4.6-17.3mm which is equivalent to 28-105mm in the 35mm format. This lens utilizes Canon's Ultra High Refractive Index Aspherical technology (UA) which allows for the longer zoom ratios in a compact body."
I believe the Canon web site should have the sample of pictures.
Great customer pictures to be found on amazon.com when you search for SD800IS.
Jal, regarding your question about the SD1000, I think you'll be pleased. It has kind of a nifty setting for low light photos, which involves a one-button/one-shot Auto ISO shift. When you turn it on, the camera will not go higher than ISO 800 regardless of light conditions or where you set the camera. You can turn this off, of course, and the camera goes higher than 800 (all the way up to 1600 I believe) but I'd recommend sticking to 800 or lower for the cleanest photos. That should get you through almost any low light situation. It's my personal opinion that you can't do better than Canon if you like to shoot low light without flash. The camera can go higher than 800 if you turn the special setting off, but you'd have to experiment with it and see how noisy it got.
Macro mode works well (focus range 3-31 cm) and auto focus is speedy, even in low light. I think it'd suit you.
Also, good for you for looking at sample photos online. I'm not sure if you're doing this already, but in terms of samples, while review sites are great, it can be tough to judge based on the limited photos available, so if you want to see a wide range, go to flickr.com/cameras/
That is a photo website where anyone can post their pictures, and you can search by camera to see what the Average Joe's photos look like using the camera you're considering. Good luck!
Also, just to add about the performance with the DIGIC III but the slower shooting compared to the SD700: The slower performance is because the size per picture is so much larger because of the extra megapixels. The performance is noticeable better if you were shooting under similar circumstances. If you were using the DIGIC II processor on the SD850, the performance numbers would probably be half the SD700 numbers.
Can you please explain?
Make sense?
Now if I could only make the decision.
I think it's just the fact that I feel so burnt by my decision on the Fuji finepix e550 that I want to make the right decision this time.
You won't get burned on either camera, JAL. But you're missing out on picture-taking without a camera!! If the SD700IS ever goes down in price, it might be $250. The SD850 isn't going down in price any time soon. Over the course of 2-4 years with this camera, the few bucks you'll "lose" by buying a camera won't matter in the long-run. Buy what makes you happy :)
Where did you find SD800IS for $250, lowest i can find is $306.xx on Amazon (free shipping) or $299 on other site + shipping.
I am pretty much set on SD800IS (i like the wide angle and everything else being same) but looking for good dela now.
and what are the differences.. HELP!
SD850: dpreview.com/reviews/specs/...
For reviews: SD750:
reviews.cnet.com/digital-ca...
SD850: reviews.cnet.com/digital-ca...
That should give you a good idea of the differences.
I'll go over the few key differences between the SD750 and SD800IS and my opinions, but ultimately you have to make the final call. You won't be disappointed by either!
1.) Price: SD750 = $260, SD800IS = $304. These are just reference prices, as you can always seem to find better prices. But you have to give the edge to the SD750 for being about $40 in any case.
2.) Resolution: SD750 = 7.1MP , SD800IS = 7.1MP. It's a tie.
3.) ISO Ability: SD750 = 80-1600, SD800IS = 80-1600. It's a tie, although you'll probably be able to pull better high-ISO pictures from the SD800IS because of the image stabilization, which leads to...
4.) Image Stabilization: SD750 = NO, SD800IS = YES. Point for SD800IS.
5.) Magnification: SD750 = 35-105mm, SD800IS = 28-105mm. SD800IS wins.
6.) Screen Size: SD750 = 3" LCD with 230,000 pixels, SD800IS = 2.5" LCD with 207,000 pixels. So the SD800IS has a better picture LCD, but the SD750 has the bigger screen. Let's give this to the SD750.
7.) Size: SD750 = 3.4"x2.1"x.7", SD800IS = 3.5"x2.3"x1". So 5 cubic inches vs. 8 cubic inches! Sounds like quite a difference, but it's all in the thickness. I guess that's how they house the 28mm lens in there. Either way, the neglible win for SD750.
8.) Video: SD750 = 640x480 @ 30 or 15 fps, SD800IS = 640x480 @ 30 or 15fps. Another tie.
9.) Shutter Speed: SD750 = 15 sec to 1/1500 sec, SD800IS = 15 sec to 1/1600 sec. Another tie, pretty much.
10.) Continous Shooting: SD750 = 1.7fps, SD800IS = 1.7fps. Another tie....
What does this mean to you? Well, I find the size difference and screen difference unimportant. The video, shutter lag, continuous shooting, ISO and resolution are all the same. Which leaves us with 2 or 3 things. Do you want the image stabilization, wide-angle lens and optical viewfinder? Or does the thinness of the SD750 win you over?
Both are great great cameras, and you won't have any complaints with the picture quality. But you NEED to decide if you want wide-angle and image stabilization. Some people, like me, wanted it and got the SD800IS. Some people didn't, and are extremely happy with the SD750 (my second choice, BTW). If you don't take a lot of low-light shots, the image stabilization won't matter to you. If you don't take a lot of scenic shots or group photos in doors, the wide-angle won't matter much to you. The SD750 has arguably better picture quality in good light, but it'd take a lot of side-to-side comparisons at high zoom to even see it.
Best of luck, I don't think I can help you decide any more! Maybe go to the store and just see which one feels more natural in your hands. Comfort's important, too :)
I purchased an 850 and absolutely love it!!!
1.) Price: $360 SD800IS wins
2.) Resolution: 8MP SD850IS wins
3.) ISO Ability: ISO80-1600 TIE
4.) Image Stabilization: TIE
5.) Magnification: 35-140mm. The SD850IS has more zoom farther out, while the SD800IS gives you the zoom closer up. I have to give this to the SD800IS, since you miss so much more on the close end compared to the far end, and you can always zoom in on pictures, but not add more to the picture after it's taken.
6.) Screen Size: 2.5" TIE
7.) Size: 3.5"x2.2"x1" Even though the SD850IS is .25 cubic inches smaller, that's unnoticeable. So TIE.
8.) Video: 640x480 at 30 or 15 fps. TIE
9.) Shutter Speed: 15 sec to 1/1600 sec. TIE
10.) Continous Shooting: 1.3 fps, limited use. SD800IS wins
The SD850IS takes beautiful pictures and, if you feel you have no reason to have wide-angle, get the SD850IS. The continuous shooting difference is neglible, and the extra $55 or so for a brand new released camera isn't bad... if you can afford it :)
If you want the wide-angle, you're "stuck" with the SD800IS, which is not a problem at all. As to my preference, I bought the SD800IS and I love it. There have been pictures I've taken that just couldn't have been done without the 28mm, and I couldn't give that feature up. But a lot of people can. If you're one of those, enjoy the SD850IS :)
P.S. You can trust JAL, she's picky!!
accessories.us.dell.com/sna...
amazon.com/gp/product/custo...
I think there are also examples of a normal ~35mm vs 28mm at the SD800IS review at www.dpreview.com.
Think of the "mm" as zoom settings on a camera. A 35mm is the typical what-you-see-out-a-viewfinder. So a 28mm setting would give you 7mm/35mm or ~1.25x more minimum view. So if you can fit in about 10 feet across in a picture from where you are standing, you can now get in 12.5 feet. It makes a big difference when you're inside and trying to get a group shot, or even when you're outside taking a scenic shot and can't step back another 20 feet to get the rest of the picture in. I actually had that happen to me when I was taking a picture of a church -- there were telephone lines on the street in front, and I wouldn't have been able to take the picture with a normal camera without having the wires in the picture. With my SD800IS, I was able to move in closer and keep the wires out. It was a convenience I didn't even think about.
It's also nice when you're trying to take a picture of something moving, since you have more "give" on the subject before it exits the field of view.
I hope you can see the difference when you use both :) And don't worry if you favor the SD850 without the wide-angle. The wide-angle is a feature, just like anything else, and you just need to weigh it to everything else and know if it's right for you :)
If you need the wide angle go with the 800.
Case closed.
The specifications states that this camera can use SDHC but I don't see any site recommending it. Does anyone know if it works with this specific camera?
I would just go check at the store but I am not located in Europe or USA. Any help is greatly appreciated.
However, if you want to check a site recommending it, Sandisk.com would be the best because Sandisk manufactures SDHC memory cards.
You can take a look at the recommendations at <a href="sandisk.com/Compatibility/D... location</a>.
I take a lot of puppy portraits --inside in medium light. In addition I take outside photos. Here is a link so you can take a look at the type of thing I often do with my little Nikon Coolpix L3:
weims4sale.homestead.com/Ow...
I love the picture quality I am getting with this inexpensive point and shoot Nikon, however, no matter what I try the response between clicking and taking the picture or writing to the card is too slow. The Canon A640 was suggested and although it looks nice I realize it is larger than I want. If I don't have a camera on me the moment is lost. Everyday I snap a few pictures of our Weim children doing something very cute. I have read every question and answer on the Canon PowerShot SD800 IS. I am not sure I need the wide angle lens but at times it would helpful. Would it be a hinderance for the closeups I love to take?
I admit I am a novice photographer but I take a lot of photos these days. I think some of them are quite nice. I read about the 1600 ASA setting. Is that something I would want to make use of?
I think I need the Image Stabilization.
I believe the Canon PowerShot SD800 has continuous shooting and I am wondering if that would easily work in the portrait mode.
One thing I have been extremely happy about with the Nikon Coolpix L3 is that the puppies eyes show up their natural blue color. Even taking the closeup pictures their eyes have been great.
I am also reading about people complaining about white spots. I read that was due to the dust in the air but I have not had that problem with the Nikon Coolpix L3 either.
There are a lot of good things about this camera but it is too slow for me. I need to have a faster reacting camera. It is very slow on the portrait setting. The picture is great if the pup will sit there long enough.....quite a challenge. Smiles
You opinion would be greatly appreciated. I don't want to buy another camera and find out 6 months from now I wish I had something different.
1.) 3.5"x2.3"x.99", makes for a very compact camera!
2.) Your pictures are cute! If I can get my pictures of my puppy loaded up, I'll show you what this camera can do! But in the lighting you're showing, you probably won't even need a flash with the SD800IS if you have the ISO at about 400 (which will be plenty big for internet pictures and 4x6" prints). With flash, you can stand several feet away, zoom in on your puppies and take perfect pictures. From what I see in your pictures, it looks like you're standing too close, which I'm guessing is where the flushed out color is coming from.
3.) The A640 is probably something you may not want, because the time for pictures between flashes is surprisingly long because the 2 AA batteries can't recharge the flash fast enough. Correct me if I'm wrong, anyone...
4.) You do NOT want to use the ISO1600 setting on the SD800IS (nor should you have to, in medium light). ISO1600 should be reserved for emergencies, because the pictures will be extremely noisy and poor quality. You can touch them up in post processing, but it won't be worth the trouble. ISO800 can be easily salvaged, though. I haven't had a need for anything past ISO400 yet.
5.) Image Stabilization is a great feature and is not a novelty. Keep in mind that it won't keep a moving target from blurring, only the effects of your own hands' movements! In this respect, a low-light environment will need either a flash or a higher ISO setting -- you don't want to increase the shutter speed, or else any movements by the subject will cause blurriness.
6.) My puppy's eyes are brown, so I can't tell if this camera will retain your puppies' blue eyes, but I don't see why not. They will definitely be preserved without flash, and my guess would be they will be preserved with flash, as long as you don't take a direct picture and oversaturate the eyes.
7.) Continuous shooting is at 1.7fps, which is just shy of .6 seconds per picture. That's not THAT great, but because of the speed of the auto focus, the time to take the picture from when you depress the button is very fast. So you should be able to take the picture that you wanted without that annoying shutter lag!
8.) I'm beginning to think these white spots people are complaining about is from a camera defect. I haven't had any white spots on my camera. There WILL be some floating orbs and random white specks occasionally, from the reflections off the flash back into the lens. I haven't really noticed it myself, though.
If you decide on this camera, make sure to look into SDHC cards, as they will write faster. Also, the wideangle lens is very nice, but probably not something you'd really utilize on your puppies. You can always consider the SD700IS if you decide the wide-angle isn't for you.
Hope that helps!
Enjoy your new camera! And if you wanted the wide-angle and were wondering about the new cameras... none of them to my knowledge have the wide-angle anyway, so you're not missing out. You can always crop for a zoom, but you can't crop back for things you couldn't get in the picture :)
I have a recent experience with a computer that wasn't working. We kept it past the 14 days..........it was a lemon. We dinked around trying to get it to work and it has been gone for weeks. First to a repair center in Texas and now California. No one can get it to work. They are thinking of getting me a new computer. Duh.
I don't want a similar experience with a camera. I will post --do you earn points for posting a review? Since I have no points I was wondering. Smiles Have a great day and thank you for all the help!
Think of it this way -- if your car battery dies, do you go to the dealership to buy a GM/Toyota/etc brand battery for twice the price, or do you just go to WalMart/Belle Tire/etc and get a cheaper one? They all work the same! :)
I had a lemon of a laptop, took forever to fix. I'm not sure why companies would rather pay $150/hour for an IT tech to spend hours fixing a computer when they could send you a new one for less than the labor costs... go figure.
Yes if the camera is a go then I will buy the less expensive batteries. Two for $28
What about SD Cards............do I need to buy an upgrade so it can write faster? I hope that is not a stupid question but I thought I read that if you don't have a really high quality card your camera cannot write to it as fast.
Probably because of read/write times as well, I notice a little lag when deleting pictures and whatnot on my SD800IS. Maybe I should buy an ultraspeed card :)
No wonder the number of inquiries had fallen off. Thank you again
Here is the link weims4sale.homestead.com/Ow...
I would suggest you step back as far as the zoom allows when taking your pictures, to help the overexposure. Or just get a few auxillary lights so you may not even need the flash. This will definitely help the problem with the Rebel, since it has better zoom. With the SD800IS you may need to put it to 5.7x digital/optical enhance to get far enough to avoid flash overflow.
Otherwise, great pictures, and cute puppies!! I hope you continue to enjoy your camera :)
Just keep experimenting with the camera. I still haven't realized the full potential of this camera :) I haven't even used macro-mode yet, because I can get macro shots just by using the digital zoom, it's of such good quality.
This morning we snapped these quick photos of Mollie's puppies all lines up in the whelping pen without adequate lighting but they turned out great. Here is the link if you care to look: weims4sale.homestead.com/Ow...
With the litter pictures, I can see what you mean about sub-optimal lighting! Really, that's all you can ask for, taking a picture in a small, nearly dark room with a flash. The overexposure comes from the flash's light having nowhere to dissipate. The only thing I can think of doing is standing further away (I don't know if that's even possible in that room! :)), or getting a 30W or so white light in the room and avoiding flash. Those are good pictures to demonstrate that the prevalence of white spots isn't what other reviewers are insisting.
I'm not sure if it's form post-editing or cropping pictures, but there seems to be some "noise" in the pictures. If you're using flash, you can have your ISO at 100 and there shouldn't be a problem with lack of light. It might help the overexposure, too. From the pictures I see on your website, it looks like ISO400 or so was used on those(?)
Thanks for the pictures :)
How do I set the ISO. You see point and shoot.........dont' think has been my motto. ha
I turned on the camera it said ISO High.......and it is set on auto. Well I am terrible at reading the directions ..........I just play at it when I can. Anyhow I will have to look up the directions. Anyhow, I cannot complain about the quality of picture for the circumstances. Well................. I need to learn how to reset the ISO it appears. Maybe I will have time today to check on that. Thanks again! S
To change the ISO, you need to be in Program Auto (the click-wheel one notch down). Then use the directional buttons to flip through the ISO settings. This is really the only main difference between Program Auto and full Auto. Just a word of warning -- if you're using Program Auto and have the ISO set to <400 in a low-light room with no flash, you will get excessive blurring... the higher the ISO, the less blur (and unfortunately more noise!). If you want to avoid the flash, you can put the camera on a table or floor and set it to 2-10 second timed picture, that way there's no movement on your part to blur the picture (any movement the puppies make will be blurred, though, so this would probably only be good when they're sleeping!).
Again, nothing wrong with your pictures, you're working with the worst lighting possible! Just trying to help. Enjoy :)
To be honest my mechanical ability is nil. ha ...........I wish that was a joke. So it takes me awhile to catch on, but as I have said from the start this camera is easy to operate and get decent pictures with little to no effort.
BTW we did get a few white spots when we first tried it but again when I read in the book and Cliff and I discussed this we decided quickly this was operator error and not a flaw in the camera. Since then, we have not gotten any white spots on any picture. I am sorry if that upsets some people but I believe it is true. If anything changes my mind I will be back to post that as well.
I am very happy with the pictures..........and those in the whelping box were pretty nice considering. We do have a lamp but when you are looking at this type of shot the less you move and adjust things the better the chance you will capture the moment. Mama is apt to jump up and drop-off feeding thinking she is missing out on something. Smiles
As always.........thanks so much S
weims4sale.homestead.com/Ow...
I think the pictures are as good as we often get with the Canon Rebel ..........anyhow I do thank you for the encouragement!
I continue to struggle with shutter lapse.........has anything happened that helps this in the point and shoot camera? Also my husband keeps thinking we need a photo cube to improve our pictures. I am having problems envisioning how I am going to handle a pup inside the cube. Most of those cubes are white and when I have used shiny white fabric behind the pups the pictures have not been stellar. Well ...........I never put enough time into learning photography to do a great job. Pictures are important but I must admit I spend more time chaning bedding, handing pups, taking care of Weims, and scooping pooh. smiles
Here are our most recent puppy pictures: weims4sale.homestead.com/Ow...
weims4sale.homestead.com/Ow...
I look for many things in chosing which picture to use. There is a cuteness factor that overrides quality at times. REgardless of what I do some pictures are clearer and better than others. I do prefocus between shots to get a better pictures. Well.............I am interested in hearing back from some of you professionals. Thanks for all your help.
Here are a few possible cameras to check into:
SD1000 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )- the smallest of the group. Viewfinder, shutter lag about .45 seconds in high contrast (slightly more with flash, much less with prefocus) and about 2 seconds between shots. Fairly new, so I haven't heard of a serious red-eye problem, but as I said above, it'll probably occur from time to time. This camera has some new Red Eye correction technology that can be used in Playback mode on the camera, basically helps you edit out Red Eye after you've taken the photo. The reviews claim it works well, I'm not sure exactly HOW well.
SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )- cool wider angle lens, image stabilization, has flash mode that helps prevent red-eye (pre-flash, which means one little flash before the big one so that subject's eyes have time to dilate, thus lessening red eye; this is about 65% successful in my experience), shutter lag is around the same as the SD1000.
Hope that helps somewhat.
You may want to consider a wide angle lens? The SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has a 28mm lens equivalent, which means it can capture more of a scene than a normal camera lens. The best way to describe this is to imagine looking through a tube. The typical camera lens (such as the A460) is long and skinny, and you see a certain amount through the other end; the wide angle lens is the equivalent of having a tube that flares out at one end (not really, but you get the idea) so with the same length lens, the photo being taken covers a wider area of ground. This can be very useful for scenery and panoramic "style" shots. Basically, imagine standing really close to a group of people and trying to fit them all in one shot; with a standard 35mm equivalent lens, you will have to step back; with a 28mm, they may all fit into the shot. This works well for 'big' scenery.
What's more, the SD800 has the panoramic stitch assist mode.
Something to think about. Let me know if I've explained this clearly or if I can help further.
Oh yeah, and image stabilization :) That should help quite a bit for you without a tripod and lower light (assuming your subject isn't moving, of course :)).
For me, a 28mm-105mm lens (SD800IS) is more versatile than a 36mm-120mm (SD850IS). What you lose on the long end is far more made up on the short end. But the SD850IS will also have more megapixels and likely more bells-and-whistles.
All I can account for is saying the SD800IS is amazing on Auto mode. The only time I use Program Auto is when I want to force my own ISO level to lower than what the camera wants (and without a flash, too).
If you need a camera now, you'll be very happy with the SD800IS. If you don't mind waiting a month or two, you can either get a better price on the SD800IS, and get hands on with the SD850IS to see if that suits you better.
Notice the slower performance compared to the SD800IS.
The DSC-H7 from Sony is about 3 times larger than the SD750 and SD700, and $100 more. It has the 15x zoom as well, compared to the typical 4x zoom of ultracompacts like the SD models you mentioned.
If you want to look at nothing else but picture quality, and can only look at these 3 cameras, then it's inarguably the DSC-H7. But I don't understand why you'd narrow down the H7 when there are such great cameras like, for starters, the Canon S3 (and soon to be S5), as well as the (more expensive) Rebel/XTi cameras.
Now, the SD750 and SD700IS cameras are much easier to compare. They are essentially the same price, same size and same picture quality. The only difference is the SD700IS has optical image stabilization. If you don't care about widescreen (like the SD800IS has) or an optical viewfinder (like the SD700IS has), then get the SD750. But if you want image stabilization and a viewfinder, get the SD700IS (or the newly released SD850IS).
Unless you give more information as to what exactly you're looking for (ie, cost, size, zoom, indoor/outdoor preference, etc), I can't really go any further.
I suggest reading the review of the SD700IS on dpreview.com. Great camera, and it might get cheaper soon now that the SD850IS it taking over.
Pat
I have the SD800IS myself, after spending months of looking at all cameras. I haven't had a problem with red-eye personally, just a few pictures. But it's really easy to remove red-eye with software there days, so don't worry too much about it.
Ready to close on this question, or do you need anything else, Pat?
I have a pretty crappy 4GB SD memory card for my SD800IS and haven't had a problem with movie mode.
Best Buy in canada says that the manufacture warrany is 90 days and then basically covers nothing. so spend 100$ for their 3 year that covers EVERYTHING>
McBain says that they will extend the manufacture warranty for 2 years for 45$ and that it covers everything.
How do I decide?
I don't know what McBain is, but it can't be worse than Best Buy! Another option is a Costco or Sam's Club. They have perfect warranties and are cheap, too. Stay away from Best Buy.
And please, if you come onto message boards people use for advice, please don't spam and swear. We don't need your type around here, HEW. I'll report your behavior, so please do this site a favor and delete your account. Thank you.
[Edited for inappropriate content. Note to user; profanity not allowed.]
You're right- many cameras have a shutter delay and shot-to-shot time that can be really, really frustrating. What camera are you considering buying? If it's a newer one, chances are good it's pretty fast- they have cleaned up this technology considerably. Most cameras will have a slower response time when shooting with flash, but depending on the camera you're considering I can look up the test numbers for you and tell you if it will suit your needs.
Thank you so much for your reply
Joanie
Basically, if you want the absolute fastest cameras on the market, there might be something out there even faster than these, but it wouldn't have the same amount of macro and low light performance. I think you'd do great with either of these cameras.
One more to consider, though, just for argument's sake, is the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It's an ultracompact, has a great macro mode, a nice wide angle lens (makes it super easy to take photos of an entire object without having to get as far away as with a typical lens), has the same good low-light performance and speed as the Canons I've just mentioned, and also has image stabilization, which may help immensely with camera shake in low light situations. The only downside is that it offers less manual control than the models you've mentioned, but it sounds like good photos, not manual control, is what matters most to you. So the SD800 is definitely worth a look.
So I may just get in on them :-}
Regards Joanie
800id ELPH
800is 15xzm
800is ELOH
800is 15xzm
The 800 IS ELPH is the camera on this page; I don't think there is an ID abbreviation or an ELOH, so those are probably typos; 15xzm usually stands for 15 (times) zoom, but there isn't an Elph camera with 15x zoom, so I wonder if that was a different camera you saw the specs to? Is there a link or somewhere where you saw these written out?
Have you considered the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )? In my opinion it's a fantastic camera, great wide angle, and Canon is fantastic at handling low light. Also has good image stabilization and is nice and compact, and rechargeable batteries are available.
For compact/ultracompacts, the Fuji does the best job at low light, but I don't know if any of the models, like the Finepix F30fd, has enough of what you're looking for. The bigger the camera you get, the nicer the CCD and better the low-light pictures you'll get.
I have the SD800IS and am happy with it's low-light abilities (don't even attempt beyond ISO800, though). It would fit the bill, and you'll definitely want to try it out at the store to see if you're happy with it.
If you kept 200+ pictures on your camera and haven't downloaded onto your computer for awhile, you may be right in having hit "Delete All" accidentally and now only have the pictures you've taken since that delete.
There are supposedly programs out there that can help pull out some deleted pictures and information off an SD card. I've never used any, and I find it wishful thinking at best -- SD cards are hard deletes.
Without knowing exactly what you did to the camera, I can't offer anything else. Anyone else out there? I'm afraid you may well be out of luck with the pictures you took before. If they were really important to you, by all means try googling for some recovery software for SD cards.
Best of luck!
I have not tried anything yet. Someone told me they had the same problem and went to a camera shop where they were able to recover. I will let you know. I cannot imagine I would have deleted these pictures, as it usually asks you several times if you are SURE you want to delete... so it has me stymied.
My biggest concern would be noisy images, so I would like to know which of the three would provide me with the clearest, sharpest and most color accurate photos. Most have recommended the 800 IS, but I've used it and it doesn't seem like the best of the 3 to me...
Canon: dpreview.com/reviews/specs/...
Panasonic: dpreview.com/reviews/specs/...
Both the Sony and Panasonic cameras you mentioned aren't great in low-light. Granted, the Canon isn't flawless either. I personally own the SD800IS and haven't had any low-light problems, whether at wedding receptions, outdoors, in basements, at night, etc.
I think the Panasonic Lumix with the extended zoom (not the model you mentioned) is a great camera, namely because you get the large zoom in an ultracompact with good image quality. Comparing this model to the Canon SD800IS, I say the SD800IS wins.
As far as Sony, they make good products, but not the best. In this case, the Sony camera is missing the wide-angle lens that the SD800IS has. (It also has a lower LCD resolution). If you want to compare similar cameras, you should really be looking at the SD700IS or SD850IS to compare with your Sony pick, then.
The sizes of these 3 are comparable.
As you said, you seem to not like the SD800IS. There is a matter of preference when picking a camera. I would personally suggest the SD800IS by experience, but the final decision is definitely yours! Keep in mind that trying a camera out at the store won't give you the conditions you need to test out picture quality like you want.
Considering the price between high speed and normal cards, and normal vs. SDHC, you might want to just get a 4GB SDHC card. You'll never have to upgrade, and you won't have to worry about any problems with the camera. I have a very slow (I think, 33x!) SD card and haven't had any problems with my camera, except for when I took continuous shooting on fireworks -- there was no noticeable rewrite lag between shots while my camera was loading onto my card. Didn't affect the pictures, though.
You should be able to get a good 4GB card for <$60.
Thanks, in advance!
Currently, there's a Toshiba 1GB SD card at Office Max for $2.99. Unadvertised special. Don't know if that helps.
Amazon has this 2GB card for <$26 with free tax and shipping. amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN...
Hope that helps!
1.) I own the SD800IS and love its features, especially the wide-angle.
2.) The features you're looking for - macro mode and picture quality, can be found on many cameras. But the wide-angle feature in a low/mid-priced camera reduces your choices to a select few. I believe the SD800IS to be the best of those few.
The extra bit of wide angle will help a bit (in that you can get more of your subject into the frame from closer up... aka more detail). However, 28mm isn't really that much of a jump from the standard 35mm.
That said, the SD800 IS is a great camera and you'd have a hard time finding a non-28mm camera in the same class that could match it. I'd say you should go for it.
Hope this helps!
I'd jump on it (oh wait, I already have!). You'll get more out of this camera than just pictures of furniture, I can tell you that much.
If you don't mind a bulkier camera and carrying around extra "AA" batteries, and are on a budget and new to photography, the A560 is a great camera. If you have the extra money, want a very small pocket camera with the latest image stabilization and lens technology, get the SD800IS.
Unfortunately, these two cameras are very different, so personal preference plays as big a role as the cameras' abilities themselves.
No need to lose the moment because you relied on one large one when several smaller ones can solve that problem.
One last thing. Cards have different speeds. The faster a card is, the quicker it'll save the photo and cycle to be ready for another shot. In the end, your camera is only going to be as fast as it's slowest link in the chain. So check for speed when you purchase a card.
The two cameras are pretty comparable in most regards: size & weight, ISO range, shutter speed range, etc. The SD850 IS has a higher resolution sensor, but it's on the same size CCD as the SD800 IS, so I'm not so sure the image quality will be a huge improvement. It also lacks the SD800 IS's 28mm wide angle lens, which was one of its major draws.
I haven't personally used the SD850 IS, so I can't compare the two cameras' image quality, but going on specs alone I'd say that they're probably very similar. The SD850 has the benefit of newer technology (by about half a development year) and higher megapixel count, but loses out in terms of diversity of shooting (in that it lacks the wide angle lens).
Hope this helps!
The extra megapixels don't make a noticeable difference in printed picture quality, but it would help in post-processing, especially in pictures taken in good lighting. Unfortunately, in lower light both cameras will have the noise reduction software on the camera reducing sharpness for noise. The decrease of light per megapixel on the same size CCD pretty much negates the increase in megapixels for sharpness in post-processing. Hope that makes sense!
That being said, get the SD850IS if you don't care about wide-angle. If you like wide-angle (28mm, I love it), you won't be disappointed by the SD800IS. I personally haven't noticed any edge distortion when using my SD800IS.
The SD800IS has a wide-angle (28mm) lens, allowing you to fit more into your picture at the same distance. This, IMHO, is much more valuable than getting a few mm zoom at the far end, since you can always crop your pictures after they're on your computer. If you don't care about this wide-angle (I suggest trying the two models out in the store to see if it makes a difference to you), then stop reading this and go get the SD850IS :)
The SD850IS has 8MP over the SD800IS's 7.1MP. Now, although this isn't a big difference, it will let you crop a little more in post-processing, and a sharp image will be sharper if you process pictures at the 16"x24" size. If you just plan on 4"x6" pictures, you won't see any difference at all. Again, you may want to opt for the SD800IS at that point, too.
Both cameras have the updated DIGIC processor, allowing for faster picture taking and start-up speeds, longer battery life (not that significant, but longer nonetheless), and better continuous shooting speeds (1.7fps for the SD800IS and 1.3fps for the SD850IS). Both cameras have great video capability, 640x480 at 30fps, using about 1.7MB/sec at this high quality. The image stabilization really helps the movie quality, as it's not bouncing all over the place with hand movements.
I can't pick between these two. In my opinion, the wide-angle offers so much more versatility that I chose the SD800IS. That's not to say it's the better camera, it just happened to suit me better. Like I said earlier, if you don't care about the wide-angle, go for the SD850IS, it's an amazing camera.
If you want to read general specs, check out this site:
dpreview.com/reviews/specs/...
I'm not a fan of the SD900 for one big reason: You're paying for a basic camera that crammed 10MP into its 1/2.5" CCD. Although you can get some stunning pictures in good lighting, shoving those extra MP into the same CCD causes a lot of problems in lower light. There needs to be an advance in CCD technology (ie, fit a bigger one in the same size ultracompact frame). Don't be sold on megapixels - once you pass about 6MP, all the pictures start looking the same for all intents and purposes.
Thanks
When using a flash with this camera, the tones are very natural and realistic, with that "soft" tone that Canon is known for. I wish I knew exactly the type of conditions you're referring to, but if you want to take a typical indoor shot with a flash, and there's light coming in from outside, you'll have no problem. If you're in a room that's longer than, say, 15 feet and it's pitch dark, you're going to have problems!
If you want more light, you can always leave it at ISO80, use the light from the room, set it on a table/tripod etc and set to 10 second picture timer. You'll get all the light the camera can absorb naturally, plus a non-blurry picture as well.
I've taken pictures at weddings, with very low light, pictures outside (like Christmas lights) at night, in the basement, etc. I haven't had a problem with this camera. I hope that helps, but I can't really help further. Best of luck!
Thanks, Matt. Regards, Sharon
Let me know, and an E-mail if possible, and I'll get some of those to you as soon as I can.
Sharon
Let me ask you a few things: do you want something with lots of manual control and options, or would you rather just point and shoot? For $300, you can get a pretty advanced camera, but if it has lots of manual options that you wouldn't use, you can probably spend a lot less than that and still get a very good camera.
Also, what kind of zoom do you think you'll need?
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. Use alkalines at least. But I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.
4. Shoot in "sports" modes when you're in situations that require action. Night or available light modes when in night time settings. These presets can help in speeding up your shots, rather than the camera taking a split second to evaluate the conditions of the lighting.
5. Go manual. If you are manually focusing, particularly in darker settings, you can constantly refocus the image as things happen. Also, the infrared does have a range and if your image is out of that range you can end up with the camera's "best guess" or infinity setting which may not help. You can also go manual on fstops and shutter speeds as well, getting more light faster when you choose.
6. Go with a shallow depth of field.
7. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
8. Use a flash - even in day time. This will "freeze" the image and cause your subject to "pop" in the shot. However, flash is only designed for limited range and can dissipate outside of about 20-25 feet unless you're using a zoomable flash.
9. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
As for cameras, for a tad over your pricetag there's the Olympus SP-550UZ ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and have so far been quite pleased with the results. 7.1 MP, 18x zoom, image stabilization and some great scene based program features including a 15fps burst mode. This is great for sports photography.
Now some will argue that the 15fps burst mode only allows for about 1.2 mp. I think it's better than that. But even so, it will do for snapshots no larger than 4x6, and you still get that action shot. For full res, it does have a 3 fps burst mode as well.
It also has in camera editing features such as cropping, sepia and black/white alerations, nite modes, super macro mode for REALLY close up shots, panoramic guides for shooting multiple shots to stitch into a panorama, even a mode for shooting documents.
I'm really enjoying it. If I had to complain, however, I have found the menu structure wanting and difficult to use on the fly. But other than that, it's a top notch camera.
but i do like that camera though thanks
As far as choosing a camera, how about something like the Canon SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )? It's hugely popular and is a really nice ultracompact with a wide angle lens, which would work in a variety of settings. Also has nice low light performance, as well as Image Stabilization, which is designed to help prevent photos ruined by blur due to camera shake. Also has movie mode with sound.
As far as stopping blur with moving subjects, that will depend more on the camera settings than anything else. You can experiment with the various Scene modes to see what kind of results you get. The Scene modes do things like use faster or slower shutter speeds, which will result in either a blurred or a "frozen" look if the subject is moving. Image stabilization, and James' tips above, won't freeze a moving subject, but will prevent blurry photos if camera shake is the problem.
Thanks in advance!
With that said, they do pretty well taking care of customers who need their cameras serviced under warranty, so I can't come down on them too hard for being picky about this. But I do wonder what you're supposed to do if you receive it as a gift and don't have the slip.
So should I return the sd750 for the sd800 for the image stabilization or keep the sd750.
That being said.... nothing will avoid motion blur other than a tripod, or setting it for 2 or 10 second picture and setting it down on something. Granted, the SD800IS's image stablization does help somewhat, but you will still be frustrated if you're trying to take non-blurry low-light pictures at low ISO (ie, ISO80/100/200).
If you can return your SD750 without the typical 15% restocking fee, you won't be disappointed with the SD800IS (at the very least, you're getting the image stabilization and wide-angle lens, with VERY marginal picture deterioration from the extra lens).
Have you considered the new SD850IS? It's, IMO, the best Canon camera if you don't care about the wide-angle lens.
I would like to keep my 3.0'' screen, as you have mentioned , IS will not eliminate blur all together, can you confirm that with me. You have said that IS helps "somewhat". By this do you mean that it makes images noticeably sharper compared to a non IS camera. Also As I mentioned I love my big screen and the look of my camera, on the pictures on the web, the back of the sd800 does not look as nice as the back of the sd750, would you say the back of the sd800 is nice(r)?I am really confused, that sd850 is too expensive for me. So please if you & ANYONE else could reply asap, i would greatly appreciate it.
I am not bothered about having wide angle lens, it is mainly IS that I am confused about.
The only way you'll be able to minimize blur on the SD750 is to increase the ISO setting. Experiment with different lighting situations so you'll become accustomed to what ISO's are good for different situations. And also determine what ISO speed you're satisfied with, in terms of how the pictures come out (ie, I'm not happy with an ISO>400 for all pictures larger than 4"x6").
BTW, objectively speaking, the SD800IS's image stabilization offers about a +- 2 F stop advantage over non IS cameras. What that essentially means is you can have a lower ISO setting on an IS camera to achieve the same results.
I can't say enough how different picture blur caused by moving hands is different than blur caused by a moving subject. You CAN NOT get rid of subject motion blur with image stabilization. The only way to avoid it is with high shutter speed, which simply won't be possible in low-light, since the camera can't get enough light in in that amount of time.
ISO400 is when an ultracompact picture generally starts to get fuzzy and "noisy." ISO800 is where you generally have to draw the line. I'm not saying these are best-case scenarios, by any means.
In good-lighting, ISO80 and ISO100 are recommended ISO settings. In low-light, you'll have to experiment with the camera to figure out the lowest ISO setting you can get away with.
Question 2: There are many examples of how image stabilization helps improve sharpness. Truth-be-told, you can get near identical pictures in GOOD light by holding the camera very still. As available light decreases, the usefulness of image stabilization increases.
Question 3: Shutter speed is the ISO setting, the equivalent of the F-stop on film cameras. That's the reason why ISO80 pictures are sharper than ISO200... the shutter remains open for a lot less time. As far as actually changing the shutter speed manually, you'll have to go to Manual mode and not Auto. One of your directional buttons should take you there, if the option is available. I'd suggest just skimming the instruction manual for "Shutter Speed".
Question 4: IS will reduce blur "a bit" in good light, and "noticeably" in lower-light. Whether it's worth the price of a 3" screen is arguable. I won't argue the SD750 is a beautiful camera, but beautiful cameras don't take beautiful pictures. Fortunately, the SD750 DOES take beautiful pictures, but for different reasons :) Let's leave it at this: Unless you plan to take a lot of pictures in bad light, without a flash, the SD750 will be perfectly fine.
the sd800 is about $80 more for me as well.
Is it worth spending that much more for IS.(and wide angle lens)
If you're going to use your camera mostly in good light, and use a flash, then the IS won't be as beneficial to use as someone else with different situations. For aesthetics, good-light picture quality and similar features otherwise, you'll probably be best keeping your SD750. A few years down the line, IS will be standard on all cameras, and you'll have no choice to upgrade to it when it's time for your next camera :)
Thanks!
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. Use alkalines at least. But I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.
4. Shoot in "sports" modes when you're in situations that require action. Night or available light modes when in night time settings. These presets can help in speeding up your shots, rather than the camera taking a split second to evaluate the conditions of the lighting.
5. Go manual. If you are manually focusing, particularly in darker settings, you can constantly refocus the image as things happen. Also, the infrared does have a range and if your image is out of that range you can end up with the camera's "best guess" or infinity setting which may not help. You can also go manual on fstops and shutter speeds as well, getting more light faster when you choose.
6. Go with a shallow depth of field.
7. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
8. Use a flash - even in day time. This will "freeze" the image and cause your subject to "pop" in the shot. However, flash is only designed for limited range and can dissipate outside of about 20-25 feet unless you're using a zoomable flash.
9. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
10. Use a burst mode. If you can anticipate the action slightly, some cameras can fire off several shots at once in a "burst fashion." This is a good feature.
sec
Nikon Coolpix L12 0.42
Nikon Coolpix P5000 0.43
Nikon Coolpix S10 0.41
Nikon Coolpix S500 0.58
Nikon Coolpix S9 0.52
Shutter Lag, Full Autofocus 0.390 - 0.440 sec
Shutter Lag, Prefocused 0.077 sec
That's much faster.
This will all change very soon however as a recent article I read stated that camera manufacturers are planning on incorporating the current DSLR chip technology that prevents shutter lag into their upcoming point and shoot models. So hopefully your next camera won't have that problem.
But for now, follow the steps above and you can cut shutter lag down dramatically.
The batteries have to be charged in a separate charger which is supplied together with the camera.
The cost for a second battery varies from one shop to another..
The Canon NB5L lithium rechargeable battery sells for $37 at <a href="amazon.com/Canon-NB-5L-Batt... site</a> and between $10-$18 at <a href="nextag.com/canon-sd-800-bat... site</a>
The battery life is 270 shots per charge with LCD on and if you use view finder and switch the LCD off, you may extend the battery life to 600 shots per charge. see <a href="dpreview.com/reviews/canons... bottom page of this review</a>
Haven't had a problem with it. In fact, if you didn't tell me, I wouldn't know which one was in the camera. 1/3 the price, too. Buy two, and free shipping gives you 2 batteries for $26.
In fact, allow me to make an pitch for using several smaller cards, rather than one large one. Reason being, insurance. Any memory card can fail or become corrupted. And when you're on vacation the last thing you want is to lose the opportunity to take pictures until you can recover that media card with a software utility. If your card goes bad, swapping another one for it at that moment is of advantage so you can keep taking pics. Then, later when you're in front of your PC, you can use a utility like "F-Recovery" to get back your pictures and recover your card.
No need to lose the moment because you relied on one large one when several smaller ones can solve that problem.
One last thing. Cards have different speeds. The faster a card is, the quicker it'll save the photo and cycle to be ready for another shot. In the end, your camera is only going to be as fast as it's slowest link in the chain. So check for speed when you purchase a card.
Have you had the camera less than 1 year? If so, call Canon immediately for a free service repair.
I have also read up on e16 error and it appears to be an error that Canon is very reticent to repair under warranty, believing it to be caused by neglect or dropping the camera. It appears to me that this may be a design defect that Canon is trying to avoid issuing a service advisory over.
Well, if you purchased it with a credit card, contact them and ask if they can get involved in helping you to return a defective electronics item. Additionally, if the camera's warranty is expired, you may have extended warranty time as a perk of the credit card you used. Ask them about that as well. Then, contact CANON about an RMA return for a defective
product. Tell them what you've told us and request a replacement unit.
Not sure if that will work, but perhaps if your credit card company gets involved, something will happen.
the last time, the camera simply wouldn't turn on at all it was completely dead
going to get the estimate and find out
If you want a camera with less red-eye problems, look for one with a pop-up flash such as the Canon S5is. The farther the flash is away from the lens the less red-eye shows up.
If you want larger storage capacity, there's the 7.1 MP Canon Powershot SD750 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). Slightly smaller in the optical zoom - only 3x, but you do get high capacity sd card capability. Lastly, there's the Canon PowerShot SD800 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It's chief advantage is image stabilization, which gets it just a tad over your budget - but certainly worth the extra few dollars.
All three are highly rated and very popular.
Now you're probably wondering why I didn't recommend any SONY products. Well, I'll be up front that my issue with Sony is their obsession with proprietary technologies such as the memory stick, their own spin on formatting, and a host of others which the Canon won't do. Thist that tends to paint their customers into a technologicial corner where only Sony based products can be used across the board. I don't like that.
Canon relies on SD cards, which are pretty much the standard in point and shoot for memory cards. This means you can use any you happen to currently have without having to reinvest in other storage cards. And SD cards are much cheaper than memory sticks. You can also use them in other technologies like PDAs, DMPs, and even mp3 players - NO MATTER WHO MAKES THEM, whereas that memory stick is only going to be used in another SONY product.
You camera does have a Red-Eye Reduction feature that will help to reduce the amount of Red-Eye, it can aid in minimizing the effect of Red-Eye. It does so by illuminating a lamp prior to the flash firing. During this period, the pupils of the subjects eyes contract, causing less light to reflect back from the retinas.
In order to optimize the Red-Eye Reduction feature, the following steps should be taken.
1. If the camera has a zoom lens, a wide angle setting will show less Red-Eye compared to a telephoto focal length. When possible use the widest angle possible to frame your shot.
2.The subject should be looking at the Red-Eye Reduction lamp while lit in order for it to take effect.
3. Illuminate the room as much as possible.
To set Red-Eye Reduction in the camera.
1. Go into the (Rec.) Menu and choose [Red-Eye] and toggle between [On] and [Off].
- Depending on the model Red-Eye reduction may not be selectable through the menu, for these models cycling through the flash modes using the (Flash) button.
Sorry I can't be of more help than that.
No support listed for any Canon cameras, but one would think it possible if other software can make it work.
Cam4you on Windows also supports webcam, motion detection, etc on Canon Powershot. alkenius.no-ip.org/Cam4you/
Thanks a million
Video mode is the same for both, at 640x480 @30fps maximum, but I think the Canon take better video (I personally think Canon and Sony have the best video modes). Macro mode is also better on the SD800IS, allowing you to focus to within nearly an inch. The P50's is just under 2 inches.
Then you could get into the more specific features, like the SD800IS has a faster maximum shutter speed (1/1600 vs. 1/1000), faster continuous shooting (not by much, though), and a MUCH nicer LCD (almost twice the resolution).
I myself have the SD800IS and love it... wouldn't exchange it for any other ultracompact camera out there (except the SD870IS, of course :)).
If you want, you can see a few of the pictures I took with the SD800IS at flickr.com/search/?q=mattk1...
I just purchased the camera as a gift for my wife. I want to make sure she has plenty of battery power.
Thanks for your help.
Ken Vann
Well, I opted for the non-OEM battery, and don't notice at difference at all. In fact (at least for this battery), there aren't really any negative reviews. It's it's one-third the price of a Canon battery. Buy two, and save on shipping. She'll never need batteries again!
It's actually cheaper than I bought it for now: amazon.com/Lenmar-DLC5L-Lit...
If you buy 1 or 2, get a small filler item so you don't have to pay shipping. Or get Amazon Prime for 30-days for free :) I've had these batteries for about 8 months now. No problem whatsoever.
Have you tried one of the external battery charges for this type of camera? How does it work for you?
Ken Vann
Thanks Again.
Ken Vann
Is this because SD870 is on sale?
I have spent a lot of time going back and forth between sony cybershot T20 , cannon powershot SD800 and cannon powershot SD 870....
Finally I zeroed in on this one....
But not being able to compare prices and stores not carrying this camera is frustrating me...Is my paranoia justified???
I'd appreciate your take on this....
Thanks!
So many choices! :)
I currently own the SD800IS camera and wouldn't trade it in for any other ultracompact (except the SD870IS, like I mentioned, but I wouldn't even pay the $70 if I was offered the ability to trade up for it). That's just my opinion, though :)
But to answer your question: It never hurts to be paranoid (I'd call it "skeptical") of a product that you can't find anywhere else. BUT, especially with electronics, a quick history of the product you're looking for will usually give you the answer (in this case, digital cameras being updated so quickly that the limited space in stores can only let them keep the most up-to-date ones).
I would take the 28mm lens (SD870IS) over the slightly longer zoom of the SD850IS. Unfortunately, the larger 3" LCD and 28mm lens comes at a price (about $70 more than the SD850IS). However, if you don't mind a slightly lower megapixel resolution and a 2.5" instead of a 3" LCD, you can get the SD800IS at www.amazon.com for $240 with free tax and shipping. I own the SD800IS and love it.
Thank you both for answering. Matt, I am buying this camera for my collegebound daughter. I was considering the Canon SD800 and found one for $239. After reading the reviews, I shopped around and found a 870 for $309. You had mentioned the price difference in comparing an SD850 to the SD879; in you view, is the difference in the 800 and the 870 worth this same $70?
Best regards,
Mary
To be honest, I don't know if I'd even trade my SD800IS for the SD870IS if it were a free upgrade. I love my SD800IS. I bought mine 8 months ago for about $249 and, as you can see, it was a great deal, even today. For <$240, I'd take that over the SD870IS anyday, when looking at the price. Is the .9MP, .5" larger LCD and no optical viewfinder worth paying for? Not to me :)
Thank you both for helping a technophobe (and proud of it) with these questions. I don't know a thing about digital cameras; I still love my Canon Sureshot!
You have both given good advice and I will, with confidence, order the SD800.
Best regards,
Mary
You may have some dust particles on your camera lens that are refracting light through to the LCD, make sure you clean your lens. Otherwise, it may be an internal issue to the camera itself. If your pictures are coming out ok, I wouldn't worry too much. If it still concerns you, I would contact Canon customer support ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ). I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
I have 3 Canons and have not seen this issue at all before. It may be just a one time thing. If you bought your camera in the last year, you should be able to get a warranty repair. Contact Canon customer support ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ) for resolution.
Andrew
Do you want the flash on, or do you want it more dramatic? Do you want to highlight anything in the picture, increase the sharpness anywhere?... you begin to learn the in's and out's of your camera, and soon enough you won't even realize that you're preadjusting settings to your liking. Enjoy the experience, it's all a part of becoming a better photographer :)
As for presets, try the sports or "kids" mode.
usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...
Hope this helps.
Camera's do not usually come with specific printer software, so I'm not sure what you are asking for. Can you please clarify which software you need? If you need software for your printer, you should check the printer's manufacturer site.
Software for your camera can be found on the Canon site ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ). You must pick your computer's operating system to see the available software and downloads.
Andrew
However, lately I've been questioning the practicality of printing your own photos. With the high cost of inks these days, how often you have to replace them, the cost of photo paper and concern over how long inkjet printed photos may or may not last, I'm coming into the camp that perhaps taking your digital photos to the professionals is a better investment. I haven't done the breakdown lately, but it's bound to be pretty close to the .22 a print a one hour charges to print your digital pics of your SD card. And most have photo kiosks to boot.
darntoothysam.com/servlet/C...
Another tip is to go to Canon's website ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ) and look for firmware updates. Download and install them.
But if you can fix it with the wheel, I suspect you have a loose wheel there.
Also, I don't think that this is the wheel problem, as I can also make the LCD OK by pressing DISP button 2-3 times.
I could not find the firmware for this Canon IXUS 800IS camera, could anyone suggest where could it be found???
If you log on to <a href="sandisk.com/Compatibility/D... this site </a>, you would find all the cards recommended for the camera.
Says "Memory Card Error"
"Memory Card Locked"
but .......... it is not locked.
It's so bizarre.
Does this mean my memory card got damaged (for NO apparent reason?)
... ready to pull my hair out -- because it's an 8GB Kingston card, which wasn't cheap.
Thanks for any help. :)
I moved the slide to lock, back to unlock .... it worked.
Dumped my pix.
Put card back in camera.
ERROR again!
Removed card; locked it / unlocked it / carefully put back in camera; works again.
This is so aggravating. ;)
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.
My Canon PowerShot SD800 IS is displaying a ‘hand’ icon with brackets (( )) on each side on the lower right of the LED screen. It just started, and is there all of the time now. In automatic mode and manual mode, indoors and outdoor, it’s always there. What does this icon mean, and how can I solve it? I can’t find it anywhere in the Basic or Advanced Manual. Please advise.
Thanks,
Doug Reid
Dmreid@dccnet.com