 SD 750
Small size, big display
Canon unveiled together the SD1000 and the SD750. Although slightly bigger than the all-square sibling, the 750 sports a totally different design and a big 3" LCD monitor.
Ultra compact body
One of the advantages of the SD750 is the diminutive size. This camera fits easily in a shirt pocket. Although it is made of plastic it's very well built and particularly handsome and we have to admit that it is a refreshing design that is a really good departure from the perpetual curve style of many other SD cameras. Although this is not a premium camera, it stands out of the crowd of insipid silver digicams. The gun-metal finish in the top and side of the camera is a very nice touch. The SD750 is both good looking and well built.
 Set of features
The SD750 is a fully automatic camera with no manual modes, except for the adjustment of exposure. The movie mode is very basic with 650@15fps. The only interesting feature in movie mode is the time lapse option.
As with all the SD digital elph cameras, there are the usual set of scenes such as portrait, kids & pets, beach, etc.
 Ergonomics
Although the camera has many angles instead of curves it is very easy to hold. The back has a place for the thumb with a texture that provides a better grip. It is usable with one hand, although using both is better.
 The 3" LCD monitor is one of the strong points of the SD750. It is big, vibrant, with a nice 230,000 px resolution and is visible even under bright light. There is no optical viewfinder and we didn't miss it.
The LCD monitor provides all the information you'll need except a live histogram and a battery meter. As we've said: it's like driving a car that has no gas gauge that tells you, suddenly, "the gas tank is empty".
There is a "focus check" function that is useful to review if the shot was properly focused.
 Optics
This little camera has an anodyne 3x optical zoom with a 35mm equivalence of 35-105mm.
Overall the optical quality is good and produces sharp images. Chromatic aberrations are well controlled as well as barrel distortion that is surprisingly low.
Button layout
Although the buttons layout is different from most Digital Elphs it's easy to use. There is a very useful play mode button. The top selector for movie, scene or normal mode is easy to reach and use. The shutter and wide-zoom lever are both very comfortable. The ON/OFF button is easy to use, yet difficult to press by accident.
Battery
The battery is a proprietary Li-Ion that provides average juice even though there is a really big LCD display. The average battery life is 210 shots.
Resolution
The resolution is good with 7.1 mega pixels the typical user will have a good resolution to crop photos or for larger copies.
Image Quality
 With Canon cameras we used to take for granted the good image quality, although we have experienced bad performance in isolated cases (the Canon SD30, to be precise). The SD750 has a good image quality that is better than the average cameras from other brands although it is not particularly good in the Canon realm.
Performance
The continuous shooting mode is better than average, even with a normal speed memory card you won't fill the camera buffer.
The exposure is accurate and color rendition is also good, with saturated reds that most users of this kind of camera like.
ISO sensitivities and noise issues
Unsurprisingly, this camera is quite noisy, as most ultra compacts. We were used to the good results in the SD870IS and SD950IS and when we saw the 100% crops of the SD750 we remembered the status quo: ultra compact are ultra noisy. Things get awful pretty soon: at ISO200 the image begins to suffer and at ISO400 it is really painful
As you can see, the loss of detail at the highest ISO levels is unusable even at ISO 800. The loss of detail is pretty bad. This stylish camera is not a nocturnal animal.
What? No Image Stabilizer?
A feature that we really missed and that lowered the points of the SD750 significantly is the lack of an Image Stabilizer. Although Canon has been incorporating the IS to the ultra compact line of cameras, both the SD1000 and the SD750 don't have such an indispensable feature. This camera is really small and prone to camera shake. Without an Image Stabilizer these kind of camera are relegated only to very well lit scenes. For us with this kind of diminutive cameras de Image Stabilizer is indispensable and a probable deal breaker.
That’s it for the techno babble. How does the SD750 IS feel?
Although these may seem just another ultra compact digicam we really liked the big 3" LCD, the design and the quality of construction are really good. We really miss the Image Stabilizer that is a really important feature in such a tiny size. It may be a good idea to spend $40 more and buy the SD850IS instead.
The bottom line
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It is a handsome and well built camera with a basic set of features that lacks the indispensable image stabilization technology that is a must for this petit size of cameras. |
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MODEL |
Canon PowerShot SD 750 |
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Pertinent info: |
> 3x optical zoom
> 3" LCD monitor
> 7.1 mega pixels
> Fully automatic
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Ideal for |
> Point & Shoot in well lit scenes
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Street Price : |
$210 |
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Low cost alternative: |
SD1000 $179 with a 2.5" LCD and slightly smaller |
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High cost alternative: |
SD 850 IS $250. You'll loose the 3" LCD but you'll gain the very important Image Stabilizer |
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Advantages: |
> Affordable and good looking
> Snappy continuous shooting
> Extremely portable
> Good image quality
> Very good LCD screen
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Disadvantages: |
> No Image Stabilizer, and for us that's a deal breaker
> No manual modes
> Noise is visible even at ISO 80 (ISO 800 and 1600 unusable)
> Unsurprising set of features |
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Our emotional opinion: |
This is a very competent ultra compact with a great 3" LCD but the lack of an Image Stabilizer is a reason good enough to go instead for the SD850 IS . |
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