Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Silver)
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Silver)
Customer Review: A fun fast camera in a small package
Summary: 5 Stars
Small enough to carry every place you go for those spontaneous grandkids pictures, a tad thicker than the canon SD 940.
The camera is small but easy to handle and has a good feel to it, I like the flat button arrangement on the back of the camera and have no trouble pushing them even with my big old hands, that just me though.
The LCD screen is only 2 1\2inches but is very very clear and sharp to frame and review your pictures with.
I carry mine in a little phone case that has a belt clip instead of a belt loop for easy on and off when getting in and out of the car.
I also like the lowepro Apex 20 AW CASE,
(Lowepro Napoli 20 case but no room for spare battery on this one).
This is a nice case>>CaseCrown Protective Compact Travel Camera Case (Grey) for Canon PowerShot SD1300IS 12 MP Digital Camera
At our state fair this year I took over 350 pictures some with flash in the barns and 8 short movie clips on one battery charge...
A great camera for short movies...
Get a 4 gig (class 4 or 6) SD card ((none comes with the camera)) if taking alot of movies. No SD card comes with camera , make sure you have one. You could get by with a 2gig card.
A 2gig SD card would be good for 750 pictures.
A 4gigSD card would get you 1,472 pictures.
I like using( program mode ), auto mode indoors seems to pick a very high iso and makes for to much noise in pictures, again thats just me though... outdoors auto mode does better. ( I keep the iso at 100 or 200) or use (auto iso) in program mode.
The camera boots up in 1 sec, shot to shot is 1.5 secs, with the flash on 3 or 4 secs. (In auto mode) it is trying to focas all the time and is very noisey doing so... make sure you are holding as still as you can (so it won't think it should refocas again) or it will blur your picture (that is another reason I use program mode) but you still have to hold very still.
And if your new to this digital camera stuff remember to (save your pictures first,it will and does erase all your pictures) and then low level format your sd card.
If you are in program mode and are having trouble with your scenery shots make sure that you go to the round 4way controll button on the back of camera and push the left side of it 3 times untill it says infinity and see if that helps any... Some times this works better than auto for scenery shots.
*And if you are realy bored and have nothing to do #1 Set the camera to program mode, #2 Select "ISO 100" or even "ISO 80" for the best image quality, #3 select continous shoot mode(this is like rappid fire mode,don't forget to pre-focus the first picture. #4 Select "V" for "Vivid" on the colour setting and just shoot continous and just keep the shots you like. You can get to all these setings by pushing the Func Set button...Try this on your outside pictures, Just have fun with it. ( Set it to single shot if you prefer it is up to you ).
There is a date feature on the SD1300, it shows up on the right side at the bottom of the picture.
You can see it when reviewing the photo...
Push menu button and scroll down, it is the very last idem there, You have 3 choices,(off), (date), (date and time)...
When you go to take your picture your screen will have the word (DATE) on the screen above the iso reading, right side at bottom so you will know it is on...
I mostly take pictures of bear in the Smokey Mountians (CADES COVE) and love chaseing the grand kids around taking their pictures.
Customer Review: Fun little camera!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have this camera and I love it so far! It's fun, portable and relatively easy to use!
Advantages:
*Easy to use- The camera was very easy to set up. All I had to do was put the battery in and the memory card (sold separately) and it worked. It was also relatively easy to figure out, once I realized that tapping the camera focused it, instead of taking pictures. Automatic mode is very easy to figure out, and I've only gotten great pictures out of it!
*Size- The camera is very portable and will fit in most cases. It is about the size of a credit card. It is pretty light, which makes it feel fragile, but I haven't had any problems with it breaking so far.
*Sharp, clear photos- The photos have been very clear in my opinion. When uploaded to the computer, they are large (3648 by 2736 pixels or 20.267 by 15.2 inches at 100%) and when at their largest, can show things that are barely visible to the eye. I have found that compared to other cameras I have seen, this shows better detail.
*Good videos- The videos were surprisingly good. They showed a nice image, and the volume was pretty clear, which surprised me. I was very impressed with the video quality. The only problem was they did detect some shaking of the hand, but I think a tripod would easily fix this problem.
*ZoomBrowser Ex- This is the software that comes with the camera. It is simple and easy to use. It is not for editing photos, just uploading them, but it was easy to download, and it always does its job quickly and effectively. It also makes it easier to organize them.
*Rechargeable battery- I really like the fact that the battery is rechargeable. It's nice to be able to know how long your battery will last, and it saves money on not having to buy replacement batteries. The battery needed to be charged within a few hours of getting the camera, but other than than, it's lasted about 5 days, with me having the camera on a few times a day. It charges in a little less than 2 hours.
*Fast- The camera turns on quickly and takes pictures pretty quickly as well. It's good when you need to capture something happening right at that moment.
Disadvantages
*No memory card included- This wasn't a problem for me, as they told me there was nothing when I bought the camera, and I was planning on getting one anyway, but definately don't buy one without a card- you won't be able to take pictures.
*Manual is vague- The manual is good about telling you how to set up and use the camera but nothing else really. It doesn't explain any features of the camera.
For cases, I would recommend:
Sleeve Case (Magenta) and Tripod for Canon PowerShot SD1200IS Digital Camera Light Gray
It also comes with a tripod, and room for the cord. I think it's pretty good.
Overall, I really like this camera. It is not for a professional photographer, but someone who enjoys taking photos as a hobby, or just wants photos of their family. It's a nice little camera, and I am very happy with it so far.
Customer Review: Seems like the best out there for under $200!!
Summary: 5 Stars
While I have only had my camera a couple of hours, I have logged in many (some may say too many) hours of internet research to find the best small digital camera under $[...] and think I have found it!! I had a Kodak DX7360 and loved it, but it is clunky, and then didn't survive a night out in the rain on Halloween. Oops! As much as I loved my old Kodak, I have been scared off of purchasing a new Kodak since many many reviews said the pictures were not clear, the shutter time seemed too slow, and that they seemed to just stop working altogether in a matter of months. Seemed like these were similar complaints of Nikon Coolpix, Sony Cybershots, Samsungs and Olympus.
My final options were this Canon SD1200, an Olympus Stylus 7010, Casio Ex-S5 and Casio EXZ33. What really sold me on the Canon SD1200 was the fact that I found awesome reviews from expert websites:
[...] - it made the Dave's Picks list
[...] - "strong buy" (the highest rating) (Olypus 7010 was only "good buy.")
[...] - rated the Best Ultra Compact Digital Camera under $200
[...] - rated an A.
Like most people, I didn't want to buy any camera without actually testing it out. I tested it out at Best Buy, got a few quick pics of my 4 yr old and was totally sold! The camera took crisp pictures immediately. Crisp and quick were my main objectives since I pretty much only take pictures of my 2 and 4 yr old boys who are always on the go! : )
I don't know about technical details of zoom, digital/optical etc, but was able to shoot a quick, clear image little video of my dog and was able to zoom while recording. A lot of other point and shoot cameras do not have the zoom while recording feature.
I didn't actually buy this camera from Amazon.com. I still wanted to submit a review though since I've pored over the many reviews on this site for this camera and the others I researched. I ended up buying it in person today for the same price at Best Buy(Black Friday)and purchased the Geek Squad Black Tie 2 yr warranty. Although after all the great things I've heard about the Canon SD1200, the $35 Best Buy protection plan will cover pretty much anything short of actually losing the camera...even if it gets left out in the rain next Halloween. : )
I'll add to my review in the future if my opinion changes, but so far, this seems like the best quality, easy-to-use, quick and crisp picture taking camera for the money.
Customer Review: Couldn't be happier!
Summary: 5 Stars
This camera was wonderful! All I could hope! My worries are gone!
I had a kodak easyshare for late 2008. Loved it at first but the camera had so many problems! The battery went out so much, and sometimes the camera would get glitchy and won't turn on.
Then I got Nikon camera, this camera had HORRIBLE picture quality and video quality.
Later I got a this cannon camera and couldn't be anymore pleased with it!
I got it from amazon as a gift, the people who got it from me knew that I needed a camera and all my other cameras weren't going so good. I had it in blue, which this kind of blue is my favorite color. When I got it I tested it our. Charging the battery was a snap, I then started taking pictures.
Buyer tip: This camera does not come with a memory card. If you want to actually use the camera and save pictures you need a memory card. I was lucky enough to use my old kodak memory card. (2 gb)
For a lot of buyers I would reommend a 4 gb memory card, that should be more than enough memory if you don't plan on taking too many movies.
I ran the software and all the stuff and got the pictures to the computer in a snap. The software the camera comes with is nice. You can do photostich, sort photos, make movies with clips and pictures and more!
The camera has a nice design and is easy to use and haven't had any major problems. My biggest problem basically was it had no memory card. Which that shouldn't be a huge problem. you can get a memory card for a few bucks. The pictures are great and the movies were surprisingly good. The 10 megapixels certainly do help.
Customer Review: very impressed
Summary: 5 Stars
This is not a technical review. I have owned this camera since April and it has twice exceeded my expectations. I chose this camera because I wanted a viewfinder. This came in handy when i was buying a car in mexico where I now live. I needed to take a photo of the import sticker on the windshield so that my lawyer could verify with the authourities that the car was legal. The car was in direct bright sunlight and I could see nothing useful on the camera screen, nor was it possible to read the sticker. I used the viewfinder to take the shot. Despite the sunlight I got a perfect close up photo. I printed an 8x10 on plain paper and all the print on the sticker was clear, sharp and legible.
The second time it suprised me was when I used the video.My wife and I are professional musicians and often neeed videos. We usually hire a pro to shoot our videos and record the sound with pro equipment. A client in Asia needed a video in a hurry. I had bought a second SD1200 cheap on Craigslist and we set up both cameras on stands.I also set up a pro recorder and mic for the sound as the sound on video cameras under $1000 is usually poor. To my suprise the sound from the Canon recording was nearly as good as the pro recording and we were able to use it which made editing a lot faster. Also the sound and picture quality from the two cameras were identical so we were able to edit the two together. This says a lot for Canon's consistency.