Canon’s best ELPH yet !!!, September 15, 2007

The only negative I can come up with is the lack of an optical viewfinder. I guess this is a sacrifice you have to make in order to get a screen this big on such a small camera.

Pros:

Sharp photos with great color saturation
Optical image stabilization
Speedy shot-to-shot time for an ultra-compact
Bright 3" screen that’s easy to view in all lighting situations
Great movie mode
28mm - 105mm (35mm equiv.) 3.8x wide-angle zoom lens
Easy to use controls with intuitive GUI

No optical viewfinder

Overall, I think the SD870 is just about perfect in every way, and I highly recommend it!

Nice upgrade of the popular Digital Rebel Series!, September 12, 2006

[This is the same review I posted for the kit. If you’re getting the body because you don’t like the 18-55 lens, keep in mind that some dealers offer this camera in a kit with the much nicer 17-85 USM IS (image stabalization) zoom.]

The new Digital Rebel XTi camera should appeal to a wide variety of users: those wishing to upgrade from a point & shoot digital, or those wishing to improve upon their first generation digital SLRs. Features and value make this a 5-star camera, but it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

Compared to the previous Digital Rebel XT, important improvements are:

1) 10.1 megapixels. In digital camera circles, this is like saying a car has more horsepower than an older car. While this alone doesn’t mean "better" pictures, in reality, combined with other improvements in hardware & software, the results typically are better.;

2) 2.5" LCD panel. This alone has more than one advantage. The obvious first one is that our pictures look larger in review. The second, and for someone approaching 50 (like myself), is that the LCD is now used for all the camera’s data (shutter speed, aperture, shots left, etc.). It’s much easier to read than the small LCD typically located on the top of the cameras. It might use up the batteries quicker, but, heck, if you can see the info this much easier, then so be it. One complaint, it does not appear that the data rotates when you do verticals (like the Sony Alpha 100).;

3) 9-point AF. The number of points are improved from 7, but the real key here is that it’s the system from the 30D, which had a much higher degree of accuracy than the previous Rebels.;

4) Picture Styles. I didn’t really appreciate them at first, but simply put, this is like the days of film, when we could use a "portrait" film or "landscape" film. For those that don’t like to do a lot of computer work, these can be VERY handy in getting the right look in the camera.;

5) Dust cleaning system. OK, I think the dust problem will probably be a little overblown, now that Canon offers a solution, but it is a real, if not great, threat. Additionally, the way Canon has implemented it is second to none. The first is through hardware. An ultrasonic filter can simply shake the dust off. Second is through software. If you spot a nasty piece that won’t shake off, you can do a reference shot, and have the dust removed by software on your computer.;

6)The grip has been improved a little. The rubber on the grip is improved, and an anti-slip strip has been placed on the back where the right thumb goes.

Now for the other side. This is an unusual time in that all the big players are comming out with a 10 megapixel camera at the same time, so the Canon has some stiff competition. Here goes a simple comparison.

1) Compared to the other two cameras already available, the Sony A100 and Nikon D80 (both also 5-star cameras), the XTi is considerably smaller, and somewhat lighter. Some will like this, even some with medium to medium-large hands. But most people with larger, and some with somewhat smaller hands may prefer the other two choices.;

2) The battery is somewhat smaller than its rival’s, and may drain a bit faster due to the LCD being used for info all the time.;

3) Functionally, the rear LCD is not as nice as the Sony’s. The Sony’s rotates, can be set to enlarged type (50+ user again), and the system that turns it off as your eye approaches also starts the AF on the Sony. [Although many like the top LCD, the Nikon way of needing to push a button on the back, then peak over the top to see what you’re setting is not as nice].;

4) No in camera stabalization. The A100 can shift the sensor to help eliminate camera shake. Nikon and Canon require you to purchase rather expensive lenses to get the anti-shake.;

Of these 3 currently on the market, the Canon is the least expensive; therefore, it’s up to the other 2 to show they are worth more, a very difficult task, indeed.

Very Good Camera, June 22, 2007

 For a point and shoot camera, this little gem packs a lot of advanced features. It’s definitely not a DSLR but it’s sure convenient when you want to conceal it and carry it with you in your pocket.

Pros:

1) Red-eye correction. No more red-eyes! It automatically fixes them.
2) Image stabilization. Will correct your hand movements but will not stop action.
3) Face Detection. Automatically finds and focuses on faces, and sets the proper exposure.
4) LCD Screen. The 2 1/2 LCD screen is very high resolution.
5) Lots of choices concerning picture quality and color.
6) Image and video quality are very good for such a small camera.
7) Optical viewfinder. Many cameras do not have this. It comes in handy when you do not want to use the LCD screen such as in theaters.
Auto White Balance is much improved over the older Digic II processors.
9) There is a manual setting where you can treak your photo settings. My preference is "Positive Film," "ISO 100," "+1/3 exposure," "flash on." The photos look fantastic.

Cons:

1) Noisy pictures with ISO settings over 200. (Pretty much what you get with any point and shoot camera.) Auto setting usually selects ISO 200, which is a little noisy. You’re better off to go with ISO 80 or 100.
2) Lens is wide enough for most purposes but it’s definitely not a "wide angle" lens. There is some barrel distortion on the short end, meaning that straight lines, buidings, walls, etc, appear a little curved.
3) Battery/SD Card Door can slide out and pop open easily.
4) Cannot chose aperature or shutter speeds manually.
5) No battery life meter. The LCD screen only displays a "low battery" warning.

It is not good at stopping action. Pictures of kids and pets running around will often be blurry because of the 1/60 sec. shutter speed. If you are needing to take low-light or action/sports photos, you would be better off purchasing a cheap DSLR. The only reason I don’t give this camera 5 stars is because of the noise at higher ISO’s.

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Excellent, Sleek, and Stylish Camera, April 4, 2007

Canon resumes its position at the top of all camera manufacturers. Their design, performance, and quality is hard to match. Now onto the camera:

I have shot around 4-5 Gigs worth of photos in various settings, so I have a good idea of what this camera has to offer. The features itself within the camera are excellent. Aside from increased megapixels, it’s not much different than the SD700 except for some odd reason, Canon decided to opt out of the IS (Image Stabilization) feature. I almost gave it 4 stars based solely on that aspect. But other than that, the camera is brilliant.

For portraits and close-ups, the Face Detection feature is phenomenal which is a reflection of the new DIGIC III technology. The camera will lock in on the human face or multiple faces (I’ve locked in up to and keep it in focus no matter where you move or pan the camera. And if you’re shooting indoors or in low-light, the ISO can be set as high as 1600 so you have a lot of Flash Exposure control if you don’t like that spotlight look when using the flash. There is also an Auto ISO setting which gives the user a lot of range to shoot. It will determine proper ISO setting and shutter speed and also will predict camera shake resulting in less blurry pictures. I guess this makes up for not having IS.

If you are a novice photographer and don’t like to mess with ISO, aperture settings, and shutter speed variations this camera will fit your needs just fine. It has 17 shooting modes including "scene" modes for the different settings you may be shooting in such as the beach, fireworks, snow, portraits, night, etc. Fully automatic so any beginner can pick up this camera and shoot like a pro.

The most popular feature has to be the 3" LCD screen. It’s ginormous. But in order to get that big of a screen on such a compact camera, Canon forgoes the optical viewfinder. So if you’re a viewfinder shooter, then you may not like the fact you are limited to just the LCD screen for image framing.

One shortcoming of the camera is that it still has a weak zoom. 3X optical is nothing and so the zoom feature is pretty much non-existent.

The movie features on the camera are awesome. i like the Time Lapse movies where you can record time lapse of up to 2 hours and condense it into a 4 or 8 minute movie. So if you want to make that cool "cloud moving" effect or the "budding flower" you can accomplish that with this camera. The video resolution is excellent and has a VGA frame rate of 30fps.

Overall, the camera satisfies all users with being simple enough to use for beginners and also boasting features a professional can appreciate. It also looks bitchin and has a two tone effect that people admire. The corners are intelligently rounded so it slips easily in and out of any pocket you may want to put it in.

the best gets better - perfect balance of size, speed, photo quality, capabilities, March 29, 2007

 Last year, after extensive research, I bought a Canon A540 to replace my trusty Olympus D40-Zoom. My goals for camera selection where (a) compact size, (b) standard AA batteries, (c) full manual controls, (d) outstanding image quality, (e) speed, (f) optical viewfinder. The A540 fit the bill almost perfectly, with a handful of limitations that I noted in my review.

This year, with Canon’s release of the A570IS, I decided to upgrade, driven by the addition of optical image stabilization (IS). While the IS is impressive, I was surprised by other improvements that Canon has made. Image noise levels are significantly lower and more controlled for higher ISO captures. The Digic III processor seems to make more intelligent decisions about lighting and flash exposure, especially when its face recognition is engaged. Add a dramatically better quality LCD screen, slightly higher 7.1MP resolution, improved case, and support of high capacity SD cards, and I doubt I’ll need to upgrade any time soon.

Like the A540, the A570IS is for me a perfect balance of size, speed, and photo quality. The A570IS is the same physical size as the A540. It’s small enough to fit in a coat pocket or small belt case yet uses 2 AA batteries.

Like the A540, overall processing speed is very fast unless you’re taking flash pictures (and then you should expect about 4-6 seconds between flashes depending on battery level and what flash strength the camera selected). Note that flash time is significantly better with high-capacity rechargeable NiMh batteries than with standard AAs. And, unlike some other cameras I have tried, the speed of the user interface (especially during playback) is very fast.

Picture quality in general is excellent, even in low light situations. Noise at higher ISO is significantly more controlled than the A540, perhaps a benefit of the new 7.1MP CCD and the Digic III image processor. According to the documentation, noise reduction is applied at slow shutter speeds of 1.3 seconds or greater, and this can slightly slow down shot-to-shot time. There is no option to disable or adjust the noise processing, but in my experience the results are very good. When noise reduction is applied, there is a slight loss of detail compared to the A540, but the results are noticeably better on the A570IS with its built-in noise reduction than post-processing noise on pictures taken with the A540.

In my own head-to-head comparisons between the A570IS and A540, the A570IS has better light metering and noticeably sharper detail on indoor shots without a flash (especially when image stabilization is engaged). The A570IS does favor slightly higher ISO in auto modes than the A540, giving generally better results without a flash. However, when taking close-up pictures with a flash, the A570IS doesn’t seem to select anything lower then ISO 200, sometimes requiring a manual ISO override in Program mode.

The A570IS offers a new ISO 1600 mode, but I’m not quite sold on it. Without a tripod, under low light conditions, ISO 1600 does offer the opportunity for blur-free photographs not possible with ISO 800. But the level of noise and artifacts from the noise processing don’t give a very usable picture.

The A570IS raises the bar with optical image stabilization, which only works when the camera is held horizontally. One of the biggest limitations of consumer digital cameras is the need to hold the camera steady to get a clear shot. At higher zooms and in night shots this problem can be compounded. I’ve taken a number of shots with and without IS, and it is useful but not a "magic bullet" for poor shots. Small details like far-away signs at night become clear when the IS is engaged. You can set the IS to run continuously during preview, only when the shutter is released (slightly lower battery drain), only on vertical movement (better for objects that are moving horizontally), or disabled (I have yet to find a reason to do so). And, unlike many cameras I’ve seen, the IS works in video capture mode.

Like the A540, the A570IS offers full manual controls. With the A570IS, Canon adds two more modes (Kids & Pets and Indoor) to the mode selector wheel (instead of having to find them on the Special Scene menu). The A570IS also adds a new Aquarium scene mode, while removing the useless Color Swap and Color Accent modes. Canon has also removed the "My Camera" customization menu (for changing the startup picture and various sounds) which I never used on my A540.

Although I never expected to use it, the movie mode is excellent. It’s still not a replacement for a dedicated camcorder. But I have used it on a number of occasions to capture audio and video when a picture just won’t do. Standard movie mode is 640x480 (VGA) quality at 30fps, but you can raise the capture to 60 fps at 320x240, or lower it to 15fps at 160x120. The A570 can now capture video up to 1 hour or 4GB whichever comes first. Video files are very large (around 1.9MB/second at 30fps) but they compress extremely well with QuickTime Pro’s MPEG4 codec.

With the A570IS, Canon also addressed some of my minor complaints about the A540. Most notably, the LCD screen is much higher quality and higher resolution. The case plastics seem more solid, the small rubber door covering the USB - A/V - power ports pivots open from the side not the top, and the handle area no longer has a chrome insert which had a tendency to fall off. The ring that covers the conversion lens adapter mount has a chrome trim, making the camera more attractive but at least on my A570IS it is more difficult to remove than the A540.

Once again, I looked at the Canon A710IS which offers a 6x optical zoom, but has the same 7.1MP sensor, optical image stabilization and user interface with the older Digic II image processor. In the end, after trying both cameras in the store, I again settled on the A570IS. The A710IS is noticeably larger (about 0.25 inches wider and slightly taller), and the more complicated lens takes longer to startup and to zoom. Both cameras have a limited number of stops in their zoom range, but this is noticeable on the 6x of the A710IS where it is not noticeable in the 4x of the A570IS. For me, the larger size wasn’t worth the extra zoom. And the benefits of Digic III are impressive.

In summary, Canon A570IS Pros:
- 7.1 megapixel sensor, 4x optical zoom
- ISO 80 to 1600
- optical image stabilization for higher ISO or zoom, even during video capture
- optical viewfinder for shooting with the LCD off
- full manual controls (shutter priority, appeture priority, full manual)
- preset and custom white balance control
- outstanding photo quality, even in relatively low light (good color balance, very low noise at higher ISOs, almost non-existent chromatic aberation)
- Digic III processor offers face detection, makes more intelligent decisions on exposure, and flash levels
- very good results from built-in noise reduction for slow shutter speeds of 1.3 seconds or greater
- very fast startup and shot-to-shot speed (flash not withstanding)
- excellent and speedy auto-focus even in low light (although the AF assist light can slow this down)
- orientation sensor recognizes if you have rotated the camera to take a shot
- flash adjusts angle based on wide-telephoto zoom
- built-in red eye reduction during playback lets you select an area to remove red eye and save as new or overwrite the existing image
- surprisingly usable movie mode
- outstanding user interface: options are well laid out and easy to locate, very well thought-out record and playback options
- extremely fast user interface and playback performance, even zooming in on photos
- high resolution LCD screen
- well built case, very comfortable grip
- uses SD cards and supports high-capacity SDHC (takes advantage of high-speed SD)
- uses 2 AA batteries (at least 2500 mAh NiMh rechargeable recommended)
- very good battery life (approx 400 shots on 2 rechargeable NiMh AA, with the display on)
- replaceable lithium battery protects settings when changing batteries
- supports optional high-power flash, conversion lenses and underwater case

Cons (to me, all very minor):
- flash recharge time is acceptable but not great (4 - 6 seconds between shots using NiMh batteries)
- preview display blanks while flash recharges
- Auto ISO for indoor flash close-up pictures doesn’t seem to select below ISO 200; you can force ISO 100 in Program or manual modes
- ISO 1600 is of questionable real-world use because of noise and artifacts from noise reduction
- noise reduction cannot be adjusted or disabled
- it is possible to insert the SD card upside down and you don’t realize until you try to close the cover (would be easy to break the cover if you force this)
- the markings for the battery orientation are difficult to read
- no RAW image support, but you can select from 3 different compression ratios for image quality
- bundled 16MB card is useless - buy a 2GB card

TIPS:
1) make sure you do a low-level format before you use your SD card in this camera, even if you had formatted it for another Canon camera. It makes a significant difference in shot-to-shot speed
2) always use high-capacity (2500 mAh or greater) NiMh rechargeable batteries - the flash recharge time is much improved (though still 4-6 seconds)
3) for indoor flash close-up shots, may need to override ISO to 100 for better quality
4) for outdoor shots in bright sun, setting exposure -2/3 gives better control of bright areas
5) if you use the conversion lens adapter, don’t plan on using the built-in flash which is partially obscured by the adapter. I haven’t tried it, but would expect the external flash to not have this problem.

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Trying to make a decision between Canon A series, S series, SD series?, May 15, 2007

have owned several Canon A series, Canon SD series, the Canon S series and also the S2/S3 IS. So here’s the skinny as an amateur user.

If you don’t want to read the long review, here’s the summary. Buy the SD1000 if you are looking for the tiniest camera that you can take everywhere. It takes good shots indoors given its tiny size and fabulous shots outdoors.

If smallness is not your top priority then you should consider some other Canon cameras which may work better for you (including others from the SD Series).

A series - The A series is best for you if you’re looking for a low cost camera that gives you a wide range of features, many manual controls and great image quality. Although, the size is bigger than SD series making it a jacket-pocket camera, the advantage is in the styling. It gives you a convenient grip on the side which helps hold the camera steady and results in less "blurry" pictures. The mode selector dial on top helps you zip through selections. The convenience of AA batteries which are available in every corner of the world, no missing out on pictures as your battery was discharged, might be a selling point for those who travel a lot.
{Update 11/10/07: Canon launched many new A series cameras in August 2007 with Image Stabilization and improved zoom. The 7.1 MP A570 IS with 4X zoom is cheaper than this SD1000. You may want to consider it seriously if you don’t care so much about the slightly large the size and increased weight.}

The S3 to S5 IS series cameras have a great image sensor, the wonderful image stabilization, a great zoom, and super macro function that can produce never before pictures. The flip out screen helps take shots from angles you’ve never considered before. The videos mode of the S series is also better with stereo sound and a sharp picture. The cameras in this series are also just a little more expensive and pretty bulky. If taking great pictures is all you care about and do not mind carrying a big camera, the S series will be a great choice. It’s the first step towards a real professional camera.

And finally (drumroll) - the SD series. Small. Cute.

The SD 1000 slips into your shirt front pocket without making it sag. If you’re wondering about the style, the square "retro" design is boxy but I like it better as it is very compact. It also does not slip out from my fingers as easily as the curved edge ones.

Since the cameras in SD series are so small some features like different shooting modes are accessible only through the menu which makes changing between them more cumbersome. Sometimes I’ve just preferred to stay on Auto rather than missing the shot while I navigated to the right mode. SD series cameras also have less manual or user defined controls like flash power reduction which I miss. The flash incidentally, can get very strong in lower light or indoor situations and often bleaches out color from people’s faces. If you turn off the flash then you have to use a tripod or have the camera on a flat surface to prevent shaky pictures. I also find that the smallness and lightness of SD series makes my hand shake more than when I’m holding the A series camera with the side grip. I get more fuzzy pics with the SD series than my A series (comparing the models without Image Stabilization) and it’s annoying to see the camera-shake warning each time on the screen I am trying to take a shot. I also get a little more red eye with this series probably because the flash is so close to the lens. On the SD 1000 however, there is a red eye correction feature so you can remove red eye right on the camera. The other improvement over the previous SD series is the automatic face detection which helps reduce the flash glare on faces so pictures come out better.

Having used many Canons, although I prefer some other models for their pictures, guess which camera travels with me most often. My SD1000. Just because it’s small and fits into my tiny party purse or jeans pocket. Canon recently launched some SD series cameras with Image Stabilization like SD850 IS which is slightly more expensive and a bit bigger and heavier than the SD1000. I’d probably never take it along with me on daily basis and would miss some great photo ops…Many of my friends bought the SD1000 camera after seeing the size of my camera vs. its range of features (and the reasonable price!)

And what about some other Canon features? (If you’re a regular Canon user skip reading this section, as you already know all this good stuff.):
- It has an intelligent focusing system with DIGIC III (up from DIGIC II earlier) auto red eye correction and face detection (see above).

- Goes up to ISO 1600 which improves it’s low light performance. Although beware of camera shake if you turn off flash in low light. In my opinion, Canon has always out-performed all other consumer cameras in outdoor pics. For indoor low-light pics you’ll have to turn on the flash or end up with grainy images. However, compared to other brands in the same class the SD1000 still takes pretty sharp pictures.

- SD card slot - cheap to buy 2GB cards.

-Photo-stitch - For stitching together panoramic views. I have shot countless seascapes, ‘bridge’scapes, and landscapes from all my Canons using this function and stitching together 6-10 shots in one. It’s easy.

-Macro mode - Great for close ups of babies or product shots

- The SCN mode (special scenes)- Fireworks, Beach, Snow, kids and pets, Underwater, Foliage, Aquarium and Indoor is great. Now even amateurs can use Canon experience to get the best shot quickly before they miss the photo opportunity while trying to set manual controls.

-"My colors" option - Allows you to choose a color you want to highlight in a picture or even darken and lighten skin tones. Color Accent allows you to capture only a particular color in a shot while the rest of the picture is black and white. I did a black and white Christmas group portrait with only the Santa hats, ornaments and poinsettias in red color. Or with Color Swap you can swap out one color with the other, like change your car or (or hair color!)- red to blue. The possibilities are endless, even my kid loves to use the color accent feature as it’s really easy.

-Special effects (B/W, Sepia, Vivid, Nuetral etc.) I’ve used sepia a lot when taking portraits giving them an ‘old world’ feel. Vivid has been helpful in special situations like a red kite against a blue sky to bring out the colors. You can do all this in Photoshop later but how many of us actually get the time to do this, once a pic is taken it’s over with for me!

-You can also take videos in 3 different resolutions with this camera and edit them right on the camera.

-You can create a slide show of all the images you took on the camera itself with fancy transition effects of your choice, it adds to the fun when you hook it up to a TV to view your pics.

-The zoom button shows one or many images at a time in the replay mode and you can zoom into each individual image to see parts of it closely. You can also add sound bites to your shots to remember a location.

- While replaying, the images auto-rotate to landscape or portrait mode to align with how you’re holding the camera. It’s a nice feature. The screen has been made more durable than it was earlier with an anti-reflective coating.

All in all, if you want a small and sexy yet very feature rich camera go for the SD1000, you’ll find yourself using it more often than your previous cameras.

More Information

1. Click here!! for see more detail about Canon PowerShot SD1000 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Silver)
2. www.atboon.com

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