Comparative Review - Canon SD800IS, Canon SD850IS and Panasonic Lumix TZ4

Fantastic point and shoot... | Canon PowerShot SD800 IS 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Image-Stabilized Optical Zoom

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	• Canon PowerShot SD800 IS 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3.8x Wide Angle Image-Stabilized Optical Zoom Canon Canon average customer review:based on 547 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

It's a Great Unit

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!

Comparative Review - Canon SD800IS, Canon SD850IS and Panasonic Lumix TZ4

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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Fantastic point and shoot...

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.

This isthe Digital ELPH that's raising the bar. There's everything you'd expect from a camera of this caliber: A 7.1 megapixel CCD to render images in magnificent detail and a DIGIC III Image Processor for stellar quality and fast operation. Yet what sets the SD800 IS Digital ELPH apart is its Wide-angle 3.8x optical zoom with Image Stabilizer technology for rock steady zooms. The Canon SD800 IS Digital ELPH, it's the Digital ELPH that's a step ahead. Wide-angle 28-105mm (35mm equivalent) 3.8x Optical Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer Technology for steady, long zoom shooting DIGIC III Image Processor with Face Detection Technology for superior image quality, fast operation and low power consumption Large 2.5-inch LCD monitor with wide viewing angle for easier on-camera viewing Up to ISO 1600 to reduce image blur and expand low-light shooting capability Improved Movie Mode with Fast Frame Rate at 60 fps QVGA (320 x 240) or 30 fps VGA (640 x 480) Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with Canon CP and SELPHY Compact Photo Printers Capacity per fully charged battery - Still Image - approx. 270 shots (NB-5L/LCD on)* approx. 600 shots (NB-5L/LCD off) Dimensions (W x H x D) - 3.52 x 2.28 x 0.99 in. / 89.5 x 58.0 x 25.1mm; 5.29 ounces

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