 "Couldn't ask for more." | 2008-09-10 |
| - Reviewed By User: AFNSW4OOCZWBQ |
I purchased this camera about 18 months ago, and couldn't be more thrilled with it! It is compact enough to be carried in a purse or pocket, and the battery life is incredible - I've only had to battery 5 times since purchase, with very regular use. The image quality is great, and in some cases is actually better than my Canon XTi DSLR camera when it comes to low-light or candid and uncomposed shots.
The SD800 is by far the best point-and-shoot camera I have ever come across, and has made me a loyal Canon customer for life. Highly recommended! |
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| "Still working great!" | 2008-08-19 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2701HGESMB4YZ |
| I have been using this camera for a year and a half and I haven't had any problems with it. I love it and I carry it in my purse every day just in case I find random things to take pictures of. It was hard for me to choose which camera model I wanted but I am so happy that I chose this one! The image stabilization works great and the zoom is good for the small size camera that it is. The face recognition is also pretty neat. |
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| "excellent camera, sd870 is the updated version (not sd850)" | 2008-08-15 |
| - Reviewed By User: AMKNPIDFLRFMP |
This is (was) an excellent camera, if what you want is a pocket-able point-and-shoot camera. Very versatile, easy to use, excellent pictures every time.
Contrary to what Amazon says, the SD870 IS is the new model equivalent to this one. And it's available at a pretty good price right here. (I just got that one, but haven't used it enough to review yet. Check other websites for professional reviews, e.g., cnet.com.) |
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| "Fantastic point and shoot..." | 2008-07-25 |
| - Reviewed By chh4 |
| This camera is really just a fantastic point and shoot. This camera has really pushed the limits in quality. Sometimes it really goes head to head with my Digital SLR. It is easy to hold in the hand, and very simple to use. I am still discovering the many shooting presets that it offers. I don't know what is out there to compare to this now, but I have had it for at least a year and I am completely satisfied with it's performance. You won't go wrong with this one. |
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 "EH.....not like the old Powershots. IS is fragile......." | 2008-07-09 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2A0MQI083A1AC |
I bought this to replace my SD600, which had an internal memory card error occur. This camera takes AWESOME picts....hardly ever blurry now.
BUT
it's not sturdy like they used to be. I dropped it from about a foot out of a side pocket while in a leather canon case, and the focus mechanism is shot. the image stabilization is all messed up now, and it is non-functional.
Powershot used to mean robust, and metal-cased. not anymore.
I had a S110 for 6 YEARS. i dropped it a BUNCH of times. From 4 feet to asphalt, to carpet, to concrete, sending the battery and memory card flying. I had DENTS on the case, pieces missing, and it still worked. I kept it as a shrine to the robustness of the design. this thing took ONE hit in a case 2 months old and is done.
great camera....just buy a hard padded case. no more thin cases for this one. Canon is turning into Mercedes-Benz....too much in one package for nothing to go wrong.
I am gonna get an SD1000....classic design, NO I/S, and a METAL case. My father has this and it's GREAT. I am on an SD200 right now, but i know it's gonna take it since it isn't feature laden with sensitive pieces. |
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| "Comparative Review - Canon SD800IS, Canon SD850IS and Panasonic Lumix TZ4" | 2008-06-17 |
| - Reviewed By artemaria |
Have had this camera for about 8 months now, and have taken over 1000 pictures. It is an excellent camera in all respects. While you read it over and over, the 28 mm wide angle lens really makes a difference.
Recently, there have been some promotions at a big box store with some other cameras, so I decided to do a little test comparing the SD 800 IS (28mm to 105 mm), SD 850 IS (35mm to 140 mm) and the Panasonic Lumix TZ4 (28mm to 280 mm). I just wanted to make sure that I had the camera that was right for me.
As part of the test, I took about 70 photos with each camera in various lighting conditions, indoor lighting behind, indoor lighting in front, outdoor, zoom, wide angle, etc. Because I usually use only 4x6 prints, I printed all the photos in 4x6 prints at a local photo lab. There was no post photo processing on any of the photos. I just wanted to see the results right out of the camera so to speak.
Thus, to me, the test was as real world as possible because that is how people use the camera, you don't shoot screens of color swatches, you shoot people, things, landscapes, grass, etc. Printing it out at a photo lab let me see the pictures as best as they could be. All cameras were set on full auto and no special modes were used for any of the shots.
The results were very intersting but hardly surprising. With the exception of a somewhat noticeable difference in the telephoto and zoom ranges, at a 4x6 size, there is essentially no discernable difference in the pictures generated by the Canon SD 850IS and the Canon SD 800IS. There was no difference indoors, outdoors, or anywhere else. This is not surprising, because the cameras are very very similar, use the same processor, and only differ in the lenses.
The Panasonic was another story. It regularly failed to perform, had zoom hunting, poor focus, fringing, etc. on the indoor shots. Outside, with plenty of light, it performed very well and produced excellent photos, but because I don't shoot exclusively outside, that was a deal killer for me. You basically cannot shoot anything moving indoors with this camera. Based on the reviews, I understood that this camera had limitations, but did not realize how much the processor hobbled this camera's indoor performance.
So, for the SD 800IS, which is the one I will keep, here's the review:
PROS:
FAST: Very very very fast. As fast a digital camera as you will find. Noticeably faster than the SD 850IS, but they are close.
PROCESSOR: Excellent photos in a wide variety of conditions.
LENS: Wide angle lens is a real treat in a point and shoot. I shot 22 kids all on one staircase and all of them fit in the picture, and I did not have to walk back any steps (or wedge myself into a corner, etc. to do it). Also, outside, and especially outside, it is amazing what you will fit into a picture. At 4 x 6 did not notice any distortion, but as another review noted, I don't really look at the corners of a picture, so this is not really an issue.
SIZE: very small, fits anywhere.
VIEWFINDER OPTIONS: Optical viewfinder, the screen is so good that you don't use this that often, but it is nice to know it is there for those really really sunny days (and they come up every so often).
BATTERY: Battery life is exceptional. Camera seems to go on for months with one battery (I think it is rated for 400+ shots, which is an astounding battery life for such a small camera).
NEUTRAL:
APPEARANCE: The looks of the camera. I prefer black cameras as I used to own a film SLR and black cameras remind me of that beloved camera. However, my wife seems to like the looks of this camera.
CONS:
LIMITED ZOOM: Would like a drop more zoom range, perhaps a 5x - 6x would be ideal, but it would be hard fitting a 28mm to 168mm in such a small package.
FLASH: Flash is a little weak (similar on the SD850IS), but this is par for the course on a point and shoot.
OPTICAL VIEWFINDER: Optical viewfinder is really small, is off center and not useful for every time composure on this camera, the camera is made to be used with the LCD on.
Can't go wrong with either this or the SD 850IS, as they are essentially the same camera with different lenses, it just depends on whether you want a wide angle lens or not. Good luck with your shopping. |
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| "It's a Great Unit" | 2008-06-06 |
| - Reviewed By User: A2COCC6KHKCZ74 |
| The wide angle is nice, it's not too wide, but wide enough to make a nice difference. The 2 gig SD card holds many many photos. The battery lasts a long time, and it's a great size for a pocket. The photos are great, and the interface is intuitive. I like it! |
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 "Canon has problems with telephoto shots" | 2008-05-24 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1OX8PR30STNPS |
| I bought the Canon Powershot SD800 IS back over a year ago when it first showed up on the market. I bought it because it had image-stabilization which I knew would be a great way to stop camera shake in low light situations and when one takes telephoto shots. I am still amazed how much technology they can put into a small camera such as this Canon SD800 IS. This is my second point and shoot Canon camera and both cameras had to be sent back to Canon to have the lens taken out and replaced because of black smudges showing up on my telephoto pictures. You could see them easily in the light blue sky area which was ruining my pictures! Canon replaced the lens without costs but after using them awhile afterwards, those black smudges showed up again in only the telephoto shots! Long story short - I don't know if this occurs in other brands but I will not be buying anymore Canon cameras for now even though I know they are a great company. Otherwise, this camera was great in every other way. But if the pictures aren't clean, then all of that high tech doesn't matter. |
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| "Canon PowerShot SD800 IS 7.1MP - Digital Elph Camera" | 2008-04-22 |
| - Reviewed By User: AEQNC35U5266G |
| I have been using this camera for over a year. Excellent performance, quality, durability, design. Five stars!!!!! |
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| "Point & Shoot with Style" | 2008-04-21 |
| - Reviewed By User: A3EXI2ONDDLZ5O |
The interface is simple to learn, the features are all you need to get great photos, the build is super and the results are outstanding.
I bought this wee camera over others because it has a wide angle lens and it has a viewfinder (there are bright sunny days when you just can't see an LCD screne well enough to compose an image). I also bought it because I believe Canon cameras produce the best images in terms of natural colour, low noise and sharp detail.
I don't think you can get a better camera for $300. Buy it with a case with a belt loop, wear it often and take many many photos - you'll be delighted. |
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