theuerkorn's Full Review: Canon PowerShot® SD800 IS / IXUS 850 IS Digit...
With the current popularity of SLR cameras, why even bother to consider a point-n-shoot camera like the ultra compact Powershot SD800 IS? Well, I have not used a point-n-shoot camera (on a regular basis) for years and always considered my SLR superior simply because of the limitations of the tiny sensor in those pocket-sized cameras. Yet, a life-changing event made me reconsider. Now before you wonder what that was, let me explain that there are situations (like daily life) when a SLR is simply too big and would stay home anyway. I still prefer my EOS 20D for "serious" pictures, but have been looking for a more portable solution for less demanding situations. The SD800 fits the bill ...
IN A NUTSHELL
When size and ease of use matter, the SD800 IS (or IXUS 850 IS) is a solid performer that fits in most pockets. The wide angle lens, image stabilization, face tracking and a plethora of customer level features make for a great little 7.1 MPx camera. (Higher pixel count in such a small sensor is mostly driven by marketing reasons than actual gain in picture quality. To read more about this please [CLICK HERE])
Typical for a tiny sensor as found in this class, the noise level under dim conditions and sharpness compromises are the main drawbacks compared to enthusiast cameras like the also recently introduced Powershot G7. If quality and control are concerns, a modern SLR (like the Canon EOS 20D) has a huge advantage of a much larger sensor and ultimately better color rendition as well as much less noise -- not to forget about the artistic freedom due to control over every aspect of taking the perfect picture.
Beyond the issues, the SD800 IS is a good enough performer to leave the SLR at home when going on a stroll or to a party (without turning into the dedicated photographer). Under bright light, the achievable picture quality is impressive enough for this class. Consumer features like the Stitching Assist and a variety of situation dependent programs and color profiles etc. make it very easy to get excellent results without being an expert photographer. In fact, despite a "manual" mode, the SD800 IS is all about point-n-shoot and keeping the technical details away from the user (even if more control was desired).
While mentioned shortcomings of point-n-shoots like the SD800 IS are to a large degree inherent to the class (and the associated sensor size), quality is now at a level that it is quite possible to go light and still capture decent photos. In the end, for many users the consumer oriented automation may even provide better quality than a SLR with the wrong settings.
The advantage of the SD800 IS over the SD900 is a practical Image Stabilization (IS) and a wider angle objective (28mm in 35mm equivalent). The lower resolution of the sensor is relatively insignificant due to the optical and physical limitations of such tiny photo cells in the equally tiny sensor. Realistically, despite the 3 MPx difference, overall print quality is about the same, and noise levels are basically unacceptable for both at ISO 1600. (Photosites are about the same size, and the SD900 sports 10 MPx on a 0.556" sensor while the SD800 IS packs 7.1 MPx on a 0.4" sensor.)
The SD900 also allows to capture higher resolution movies, but the size of commercially available SD cards and the maximum file size of 4 GB realistically don't provide much advantage over the standard VGA video (640x480). Another argument for the SD900 is only skin deep -- namely the titanium cladding that not only makes the camera slightly more robust but also gives it a nice satin finish (for those of you looking for a fashionable design). And of course not to forget another significant difference: The SD800 IS is $100 cheaper than the SD900.
Both SD800 IS and SD900 sport the new DIGIC III processor and the 2.5" high resolution display. Most functions (i.e. stitching assistant) and overall usage are the same too.
DETAILS
Body: [****-] - The sleek stainless steel clad body looks great and fits right in the Digital Elph series. Size and style being the main goals of the SD800, the handling leaves room for improvement. Despite its good button layout it's virtually impossible to operate the camera (functions and settings) single handedly. In fact, even shooting somewhat requires both hands -- unless you're not afraid to drop this sexy little gadget (or use the included strap). The lens cover is a mere dust protection and one should not rely on it too much for preventing mechanical attacks on the lens (i.e. by keys or other "sharp" items in your bag). A cover is highly recommended, but unfortunately not included. ($19) It's also beneficial to preserve the 2.5" LCD screen. The design looks great and not only does the power button look cool, the flashy chrome-like finish for some parts certainly is nice too (when clean). However, finger prints are their worst enemy unless you're committed to give your SD800 a frequent wipe down. The optical view finder shows the typical limitations of this type of camera, but it's still there to verify composition for situations when the LCD becomes nearly unreadable (bright light).
Lens: [****-] - The SD800 zoom lens ranges from 4.6 - 17.3 mm, which is the same as 28 - 105 mm in the 35 mm world. The wide angle is unusual for this type of camera. On the long end, the optical zoom (3.8x) isn't all that impressive. Nevertheless, the ultra compact lens sports an Optical Image Stabilizer to take the blur out of the picture in dim light. It's more important for the telephoto setting but overall a welcome addition to fight low light. (The efficiency is far less than the system found in SLR lenses by Canon, but it's a welcome tool to fight the light starved photosites in this point-n-shoot.) The wide angle is great for large groups and tight quarters as well as landscapes or when trying to shoot a high rise building in the narrow streets of New York or Chicago. Distortion is as expected and only the sharpness falls off in the corners more than I am used to from my SLR (though vignetting is virtually non-existent). Despite relatively large aperture (fast rating) of the optics (f2.8 at widest setting), the ultra-wide optics keep the depth of focus fairly big and generally less favorable for portraits. (The 35mm equivalent does not matter in this case, but only the true optics. Even 17 mm focal length turn into virtually infinite depth of focus. Hence there is no chance to blur out the background in portraits.)
Flash: [***--] - The integrated flash is well within the expectations and though officially rated to reach up to 4 m, efficiency is greatly limited by its size and location. Being that close to the optical center (lens), ultimately results in red eyes (on humans, blue on dogs etc.). The only way to fight this phenomena is by reducing the pupil size via pre-flash (or other kind of light source) as done in the respective setting of the SD800. That of course can have an effect on your subject. As with pretty much all other cameras in this class, there is no hot shoe for an external flash. (Most people would not get one anyway.) The camera does not provide a program to remove red eyes (as seen in some other models), but the included software does. Overall, despite the tiny size the flash is capable of lighting up a decent area, but suffers from a missing distance read-out which might adjust the flash according to the object position. (As in Canon's E-TTL II.)
Display: [****-] - Though seemingly a step back from the 3" screen in the SD630, the 2.5" screen in the SD800 IS helps to gain back some space for controls in such a small camera. The 2.5 inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD sports approx. 207,000 pixels. All that means is that resolution is fine enough for pleasing results, but naturally you will never display the full picture (all 7.1 MPx) in every detail. The viewing angle is great and visibility in bright sun light reasonable. Just like any other TFT screen, however, this one goes nearly blind too when holding it directly into the sun. This can be significant since all settings are accessed via on-screen display, and changing them may require some sort of shade. For composition, one can still use the optical viewfinder if the display is unreadable. However, the viewfinder magnification is small and there are no parameters visible either. So it's really just a crutch. The display's anti-glare coating is very effective. Overall, this is one of the best displays I have seen in a camera, though the capture mode shows some weird vertical streaking around lightsources (i.e. tv at home) -- apparently a function of the preview processing. An optional case is highly recommended to protect the surface from scratches and other mechanical impact.
Sensor: [***--] - Bigger is better! This marketing distortion frequently used for cars still bears a lot of truth for camera sensors. Simply limited by the physics of light, the smaller each individual cell has to be, the less light it receives. With less to work with, the 0.4" sensor is more prone to it's own imperfection (noise). Having said that, it's both understandable and impressive to see the noise in dim lighting compensated by surprisingly good quality with sufficient light (bright daylight). The bayer sensor basically works similar to all other cameras (with exception of the Foveons and Fuji's SuperCCD). Each pixel captures only 1/3 of the color spectrum (either R, G or B), and sophisticated algorithms fill in the missing colors. Artifacts are guaranteed and sharpness on a pixel level reduced. The SD800 does a good job either way, but remains within the limitations of the crop.
Processor: [*****] - Canon's new processor is called DIG!C III and not too many details are available beyond the typical tidbits. Less power consumption is claimed, yet hard to compare since there is no identical camera available with the DIG!C II processor. Also not very noticeable is the faster operation, though higher pixel count might sign responsible for the similar performance when comparing it to the SD700 IS in pure picture taking frequency. The greatest feature though is the new fact recognition function which allows to automatically focus on a person in a picture and avoid those snapshots with only the background in perfect sharpness. Speed is pretty much instant and it's hard to trick with similar shapes. Other than that the DIG!C III also holds a revised AE system that allows for a more real "guessing" of the exact exposure. (Can't wait to see what the DIGIC III processor can do in upcoming SLRs ... EOS 40D anyone?)
Functions: [****-] - The menu driven selection of a plethora of functionality may prove less important for the target audience from an actual usage point of view. However, it's clearly one of the most important factors in selling the camera. Very useful is the stitching assistant, which displays the previous picture as a reference to align shots for a stitched panorama (via included software). The image stabilization can be configured to meet your needs and even panning is included. The optional display of the 1/3 divisions helps composition and already described face tracking allows to put the focus on the humans in the picture. This is especially useful for candid moments when it has to be right the first time. Long-term exposure noise compensation is not so much a feature as it is a necessity with this kind of sensor. The other hoopla is less important and creating a Sepia tone photo is better done in the computer since letting the SD800 convert your picture also means that you have no way back to color (due to the lack of RAW).
Quality: [****-] - It's hard to ignore the small size of both the camera and the photo sensor. Within those limitations, the picture quality in bright light is surprisingly good across the zoom range and (sunny) daylight shots come close to entry-level SLRs. The image quality degrades quickly when using indoors or under less favorable light conditions -- especially when manually forcing the ISO to the maximum of 1600. This is pretty much only acceptable when no picture would not have been an option. When reviewing the sample pictures on Canon's website keep in mind that proper lighting is the most important ingredient! One important drawback is the recording of JPG only, which is fine for perfectly exposed pictures, but leaves little room for low-loss correction (as seen in the more detailed RAW). However, RAW is a relatively advanced feature anyway and not useful considering the target audience. So make sure to review both white balance and exposure histogram before calling it a day.
Speed: [****-] - The start-up speed is mostly limited by the lens that needs to extend. Yet, comparing it to my first digital camera (Digital Rebel), the SD800 shows the progress that has been made. While it takes the SD800 little more than 1 sec. to be ready, the Digital Rebel took it's sweet time with roughly three seconds to power up. The DIG!C III signs partially responsible for the SD800's good performance. Auto Focus is by no means instant but good for the class with roughly 0.2 - 0.4 sec. The term "shutter lag" (time from pressing the trigger to taking the picture) is typically relevant for SLRs only since digital point-n-shoots don't have a physical shutter. Instead they capture a snapshot from the image sensor. For the user it's basically the same though, and while not suitable for action photography it's quick enough for most applications. With focusing excluded from this figure, the roughly 0.1 sec of "shutter lag" is fairly good. Don't try to freeze your dashing pet in pictures though, as it will in all likelihood run way out of focus. A different parameter all together is the "shutter" (exposure time) which ranges from 15 sec to 1/1600 sec. The latter is determined by the CCD sensor read-out and only shows limitations in extremely bright (or fast) situations. The rated standardized sensitivity of the sensor ranges from ISO 80 - ISO 1600, though realistically one should keep it to Auto (80 - 400) to prevent excessive noise. The SD800 IS is capable of capturing 1.7 pictures per second (continuous). Sure, an EOS 30D would fire more than 3x as fast, but sports journalists are hardly the target group for the SD800 IS anyway.
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