Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
->Deals Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Nice job, Canon. This is my second digital camera. My previous one, a G2 bought back in 2001, is a monster compared to this slick little feller. The camera will easily fit in most pockets, pants or shirt, weighs a few ounzes, and is very stylish. Time to first picture is about 2 seconds...very fast little camera. The controls are well placed, and reduced to a minimal, or rather optimal, number. Although, the few controls on the back by no means limit the versatility of the camera. There are many functions one can play with, and I would encourage anyone who owns it to get acquainted with all of them. Pictures are excellent quality. True colors, and no visible optical defects. I haven't really had much time with it, so I can't comment beyond this, but so far i'm thrilled!
->Buy Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
After a few comments I decided to rewrite my review and clarify a few things.
This is my 3rd Canon digital Powershot camera. My first was a S110 (2 mega pixle camera) that I bought in 2002. My second was a S410 (4 mega pixle camera) that my wife gave to me in 2004. (I'll refer to these as S series). In addition I've regularly used several profesional SLRs in the past including the Nikon D1-X.
My new Canon Powershot SD850 is superior to my older two S series cameras in almost everyway. But, like everthing else it's not perfect.
Minus 1 star:
The camera seems to experiance increased barrel distortion (where the picture is sharp in the middle but fuzzy around the edges). This seems most noticable in daylight shots without a flash. For you experts out there; yes, I'm aware that barrel distortion is common on these types of cameras. I feel however that it is more noticable with this camera. You can test the affect for yourself if you shoot straight at a flat, textured surface such as a brick wall, etc. without a flash. Note that you may have to use a tripod to avoid camera shake. View the picture at 100% resolution, compare with other cameras and decide for yourself. My comparison was with my older S410 which had only half the resolution and much less noticable distortion.
Minus 1/2 a star:
The camera tells you the F/stop and shutter in the display, but does not let you change it. And, the camera loves the F2.8 setting (lens cranked wide open), especially in lower lit scenes whether you are using a flash or not, which most likely has something to do with the added distortion.
Minus 1/2 a star: (other things)
The power button that so many people have complained about is a little awqured but not something you can't get used to. The A/V out cover that a few others mentioned is fairly low quality and just seems to sit in place without anything really securing it. Also, it is difficult to take pictures without getting fingerprint smudges all over the LCD screen. My older S410 did not have this problem because the screen was much smaller and way out of the way of my thumb.
One more note:
The cameras rounded body is a mixed blessing. On one hand it looks cool, and fits in a pocket much easier. Unfortunately it is also much more diffiuclt to simply set it on objects when you are using the self timer. My older S series cameras were small boxes with flat bottoms and could be placed on uneven objects such as rocks with ease. Because this camera has a more rounded bottom doing that becomes much more of a balancing act. The longer protruding lens does not help much either. Small price to pay I guess..
Overall it seems like a good camera, but the real test will come next week when I take it on its first trip.
->Compare Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
I hate to carry cameras because of their size, therefore I have missed a lot of opportunities to take pictures or I have to bum copies off of friends that did bring a camera.
Two relatives of mine switched to sub-compact cameras because they had the same complaint. I ordered this one hoping it would be small enough to slide in a pocket and not annoy me. It is definitely small!
Construction is solid. I'll let the other reviewers give more info since I am not a camera expert. I will say that I'm not sure why the one reviewer was complaining so much about the power button, it doesn't seem to be a problem for me.
->Discount Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
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.
8) 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.
Bottom Line:
This camera is a great little convenient camera, which is able to be concealed easily, and taken about anywhere because it easily slips into a purse or pocket. It's a great camera for taking indoor portraits with flash, as well as outdoor photos. 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.
->Deal Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Bought this for someone else who loves taking photos (avid, somewhat advanced photographer)...she loves it, much more than the latest Casio she just returned. For a camera its size, it packs a lot of features and the resulting photos are very good...somewhat better than those from competing manufacturers at times. From photography reviews using direct comparison it seems that the CCD sensor is lower noise than others of its size. Optical stabilization surely helps as do the well-chosen auto settings...color quality, in particular is excellent. I've played with various manual settings in more complicated scenarios finding this compact camera to be unusually versatile! Movie quality is also good, but still using AVI (Motion JPEG) instead of MPEG4 it could be improved. I like to compare this camera/camcorder to the low-end (non-HD) Sanyo Xacti camcorder/cameras...sensor size is the same and price is similar: Here, the photos are often slightly better and the movies are generally not as good. For someone slanted toward photos rather than movies in a tiny (easily fits in pocket) handheld capable of doing both, this seems to be an excellent choice...perhaps the best of its class. I haven't tested the latest Panasonic competitor but just playing with both in the store my choice was clear!
->Buy Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
I'm not going to write a technical review since those will be available once the reviews are out. I have no doubt that this camera will meet the same standards as the SD700. I couldn't find this camera at target because it was new, so I just ordered it and expected a canon quality camera.
I wanted to replace my Canon SD700 because after a year of owning it, I find that it takes a lot longer for the camera to respond. The SD700 seems to have a problem with focusing and I end up either missing pictures or getting semi-blurry pictures. I find that with time, canon cameras do this because I also owned the canon S410 and had the same problem.
The biggest problem I foresee is the on/off button. It's in the same spot, though I have no idea why they even moved it there in the first place. The problem with it is that the button sits nearly flush with the camera. I have to use my fingernail to turn it on. So if you want to take a picture, you better have your camera on and ready beforehand. I find it very difficult to turn on the camera without using my nail since I don't feel like pressing really hard on the button just to turn it on. If they just left it the same as the SD700, they would've been better off. I'm sure there will be a lot of complaints on this one.
What they did improve was the circular options dial. They raised it to the point where you can actually feel and see the difference. Why they didn't do this with the on/off button is beyond me. There is also an auto sensing mechanism in it because when you put your finger on the flash, for example, the lightning bolt bolds and is bigger than the other options. A little unnecessary, but whatever.
The screen is a vast improvement over the SD700. On the SD700, I have a little mark on mine similar to one of a missing pixel, but the lcd is damaged from being banged around in my bag. I have seen other people's SD700 and theirs is far worse. There are also other minor scratches on the SD700 screen, though not bad. The SD850 is made of some kind of scratch resistant material and when you turn the camera on, you can immediately tell the difference between the 2 screens. If you touched the lcd on the SD700, you can see the liquid squishing around and you don't get that on the SD850. Do yourself a favor and just buy a screen protector. They sell them everywhere.
The A/V out digital wont stay shut though. Unlike the SD700, it doesn't snap in. After playing with it, it still won't stay in place. It's annoying because the camera mode dials are there and I'm afraid it might interfere. I am going to go to Circuit city to see if this is a problem with their display model. If it is, I'm sending this back for a replacement.
The overall build of the SD850 is nearly the same, great quality.
->Buy Online Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Nice job, Canon. This is my second digital camera. My previous one, a G2 bought back in 2001, is a monster compared to this slick little feller. The camera will easily fit in most pockets, pants or shirt, weighs a few ounzes, and is very stylish. Time to first picture is about 2 seconds...very fast little camera. The controls are well placed, and reduced to a minimal, or rather optimal, number. Although, the few controls on the back by no means limit the versatility of the camera. There are many functions one can play with, and I would encourage anyone who owns it to get acquainted with all of them. Pictures are excellent quality. True colors, and no visible optical defects. I haven't really had much time with it, so I can't comment beyond this, but so far i'm thrilled!
->Shipping Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
After a few comments I decided to rewrite my review and clarify a few things.
This is my 3rd Canon digital Powershot camera. My first was a S110 (2 mega pixle camera) that I bought in 2002. My second was a S410 (4 mega pixle camera) that my wife gave to me in 2004. (I'll refer to these as S series). In addition I've regularly used several profesional SLRs in the past including the Nikon D1-X.
My new Canon Powershot SD850 is superior to my older two S series cameras in almost everyway. But, like everthing else it's not perfect.
Minus 1 star:
The camera seems to experiance increased barrel distortion (where the picture is sharp in the middle but fuzzy around the edges). This seems most noticable in daylight shots without a flash. For you experts out there; yes, I'm aware that barrel distortion is common on these types of cameras. I feel however that it is more noticable with this camera. You can test the affect for yourself if you shoot straight at a flat, textured surface such as a brick wall, etc. without a flash. Note that you may have to use a tripod to avoid camera shake. View the picture at 100% resolution, compare with other cameras and decide for yourself. My comparison was with my older S410 which had only half the resolution and much less noticable distortion.
Minus 1/2 a star:
The camera tells you the F/stop and shutter in the display, but does not let you change it. And, the camera loves the F2.8 setting (lens cranked wide open), especially in lower lit scenes whether you are using a flash or not, which most likely has something to do with the added distortion.
Minus 1/2 a star: (other things)
The power button that so many people have complained about is a little awqured but not something you can't get used to. The A/V out cover that a few others mentioned is fairly low quality and just seems to sit in place without anything really securing it. Also, it is difficult to take pictures without getting fingerprint smudges all over the LCD screen. My older S410 did not have this problem because the screen was much smaller and way out of the way of my thumb.
One more note:
The cameras rounded body is a mixed blessing. On one hand it looks cool, and fits in a pocket much easier. Unfortunately it is also much more diffiuclt to simply set it on objects when you are using the self timer. My older S series cameras were small boxes with flat bottoms and could be placed on uneven objects such as rocks with ease. Because this camera has a more rounded bottom doing that becomes much more of a balancing act. The longer protruding lens does not help much either. Small price to pay I guess..
Overall it seems like a good camera, but the real test will come next week when I take it on its first trip.
-> Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
I hate to carry cameras because of their size, therefore I have missed a lot of opportunities to take pictures or I have to bum copies off of friends that did bring a camera.
Two relatives of mine switched to sub-compact cameras because they had the same complaint. I ordered this one hoping it would be small enough to slide in a pocket and not annoy me. It is definitely small!
Construction is solid. I'll let the other reviewers give more info since I am not a camera expert. I will say that I'm not sure why the one reviewer was complaining so much about the power button, it doesn't seem to be a problem for me.
->Best Price Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
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.
8) 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.
Bottom Line:
This camera is a great little convenient camera, which is able to be concealed easily, and taken about anywhere because it easily slips into a purse or pocket. It's a great camera for taking indoor portraits with flash, as well as outdoor photos. 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.
->Comparison Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Bought this for someone else who loves taking photos (avid, somewhat advanced photographer)...she loves it, much more than the latest Casio she just returned. For a camera its size, it packs a lot of features and the resulting photos are very good...somewhat better than those from competing manufacturers at times. From photography reviews using direct comparison it seems that the CCD sensor is lower noise than others of its size. Optical stabilization surely helps as do the well-chosen auto settings...color quality, in particular is excellent. I've played with various manual settings in more complicated scenarios finding this compact camera to be unusually versatile! Movie quality is also good, but still using AVI (Motion JPEG) instead of MPEG4 it could be improved. I like to compare this camera/camcorder to the low-end (non-HD) Sanyo Xacti camcorder/cameras...sensor size is the same and price is similar: Here, the photos are often slightly better and the movies are generally not as good. For someone slanted toward photos rather than movies in a tiny (easily fits in pocket) handheld capable of doing both, this seems to be an excellent choice...perhaps the best of its class. I haven't tested the latest Panasonic competitor but just playing with both in the store my choice was clear!
->Deals Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
I'm not going to write a technical review since those will be available once the reviews are out. I have no doubt that this camera will meet the same standards as the SD700. I couldn't find this camera at target because it was new, so I just ordered it and expected a canon quality camera.
I wanted to replace my Canon SD700 because after a year of owning it, I find that it takes a lot longer for the camera to respond. The SD700 seems to have a problem with focusing and I end up either missing pictures or getting semi-blurry pictures. I find that with time, canon cameras do this because I also owned the canon S410 and had the same problem.
The biggest problem I foresee is the on/off button. It's in the same spot, though I have no idea why they even moved it there in the first place. The problem with it is that the button sits nearly flush with the camera. I have to use my fingernail to turn it on. So if you want to take a picture, you better have your camera on and ready beforehand. I find it very difficult to turn on the camera without using my nail since I don't feel like pressing really hard on the button just to turn it on. If they just left it the same as the SD700, they would've been better off. I'm sure there will be a lot of complaints on this one.
What they did improve was the circular options dial. They raised it to the point where you can actually feel and see the difference. Why they didn't do this with the on/off button is beyond me. There is also an auto sensing mechanism in it because when you put your finger on the flash, for example, the lightning bolt bolds and is bigger than the other options. A little unnecessary, but whatever.
The screen is a vast improvement over the SD700. On the SD700, I have a little mark on mine similar to one of a missing pixel, but the lcd is damaged from being banged around in my bag. I have seen other people's SD700 and theirs is far worse. There are also other minor scratches on the SD700 screen, though not bad. The SD850 is made of some kind of scratch resistant material and when you turn the camera on, you can immediately tell the difference between the 2 screens. If you touched the lcd on the SD700, you can see the liquid squishing around and you don't get that on the SD850. Do yourself a favor and just buy a screen protector. They sell them everywhere.
The A/V out digital wont stay shut though. Unlike the SD700, it doesn't snap in. After playing with it, it still won't stay in place. It's annoying because the camera mode dials are there and I'm afraid it might interfere. I am going to go to Circuit city to see if this is a problem with their display model. If it is, I'm sending this back for a replacement.
The overall build of the SD850 is nearly the same, great quality.