I have bought hundreds of cameras for an insurance company, for use by Claims personnel. We started with Sonys and then I started buying Canon PowerShot a510, for reasons mentioned below. We rarely had “lens error” issues, I remember about 4 out of hundreds. When we got to the a480 being sold at the time of this writing, after almost no problems up to the a560, we got stuck lens with 6 out of every 10 cameras provided to our users.
We liked Canon because unlike the Sonys, they used standard batteries, required no special and expensive cable to transfer, and the only dislike was that there was no native memory on the camera, requiring a memory stick from the get-go. All through the “A” series (530-580) we got good life from these cameras. But the newest model was virtually broken in the box.
I assumed that this weakness of a spring or gearing was endemic to all cameras in this price range (under $150) since they all appear to spew from the same Chinese factory. We now buy Samsung SL30s are waiting to see what happens.
The SD850 IS was first announced in May 2007 as a replacement for the Powershot SD700 IS. It constitutes only a relatively subtle upgrade.
Visually the SD850 is virtually indistinguishable from the older model, and there are only a handful of modifications to the specification of the camera. Most notably the sensor now records 8MP images instead of 6 and the resolution of the 2.5" screen has been increased to 230,000 pixels. The 'digital heart' beating in the SD850 is now the latest generation of Canon's imaging processor, the DIGIC III. With the new processor there come a couple of new features too: Face Detection and the useful Auto ISO shift option.
Features:-
* 8.0 million Effective pixels
* Widescreen (16:9) stills recording
* Canon's DIGIC III image processor, iSAPS, 9-point AiAF and Face Detection
* ISO 1600 and optical IS for flash-free indoor shooting
* 16 shooting modes
* Wide viewing angle 2.5" LCD screen (230,000 pixels)
* My Colors photo effects
* 4x (35-140mm equiv.) zoom
* 30fps VGA movies with time lapse mode
Design:-
# Front: - The front of the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS is branded on the left side with a textured metal Canon logo and a printed model name. The right side of the camera’s front is a little busier. The optical zoom lens takes up most of this side. The lens sits flat with the rest of the camera body until it is turned on: it then extends in three segments. Each segment has a shiny chrome ring around its edge.
# Left side:-The left side of the SD850 doesn’t Canon PowerShot Pro1 8MP Camera have any features. There are dark, medium, and light silver panels and two tiny screws.
# Back: - The left side of the back features a 2.5-inch LCD screen surrounded by a darker silver-colored panel. The panel unifies the LCD screen with another viewing tool, the optical viewfinder, directly above it. To the right of the optical viewfinder are two small LED indicator lamps. Just right of these is a small power button with its own LED.
# Top: - The shutter button is on the top of the Canon PowerShot SD850 IS. It is mildly domed, outfitted in chrome, and surrounded by a zoom ring that hardly moves at all. On the left side of the top is an "Image Stabilizer" label. Beneath the label are five holes that make up the speaker grill.
# Right side:-The right side has a chrome wrist strap eyelet in the center that curves up ever so slightly. A niche beneath it makes stringing the strap a little less of a chore. Near the top is a plastic door held on by a thin rubber strip. It covers the A/V out port on top and the USB port on bottom. Behind it is a tiny space big enough for the tip of a fingernail to pry the door open.
# Bottom: - From the bottom, users can see the slight wedge shape of the SD850. The wedge is interrupted by the fat panel for the LCD screen. Near the right side is a quarter-inch metal tripod socket surrounded by little bumps to keep the camera from scratching on a tripod mounting plate.
Photo quality: - Photo quality was very good on the SD850 IS. The camera took well-exposed photos, with pleasing, accurate colors. Sharpness is right in the middle: not too sharp, not too soft (and this can be adjusted if you desire). Noise is minimal until you hit ISO 400, with the ISO 800 setting being usable for small prints (ISO 1600 on the other hand, is not). Purple fringing was not a problem. The negatives in the image quality department include noticeable corner blurriness and severe redeye, both of which are common in the ultra-compact class. While there's not much you can do about the blurriness (you won't see it in all but the largest prints, though), you can use the tool in playback mode to get rid of the redeye.
Performance: - Camera performance is excellent. The SD850 is ready to shoot in about a second, which is above average. Focusing times were very good, even in low light situations. Shutter lag wasn't an issue, and shot-to-shot delays were minimal. While the burst rate isn't terribly high, the SD850 can keep shooting at 1.3 frames/second until your high speed memory card fills up. Battery life was average in the ultra-compact group and, like all Canon cameras; the SD850 supports the USB 2.0 High Speed standard.
This camera is a great little convenient camera, which is able to be concealed easily, and taken about anywhere because it easily slips into a purse or pocket. It's a great camera for taking indoor portraits with flash, as well as outdoor photos. It is not good at stopping action.
Pictures of kids and pets running around will often be blurry because of the 1/60 sec. shutter speed. If you need to take low-light or action/sports photos, you would be better off purchasing a cheap DSLR. The only reason I don't give this camera 5 stars is because of the noise at higher ISO's.
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Canon PowerShot Pro 1 8MP DSLR Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom PC1057 US $123.49 (21 Bids) End Date: Sunday May-20-2012 18:00:54 PDT |
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{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m not a camera expert. This camera works great. It’s just a little hard to hold on to.
I was very happy with my new SD960is and enjoying the improvement in image quality compared to one of my older non-Canon cameras. I guess I will always be partial to “That Canon Color…” I don’t think it is accurate color, but it sure is attractive!
All was well until I was on vacation and hiking with the camera in a warm tropical environment. A day later the screen quit, and hours after that the lens quit retracting. It had been a sunny day – no rain.
Canon warranty service informed me that the camera has water damage and I must pay for the repairs. The camera was in the same bag as the rest of my electronics – including a Canon s3is. All of the other electronic devices continue to function properly, but the sd960 is dead.
Guess the only conclusion I can draw is that the sd960 is extra sensitive…. so… it’s a great camera if you never go anywhere hot or humid. Otherwise it’s a good paperweight.
I was looking for a nice point and shoot camera and I believe I have found it. The pictures are amazing. They are extremely clear and the colors are vibrant– not like my old Sony Cybershot (though it was kind of old) where the picture colors were dull. I think everything about this camera makes it a really good quality point and shoot, but I’ve heard others say that it isn’t a “professional” camera, which is true. If you’re a family-photo taking person like me, you’ll love this. The only con about this camera is that I think the controls and menu take some getting used to– definitely not as user-friendly as my old Cybershot.
I did not buy this from amazon, but made the decision to buy the camera based on amazon reviews.
So far so good. I think it is a very good buy which suits all my purpose. HD Video, High resoloution images, decent zooming and a compact camera which i can carry.
I was looking for a camera for my trip to Germany in the spring. I wanted something that took great clear photos and this is it. The macro works so well! Most cameras tend to create blurry pictures when taking a macro shot. This is clear & has excellent quality. I’ve used the kid & pet shot the most since I’ve bought it & the picture turn out as well as they do on my mother’s camera (after hours of tedious editing on my computer that is). For some one that likes to have different settings and options for a camera, this one is great. I was originally thinking about the Powershot SD1200IS, but the lack of options for taking pictures made me a little worried. I’ve read a lot of reviews saying that the photos can become grainy, but I haven’t run into this problem in any setting. It will also take vivid pictures in pitch black dark with out the picture becoming grainy like I’ve seen other cameras do. Another great thing I’ve noticed is the lack of “laser kitty” shots with this camera. I’ve only had one or two turn out that way compared to my mother’s camera where every shot turned out that way.
I do suggest that who ever buys this tests out all the settings before using it to take pictures of something special. I am so very pleased with this camera. I can’t wait to use the panorama setting on my trip!
I’d recommend this camera to anyone.
I should start out saying I love this camera. Canon PowerShot Pro 1 8MP Digital Camera with 7x Optical Zoom It is sturdy, well-made and feels solid in my hands. It is a perfect size and weight and I have had nothing but exceptional results. There is a fairly powerful zoom with macro capability and the photos are of high enough quality and resolution that you can do substantial cropping without losing quality, yet they don’t hog the memory card (which is a Compact Flash, something I also like). The camera worked really until recently, when the shutter release decided to get stuck, halfway in the down position, so you have to press really hard to take the picture. I contacted Canon (of course, it is out of warranty) and they blamed me for either dropping it or spilling coke on it. (I did neither.) My question is whether or not I pay to get it fixed. It is still functional, but it takes a lot of effort to take the picture. I’ve been pleased with Canon products in the past and this unit has been my favorite. I will probably break down and get it fixed, since there are so many great features.
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