Canon PowerShot SD800 IS

Fusing high style with outstanding image quality, the elegant canon PowerShot SD800 IS digital camera features a wide-screen 2.5 inch LCD, DIGIC III processing and Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) technology to combat a shaky hand at full zoom or in low light conditions.

This canon PowerShot SD800 IS incorporates a 3.8x (28-105mm equivalent) wideangle optical zoom allowing you to capture wider panoramas, architectural photos and group shots. And ‘Face Definition’ technology, which automatically detects the faces of nine subjects within a frame, sets the optimum focus and exposure for perfect results every time – ideal for party shots.

Exposure Compensation can be adjusted in 1/3 stops in the range -2 to +2. Adjust the exposure compensation to a positive value to avoid making the subject too dark when it is backlit or shot against a bright background. Adjust the exposure compensation to a negative value to avoid making the subject too bright in night shots or when shot against a dark background.

The histogram is a graph that allows you to check the brightness of the image. The greater the bias toward the right, the brighter the image. If the image is too dark, adjust the exposure compensation to a positive value. Similarly, adjust the exposure compensation to a negative value if the image is too bright.

canon PowerShot SD800 IS Features:

* 7.1 Megapixels
* 3.8x wide-angle lens with optical Image Stabilizer
* Compact, stylish design
* DIGIC III
* Face Detection AF/AE
* 2.5″ LCD
* 17 shooting modes including movies
* My Colors
* ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto for flash-free indoor shooting
* Safety Zoom
* 7.1 Megapixels

A 7.1 Megapixel CCD sensor captures every scene with enough fine detail for large photo quality prints.

Wide-angle lens with optical IS
A 28mm (equivalent) wide-angle lens with 3.8x zoom takes in more of every scene. canon’s optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology counteracts camera shake for steady shots at slower shutter speeds and full zoom.

Nice Styling
Sleek, smart and elegant, the canon PowerShot SD800 IS is finished in an all-metal body with the rounded contours of the ‘Perpetual Curve’ design.

DIGIC III Processor
canon’s DIGIC III processor provides lightning quick responses, superb image quality and advanced noise reduction for sharper, clearer images. iSAPS technology analyses each scene to optimise key camera settings even before a shot is taken.

Face Detection AF/AE
Face Detection AF/AE ensures superb people shots by automatically detecting the subjects in the frame and setting the optimum focus and exposure. My Category tags each image based on face detection and shooting mode for easy image navigation, printing, deleting and much more.

Large LCD
The high resolution 2.5″ LCD screen features a wide viewing angle for easy group viewing. The Image Inspection Tool enables instant checks for image sharpness.

Shooting modes
Choose from 17 shooting modes including Special Scene modes to help with tricky lighting conditions, such as Night Snapshot and Snow. Shoot smooth VGA (30fps) and QVGA (60fps) video with Movie mode.

My Colors
Apply special in-camera colour effects both during and after shooting. Lighten skin tones in portraits, or add extra vibrancy to blue skies for stunning, punchy landscapes.

Flash-free low light shooting
A low-noise ISO 1600 setting combines with optical IS to enable flash-free shooting indoors and at night. High ISO Auto mode automatically sets an optimal high ISO setting to allow for faster shutter speeds, further reducing the effects of camera shake.

Safety Zoom
Safety Zoom takes advantage of the camera’s large resolution to offer extra zoom magnification without affecting image quality. Capture images at up to 7.3x zoom with enough detail for lab-quality postcard (10 x 15cm) prints. Capture VGA quality stills for TV playback at 15x zoom.

Direct Printing
Connect to any PictBridge compatible photo printer and push the Print/Share button for instant photolab quality prints.

canon PowerShot SD800 IS Specifications:

Type of camera: Compact digital still camera with built-in flash and lens shift-type image stabilizer
Type: 1/2.5-inch Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
Total pixel count: Approximately 7.4 megapixels
Effective pixels: Approximately 7.1 megapixels
Focal length: 4.6 to 17.3 mm, f2.8 to f5.8 (35mm equivalent: 28 to 105mm)
Optical zoom: 3.8x
digital zoom: 4x
Combined zoom: 15x
Focusing range: Normal: 1.5 feet to infinity; macro: 1.2 inches to 2.0 feet (wide), 1 to 2.0 feet (telephoto); digital macro: 1.2 inches to 2.0 feet (wide)
Autofocus system: TTL Autofocus
Optical viewfinder: Real-image optical zoom
LCD monitor: 2.5-inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color; 15-level brightness adjustment
LCD pixels: Approximately 207,000
LCD coverage: 100 percent
Maximum aperture: f2.8 (W) x f5.8 (T)
Shutter speed: 15 to 1/1600 second; long shutter operates with noise reduction when manually set at 1.3 to 15 seconds
Sensitivity: Auto, high ISO auto, ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 equivalent
Light metering method: Evaluative, center-weight average, spot (metering frame is fixed to center)
Exposure control method: Program AE; AE lock as available
Exposure compensation: Plus or minus 2 stops in 1/3 increments
White balance control: Auto, preset (daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, fluorescent H), custom
Built-in flash: Auto, auto with red-eye reduction, auto with slow synchro, flash on, flash on with red-eye reduction, flash on with slow synchro, flash off
Flash range: Normal: 1.6 to 13 feet (W), 1.6 to 6.6 feet (T); macro: 1 to 1.6 feet when sensitivity is set to ISO auto
Recycling time: 10 seconds or less
Flash exposure compensation: Not available
Shooting modes: Auto, camera M, special scene (portrait, foliage, snow, beach, fireworks, aquarium, underwater, indoor, kids and pets, night snapshot), color accent, color swap, digital macro, stitch assist, movie
Photo effects: My colors, vivid, vivid blue, vivid green, vivid red, neutral, sepia, black and white, positive film, lighter skin tone, darker skin tone, custom color
Self-timer: Activates shutter after an approximately 2-second/10-second delay, custom
Wireless control: Not available
Continuous shooting: Approximately 1.7 frames per second (fps)
Storage media: SD memory card, SDHC memory card, MultiMediaCard
File format: Design rule for camera file system, DPOF version 1.1
Image compression: Normal, fine, superfine
JPEG compression mode: Still image: Exif 2.2 (JPEG); movie: AVI (image: motion JPEG; audio: monaural WAVE)
Number of recording pixels: 640 x 480 (small); 1,600 x 1,200 (medium 3); 2,048 x 1,536 (medium 2); 2,592 x 1,944 (medium 1); 3,072 x 2,304 (large); 3.072 x 1,728 (widescreen); 640 x 480/320 x 240 (movie 1, 30 fps/15 fps) available up to 4 GB; 320 x 240 (movie 2, 1 minute at 60 fps); 160 x 120 (movie 3, 3 minutes at 15 fps)
Playback modes file: Still image: single, magnification (approximately 2x-10x), jump, auto rotate, rotate, resume playback, my category, histogram, index (9 thumbnails), sound memos, slide show; movie: normal playback, special playback, editing
Erase modes: Still image: single image, by date, by category, by folder, all images; movie: part of movie, all of movie
Computer interface: USB 2.0 high-speed with mini-B jack
Video out: NTSC/PAL
Audio out: Monaural
Power source: Recharge lithium battery, AC adapter kit
Battery shooting capacity: Approximately 270 shots (LCD on); approximately 600 shots (LCD off)
Battery playback time : Approximately 360 minutes
Dimensions (W x H x D): 3.52 x 2.28 x .99 inches
Weight: 5.29 ounces
Warranty: 1 year parts and labor
What’s in the box: PowerShot SD800 IS, lithium battery pack, battery charger, SD memory card, wrist strap, digital camera Solution CD-ROM, USB cable, AV cable, user’s manual

Customer Review: Takes fantastic photos, but has some design issues
This is my fourth camera from the canon digital Elph line (previously, I had an S330, S400 and SD400). They have always taken great photos, and canon has truly earned my repeat business (I also had a digital Rebel and now I have an 20D).

I’ve had the SD800 for a few days now. Like its predecessors, it takes fantastic photos. The image stabilizer works wonderfully, and the camera functions quite well (and faster than most compact cameras). Other reviewers have spoken about the photo quality, and you can also get detailed technical reviews elsewhere on the internet, so I won’t get into that here. What I want to focus on is the functionality of the design of this camera.

digital Elphs used to be chunks of stainless steel. I dropped my S330 from a 12ft balcony, and it emerged unscathed. This is the first camera I’ve had that felt like it is going to break at any moment. It is larger and clunkier than the previous generation of Elphs (e.g., it is 36% larger than the SD200/300/400), and feels “plastic-y” and cheap (despite the fact that it looks nice). The buttons are small and offer minimal feedback, so it is easy to press the wrong button, especially if you have large fingers (and even if you have only average fingers). The “mode select” dial switches between Auto, Manual, Scene, Movie and Playback modes, but it is difficult to move. The dial is stiff and has only a small raised ridge on one side, making it difficult to set the dial to the proper mode on the first try. In sum, the design of this camera makes it operation more difficult than necessary; not something I expected from a camera from canon, espectilly one at this cost.

This camera takes amazing photos, but canon needs to brush up on their design. For a brief moment I considered returning this camera and keeping my SD400, but this camera’s features are too good to pass up. I suppose everyone will get used to the poor design, but for this amount of money, none of us should have to.

Customer Review: Cannon PowerShot SD800 IS digital Elph camera
I wanted a small easy to carry and easy to use camera to replace my Olympus 4000 which I had for several years but found a little too large for easy carrying . I took the camera to France on a 2 week trip through Burgundy and Normandy and shot about 450 pictures. All of them came out fine and any problems were due to my composition and not the camera. It is very forgiving extremely small and handy and when carried on the belt with the leather case you buy separately for it, it is a dream to take out quickly, shoot and replace it it with little effort. The image stabilization works well.

I used it most of the time on automatic but the times I needed to take shots inside without flash the 1600 film speed eqivalent gave excellent results and suprised me how good the pictures were. Most large Cathedrals and Basilica in France have pretty low light but the camera always got an acceptable shot. I heartily recommend it, you won’t be disapointed.

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Tags: digital camera, nikon, camera, shopping, gadgets, canon, digital camera review, electronics

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 12th, 2007 at 3:36 pm and is filed under Canon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Fusing high style with outstanding image quality, the elegant canon PowerShot SD800 IS digital camera features a wide-screen 2.5 inch LCD, DIGIC III processing and Optical Image Stabiliser (OIS) technology to combat a shaky hand at full zoom or in low light conditions.

This canon PowerShot SD800 IS incorporates a 3.8x (28-105mm equivalent) wideangle optical zoom allowing you to capture wider panoramas, architectural photos and group shots. And ‘Face Definition’ technology, which automatically detects the faces of nine subjects within a frame, sets the optimum focus and exposure for perfect results every time – ideal for party shots.

Exposure Compensation can be adjusted in 1/3 stops in the range -2 to +2. Adjust the exposure compensation to a positive value to avoid making the subject too dark when it is backlit or shot against a bright background. Adjust the exposure compensation to a negative value to avoid making the subject too bright in night shots or when shot against a dark background.

The histogram is a graph that allows you to check the brightness of the image. The greater the bias toward the right, the brighter the image. If the image is too dark, adjust the exposure compensation to a positive value. Similarly, adjust the exposure compensation to a negative value if the image is too bright.

canon PowerShot SD800 IS Features:

* 7.1 Megapixels
* 3.8x wide-angle lens with optical Image Stabilizer
* Compact, stylish design
* DIGIC III
* Face Detection AF/AE
* 2.5″ LCD
* 17 shooting modes including movies
* My Colors
* ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto for flash-free indoor shooting
* Safety Zoom
* 7.1 Megapixels

A 7.1 Megapixel CCD sensor captures every scene with enough fine detail for large photo quality prints.

Wide-angle lens with optical IS
A 28mm (equivalent) wide-angle lens with 3.8x zoom takes in more of every scene. canon’s optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology counteracts camera shake for steady shots at slower shutter speeds and full zoom.

Nice Styling
Sleek, smart and elegant, the canon PowerShot SD800 IS is finished in an all-metal body with the rounded contours of the ‘Perpetual Curve’ design.

DIGIC III Processor
canon’s DIGIC III processor provides lightning quick responses, superb image quality and advanced noise reduction for sharper, clearer images. iSAPS technology analyses each scene to optimise key camera settings even before a shot is taken.

Face Detection AF/AE
Face Detection AF/AE ensures superb people shots by automatically detecting the subjects in the frame and setting the optimum focus and exposure. My Category tags each image based on face detection and shooting mode for easy image navigation, printing, deleting and much more.

Large LCD
The high resolution 2.5″ LCD screen features a wide viewing angle for easy group viewing. The Image Inspection Tool enables instant checks for image sharpness.

Shooting modes
Choose from 17 shooting modes including Special Scene modes to help with tricky lighting conditions, such as Night Snapshot and Snow. Shoot smooth VGA (30fps) and QVGA (60fps) video with Movie mode.

My Colors
Apply special in-camera colour effects both during and after shooting. Lighten skin tones in portraits, or add extra vibrancy to blue skies for stunning, punchy landscapes.

Flash-free low light shooting
A low-noise ISO 1600 setting combines with optical IS to enable flash-free shooting indoors and at night. High ISO Auto mode automatically sets an optimal high ISO setting to allow for faster shutter speeds, further reducing the effects of camera shake.

Safety Zoom
Safety Zoom takes advantage of the camera’s large resolution to offer extra zoom magnification without affecting image quality. Capture images at up to 7.3x zoom with enough detail for lab-quality postcard (10 x 15cm) prints. Capture VGA quality stills for TV playback at 15x zoom.

Direct Printing
Connect to any PictBridge compatible photo printer and push the Print/Share button for instant photolab quality prints.

canon PowerShot SD800 IS Specifications:

Type of camera: Compact digital still camera with built-in flash and lens shift-type image stabilizer
Type: 1/2.5-inch Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
Total pixel count: Approximately 7.4 megapixels
Effective pixels: Approximately 7.1 megapixels
Focal length: 4.6 to 17.3 mm, f2.8 to f5.8 (35mm equivalent: 28 to 105mm)
Optical zoom: 3.8x
digital zoom: 4x
Combined zoom: 15x
Focusing range: Normal: 1.5 feet to infinity; macro: 1.2 inches to 2.0 feet (wide), 1 to 2.0 feet (telephoto); digital macro: 1.2 inches to 2.0 feet (wide)
Autofocus system: TTL Autofocus
Optical viewfinder: Real-image optical zoom
LCD monitor: 2.5-inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color; 15-level brightness adjustment
LCD pixels: Approximately 207,000
LCD coverage: 100 percent
Maximum aperture: f2.8 (W) x f5.8 (T)
Shutter speed: 15 to 1/1600 second; long shutter operates with noise reduction when manually set at 1.3 to 15 seconds
Sensitivity: Auto, high ISO auto, ISO 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600 equivalent
Light metering method: Evaluative, center-weight average, spot (metering frame is fixed to center)
Exposure control method: Program AE; AE lock as available
Exposure compensation: Plus or minus 2 stops in 1/3 increments
White balance control: Auto, preset (daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, fluorescent H), custom
Built-in flash: Auto, auto with red-eye reduction, auto with slow synchro, flash on, flash on with red-eye reduction, flash on with slow synchro, flash off
Flash range: Normal: 1.6 to 13 feet (W), 1.6 to 6.6 feet (T); macro: 1 to 1.6 feet when sensitivity is set to ISO auto
Recycling time: 10 seconds or less
Flash exposure compensation: Not available
Shooting modes: Auto, camera M, special scene (portrait, foliage, snow, beach, fireworks, aquarium, underwater, indoor, kids and pets, night snapshot), color accent, color swap, digital macro, stitch assist, movie
Photo effects: My colors, vivid, vivid blue, vivid green, vivid red, neutral, sepia, black and white, positive film, lighter skin tone, darker skin tone, custom color
Self-timer: Activates shutter after an approximately 2-second/10-second delay, custom
Wireless control: Not available
Continuous shooting: Approximately 1.7 frames per second (fps)
Storage media: SD memory card, SDHC memory card, MultiMediaCard
File format: Design rule for camera file system, DPOF version 1.1
Image compression: Normal, fine, superfine
JPEG compression mode: Still image: Exif 2.2 (JPEG); movie: AVI (image: motion JPEG; audio: monaural WAVE)
Number of recording pixels: 640 x 480 (small); 1,600 x 1,200 (medium 3); 2,048 x 1,536 (medium 2); 2,592 x 1,944 (medium 1); 3,072 x 2,304 (large); 3.072 x 1,728 (widescreen); 640 x 480/320 x 240 (movie 1, 30 fps/15 fps) available up to 4 GB; 320 x 240 (movie 2, 1 minute at 60 fps); 160 x 120 (movie 3, 3 minutes at 15 fps)
Playback modes file: Still image: single, magnification (approximately 2x-10x), jump, auto rotate, rotate, resume playback, my category, histogram, index (9 thumbnails), sound memos, slide show; movie: normal playback, special playback, editing
Erase modes: Still image: single image, by date, by category, by folder, all images; movie: part of movie, all of movie
Computer interface: USB 2.0 high-speed with mini-B jack
Video out: NTSC/PAL
Audio out: Monaural
Power source: Recharge lithium battery, AC adapter kit
Battery shooting capacity: Approximately 270 shots (LCD on); approximately 600 shots (LCD off)
Battery playback time : Approximately 360 minutes
Dimensions (W x H x D): 3.52 x 2.28 x .99 inches
Weight: 5.29 ounces
Warranty: 1 year parts and labor
What’s in the box: PowerShot SD800 IS, lithium battery pack, battery charger, SD memory card, wrist strap, digital camera Solution CD-ROM, USB cable, AV cable, user’s manual

Customer Review: Takes fantastic photos, but has some design issues
This is my fourth camera from the canon digital Elph line (previously, I had an S330, S400 and SD400). They have always taken great photos, and canon has truly earned my repeat business (I also had a digital Rebel and now I have an 20D).

I’ve had the SD800 for a few days now. Like its predecessors, it takes fantastic photos. The image stabilizer works wonderfully, and the camera functions quite well (and faster than most compact cameras). Other reviewers have spoken about the photo quality, and you can also get detailed technical reviews elsewhere on the internet, so I won’t get into that here. What I want to focus on is the functionality of the design of this camera.

digital Elphs used to be chunks of stainless steel. I dropped my S330 from a 12ft balcony, and it emerged unscathed. This is the first camera I’ve had that felt like it is going to break at any moment. It is larger and clunkier than the previous generation of Elphs (e.g., it is 36% larger than the SD200/300/400), and feels “plastic-y” and cheap (despite the fact that it looks nice). The buttons are small and offer minimal feedback, so it is easy to press the wrong button, especially if you have large fingers (and even if you have only average fingers). The “mode select” dial switches between Auto, Manual, Scene, Movie and Playback modes, but it is difficult to move. The dial is stiff and has only a small raised ridge on one side, making it difficult to set the dial to the proper mode on the first try. In sum, the design of this camera makes it operation more difficult than necessary; not something I expected from a camera from canon, espectilly one at this cost.

This camera takes amazing photos, but canon needs to brush up on their design. For a brief moment I considered returning this camera and keeping my SD400, but this camera’s features are too good to pass up. I suppose everyone will get used to the poor design, but for this amount of money, none of us should have to.

Customer Review: Cannon PowerShot SD800 IS digital Elph camera
I wanted a small easy to carry and easy to use camera to replace my Olympus 4000 which I had for several years but found a little too large for easy carrying . I took the camera to France on a 2 week trip through Burgundy and Normandy and shot about 450 pictures. All of them came out fine and any problems were due to my composition and not the camera. It is very forgiving extremely small and handy and when carried on the belt with the leather case you buy separately for it, it is a dream to take out quickly, shoot and replace it it with little effort. The image stabilization works well.

I used it most of the time on automatic but the times I needed to take shots inside without flash the 1600 film speed eqivalent gave excellent results and suprised me how good the pictures were. Most large Cathedrals and Basilica in France have pretty low light but the camera always got an acceptable shot. I heartily recommend it, you won’t be disapointed.

Bookmark to:

Tags: digital camera, nikon, camera, shopping, gadgets, canon, digital camera review, electronics

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 12th, 2007 at 3:36 pm and is filed under Canon. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.