Customer Reviews

Canon PowerShot SD700 IS 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Image Stabilized Zoom

5 star:		(215)
4 star:		(70)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Canon SD700-IS Compact PowerShot Digital Elph Serial No. 2628105xxx: One of the reasons that Canon as an enterprise excels in this new world of Digital Compact Cameras, is that they have the ability to move the technology that has been refined in their flagship professional equipment, to the semi-pro or consumer gear, and on down to their "pocket cameras." This camera is an excellent example of Canon bringing over several very important Pro features. The most obvious is the large, clear, high resolution LCD display; a similar display used in Canon's $4000 pro equipment. The other important feature is the use of their effective Image Stabilization, IS. Many of the reviews I have read recently do not give full credit or understanding of this very important "candid" photographic tool. When using this camera with IS switched on, one has the ability of taking good shots at 1/15 sec or even lower, assuming that your subject is not moving. Many shots can be taken with out the Flash. Read the manual packed with the camera and experiment with this feature; you will be surprised at how powerful and easy to use this feature is.

For those wanting to know detailed features go to Phil Askey's site:
http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_sd700is.asp.
For those wanting a quick & dirty review plus see some unedited images:
http://www.416-1100.com/gallery/1619772.

This camera has a WOW factor for any class of user. I have used and/or own the best Canon digitals and this camera adds to a great line-up of cameras. As a teaching Pro, I for one like the strong flash, and the IS feature. Another feature I like is the Auto ISO feature. This is like committing heresy for a supposed Pro, wanting any AUTO features. Well too bad; sometimes, yes infrequently, I want to spend ALL my attention on the subject, and do not want any distractions with all these settings. I am a technology person, and read all the documentation two or three times. No matter, many sometimes I look for the Green Dot, telling me the camera is ready to AUTO expose and the Focus is spot-on ready... and I'll go full auto... It works well too. Some other notable features is the ability to turn on a GRID, superimposed on the LDC screen; this is very helpful if you are taking shots and desire to have the camera in synch with the horizon or an edge of a building. Another surprise feature, is when you are viewing shots, if you took a variety of portrait and landscape modes, when viewing shots, if you rotate the camera the image rotates automatically. What this means if you take a portrait shot, instead of seeing a much smaller thumbnail, just rotate the camera body and the portrait shot auto rotates to fill the LCD screen; very cool feature. The images shown are not fancy hand picked ones. They are straight from the camera with no editing whatsoever.

In comparing the Canon SD700-IS (N) Compact PowerShot Digital Elph with SONY's DSC-T30, which are similarly sized, priced and featured, both cameras take great videos and snap-shots in a variety of circumstances. I would rate this as a tie-vote overall. Feature wise, the T30 does have their bright 3" screen, and 7.2 million pixels, however, the SD700 (90 x 57 x 26 mm / 3.5 x 2.2 x 1 in) is 5mm shorter in overall size than the T30 at (95 x 57 x 23 mm /3.7 x 2.2 x 0.9 in); however, Canon's SD700 has a 4x zoom lens giving the equivalent of 35-140mm focal range. In shooting modes; the T30 is a bit more sensitive for low light images, having an ISO capability of Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1000 with the Canon having ISO capabilities of Auto, 80 ,100, 200, 400, 800. If you are into Macro modes, the T30 is a clear winner here in that it has two macro ranges letting you shoot to as close as 1cm. Also the focusing is superior at these close ranges, I had difficulty getting the Canon camera to focus at the point where I wanted it to focus, when taking the "bug shots." As I have stated before, picking a point-and-shoot camera is like buying sandals, a very personal choice. If you stick to the most popular brands (Canon, Sony, Nikon, Pentax, Panasonic, Casio) and buy a current new model, US$400/500; they all will take great shots once you are familiar with the controls, etc. Do not buy prior years' sale models. Too much is happening with digital, and 24 months (ago) is a whole generation in dog-years for cameras.

Quiet Operation Yields Top Quality Photos and Nice Videos.

I've used my SD700 IS for several days now. Before receiving it I was concerned about the reviews on Amazon that talked about the noisy video problem. However, the first reviews were written before the camera was released in the US. So I crossed my fingers. I got my camera from Crutchfield. (By the way, their custom service was excellent!)

I have been unable to reproduce the noisy video problem. My videos are *not* noisy and sound good (for a camera of this size). I will say that if I turn up my computer's volume as loud as it will go...THEN there is some ambient background noise. But the volume is extremely loud at that point and I expect a tiny microphone to have some noise when played back at such a high level. For normal video shooting and playback, my SD700 sounds just great. I've tested it with an without the image stabilization activated and the videos do not have any excess noise. Also, my zoom is quiet! Anyway, my experience with the camera obviously differs from others'. Not sure if that helps you or not.

As far as the picture quality, I am also happy. Most of my shots so far have been indoors in the evening using the flash. Color saturation is fine and flash coverage is really good. (I'll upload some examples if I get a chance.)

Hindsight being 20/20, I'm not sure the image stabilization is something I needed. With a flash, it really isn't necessary and I've been an amateur photographer for many years so I know how to hold a camera. I'm sure the IS will be handy if I'm ever in a situation when I'm taking photos from a moving car, or letting someone else use the camera. But if I had to make the purchase all over again I'd probably get the SD600 or SD630 and save a few bucks.

It has a slew of settings including ISO 800, focus lock, flash lock, custom exposure and slow shutter setting. So although it lacks aperture and shutter priority there are still plenty of adjustments I can make in order to get a good shot (though this hasn't bee necessary so far).

PLUSES:
1. Looks beautiful and feels very solidly made when holding
2. Fast startup, fast refresh (I'm using a SanDisk 1GB Ultra II SD card)
3. Image Stabilization.
4. Quiet operation.

MINUSES:
1. Does not come with a case.
2. Does not have aperture or shutter priority modes.
3. Does not record MPEG format (video) or RAW (photo).
4. At close to $500, it's a bit spendy.

Stepping up from my Canon S40 to the Canon SD700 was the perfect choice for me. Since deciding that my old S40 wasn't up to pair with the versatility and compact size that I needed, I looked on Canon's website to see what new cameras were on the market. I compared three basically similarly built cameras: Canon's SD600, SD630 and SD700. Wow! I thought. List price of $499 for a camera? With the only difference being an added viewfinder, the color variations on the body and image stabilization?

Is this camera really worth it?

Being a VERY touchy / feeling / must test something out in person kind of gal, I went to Costco and Ritz Camera before finding a floor model at Best Buy. There, I was able to compare the SD 700 with Sony's 8.1 megapixel contenders and Nikon's family of digital cameras. I poked. I prodded. I made movies. I rationalized. I bought it.

I haven't looked back in regret since.

This camera is a powerhouse: It's small, quick to start, and you can use digital zoom while recording in video mode. The internal color filters while in SCN mode are a big plus: the less time I have to spend in Adobe Photoshop, the better.

Plus, the SD700 can even fit into my smallest bag WITH my keys and my wallet. This feature alone makes me want to take it everywhere with me. You never know when opportunities to take photographs may arise. And yes, I actually DO like the fact that like the SD600, this camera has a viewfinder. Personally, I thought the size of the LCD screen in the SD630 was too large. The black contrast matting surrounding the preview LCD screen in the SD 700 is perfect and just right.

Like Cameron below me, my zoom is quiet and I do not have a noisy video problem. You can change the exposure settings and shutter settings in limited variables. So far, this has not been a problem for me.

This camera works great while synching with my iMac and iPhoto.

If I had to do it all over again (including my week of internet research and in store questions) I'd choose this camera in a second. It has everything I wanted in my upgrade and I'm very satisfied with it. If you buy this camera, I'm sure you'll feel the same way.

Although not a big fan of early Canon digitals, images from friends convinced me that Canon had come a long way from its original crappy roots - and this camera doesn't disappoint although there are some cons as well as pro's (aren't there always?!):

Pro's:

**Very light
**Sleek and stylish
**Battery lasts a very long time - I've done a 4 day trip in Spain and a week in London before needing to charge the battery, and it will sit in the camera unused for up to 3 weeks before the charge goes completely - so about 1Gb of images...
**Image stabiliser works well (more so in bright to moderate conditions than nighttime though)
**Excellent macro (2cm), although may take an attempt to focus or two for the camera
**Very good colour reproduction, although to really capture the blue of flowers (always a difficult subject with digital camera's - tends to wash them out), you need to go into manual mode and make sure the camera is in 'Vivid blue' colour setting.
** Generally the scene modes are very good


Con's
**NO idea when the battery is going to run out - an icon just suddenly appears when the battery is nearly depleted and a few pictures later, your battery has run out
** Was a little deceived by manual controls -I thought that meant I could control exposure etc, but only have limited EV control, colour control
**Very poor in extreme sunshine (e.g. high altitude) - I find myself in a constant battle to stop the camera from overexposing. Even setting the EV to 2 stops into darkness does't stop the camera from overexposing
**No manual focus or ability to override focusing - which can be a real pain as sometimes it focuses on the wrong thing and there is no way to nudge the focus over to the right object
** If you set the camera in macro/infinity mode, it goes back to automatic mode after taking one picture - most of the time (there seems to be a few seconds delay so if taking a number of shots in quick succession, it will stay in macro/infinity, but the moment you pause to reacess the picture composition, it will slip back into automatic). This can be annoying, particularly in macro mode as I am frequently reassessing the image composition and suddenly find it can no longer focus 2cm from the flower and have to pull back and reapply the macro setting.
**Problematic if wanting to take night images. I found the best way was to set the camera in fireworks mode, but there is no other real way to do a 'long' exposure to capture (say) a night skyline.

I admit, I'm being picky because I have been using a digital camera which has manual override (Pentax Optio 750Z), but I wanted something that was even more compact and I guess somethings got sacrificed as a result. For the most part, this camera is an excellent little digital, will produce stunning results for people whether on automatic or 'manual' mode. The image stabiliser is superbe, particularly for those who are hesitant about always having 'shakey' hands. I really do recommend this camera for people just wanting a lovely little compact digital to take pictures of families, friends and holiday without any of the bulk.

Since the day i purchased this camera, i havnt been able to put it down.

- Ability to take great low noise shots in darker situations (indoors, night ect..) with the flash turned off.

- ISO settings are right at your fingertips.

- Pictures come out exactly the way you see them on the LCD, they are perfect everytime.

- Solid construction.

- Good macro mode for its size.

- Menu is very easy.

- Changing settings is a breeze.

- Image Stabilization makes a noticable difference when taking shots indoors.

- Perfect size,.

- This is the first digital camera i have actually used the video mode on. The videos are as clear as my video camera.The videos have to be seen.

I would highly reccomend this camera, It's the best I've owned and this is my 6th digital.This one will be with me for some time to come.

This is the 4th PowerShot I have owned and my 3rd digital PowerShot. These cameras just keep getting better and this was a significant upgrade over my last model. For me the killer new features that warranted an upgrade were image stabilization, a big, bright 2.5 inch screen, 6 mega pixel sensor, improved user interface and a 4X optical zoom. The zoom has made a big difference over the 3X of my old PowerShot. The extra zoom length makes candid portraits much easier and is perfect for shooting faces from a distance. The image stabalization is fantastic and I've got some great shots in low light without a flash. The screen is great, although it could use a higher resolution to match the bigger screen size - the resolution is the same as older models, only the physical size is larger.

Two other big pluses I've found have been the battery life and card access times. I've still not had to recharge the battery after using the camera for 2 weeks and shooting over 300 shots - including a week on vacation with intensive shooting and reviewing. The access time for writing and reading from the SD card is excellent. I paired the camera with a Lexar Professional 1GB card and reviewing photos is instant. Shooting onto the card also seems instantaneous and the continuous shoot mode takes shots as quickly as a digital SLR. You can shoot a dozen portraits or action shots in a few seconds and then pick the best. Startup is also very quick, a complaint I had with older models. This camera has sub-second startup.

The rounded design is also a nice break from the boxy build of its predicessors. Overall, I can't recommend this camera enough. It's pricey but I think worth the money. The best all-round camera I have owned and the closest to DSLR features in a compact that I have found.

- An extra word about Mac compatibility, since it appears in some other reviews. I've had no problems at all using the camera with my Apple Mac or .mac accounts. I don't use any of the Canon software - just a card reader plugged straight into my Mac. This work perfectly and iPhoto manages the photos just as you'd expect. I wouldn't bother with the Canon software, which will never compete with Apple. Let Canon build the camera and Apple take care of the software - and get the best of both worlds.

I read all the reviews of the Canon SD-700IS and decided I better write my own. This is an ultracompact camera and it does have a ton of excellent special features packed in it including IS (image stabilization) that really work! Canon's version of vibration reduction as it is called on Nikon cameras and differt things on other cameras, is IS and it works very well. The IS works especially well on a camera this small. You can mess up the picture if you try (have you ever gotton blurred digital pictures as in low light situations?) but in most cases the Canon image stabilization works great.

It always amazes me that a few people expect a point and shoot compact camera to do things that only top end (i.e. very expensive) SLR Digital Cameras are made to do like shoot in RAW or automatically adjust the ISO rating (actually it's the sensitivity of the sensor that replaces film in a digital) up to ISO 800 mode but most people who choose a point and shoot and especially an ultra compact point and shoot digital will never even try the plethora of features available on this camera. However, if you are one of those people like me who will USE the manual mode and special modes; you won't be disappointed unless you are expecting the the same results you would get from the Canon EOS SLR professional Digital cameras. Even then you have the same computer that is used on those cameras controlling the image intepreted (DIGICII) and the pictures I took under varying circunstances were excellent except where I goofed up.

The 700IS will do everything 99% of everything the people who buy a compact digital for better than most cameras in it's price range. Its 4X optical zoom, excellentlens quality, great image stabilization, the DIGIC II image processor, it's 2.5" LCD, excellent and easy to use menu system, and one thing many people forget until they need it--- it still has a basic (if tiny) viewfinder to compose pictures in very low light which I really miss on my Sony W7 compact digital!

It is a great buy, has very good battery life in it's proprietary rechargeable battery, a very decent flash built for an ultra compact, AUTO mode, manual mode, a nice macro mode, and if you want them special modes: Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, and Color Swap. I own several Sonys, virtually all the Nikons up to the D200, but this is the first ultra compact Canon that impressed me above all the other ultra compacts and compact cameras.

Pros: (1) starts up in a nano-second. (2) no picture is blurry thanks to the image stabilization feature. (3) picture quality is very good. (4) optical zoom is 4x -- better than your average 3x. (5) extremely fast from one picture to the next.
Cons: (1) can't focus in low light (a problem with a lot of canon cameras)
I have small kids and need my camera to be fast, fast, fast to catch those split second moments. This camera does the trick.

I've owned several digital cameras and the Canon SD700 IS is by far my favorite. I purchased this camera because I wanted a camera that supported photo sizes 8 X 10 or more, it had to be small and compact, have good optical zoom, and have excellent picture quality. After comparing with other brands, I found this camera had all my requirements and a whole lot more.

It's just the right size to take with you anywhere. The camera starts up quickly and is very responsive. The image stabilization works beautifully and is useful on a camera so small. Canons optical technology is superb as photos are accurately rendered and developed prints are vibrant and detailed. I love having a 4x optical zoom on a compact camera.

Along with the camera I purchased a large capacity secure digital memory card and an additional Canon NB-5L battery. I purchased the SanDisk 2 GB Ultra II Secure Digital Memory Card and at the highest image quality setting it holds 720 photos. I've always liked having an extra battery to extend my camera use.

I've been very satisfied with Canon products in general and this camera is no exception.

I've happily used Canon Elph digital cameras for years; my SD700 is the fifth model I've owned in the series.

Other people have reviewed this camera in general, so I'll only compare it to the Canon SD600 which I also own (see my glowing review of that model w/comparisons to previous models).

The newest Powershot Elph camera, the SD700 adds several welcome enhancements to the Elph family, notably the optical image stabilization and the 4x zoom. Otherwise, this camera is functionally very similar to the SD600, although with rearranged physical controls. The control and menu changes take a few uses to become familiar, but make sense.

The SD700 has a tasteful two-tone casing with a new ergonomic curve for the right-hand grip like the SD630. Unlike the SD630, it does have an optical viewfinder. While it's physically almost the exact same size as the SD600/630, it weighs notably more.

There's something about the photos the SD700 takes that I don't like. I find hard to quantify what makes them not as good as the ones taken by the SD600, but they seem almost over-processed, a little less crisp, a little less sharp, kind of like images smoothed out in Photoshop. Since the Digic engine is the same as the SD600, I can only theorize I'm seeing the results of the image stabilization and/or the new lens. I didn't like the effect and switched back to the SD600. The SD700 does take slightly better indoor photos that are cleared and less prone to shake, but the difference isn't that great vs the SD600. The SD700 also has a new CCD (the device that actually captures the image) which may be the culprit.

The increase from 3x to 4x zoom didn't seem to make much of a difference in my mixed usage (I took the camera on 3 very different trips to try it out), and may be a contributing factor to the problem I describe above. Generally speaking, the "longer" a zoom lens is in a small package, the less sharp/clear it tends to be.

The SD700 still ships with the same measly 16MB SD card as the SD600 -- it's way too small for any real usage and Canon should upgrade the entry level card up to at least 64MB since SD cards are so cheap these days.

This is the first Elph model I've ever had any qualms about, and I've since reverted to using my SD600 instead of this new model. While it's still an excellent camera, and hence the four star rating, at its higher price, I can't recommend it over the SD600/SD630. Buy one of those instead, unless you really need the extra bit of zoom and plan to primarily take indoor/flash photos. I'll wait to try the new technologies again when the next generation of Elph cameras comes out...