Product Description

Canon SD800 IS Digital ELPH raises the bar. There's everything you'd expect from a camera of this caliber: A 7.1 megapixel CCD to render images in magnificent detail and a DIGIC III Image Processor for stellar quality and fast operation. Yet what sets the SD800 IS Digital ELPH apart is its Wide-angle 3.8x optical zoom with Image Stabilizer technology for rock steady zooms. The Canon SD800 IS Digital ELPH is the Digital ELPH that's a step ahead.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2971 in Camera & Photo
• Brand: Canon
• Model: 1270B001
• Dimensions: 1.00" h x 2.30" w x 3.50" l, .45 pounds
• Display size: 2.5

Features

• 7.1-megapixel CCD give you images of uncompromising texture and detail
• 3.8x image-stabilized wide zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display
• 9-point AiAF, single point AF, Flexizone AF, and Face-priority AF
• Stores images on SD cards; powered by Lithium-ion rechargeable battery NB-5L
• Now supports SDHC cards (Secure Digital cards with over 2 GB capacity)

Manufacturer Description

This is the Digital Elph that's raising the bar. There's everything you'd expect from a camera of this caliber: a 7.1-megapixel CCD to render images in magnificent detail, and a DIGIC III Image Processor for stellar quality and fast operation. Yet what sets the SD800 IS Digital Elph apart is its wide-angle, 3.8x optical zoom with Image Stabilizer technology for rock-steady zooms. The Canon SD800 IS Digital Elph, it's the Digital Elph that's a step ahead.

PowerShot SD800 IS Digital Elph Highlights

7.1-megapixel Digital Elph with elegant stainless steel Perpetual Curve design The PowerShot SD800 IS features a high-resolution, 7.1-megapixel CCD to give you images of uncompromising texture and detail. With it, you'll capture what others miss - the delicate strands of a baby's hair, the intricate petals of a wild flower. Plus the camera is as beautiful to hold as the images it takes. The Perpetual Curve design has the look of fine sculpture. Yet it's practical, too. Its unique form is engineered for the shape of your hand.

3.8x optical zoom in action

Wide-angle 28-105mm (35mm equivalent) 3.8x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer technology Engineered with Canon's sophisticated wide-angle 3.8x zoom lens with integrated Image Stabilizer technology, the SD800 IS Digital Elph gives you the "shake-free" performance that makes your pictures sharp and clear. No matter how close you zoom in, the SD800 IS Digital Elph keeps everything stable. All you have to think about is your subject.

DIGIC III Image Processor with Face Detection technology The DIGIC III Image Processor is the latest advancement to Canon's proprietary DIGIC technology, delivering superior image quality, ultra-responsive performance and extended battery life. DIGIC III provides a speedier interface for the SD800 IS Digital Elph's SD memory card, as well as higher definition for its LCD monitor.

Face Detection makes it easy to snap the perfect picture

DIGIC III also empowers new Face Detection AF/AE, which finds all the faces in the frame and sets the most suitable focus point, when the shutter button is depressed half-way. Exposure and flash are controlled to ensure proper illumination of both the faces and the overall scene, eliminating the common problem of darkened or overexposed faces.

iSAPS Technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the fast DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

Large 2.5-inch LCD monitor with wide viewing angle The SD800's 2.5-inch LCD monitor gives you the big picture, whether you're shooting, reviewing or showing off your images. This high-resolution screen offers a crisp, clear picture and wider viewing angle to make shooting, playback and using the camera's menu functions especially convenient. The clear and bright LCD also features Night Display mode for easy viewing in low light.

ISO 1600 to reduce image blur and expand low-light shooting capability The PowerShot SD800 IS Digital Elph features new ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto settings that reduce the effects of camera shake and sharpen subjects in low-light situations, giving you greater flexibility for shooting.

Improved Movie Mode with fast frame rate With the SD800 IS's Improved Movie Mode, you can shoot extremely high-quality, full-motion movies at 60 fps QVGA (320 x240). When you want to save space, you've also got Standard Recording that lets you shoot at 30 fps VGA (640 x 480). There's even a 15 fps Compact Movie Mode that's ideal for creating movies you can attach to emails.

Print/Share button The PowerShot SD800 IS Digital Elph's Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the SD800 IS Digital Elph to a Canon CP, SElphY or PIXMA Photo Printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).

Print your own photos in 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon SElphY Compact Photo Printer.

Direct Photo Printers
For desktop large-format printing, try one of the Direct Photo Printers that allow you to print without a computer in one of two ways: plug your compatible PowerShot camera into the Direct Photo Printer using the supplied USB interface cable, or simply insert a memory card into the supplied adapter. You can also connect the printer to your computer for more options. Print high-resolution, borderless images as postcards or 8.5 x 11-inch sheets within minutes.

Compact Photo Printers
Compact Photo Printers let you produce versatile, fun 4 x 6-inch postcards, 4 x 8-inch wide greeting cards or credit-card size prints in just two easy steps: connect and press/print. Control the printer right from your camera's LCD monitor. You get durable, dye-sublimated prints quickly with or without borders. Assorted paper types let you create mini or credit card size labels. You can even take the SElphY ES1 and CP730 Compact Photo Printers to a party or an outdoor picnic using an optional rechargeable battery.

Customer Reviews

Hard to beat, Really hard to beat
I have been using this camera for over 18 months, and taken several thousands of pictures. I have a backpack full of DSLR equipment, tripod, prime lenses, and so on, but carry this little camera in a pocket so that I never miss a shot. Its handy to have, I pop it out of my pocket to record all my travels on a seconds notice. The size and weight fit fine in a front jeans pocket.

Key features:
-FAST start up, power button to photo lag is short enough to catch anything, much better than some competing cameras.
-Wide angle is just right, but don't forget to zoom in for most pictures
-Image Stabilization is not a gimmick, work great.
-COLORS! I use -2/3 exposure compensation, colors and exposure are great. Tip up or down to include more or less sky for quick adjustments on the fly, half press the shutter, then frame your shot.
-Tiny portable battery charger and excellent battery life.

The bad:
-Soft lens, especially at wide angles
-Front face and screen scratch easily when used as designed, carried in a pocket with keys and change, tossed in the center console, etc. No actual harm though, just cosmetic.

The useless:
-Auto mode. Never use it. Use manual, turn the flash off, add -2/3 or so EC for better exposure and colors.
-Viewfinder. Battery life is good enough that I don't bother shooting with the LCD turned off. Tiny, hard to use, inaccurate, dim.

I have taken dozens of identical pictures with this camera and my DSLR. I pop this baby out of my pocket, snap a shot, and slip it away again. The DSLR gets set up with expensive prime lenses, a tripod, and mirror lockup. Jpegs printed straight from each camera at 4x6 are HARD TO TELL APART. Now that is some high praise! However, when printed at 8x10 the difference is significant, and the canon is very soft. I'm using a Minolta 7D 6mp DSLR, it has MUCH more resolution than the 7.1mp canon (megapixels are positively meaningless). Fine color gradations are sometimes clearly better from the SLR, shadow areas appear much clearer, and noise is sometimes less.

To restate: At 4x6 the canon SD800IS performs almost exactly as good as a heavy bag full of $5,000 worth of professional equipment.

At 8x10, the difference is clear and obvious though and the SLR wins handily. At larger prints, the canon is unable to perform unless your subject lends itself to low resolution. Also, the little pocket camera cannot do super wide angles, long telephoto, blurred backgrounds, or other fancy setups. Its limited to standard shots. The IS works well, and you can brace the camera against fence posts, walls, or other fixed objects for longer shots.

I highly recommend this camera and its replacement, the SD880IS. A camera like this is a must have for anyone. The whole SD series are great cameras, between friends and family I have tried about five different models and they all do well. Differences are battery life, IS, wide angle, and handling quirks such as getting into manual mode.

It would be 5* but for one failing.
I've had this camera 1 year now. It's the Euro model [IXUS 850 IS] which is the same beast as the SD800. This camera was marketed as 'the serious photographer's side arm' & I think that's dead right. I've carried it with me pretty much the all the time, which is the whole point of owning it.

As a pro of 3 decades who owned & used all formats from 10" x 8" to 35mm, after a lot of thought & brain-numbing research, my compact digi camera had to posses 3 prime attributes. A few mega-pixels +/- was not an issue for a camera of this sort. The following points were paramount to me.

1] It had to be able to fit with ease into a shirt pocket. 2] It had to have an optical v/finder. The 'sleep-walker' posture of framing up with the screen is a no-no for a variety of reasons, not least of which is vastly increased battery drain. 3] It had to have a 28mm [35mm equiv] lens.

The camera has performed well beyond my expectations. It takes wonderful photos in a wide variety of conditions, some of which I found astonishing that it should produce anything at all, let alone images of such quality. If you run the results through a lab test or compare it with cameras much higher up the quality scale, you will find things to beef about. But for a camera of this type, in the sector it inhabits, it's amazing.

The deduction of 1 star comes about because the covers for the card/battery bay and the connections bay are woefully flimsy. Real care has to be taken every time these covers are opened/closed. I have a silicone 'skin' on my IXUS [which I very much recommend] and peeling apart the cut-out over the card bay and then gingerly opening the cover needs 100% concentration. One slip and you could easily tear the cover right off.

This camera is now no longer on Canon's current range and there is no direct replacement. The only camera that has a 28mm w/a has no v/finder.
I've complained to Canon about leaving a hole where this model used to be. There is no alternative but second-hand or 'new old stock' sellers. And note: some of these new cameras are now right back up to the original retail price! That's because, without going right to the top of the Canon compact range - the new G10, which is expensive and substantially larger - there's nothing else available.

Don't buy a Canon!
I got the fatal "Lens Error" after 10 months. This was a great camera, but I think a camera should last a little longer. This is a HUGE problem with Canon Powershots, and I really wish I had known about it BEFORE I bought this camera last Christmas. My camera is still under warranty, but they say that it is due to abuse and won't cover it. It was not abused, it just stopped working.