Canon SD780IS Silver Reviews, Best Prices, Compare
 |
Canon SD780IS Silver Reviews, Best Prices, Compare.
Product: Canon SD780IS Silver Amazon Price: Too low to display Availability: In Stock |
Compare Prices on Canon SD780IS Silver
I unbiased purchased this Canon on a whim, earlier today at Best Remove. I have been tinkering with it for the majority of the evening. My previous SD300 is level-headed working like a champ, however I have been considering a video camera for some time...after some peering at the video camera counter I wandered over to the point and shoot table... what initially drew me in to the SD780IS was its appearance on the exhibit stand. The sleek matte-black body is very eye-pleasing...then I looked at the specs. and realized that it shoots video in HD! (1280x720) Then all the other attributes made me realize that it was time to update my "everywhere, anytime" camera.
I proceeded to check out some of the other Canon SD cameras. The SD960 became the other candidate...it has a runt more glass(4x) zoom, over the SD780's (3x) zoom. The SD960 has an arresting f2.8 apeture over the SD780's f3.2. The SD960's cloak is more tailored for the HD video steal as it has a 16:9 ratio LCD panel. (Kinda nice for instant viewing ON THE CAMERA)
After some belief I went with the SD780 for these reasons:
1. The HD video capability is awesome and comparible with the SD960. It has a HDMI jack. The ragged 4:3 cover does not bother me, because the video is ultimately going to be viewed on a HD TV.(There will be an upper and lower bar on 16:9 playback through the SD780's LCD) .
2.The weaker 3x zoom is not a sizable deal as this camera is for general shooting(out w/ freinds, bars, random afternoon at the beach, mountain biking, etc.) and with this camera EASLIY fitting in my jeans pocket or camelbak, the portability is what gives me the opportunity to document those moments, that would otherwise be missed. The SD960 is a minute bulkier(but detached tiny) . I do also shoot with a Canon 40D, accompanied with L optics, but the weight and bulkiness do not lend to determined shooting circumstances. (as mentined above)
3. The user interface on the SD780IS is like most (if not all? ) preceeding SD cameras. While there is not grand control in the plan of shooting settings, feature buttons like flash override, AE lock, AF lock, and exposure compensation are note on the camera body. The SD960IS has two buttons and a slither wheel, which lend to swims in the menu. I'm clear the original interface on the 960 is intuitive, but I liked the 780 due to its similarity to my worn SD300.
I am very tickled with the results produced thus far with the SD780IS. The HD video is excellant, however it should be known that once recording you can only zoom digitally. Indecent light cabilities and sound in video mode are friendly. The stills I have taken view tremendous. Also, to the budget-minded who are upgrading from older digital point-and-shoots, a class 4 minimum 4GB or 8GB SDHC card would be well top-notch due to the demanding memory of the 12.1 million pixels, and HD video. Also, most musty card readers will not process the the SDHC cards so you may have to remove a recent card reader as well.
I have to mention it again...the petite size of the Canon SD780IS is mind-blowing...and the functionality actually mirrors its beauty.
OVERVIEW
Canon SD780IS is the perfect travel/everyday camera. It weighs a miniature over 4 ounces. The size of the camera is amazing. It is smaller than my iPhone 3G and my wallet. I admire the modern 720p video recording HD feature on the 2009 Canon P+S line. The image stabilization for video/image stills is a winner. The clips are sharper and clearer than the clips from the Creative Vado HD and the Flip Video MinoHD.
PLAYBACK ON COMPUTERS
For video playback without choppiness on the computer, you need to have at least a Core 2 Duo 1.66 GHz or higher processor on Windows (Vista/XP SP2/XP SP 3) or Core Duo 1.66 GHz or higher processor on Mac OS X (v10.4-v10.5)
MEMORY CARD
You should gather at least 8GB Sandisk Rude III SDHC (Class 6 or higher) memory card for the camera. 4000x3000 resolution images can like a flash hold up your 2/4GB SD memory card.
CONCLUSION
+ Hasty Continuous Snapshots
+ 720p HD Video Recording with Image Stabilization
+ Lightning Posthaste Startup
+ Ultra-Compact Point & Shoot Camera (Thin + Light Combo)
+ Sparkling Design
+ Mammoth for Beginners (Very Easy To Expend)
+ Quick-witted LCD Screen
+ DIGIC IV Technology
+ Blink Detection
+ Can Edit Video Clips on the go
+ Scene Detection Mode works Flawlessly
- No Optical Zoom in Video Mode while Recording (You can Digitally Zoom)
- Monotone Sound in Video Mode
- Only 3x Optical Zoom for image stills
- Opinion Finder is Useless
- Exiguous Noisy/Grainy when Using Higher Than ISO400 but Acceptable
SCORE/VERDICT
09/10: Recommended
After researching ultra-compact cameras for 2 weeks, I had narrowed down my choices to this camera, the Canon SD880 IS and a couple of models from other manufacturers (though I knew in the kill I'd resolve a Canon) . As with most electronic purchases I do, it was an agonizing process. Every camera had a feature that I wanted, yet none of them had everything that I wanted. I would have liked a bit more zoom, and other cameras have wider lenses. In the destroy, the three features that won me over were the amazingly limited size, the ability to purchase HD video at a resolution of 720p, and the HDMI out.
As for the performance, I couldn't be happier. Many of the reviews I read before purchasing mentioned a high amount of noise, but in my experience it only occurs at higher ISO's, is not very noticeable, and seems to be in line with other compact cameras that I've ancient, no more, no less. I would NOT let this be a determining factor if I were considering this camera.
This is my first camera with image stabilization and it's works very well. On a unusual wander I took over 500 pictures (and filled up less than 1/4th of my 8-gig card at the highest resolution), and not one of them ended up blurry. The AUTO feature has also proven to be noteworthy better than I had anticipated: it changes between 18 settings automatically, such as macro, colorful sunshine, etc., and so far, it's been upright on the money. Another complaint that I've read is that viewfinder is useless. While it is quite runt, I have actually traditional it, and I gather it to be quite serviceable. At some point, a camera gets so exiguous that it's difficult to squeeze everything onto its surface location. Kudos to Canon for even including the optical viewfinder at all.
My complaints are few, and none would be a dealbreaker for me. The slight size and aloof, symmetrical shape sometimes create it hard to convey which side I am holding onto when I catch it out of my pocket. When attempting to push the power button, I will often realize I am pushing on the bottom of the camera. I have to actually explore at it to mutter what I am doing. Also, as stated previously, the HD video takes a blooming pudgy CPU to play help smoothly. My PC is 4 years former and has a hard time keeping up. The easy solution to this is to play aid directly to the monitor/TV with an HDMI cable. It seemed astonishing to me that a video made with a camera this cramped would witness kindly on a 55" HD television. I was unnerved at how entertaining it looked.
The bottom line is that anybody looking for an ultra-compact camera is going to be extremely jubilant with this one. It doesn't lift the pictures that a digital SLR is going to, nor does it have the same features. But anybody looking at this camera realizes that already. I went to an arts festival last weekend and was AMAZED at how many people are lugging around DSLR's these days. It seemed like every other person had one. When looking at performance vs. convenience and portability, I'll remove the SD780 any day.
