Canon SD IS Series

[nkpham]

Hi everyone,

I currently have a Pentax Optio that is dying on me. It is the only camera that I have ever owned so I don't know much about what is out there now. My major problems with the Pentax is that I couldn't take pictures of anything that was moving and I couldn't zoom very far. Someone suggested that I look into the Canon SD series. After reading the specs on all the cameras, I still don't know which model to get. I would like to get a camera I can take snowboarding with me. So good IS and good zoom are important to me, or at least as good a zoom as you can get with an ultra compact. Is there an article on the pros and cons of each of these models? Or can someone help me pick one of them for what I need it for? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

-Kim

[prcrstn8]

For snowboarding you'd probably be happiest with the smallest, lightest camera you can find. That's always been my rationale for carrying a camera when I ski, just in case I fall on it and trash it, not to mention that falling on a camera can be pretty painful.

My suggestion would be the SD1100 IS - very small, very light, 4x zoom. You'd probably be happy with it during the non-snowboarding seasons, too \^;

[nkpham]

For snowboarding you'd probably be happiest with the smallest, lightest camera you can find. That's always been my rationale for carrying a camera when I ski, just in case I fall on it and trash it, not to mention that falling on a camera can be pretty painful.

My suggestion would be the SD1100 IS - very small, very light, 4x zoom. You'd probably be happy with it during the non-snowboarding seasons, too \^;

Thanks for the suggestion. I was debating between the 870 IS and the 1100 IS. They both seemed to be about the same size. The only noticeable difference I could see from the specs was the wide angle lens on the 870 IS. I've never had a wide angle camera before, so I'm not really sure how beneficial it is.

[prcrstn8]

The wider lens of the 870 would give you a bigger view, allow you to take a group shot of your friends without having to take that one step back over the cliff... at the expense of *slightly* shorter (maybe imperceptibly shorter) zoom. It has a bigger view screen too, closer to the edges of the camera. Seems more fragile than the smaller screen of the 1100 - I'd worry about it getting broken bouncing around in a jacket pocket out in the cold. Is that a real-world concern or not? If you land on it, probably yes.

I try to be a minimalist when I ski, and still end up carrying more junk than I want so I choose the smallest and lightest of whatever I have to carry. My choice is between an sd400 (similar in size and weight to the 1100) and an sd700is (similar to the 870) - I always borrow the 400, giving up IS in exchange for less bulk. This is NOT a huge difference but I do have the choice. ("Smoochiekins, can I borrow your camera today?") I've skied with both and prefer the smaller one. And ... I've calculated the volume (in cc's or sq in) of various cameras (height x width x depth) to find the smallest. You might not be quite so obsessed.

Can you get to a camera shop and play with the two cameras to see and feel the differences? That would be your best bet.

[OrangeJoe]

If you're thinking about a wide angled lens, remember that it will distort facial features if you're too close to the subject. I used a Panasonic TZ3 for a week and had to stand 6ft away and zoom into get a good picture of my portrait.

It would be good if a wide angled lens automatically zoomed in when set to portrait or similar setting, but them again expert photographers might like that distorted look. It's hard to please everyone.