Debating between the SD750, SD1000, & SD800IS.

[Kerisaurus]

Hi,

This coming week I'll be going out west to Colorado, Las Vegas etc. and I want a small camera that will fit in my pocket, but also take the best quality images possible. I am currently working with a Canon Powershot S2IS and I love it but its just too big to carry around in certain situations.

I've been looking at the SD750, SD1000, & SD800IS. The 750 as far as quality goes seems to be the best bet other than the 800 IS, but I'm not sure about the size for the 800. It seems to be a bit bulkier than the others. Also both the 750 and the 1000 fall within the $200-250 range while the 800 is more towards $300. I'd prefer to spend between 200-250 dollars but I'm debating whether or not spending the extra 50 for the 800 would be worth the quality.

Also, would image stabilization be vital for a point and shoot camera? I'm not looking to shoot mindblowing photos with this, just have something I can keep in my pocket for convenience without giving up too much quality.

If anyone has experience with any of the cameras above, please offer me advice. I'm also open to other suggestions.

[Canon Guy]

I was in the same boat a little while back, looked at the same 3 cameras. While I thought the SD750 was the best looking, I nixed it because it didn't have a viewfinder. I really liked the SD800 IS but in the end, I didn't want to spend that much on a 2nd camera. While I'm sure the IS would've helped in normal use, it's hardly a must for a 3x zoom. Where it will help for sure is in low light situations (but how often will that be for you?). If you want a wide angle lens though, the SD800 is the one to get. I finally settled on the SD1000 - it takes decent pictures for an ultra compact and it's got a cool retro design that looks like the "old school" ELPH.

[Marsellus_Wallace]

I've been looking at the SD750, SD1000, & SD800IS. The 750 as far as quality goes seems to be the best bet other than the 800 IS, but I'm not sure about the size for the 800. It seems to be a bit bulkier than the others.
I recently went through this myself. They are all about the same size.
The 750 is a bit shorter, the 800 a bit thicker and more rounded than the others.
I've seen them next to each other in real life, and I don't think there's any serious difference in pocketability.

Also both the 750 and the 1000 fall within the $200-250 range while the 800 is more towards $300. I'd prefer to spend between 200-250 dollars but I'm debating whether or not spending the extra 50 for the 800 would be worth the quality.
The 800 gives you 2 important things:
- More wideangle and less tele zoom
- Image Stabilization
Image quality between the three is about the same. You may find little differences between them, but nothing to worry about. Forget about high ISO shooting, on all three anything above ISO 400 looks like cr@p.

I like wide-angle photography (especially for landscapes), and I never leave my house without IS, so for me in the end the choice was easy. Those are two important features the others simply don't have. Only you can decide how important those are to you.

Also, would image stabilization be vital for a point and shoot camera?
Vital? I don't know, you'll have to decide for yourself. But it's very valuable indeed. You can take more photographs hand-held, where without IS you would have unsharp pictures due to camera shake. Besides that, IS allows you to use lower ISO speeds (longer shutter speeds). This reduces noice and thus increases image quality a lot.

The 800 has a better screen than the other two and has better battery life.

I am picky on image quality,and after some research I bought the SD800 IS.
I have nothing but praise for it. You get what you pay for. In case of the SD800 you pay a premium for the wide lens, better screen, battery life and IS. In the end, you pay for convenience (read: useability).The image quality is about the same on all three models.

[softball29]

I'm glad I found this thread because I, too, have been researching and thinking about these three cameras.

My basic look for a point-and-shoot is to upgrade from my S230 and getting a good camera I can stuff in my pocket when I go to friends houses, out to bars and little things like that _ nothing major, or I'll use my DSLR. But sometimes I just don't want to carry it, so I want to have a good compact camera.

If I am using a camera in a lot of lower-light situations with the flash, or just indoors, and sometimes outside for other little things, which would everyone think would be the best. While I would rather not spend the 300 for the 800, if it's that much better, I could probably justify it.

Thanks to anyone and I'm glad I found this thread.

[toddharrison]

yeah if I'm on thhe go I'll use the S230 myself. it a great ccameraa and does what I need it to do. I also recomend the SD800 IS. This too is also a great camera. I really miss the old film days but hey you have to keep up with the times!

[Discov3ry]

After doing a shopping research I've settled for the SD1000. Well, not for myself, it was a b/day gift for my dad. So I needed to pick up something that's super easy to use, not too expensive, and gives good results in all sort of situations. Needless to say my brother liked this camera so much that he also bought it.
I've had a chance to briefly test drive it and I was really impressed how much power and features is packed into its small factor. It takes awesome AV clips, its face recognition is pretty decent, and boy is it quick! Startup time is great, and overall responsiveness isn't bad either. All that for only ~$200.00.

[JulianL]

After doing a shopping research I've settled for the SD1000. Well, not for myself, it was a b/day gift for my dad. So I needed to pick up something that's super easy to use, not too expensive, and gives good results in all sort of situations. Needless to say my brother liked this camera so much that he also bought it.
I've had a chance to briefly test drive it and I was really impressed how much power and features is packed into its small factor. It takes awesome AV clips, its face recognition is pretty decent, and boy is it quick! Startup time is great, and overall responsiveness isn't bad either. All that for only ~$200.00.

I have one of these on the way from B&H right now, just ordered it Thursday evening. The reason for this purchase was that I took my wife and son to Disneyland on Thursday and neither of us wanted to lug the 30D with 17-40mm L lens around all day long let alone take it on some of the rides.

Small, lightweight, and simple to operate were the primary considerations. I figured my wife could use it at events where I'm shooting with the 30D and it definitely fills a need where theme parks or going to the beach with my family is concerned.

I took note of all the cameras I saw during the day (edit-at Disneyland) and not a single one of them was a DSLR. I love the 30D for most things but picture taking at a theme park is not one of them...assuming you actually plan on going on any of the fun rides anyway. Zoo, sporting events, creative shooting, and family events the DSLR wins hands down though.

I have an old Canon S300 but the battery no longer holds a charge and at 2MP it's a bit long in the tooth to keep throwing money at. :lol: