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Canon Powershot SD870 IS

79

Good
  • Pros
  • Extra-wide zoom lens
  • Big LCD (3 inches)
  • Cons
  • Not as well constructed as other Elphs
  • Animated on-screen button is distracting

User Reviews for Canon Powershot SD870 IS

  • Reviewed by: Bupitz

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Great LCD, superb pictures, a lot of functions, small, great battery life, great videos, i just love this camera.

    Weaknesses: The only weakness is the noise at ISO 800/1600 but that's the problem with all compact cameras ... if you don't want noise in your pictures use a DSLR!

    Overall Evaluation: There is no better p/s camera out there. I also have a Canon EOS Rebel XSi DSLR but sometimes it's too big to have it with me. So if you want clear pictures in bright sky or in good light the SD870 IS is the best choice. Even in low light I got good pics. There are a lot of manual controls either ... long exposure, etc and the movie mode is excellent with a great sound.

  • Reviewed by: allyn12341234

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Nice large view screen. Intuitive, well thought out controls. Love it!

    Weaknesses: None that I can see

    Overall Evaluation: Nice large view screen. Intuitive, well thought out controls. Love it! It is well made and solid in feel, as well. Starts up quickly. Shoots great video...Suggest 4GB memory card if intending to shoot much video as it eats memory compared to photos.

  • Reviewed by: pammyyoha

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Speed, ease of use, battery life, overall picture quality

    Weaknesses: Lack of full manual controls, but expected

    Overall Evaluation: I have used the Canon SD870 IS and the Canon SD850 IS--I like them both. The SD870 has the wide angle lens, a large 3" screen, and no optical viewfinder. It is quick to respond when you turn it on or when it recycles between shots. It takes nice photos and I'd buy it again in a flash. This model has the battery status indicator (unlike the SD850) and the battery lasts well (tons longer than in ones like the Canon A570 that uses AA batteries). The SD870 is easy to hold, nice looking, solid, and the LCD quality is great. The settings it chooses on automatic are normally very good, though one can tweek them quite easily when needed. I bought this after trying a Panasonic FX33 which has a similar lens range--this has far better color and sharpness. If you want a cute, reliable point and shoot with a normal range of options, this works great and takes very good photos. The flash is not FANTASTIC, but spot focus on the area of a room where you want to shoot and the flash will extend better. Also, if there is natural light shining into a room, this camera will shoot without the flash and pick up the picture pretty nicely.Outdoors this camera capture accurates colors and brightness, and the software that comes with the Canon cameras has a lot of options for editing. This is a very reliable choice in a point and shoot!

  • Reviewed by: jayneg

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: large LCD screen, good array of manual settings for a pocket camera, superior quality to other cameras in same class

    Weaknesses: battery & SD card access door feels like it will break each time I open it. Auto-white balance indoors is a little yellow (manual white balance adjust fixes this though, but it's an extra step)

    Overall Evaluation: I hear many people ranting and raving about their consumer grade digital cameras (To be fair, I won't name the brands), but I kind of laugh when they say "I've got 8MP and all these different auto modes like snow, museum, etc...) after seeing the results of a similar type camera utilizing all the different modes, I see grainy, washed out, out-of-focus shots. The cameras take forever to boot up, and there is a long lag time inbetween shots even with high speed cards installed. The time between pressing the shutter button and the unit actually taking the picture renders These cameras ability to capture the moment useless.But with the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS, all the above statements are not true. This camera actually has nice color tones and can take sharp action shots The large LCD makes it very easy to frame your subject(s), and even though it may get a bit grainy in low light conditions, the actual picture comes out fine. Start up time is almost instant, time between shots is fast, and when you press the shutter, it takes the picture. So there is more to purchasing a digital camera than how many MP it has. I've seen 13 MP camera's take lousey pictures compared to this camera. I am extremely happy with it. It is as easy or as complicated to use as I want it to be; meaning I can just use it as a point-and-shoot when I'm feeling lazy, or I can switch to manual mode and take advantage of the multitude of user settings not always offered with other same type cameras.

  • Reviewed by: mhbusch

    Duration of ownership:

    Strengths: Easy to use

    Weaknesses: none so far

    Overall Evaluation: This is great camera and Abe's of Maine is a super supplier of electronics fast shipping. Customer service called and offered better deals on accessories. We will buy from again.

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