 "Great snapshots, but on/off button broke in less than 2 years" | 2009-08-29 |
| - Reviewed By User: A14KQXHUH15KMY |
Very convenient small size, and great color (in vivid mode), and great sharpness (in default lens setting). Telephoto images (even in just the optical range) are disappointing due to degraded sharpness (even in bright light conditions).
For a camera of this cost (nearly $300 in late 2007) some design aspects are disappointing. Specifically, the tiny recessed plastic on/off button broke a few months after the 1 year warranty expired. It doesn't make a difference how good a camera is if you cannot turn it on. I assume this is a design issue common to the SD Elph series. |
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 "My favorite Canon camera to date" | 2009-06-25 |
| - Reviewed By stockjock |
I am a huge fan of Canon cameras. They are durable, well-designed and the photo quality is anywhere from very good to excellent. I believe that the Canon SD850is is my 5th Canon camera and so far it's my favorite.
I do admit to preferring the size factor of the SD1100 and the like, but I prefer the photo quality of the SD850is, even if it is a touch larger.
I've used the macro setting on this camera pretty extensively, and I've never used a similar camera which allowed me to get up so close in macro without blurring or distortion. The image stabilization feature is also quite good. I recently took a boat ride to Mexico's Coronado Islands and in choppy waters with full zoom I was able to take terrific close-ups of the sea lions sunning themselves on the rocks.
Battery life is also quite good and it's nice to be able to use SDHC memory cards with this camera. The optical viewfinder is also a big plus, as it seems like more and more manufacturers are eliminating them and there are times where they can come in extremely handy.
All-in-all, it's yet another terrific camera from Canon and comes highly recommended.
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| "great camera, but you need to know its limitations" | 2009-06-18 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1IUJLN94QVB76 |
I bought this based on Ken Rockwell's recommendation ([...]). Its a great go anywhere camera. The IS really works well and provided you keep your ISO down, image quality is very good.
However, the lack of a manual mode is a problem at times and the flash could stand to use a bit more power.
But its a great supplement to an dSLR for those moments when you just want a pocket point and shoot. |
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 "great until the fatal E18 design flaw" | 2009-06-05 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1NGSC5ZVX5N2H |
| I was thrilled with the camera until I encountered the E18 error that most people seem to have after about a year of owning the camera. You receive the error, completely unprovoked due to a design error in the retractable lens. I loved the camera, until this happened and Canon does not have a path to resolve the problem and will not fix it without paying an additional $250. I bought this camera due to positive reviews on Amazon, but I wish I had known earlier about this issue. |
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 "Impressions after 16 months of use ..." | 2009-05-19 |
| - Reviewed By secretbearer |
I am comparing this to a Canon G2 (4 MP) and an Olympus C-700 10x Ultrazoom (2 MP). Both the G2 and Ultrazoom take much better pictures in low light, probably 2 ISO's better. Every year I take my kids bowling and when I got the SD850, I decided to take this camera. Nearly all the pictures were ruined! I spent hours trying to reprocess the pictures to remove digital noise with noise reduction tools from the internet, to no avail !!!
One evening I spent taking pictures of a door with calendars on it, 25 feet away, using the C-700 (10x) ultrazoom and the SD850, in bright indoors light (with not supplement from outdoors.) I concluded it was impossible to get a good indoors picture in the evening with this camera. That is why I was disappointed at the Bowling alley - there was no supplement of outdoors light !!!
I consider this an outdoors-only camera. If you want to use it at a wedding, at a bowling alley, or at night, indoors, without a flash, FORGET IT.
Summary of bad things
- poor low light performance
- low-end of zoom (35mm) is too narrow
- you end up backing into walls and missing pictures indoors!
- my next Canon will have a 28mm low-end for the zoom !!
- LCD preview does not include +/- exposure compensation
- So beautiful pictures on the LCD are changed to washed out or too dark!
Summary of good things.
- The compact size means it will get used TWICE as much.
- My wife refuses to carry her G2 camera now !
- Optical viewfinder - essential for capturing kids in sporting events!
- YOU WONT miss a picture due to shutter lag!
- Battery life is excellent.
- Wall charger is convenient and fast
- I recommend buying extra batteries ($5/ea) on ebay
- I recommend buying a clear silicone case ($10) on ebay
- The PC interface is a hard drive (more convenient than earlier canons).
- Video mode is pretty good and you can do optical zoom in video mode.
Beware of internet reviews that rave about great colors and sharp pictures! They are talking about PERFECT PHOTO CONDITIONS ONLY !!
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| "Best 8MP picture money can buy" | 2009-05-12 |
| - Reviewed By User: A1KLUN8MZL8U5N |
| First of all it is a Canon, a brand with a long history in cameras. They do not make TV's, stereos, and any other audio/video equipment. They do cameras and their optics are the best. This is about the size of a pack of cigarettes and fits perfectly in any pocket. It has the large display with the scratch proof screen which is viewable from a wide angle. There are many shooting options in Manual mode, and then for those who like to point and shoot there's the Auto. This camera has both the optical view finder, and the Image Stabilization, a rare combination these days. The optical view finder is ideal for shooting fast objects at a long distance that are not clearly visible on the LCD display, as in planes at an air show, such as the Blue Angels. A typical air show lasts 4 hours, and this camera's battery will last that long, filming and taking pictures without the flash. The 4X optical zoom is a big plus for getting up close without degrading the quality of the image by doing too much digital zoom. Overall this is a feature packed, quality camera, that will take perfect pictures in any lighting. |
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