SD1100IS or SD870IS

Hello all, I am trying to get a new camera for my wife and it is a toss up between these two. Does anyone have an opinion? She needs a simple p&s, but I want to be able to take and use once and a while. Would love a few opinions.

We have the SD870IS and love it. Great pic quality and color and you don't even remember you have it in your pocket. I carry it in my DSLR bag wherever I go. Some of my favorite shots of my kid are the ones taken with this P+S.

Picked up a used SD1100 IS yesterday and it is a nice little camera for quick shots...no manual controls but I have the 40d for that.

Sorry Shahid, when you say "no manual controls" you are completely wrong and doing this great camera a disservice.

Yes, I know it is not a DSLR but it has many options as do most Canon SD cameras in the manual mode.

Suggest that you spend some time and actually read the manual, and don't make comments that would put ordinary users like myself from buying this great camera.

I am a long time SD camera user and I am very impressed with all aspects of the SD1100IS.

tombei wrote in post #5890478
Sorry Shahid, when you say "no manual controls" you are completely wrong and doing this great camera a disservice.

Yes, I know it is not a DSLR but it has many options as do most Canon SD cameras in the manual mode.

Suggest that you spend some time and actually read the manual, and don't make comments that would put ordinary users like myself from buying this great camera.

I am a long time SD camera user and I am very impressed with all aspects of the SD1100IS.

Yeah, sorry....when I say manual, I mean fully manual (Av, Tv) like a DSLR. I guess I'm used to that. This Canon SD1100 IS is a WONDERFUL camera. I still have to test out its full features, hopefully this weekend, but so far, it is very nice.

I am a bit confused, wouldn't the M or Manual mode, be more fully manual then the Av or Tv modes? I am pretty new to the whole thing, and do have a lot to learn, but this was my understanding...

mullhawk wrote in post #5893717
I am a bit confused, wouldn't the M or Manual mode, be more fully manual then the Av or Tv modes? I am pretty new to the whole thing, and do have a lot to learn, but this was my understanding...

Yeah, the M mode would be more manual than just either Av or Tv, but the M mode on the SD1100 gives you the following:

-Exposure Comp
-White Balance

You can't directly control Av and Tv in M model.

This is a great camera and has many shooting functions that are setup for you such as fireworks, Kids&Pets, etc. It is definitely one of the better P&S's our there.

leer97 wrote in post #5881957
We have the SD870IS and love it. Great pic quality and color and you don't even remember you have it in your pocket. I carry it in my DSLR bag wherever I go. Some of my favorite shots of my kid are the ones taken with this P+S.

x2

I got my wife this camera for x-mas and it takes great pictures. She uses it in auto mode but I have to say it does give plenty of user control for a p&s. The movie mode also works well.

The only thing I was worried about is the fact that it has no viewfinder - I hate using a p&s and framing with the lcd, but when I saw how small the camera was I understood why they ditched the viewfinder... I got used to it. Besides, if it did have a viewfinder I would have noseprints all over the nice lcd.

Great camera

My favorite feature of the 870: The play button.

I'm surprised it took them so long to put in a play button. Maybe I'm spoiled, but I'm used to the play button on my Rebel XTi. If you're in play mode, you can quickly switch back to shooting by pressing the shutter half-way. With the SD1100, you have to flip a switch. Sounds trivial, but It's a big deal to me (considering how similar all the SD series cameras are).

"Sounds trivial" yes VERY VERY trivial , even close to being silly.

I have not seen the SD1100IS, so I cannot comment on that -- But I bought the SD870IS for my wife about a year ago and she loves it! It has been a truly wonderful camera. The big-ticket items for her were the 3-inch viewscreen and the 28mm lens. She mainly uses it for "happy snaps," but I've been known to borrow it on occasion as well

Go4EVA! wrote in post #5895700
The big-ticket items for her were the 3-inch viewscreen and the 28mm lens.

These two reasons are what make the 870IS more attractive than some of the other powershots that start at 35mm and have a smaller LCD.

The_Terminator wrote in post #5904505
These two reasons are what make the 870IS more attractive than some of the other powershots that start at 35mm and have a smaller LCD.

I got my wife an SD870IS for these same reasons. The larger LCD screen is a big plus, and the 28mm lens is very useful indoors at parties and such. Oh, and she also likes the pink leather strap and the pink case I got to go with it!

I'm looking between these two P&S camera as well (for those days I can't carry my 40D around).

The biggest difference that I can see and feel is the 3-inch viewscreen AND faster operation of the 870IS. I've played with both camera side by side at BB and CC and to me, the 870IS just feels faster and snappier on all operations, from viewing pictures, changing settings and taking pictures. Even thought the 870IS is slightly older, it is on the top of my list as my next P&S.

...and don't forget the 28mm wide end compared to the 35mm of many other digicams.
It makes a big difference for snapping pics indoors. (a primary use for many of the end users this camera is targeted at)