SD 800 IS
Can you carry a decent camera all the time? You bet!
by Oscar Colorado


Having a decent camera all the time is not exactly easy. Although phone cameras are an alternative, I've never found a good one. I even bought a Nokia N73 with a Carl Zeiss lens and 3.2 mega pixels with terrible results: unbearable slow response, decent resolution but truly bad sensor with lots of noise at any ISO, all these in a bigger than average phone. I don't use this phone anymore. But the problem remains: how to have a decent camera with you all the time. I can't carry my dSLR every day to the office, and my Canon G7 is smaller, but it doesn't fit in any of my suit's pockets.

I've already had a Powershot SD550 and it was a truly enjoyable camera in many respects, but a big problem with ultra compact is camera shake. I hate using flash, but an ultra compact without flash is an invitation to blur disaster. My wife's Lumix FX8 has the image stabilization feature and I truly like this camera, but I'm not a big fan of high noise performance and overall quality of the Lumix's images.

 
Look and feel Many of the Ixus perpetual curve design remains in most Canon's ultra-compacts. The SD800IS is not different: It's really small, but it feels pretty solid (it's practically all-metal). The SD series are in a class on its own. Some call them "luxury ultra-compacts" and after using other brands (like Olympus, Panasonic, etc.) the Canon quality is much more appreciated. This cameras are really beautiful, sturdy and elegant. I miss a little bit the SD550 gorgeous champagne finish on the SD800IS but the dark gray of this new one is much nicer than your typical silver digicam. The gray of chromed parts is much nicer than the typical silver one.

 

My only complaints are the doors, the AV entrance and the battery/card, both are plastic and feel really cheap. I haven't had any problem with them, but I can't believe that Canon is using such poor materials for these important moving parts. You can see in this Flickr Group some other SD800 users complaining about this, so I'm not alone. Size This is an ultra compact, therefore it's small, but I think it has a great balance. It's really small to fit in almost any pocket but it's not so tiny to feel crumpled or unbalanced. I have average hands and I feel the size very comfortable, but I don't know if anyone with bigger hands would feel the same.

 

Ergonomy This camera is comfortable. Although you can use it with a single hand, its far more stable using both. Buttons are intuitive, shutter and wide-tele are very well placed. I'm not a big fan of the selector round dial. I mostly use my camera on the "M" position and I don't like to dial to the play position to see my photos. I like much more the approach of the G7: on and off button, it's always on record position until you press the "play" button, if you half-press the shutter you return to the record mode. Another little complaint is the on-off button: it's a little difficult to press it, I liked more the on-off button on the SD550. Overall I guess that most people will feel very comfortable with this camera ergonomy.

Lens and zoom I won't photograph any resolution chart, I don't really want to go that technical, but to write an everyday person review. I really love the 28mm wide end. It's really useful for interior photography, landscapes and group shooting. Most cameras have a 35mm wide end. I really find the 28mm a more versatile option. The 3.8x zoom is good. In overall the focal length is very usable and better than the average ultra-compact digicam.

SD550 left, SD800IS right

 In both interior and exterior photography the 28mm wide angle of the SD800IS is a very welcomed addition.

Regarding image quality: it's really much better than any camera phone, yet it's not a dSLR. Image quality is very good, although in my opinion it's not excellent. Yesterday I took a couple of pictures that needed some crop and, after inspecting the photos at 100% size, I thought the lens were dirty, but after a close inspection I found that a slight blur and some color aberrations came from the lens. OK, it's a small lens, and for most people this won't be a big deal, but I thought is good to tell you.

ISO performance and resolution
I mostly use ISO 80 for this camera, because it's kinda noisy with ISO 200 and 400, and ISO 800 is really awful. I really appreciate that Canon didn't go for a higher resolution, because with more pixels crammed in the same physical space you end with a lot of noise. And 7.2 mega pixels are actually a very good resolution, enough for nice and detailed big prints. I checked on the store the SD900 with 10Mpx and I felt that it was just like the SD550 with more resolution but nothing else.

Image Stabilization
Ok, it makes no miracles, but it's much better to have it. I've already mentioned the camera shake problem with ultra compacts. The Image Stabilization is a truly good feature for me avoiding the harsh light of flash.

Scene modes & processor
The Digic III processor is a good improvement with better performance. Although I rarely use the scene modes, they are actually very good. The SD800IS has not manual control for shutter speed nor aperture, ergo the camera is almost fully automatic allowing the photographer very little room for personal adjustment. If you are looking for a full manual, Tv or Av modes the SD800 is not for you, the camera is in command. The good news is, you have a good commander. The camera has a video feature that is, for me, pretty basic but it's better to have it than not.

Speed and performance
The performance of this camera is actually pretty good. Auto focus is fast and accurate. In general de camera is very responsive and reliable.

Value
The comparable Panasonic Lumix FX30S (ultra-compact, stylish, image stabilization feature, 7.2mpx, 3.6zoom, 28mm wide, etc.) is around $280usd (street) and the SD800IS is $288usd (street), but certainly the images are better on the Canon than the Lumix, even with the Leica lens of the Panasonic. Here the Digic III takes a clear advantage on the processing quality and performance. Certainly the Lumix is a good option to check before buying. Overall, what you pay is what you get: beautiful camera, very good images, fast response and reliability.

There's always a bigger fish

Canon have already launched the SD870IS with 8.0Mp, a 3" LCD monitor for $350usd (street).

Conclusion The SD800IS is a truly great camera. I was looking for a decent camera to have with me all the time. Well, this ultra-compact allows me to have not only a decent, but actually a very good camera with me all the time. It fits me perfectly for what I wanted and I believe that most people would find it a remarkable camera that stands out of the crowd.