Canon Powershot SD800 IS - Performance and Image Quality
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The performance of the SD800 is great, and is a slight improvement on its predecessor. It takes only about 1 second to power on the camera and fire the first shot. This is very impressive for a point-and-shoot camera, and is among the fastest in its class. The SD800 also is speedy when it comes to continuous shooting speeds, where it takes about 1 second between shots, which is 1 second faster than the SD700. That is quite an improvement on a camera that was already relatively fast. As expected, the SD800's shooting speed dropped to about 2 seconds between shots when the flash was enabled, which is still a respectable number.
The impressive shooting speeds are thanks to the Digic III processor which runs the functions of the camera very efficiently. I think most users will find the shooting speeds of the SD800 to be exceptional, especially when compared to its competition like the Sony Cyber Shot DSC-T30 and the Casio Exilim EX-Z1000.
Speed of the camera means nothing if it doesn't produce quality images, and the SD800 does well in that department. Images are crystal clear with this camera, thanks to the 7.1 megapixel CCD. This allows the user to print great quality 8x10 photos without worrying about image noise in the photo. Where this camera really shines is shots involving group portraits, because of the Digic III processor's capability of detecting individual faces in a shot and focusing in on them to produce great quality, wide-angled portraits. If you need a camera for taking any type of group photos such as family vacation shots, sports team portraits, or company photos this may be the camera for you.
The SD800 is pretty adaptable in any lighting condition, because of the various scene modes and auto detection systems. As I mentioned earlier, this camera's image quality will begin to drop as the user begins to raise the ISO setting, and you will begin to see a more "grainy" image. Keeping this setting below ISO 800 will fix this issue.
Summary
In the never-ending quest to find the perfect digital camera to fit our specific needs, the Canon SD800 IS demands the attention of the average point-and-shoot photography enthusiasts. This camera has pretty much what everyone wants in a compact digital camera: good looks, small body, fast shooting speeds, and great image quality. What more could you ask for? Well although I highly recommend this camera, I must point out the minor flaws in it. The fact that the SD800 has only a few manual controls may thwart professional photographers looking for a back-up pocket camera. Also, the image quality isn't great at high ISO settings, but on the flip side there isn't any compact digital camera out there right now that is great at high ISO settings.
As of this writing, you can purchase the Canon SD800 IS for around $300 which is a good price considering that when this camera first hit the market, in late 2006, it sported a $449 price tag. Overall, this is a good camera for anyone looking for a high-class, compact point-and-shoot digital camera that is very versatile and takes spectacular photos.
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