Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black)
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black)
Customer Review: My thoughts
Summary: 5 Stars
I have a Konica Minolta Dimage X1 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Anti Shake Zoom (Cradle Included) which I love and have used for years but my problem was that only I could take pictures in focus with it. Which defeats the point and shoot aspect of a small camera.
So a few years later I upgraded. After reading reviews of all different brands and testing them at my local electronic super store, I decided on this Canon PowerShot SD780IS12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black).
I am very happy with it and will continue to recommend it to friends looking for a new camera.
Its smaller than my old camera which was the smallest at the time and has a 12.1-megapixel resolution. Being able to carry the camera in my front pocket with ease is what I love about small cameras.
It takes great pictures, but most importantly to me is that other people can take great pictures with it and the camera stays in focus. Which means I can ask a stranger on the street to take a picture of something with me in the shot and it turns out every time. Very important to me.
Setting the camera to "smart auto" automatically selects an appropriate setting from 18 specially defined settings when I take a picture and it works.
Optical Image Stabilizer works like a charm to help with the hand shakes.
The face detection is awesome and works well thanks to the advanced DIGIC 4 image processor in the camera. A Face Detection Self-Timer automatically detects an increase in the number of faces and makes the appropriate adjustments so you can set up the family for the picture, jump in the group and still get a perfect shot. The camera knows when you are in place because it can "see" your face.
Red eye correction works as it should. Either the camera can be set to remove the red eyes from the picture when it detects them or after you take the picture you can go back into the picture while it is on your camera and remove them. Its easy to use and works.
The camera feels very well made but if you have a hard time pressing small buttons beware the camera has only small buttons. Not a problem for me though.
HD video mode works great and looks better. The HDMI out port makes hooking the camera up to my HDTV a snap. 280 x 720 resolution, 30 minutes / 4GB
Love the 100% all black
I am very happy with this camera and look forward to using it as my pocket camera for years to come.
Customer Review: Amazing HD camera that is better than the Flip!
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this camera about a month ago and I couldn't have been happier. I've taken about 500 photos so far and 50 video clips and they're all perfect!
Pros:
Small size: Smaller than iPhone/iPod touch when stacked and twice as thick on the side. Ultra portable!
12.1 MP pictures are perfect quality
Auto mode makes it really easy to snap quick shots
Face detection works really well
Many features in the Program mode that will satisfy any teenager like myself
Color swap and color accent are really cool effects. Major plus!
HD video quality is amazing and I think it's better than the Flip HD. It's also MUCH smaller than the Flip Mino.
While recording a video, the camera will automatically change the brightness, tone, and exposure
Microphone is on the front instead of on the top where the speakers are so your fingers won't cover it when recording for a long time.
Ability to set custom timers and how many pictures to take.
Fast transfer to computer even when using the USB cable. Usually taking out the SD card and putting it in your computer's card reader is faster, but no need to do that with this camera.
Image Stabilization works well.
Came with a free 4gb SDHC card.
Blink detection is also really useful. If a person blinks in the photo, the powershot will review the picture and have an icon telling you to retake the picture if you can.
Only 2 hours for a full charge
Cons:
Taking a picture of a fast moving object while in Auto mode might turn out blurry. Putting it on Program mode and Kids&Pets will fix it.
In Auto mode, the camera may blow out the sky and make it all white when focusing on someone(beach photos). I recommend turning down the exposure to -1/3 or using the beach mode in Program
Audio is mono when recording videos
No option to choose what to focus on before shooting a video
Doesn't auto focus while recording videos. Annoying when i'm taking a macro video but then want to show something else
Video quality is really noisy in low light conditions, but bearable.
No optical zoom while recording a video - only digital
Viewfinder is pretty useless. Too small
Wrist wrap should be just a little longer and have a tightning feature so you can tighten it around your wrist.
Power button is just a little too small.
The switch to switch between Auto, Program, and Video could've been larger and easier to move.
Customer Review: Excellent Camera for its Size
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this camera mainly due to its size and ability to shoot HD video. I upgraded from a Sony DSC-P8, which took pretty good daytime pictures but horrible low light shots and the shutter lag was ridiculously long. Also, I couldn't fit the camera in my pocket because it was so thick. This camera is an improvement in all of those categories. Of course I understand the Sony DSC-P8 is an older camera and most new cameras would be better.
This is the smallest, slimmest camera I have ever owned. I also have a Canon XSi DSLR which allows for more flexibility and takes professional looking shots but its by no means compact. When going out with friends or on a short trip, I'd much rather take the Canon SD780 IS which I can fit in my pocket. I also purchased the Canon PSC-1050 camera case from Amazon which is made specifically for this camera, as stated on the packaging. If you buy this camera, you should also get this case. Why buy a small camera only to buy a bulky third party case?
To me, the low light shots are acceptable for a point and shoot camera. The pictures still have a little bit of noise to them if you zoom in on your PC, but no where near the shots I took with my Sony. However, even though the noise is much improved, the sharpness of the pictures suffer a slight bit. The older Sony was better in this department. Overall, the low light shots taken with the Canon look much better than the Sony. I have no complaints with the daytime shots.
The shutter lag is also much better than the Sony. You can forget taking pictures of moving objects with the Sony. It sometimes took 3-4 seconds for the camera to take the picture from the point of pressing the shutter. The SD780 IS still has a shutter lag of about a second or less depending on the shooting conditions. For shots of moving objects like children and pets, I have my Canon XSi.
The buttons and on screen menus are easy to use and understand. Due to the small size of the camera, the buttons are small. I sometimes have trouble pressing the correct button. It's not a major problem though. I would rather have small button and a large LCD than the other way around.
Overall, I am very pleased with the camera. I never expected it to be perfect since its a rather inexpensive and compact point & shoot camera, but it exceeded the expectations that I did have and serves its purpose well.
Customer Review: It makes an impression.
Summary: 5 Stars
Canon released its new line into a tough market with economic hard times and a glut of consumer hand-held devices, so if you can resist all the graduation and Father's Day hype, this one, like its predecessor the SD770, is likely to come down in price (same for the SD1200). For those who like the practicality and convenience of a slightly larger camera offering more aspect ratios, the SD880 and SD890 are understandably better bets. Wide angle lenses may not excite some consumers as much as a zoom lens, but they're far more practical for tight framing of group shots, not to mention insuring the mic picks up dialog during videos.
But the SD780 is a camera where looks, though not the only thing, aren't far from being the main thing. The camera feels even smaller than its listed dimensions and weight; the carton it comes in is 3/5 the size of the box for its predecessor, the SD770. And just compare the surfaces of these two cameras: not a speck of space is wasted on the SD780, making the viewfinder a bit slower to deploy and the flash slightly less powerful than either of these features on the SD770. But no question that, assuming you don't miss the classic Canon squared-off look, the SD780 is a sexy-looking, stealthy (especially in black) point 'n shooter that's as aesthetically pleasing and as well designed as an iPod Nano (just be careful not to put either device into a pants pocket without first checking for holes). As for size, my Sony Cybershot U-10 is fatter but 30 percent smaller overall than the SD780, so best to regard this one not as the smallest camera but the smallest Canon.
Initial impressions of the shots are favorable. The ones from my Canon PowerShot model with a mere 3.2 megapixel lens set up faster and strike me as more natural, but I'd hate to crop or enlarge any of them. The SD780 invites the user to exercise patience as well as creativity in order to get the most from its extreme miniaturization. I haven't tried attaching an HDMI cable to this pint-sized overachiever as yet, but I expect to do so and return to this review in the near future, hopefully with some sort of assurance that carrying this little marvel will save you the trouble of bringing along a Flip to your granddaughter's ballet recital or son's Little League game.
Customer Review: Great camera, poor zoom
Summary: 5 Stars
I live in Jackson, WY and used this camera for every thing, but mostly for climbing and snowboarding. It is small enough that I would put it in my pocket and could still hike and climb and couldn't even tell it was there. The camera is small, sleek, and very stylish. So nice that it took a little bit for me to take it out doors. It is a really tough little camera as well, I put mine through hell and not once did the lens cover stick when turned on and it always focused on time with no lag. The photos always looked great and the HD video is awesome, and you can zoom while in HD mode. Video was so good that some of my footage was used in a ski film. The functions and menu options are easy to access but a little limited if you are a pro photographer and want more options. I really liked how easy it was to adjust the aperture. Just hit the +/- button and the scale pops up on bottom of the screen.
I did not like the lack of zoom strength. For me this is an issue because I take most of my photos while in the mountains. When trying to zoom in on my buddy climbing or skiing I just couldn't get close enough. Or some times I would want to take a picture of a ski line so I could study it in the future and could not zoom in close enough to see certain details. This is the main reason why I am trying another camera, plus my Canon fell out of my pocket on Halloween and was drove and parked on, unfortunately, it did not live through that ordeal. The battery life is good, but sounds like there are longer lasting cameras out there. Though, I would use mine every day for alot of photos and video and find I would need to charge every 2 or 3 days.
I have always used Canon cameras, but because of the poor zoom strength I am going to try the Nikon S6000 Coolpix. Over all, this camera is great, if you don't mind the little zooming it offers. I did a quick pros and cons because I know not every one likes to read these lengthy reviews.
Pros:
small
tough
great photos
great HD video (zooming while in video mode)
good flash
easy battery charging, via wall charger
good battery life
good options and functions
Cons:
weak zoom strength
a little pricey