Customer Reviews

Canon PowerShot SD3500IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 3.5-Inch Touch Panel LCD and 5x Ultra Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Black)

5 star:		(56)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Alright, so the basic features of this camera (minus the tilt shift and fish eye, and the resolution) are pretty much the same as a previous model i owned.

I knew what to expect from this camera but with only a few slight improvements. It was the exact same cost as the model I had before (which thoroughly impressed me), so I had no problem switching it out for this one.

The full touch screen made two-handed menu navigation much easier to get through versus having to use buttons with the right and thumb on the left. basically you can safely hold the camera and use both thumbs (or even fingers depending on how you hold it) to use the screen. I dig the fluff features like tapping the side to navigate the photos and clicking (think iphone/ipod touch).

One piece that I will touch on here is the quality of the presets. While there are certain scene settings you would use for certain situations (snow fireworks, etc) they do not do a thorough or specific enough job explaining when you'd want to use this versus the "P" (program). The low light scene setting is the most disappointing. You can't simply flip it on and expect fantastic pictures as if you had a good natural light source. The flash is a default with this, so if you're trying to get something close-up in a darker setting, beware. Otherwise, the setting is OK with a flash, so long as you are not right up on the subject or trying to capture something reflective. I simply have personal presets that I picked out to avoid using the flash at all. Generally for low light settings, I opted to program my own so I can choose the ISO that fits it the best. Just know that the higher you set the ISO, the grainer you pictures will become. This is something that is a universal thing, not just specific to this camera. The same goes with digital zoom. This is a point/shoot camera so it DOES have limitations; I'm well aware of that, so if I need something i know it can't do, I just use my highzoom Fuji or DSLR NikonD3000.

You can't have a single camera that is going to be able to do everything perfectly. But I will say that unlike some other reviewers I found the quality that comes from this model in generalized scene settings or even auto is actually quite good compared to other cameras i've used over the years.

As for the HD video. I have to agree on that point. There was more that could have been done with it. But you know what? People forget this is a still-shot camera FIRST, and a VIDEO camera SECOND. Video recording is an feature, not a function. You will have less options and control with it. same goes for video cameras that take still shots. Often the MPs are lower, and the quality leaves a lot to be desired. The only exceptions are some of the DSLRs with video features, but smooth zooming is often a problem for most people with those. Solution? If you want great HD video recording, get a video camera. There's nothing easier than that.

Battery life is acceptable and about average compared to other model cameras, but if you plan on taking out for an entire day, I suggest picking up a second battery as a back-up. Being forced to use the LCD screen for everything drains the battery fast, but it does have an auto shut-off to conserve energy. While some people don't use it, i will would have liked to have had a view finder, however the lack of one in now way kept me from buying this camera.


Be weary of putting a screen protector on the back. Unless you get one from Canon meant for this model camera, or from an authorized Canon dealer, you can damage the screen. Having a screen protector can interfere with the touch-screen interface.



This isn't the Magic Hat of cameras. Everyone is going to have their own personal view on it and find things they love or hate. My suggestion is if you can find a retail store with a working display, go look at it in person first. That's the best way to judge if its going to suit your needs or not. Or if you know someone who happens to have one, even better. I've already gotten some beautiful 16x20 prints, and 18x24 is pretty good too (however at this size, you need to make sure your picture quality is top notch).

If you're using a high ISO setting, or a longer shutter speed, use a tripod- the slightest shake in your shake WILL blur/ghost the image; again, that is something that happens to all cameras. They sell a variety of smaller tripod (the grypton ones are fun and versatile).

Perhaps in the future these limitations will be eliminated, but that remains to be seen.


All in all, I knew what I was getting from this camera. The price is exceptionally reasonable considering all you get.
I'm not disappointed by any means, because I figured out very quickly how to manipulate the settings to get better picture than the scene settings could produce. It definitely suits my needs for this category of camera; I really just needed this guy to take around the town and on nights out, because who really wants to tote a DSLR with telephoto lenses or a clunky highzoom to a bar ;)

This camera is great! The new DIGIC 4 processor for the camera provides many features not found on older generations of Canon Cameras. Before buying this camera my two choices were the Canon SD3500 IS and the Nikon s8000. Both looked intriguing in different ways. The SD3500is had the 3.5 inch touch screen while the Nikon had the 10x zoom. I settled on the Canon because of past experience with their previous cameras and with their great customer service. I may be biased, but I feel Canon makes a better camera and Nikon makes a better binocular, but I digress. The simplicity and intuitive controls are a major plus. I was a bit worried about the screen but it is made of reinforced glass and has quite a solid feel throughout. You can even use the camera with gloves on which is a major plus if you are outside and it is cold (my first real test of the camera was in Barrow, AK at -20F). The only real downside I have for the camera is the battery/sd card door is a bit flimsy feeling when not closed, but it hasn't given me any issues to date. The only other downside, which isn't really a downside, is that many of the features of the camera may seem novelty to some such as the ability to change all the bright lights in a room into heart or star shapes. I certainly don't have much of a reason to use it unless I want to get cheesy with my girlfriend. I bought a Sandisk Ultra II 16 gig class 4 card for the camera and everything works real smooth with it. I am able to hold over 4,000 photos at 14.1 mp or 1.5 hours of HD video. The class 6 cards may be a little overboard for this camera and a class 2 may or may not be enough for the HD video to run smoothly, but I haven't been able to test those ideas. If you really want a nice camera with all kinds of fun and useful features and new age touch screen coolness then I highly recommend this camera.

-Update 5/4/2011

So far this camera has been phenomenal for all my picture taking. It even went through some hard times and came out shining. It was left on top of my car and slid down my front window onto my hood as I was driving down the highway. Needless to say it has a dent in it, but the camera works just as well as before and the glass is not scratched at all (I don't use those protective glass covers either) I had intended on using it for low activity days but I have quickly found out that it was actually very rugged. I take it out hiking, snowshoeing or whatever. It slides easily down into my pocket and even when it is raining I don't worry about it. Also, on the picture quality. It is very good. It all depends on how you use the camera. The Foliage setting on the camera really brings out great colors for plants and the point and touch focus is HUGE for focusing in on what you want. There might be better cameras (haven't really researched since purchasing the SD3500is) out there now but if the price is right on this camera I would buy it again.

I purchased this new at Amazon.
I wanted a pocketable p/s camera to carry for photos of opportunity not requiring a carrying case.
I am comparing this camera to the following p/s I tried before settling on this one.
Sony W200 - 12 megapixel - not wide angle and automatic white balance is way off...always a problem with artificial lighting.
Nikon S570 - 12 megapixel - too automated and too many out of focus pictures.
Sony TX1 - 10 megapixel -good pictures but not wide angle and I fear the lens cover lid will be flopping around in a few months.
Sony WX1 -10 megapixel-good pictures, nice wide angle, almost a keeper.
Canon SD 980 IS -12 megapixel-good pictures, older model but same price as the newer SD3500 14 megapixel.
Canon A650 - 12 megapixel, very good pictures, larger sensor, folding screen, but uses AA batteries and is like carrying around half a brick. Not for the shirt pocket.
First if you shoot with a p/s camera invest in Photoshop Elements and Noise Ninja if you want to make 8x10 inch prints or possibly squeeze out an 11x14 inch print. The sensor is tiny and noise is a factor which must be dealt with during editing. You will not get image quality equal to a half frame sensor. If you only want 4x6 inch prints it will not be so noticeable.
Comparing the Canon SD3500 IS to the above I get acceptable prints considering the sensor size, AWB is pretty good but still needs tweaking. Nice wide angle, 24mm equivalent, fits in shirt pocket, touch screen which takes a bit of time to get used to. One factor to consider is the video mode which makes MOV files. Windows 7 will automatically convert these to WMV for watching on your computer but if you want to email WMV files you will have to find a conversion software and quality will suffer immediately.
As to image quality I can only give a 4 as no 1 / 2.3" sensor will give you a 5 quality for the forseeable future. Construction appears to be good as you can get for this price range and things to watch out for is the delicate battery/memory compartment lid.

My last camera was pretty ancient - a Canon SD630. I bought it some years ago, and it was top of the line. It still takes really good pics for a camera its size. But, I felt it was time to upgrade. When I took my first SD3500 picture, the first thing I noticed was that it did a great job with the colors, even with the flash at close quarters. My second impression was that the photo looked a tad soft compared to my SD630, so I fired up an image editor to look at the quality.

The SD3500 *seems* to favor color quality and accuracy over sharpness. My SD630 seems to prefer sharpness at the expense of color quality. I did a fair test by setting both cameras' flashes off and doing a timed tripod shot of the same subject. The SD3500 produced noticeably sharper images, so my fears that the optics weren't there were allayed. I think if there is softness, it comes from image processing and not from the actual optics.

Auto mode is really, really good. I truly feel confident in leaving it in that mode as it seems to find its footing every time. And when the flash goes off, though I expect to see a whitewashed foreground and a darkened background, I get a very color-rich and white-balanced image. Again, auto mode really works.

Video quality was good, not great. I can get pretty clear 720p video, but it's nothing that will astound anyone. Zoom during shooting is definitely digital, so pre-optical zoom before shooting.

All of my testing tonight has been in low light, so that could also explain some lack of sharpness. Can't wait to try this in the sun.

The touch screen is responsive enough, though I find the photo swiping and pan scrolling gestures to be a bit slow and laggy. Other gestures and button presses work pretty well. Not iPhone quality UI, but not bad at all. Photos and videos look really great as the screen res is very high and colors are very saturated.

Build quality - well, Canon always does a great job. The SD3500 feels to me just a hair lighter than it looks, which is a good thing I think. I like the less gawdy design than some of Canon's other designs.

Is this camera better than the SD980? I honestly don't know as my upgrade isn't from that camera. I do know that I really like this camera.

Pros:
- Seems to focus on color quality over sharpness
- Auto mode always produces good to great results
- Touch interface works great, overall, and the side tapping is useful
- Touch to focus, smile detector, blink detection, and all that stuff actually does work well.
- Image Stabilizer is not overdone, and still gives you responsiveness.
- The various shooting modes are fun to play with
- Great build quality

Cons:
- Some aspects of the touch interface could be more responsive
- No optical zoom during video shooting
- No high frame rate video modes
- HDMI and USB doors are a little hard to get open
- Mini HDMI cable is not included. Cmon Canon, it's like $2 from Amazon.
- Well, er, seems to focus on color quality over sharpness.

This is the third Canon PowerShot digital camera, which I have owned. Each has worked perfectly and the only reason I keep buying new models is that new features are introduced, which compel me to purchase the next generation.... good marketing, Canon!
What I love about this model: the tap-screen back, which enables one to quickly identify what part of the scene is to be tightly focused. And the 24 mm wide-angle lens (speaking in terms reserved for 35 mm cameras) is SENSATIONAL. It enables me to get much richer, more interesting shots than my previous PowerShot SD950 IS digital camera.
While the digital sensor in this point-and-shoot camera is no where near as large as the sensor in my CanonDigital Rebel T1i SLR, and cannot match the impeccable imaging of the larger camera, the PowerShot provides a stunning back-up camera -- I am never without it. In Washington DC, last month, I was walking by the US Capital at 10 pm and had only my PowerShot SD3500 IS with me. I caught the gorgeous, lit dome and its mirror image in the reflecting pool in a shot that deserves to grace postcards or calendars. Love my PowerShot!

This camera has an absolutely mesmerizing touch screen that will immediately seduce you. But while Canon chose to innovate in this area, the rest of the camera falls far short of the quality they've been known for. The camera boasts 14.1 MP and an ability to shoot "HD" video at 1280 x 720. This is true...technically speaking. Canon achieves this by fudging the numbers. While the HD video is indeed 1280 x 720, it's at a data rate of 23.9 Mb/s. To put this into perspective, older Canon models (going as far back as the SD700IS...3 years ago) shot 640 x 480 video at 15 Mb/s and above. Simple math should tell you that while Canon has doubled the video size, it hasn't doubled the data rate. The resulting video actually looks WORSE per-pixel than other Canon models, even models that are 3 years old. The same is true for the 14.1 MP JPEGs. While they are indeed 4320 x 2432 with images around 3 MB, Canon's older model cameras have much larger file sizes per megapixel than the SD3500IS (6 MP files at 1.8 MB). This means that the image quality per-pixel is actually significantly worse than older cameras. The result is grainy photos, ghosting and halos around almost every edge, and exaggerated contrast. This is absolutely noticeable, even given the enormous image size. (In "auto" mode, the camera always tries to shoot with the aperture wide open, usually around 2.8, further decreasing image quality)

Canon also boasts a wide-angle lens. Indeed that's true. In certain circumstances this is a great feature. Shooting huge landscapes is this camera's strong suit. But the drawback is the absolutely enormous amount or parallax you get in return for this wide angle. Getting straight lines with this camera is virtually impossible. There is a significant "fishbowl" effect to all the images. Faces and objects distort as they move away from the center of the image, resulting in eggplant-shaped heads and heavily leaning walls. You have to constantly think about shot composition, exactly centering important subjects. Personally I find this incredibly antithetical to a fun shooting experience.

Two good things I will say about this camera; Canon has finally fixed their flash woes (this flash is stellar), and the touch-focus is brilliant. While these two things are great, the drawbacks far outweigh the benefits.

On paper the Canon PowerShot SD3500IS is a beautiful and technically adept camera. The reality is something altogether different, and very disappointing.

This camera surprised me. First of all, my personal cameras are big Nikons, so my ego tells me that this little camera is a toy and isn't going to come close. I do have a point and shoot - a Canon G10, which is still a big, full featured camera with a lot of bells and whistles. I picked this out for a friend who absolutely didn't want a larger camera (not enough purse room). I honestly expected to be disappointed.

And I was delighted instead. I opened the box and charged the battery and promptly discovered that there was no thick manual but a thin 'getting started' pamphlet. OK, thought I, I'll play along, This was intended to be a camera for a non-reader of manuals so let's pretend... I put the battery and a memory card in the camera, followed the pamphlet and bang (or rather, 'click') I had a great picture of my cat. Undaunted I headed outside and started aiming it at trees and scenery. And it did a great job every time. Loaded the pictures into photoshop and was suitably impressed with the image quality. And not once did I take the camera of Auto.

I eventually discovered the manual buried away on the accompanying CD and discovered that just under the covers was a very sophisticated machine. Plenty of options should my friend ever decide to go beyond point and shoot. Since the camera has image stabilization and is smart about shifting into macro I'm not sure that that ever will be necessary. But if she wants to shoot fireworks, theres a setting for that (and a whole bunch of other things).

Probably the most important feature of the camera is that it uses a touch screen rather than a lot of knobs and buttons. This will take a bit of getting used to, but once you learn how (and where) to tap on the screen you will find that most features are very easy to use. And the screen is quite large. One warning though - there's no viewfinder, and big screens can be hard to read in direct sunlight. So there are times when you will have to point, squint, and shoot. Another thing to keep in mind with a large view screen is that, scratch resistant or not, if you drop it in your purse with a bunch of keys you will eventually scratch it. Get a small case of some sort (there are countless options).

This is a very good buy if the price is within your budget. Truth is, I'm not in any hurry to present it to my friend.

This is my first Canon camera, I usually prefer Sony, but this camera met my needs and exceeded my expectations. It takes good pictures and has some nice features. I was looking for a pink camera and was stuck between another Sony CyberShot, a Nikon, or this Canon SD3500. I read so many reviews and researched so many cameras before choosing this particular model. Right out of the box and on Auto mode this camera takes good pictures. I read some reviews where people had mentioned that there were too many features on this camera and they didn't like that about it. It is true, there are a lot of features (which to me, is a good thing) but the camera is very user friendly so it isn't hard to get use to it. The manual comes on a disc, which is one of the things that's not so convenient, but other than that the camera is a very nice camera.

Comparing this to my CyberShot T70, there are some things I like better on the Canon, and there are some things that I wish the Canon had that my CyberShot has... but overall it is a nice upgrade.

The 14 megapixels are nice to have (I guess) but that's not the best thing about this camera. The pictures are clear and crisp, and the main purpose of a camera should be to produce good pictures. This camera does that. I am not a Camera-nista, nor am I anything close to a Pro, I am a person who likes to capture memories and have fun with a camera. This camera allows me to do that. I have kids and it captures their movement and action without unwanted blur. The 5X zoom is really good for a point and shoot camera. The Program mode and Scene Selection are really easy to use. Auto mode is super easy and takes great photos. I compared some photos taken in Auto mode to some taken in certain Scene modes and there isn't a noticable difference on many of them. The Macro is not my favorite on this camera, I think my CyberShot outshines the Canon by a longshot in that department. The HD movie feature is nice and you can zoom in while recording,(you will hear the camera zooming when you play back your movie) but again, my CyberShot produces clearer movies in Fine mode than the Canon in HD. There are some things that my CyberShot cannot compete with as well, picture quality being the main thing.

The continuous shooting response on this camera is very slow when you select that particular mode. You can lose precious moments while waitng for the camera to take the succession of shots. My CyberShot fired off way faster shots than this Canon.

I can't seem to get good pictures using the Color Swap and Color Accent modes, but I am sure I will get better at it after I tweek some things and play around a little more. The miniature mode is another cute feature to have as well as the fish eye. The creative lighting effect is not very useful to me.

Another thing I like with the Canon PowerShot SD3500 is the software that comes with it, it allows you to take still shots from your recorded movies. That is something I enjoyed while recording my kids because although you like to record some of the things they do, it is also nice to have a snapshop. That is something I mainly see with Camcorders, not cameras, and I wasn't able to do that with my CyberShot so it was a convenient addition to have within the software for the Canon.

The software is easy to install and doesn't take up a lot of space on your computer. It is easy to use as well.

I did have a problem receiving my order, NOT due to the fault of Amazon.com, so I had to purchase the camera somewhere else. (Amazon's Customer Service is VERY GOOD, the best... hands down) Amazon has the absolute best price for this camera. I checked so many places and Amazon offers the best deal with free shipping & no tax!!!

This camera turned out to be a very good purchase for me and I am completely satisfied with my Canon PowerShot SD3500 IS.

***I will add to this review later as I explore more things about this camera, and include some pictures as well.***


~~~UPDATE~~~
As I have been playing around with this camera a little more I wanted to add a few more things to my review...

The camera still is a 5 star camera in my opinion. One gripe would be the quality of the night photos. I tried to change the various settings and adjusted the camera in an attempt to capture a good night time picture, but the quality is a little less than to be desired.
The action shots are really nice because they capture movement really well without blur and my CyberShot didn't do too well in that department.
The video quality is not fantastic, it's just ok. You really have to pay attention and make sure your focus is good before recording because otherwise it will be grainy. I suggest test recordings before you actually begin to record. Make sure you are in focus! This HD is not as good as fine or super fine movie recording in my opinion. And the sound is good while recording.
The zoom on the camera is very nice. It's just ok, not great, when you go up to 20X. Of course you see grain when you zoom that close, but it can still produce a decent, but grainy picture.
The battery life is really nice. I went to an amusement park and took a ton of photos and the indicator showed full battery status after I was done shooting 232 pictures and 6 short videos. Of course I charged it overnight the day before, but the battery life is very impressive. My CyberShot did not have as good a battery life as the Canon.
My rating hasn't changed for this camera. It's still a very nice camera that takes very nice photos and has very nice features.

I bought this Canon SD3500 to replace my existing Canon SD850. I was looking forward to the larger display, the touch screen and the HD video feature of the SD3500.

When I received the camera, I took a few test shots. Initially, the pictures looked fine on the camera's 3.5" display. I didn't have time to test it further because that evening was my son's prom. I took the opportunity to use the new camera. I took about 20 pictures of my son and his date. When I viewed them the next morning, I was very disappointed. Several pictures were blurry. Others had lens flair even though they were taken indoors. The rest were grainy and lacked detail.

I figured I just hadn't spent enough time to learn the features of the camera. So, I spent the rest of the day reading the manual and testing the camera. Since I had always been pleased with the picture quality of my older Canon SD850, I decided to take a series of comparison pictures with both cameras - using identical setting. The only difference would be the resolution of the CCD in each camera (8 megapixels for the SD850 and 14.1 megapixels for the SD3500).

After taking about 40 test shots, I checked them on my computer and was again disappointed with the results of the pictures taken with the SD3500. The picture quality was fuzzy and grainy. When I compared the pictures from both cameras side by side, I was floored! The pictures from my older Canon were much sharper and well detailed. Believe me, I really wanted to like the SD3500. The camera has great features, but picture quality is by far the most important factor of a camera. Therefore, I could not justify keeping it, so it's going back today. If it were not for its innovative design and awesome features, I would have given this camera only 1 star. I have probably owned half a dozen Canon cameras and this is the only one that has let me down.

Previous camera: Canon SD750

Everyone reading this review has a good idea of what to expect from this camera (feature wise) so i'll just go right into what you wouldn't or might not expect.

1) The wide angle is great. The wide screen is great! However, every available resolution with the exception of 4320x2432 is NOT a wide-screen resolution. **NOTE** there is a HUGE difference between wide-angle and wide-screen. This is significant because if you are not using a wide-screen resolution then your on-screen image will not fill the entire screen (black bars on both sides of the screen).

On the other hand you DO get the entire screen filled when shooting on 4320x2432. However, the camera automatically crops off the top and bottoms of the camera's original 4320x3240 image in order to make the image wide enough to fit nicely on the wide-screen.

One last note on this wide-screen feature...It really is not a big deal that you have black bars on either side of the camera when not shooting wide-screen resolution because the sides get filled with several on-screen buttons that cover up the image anyways. And to be fair, I don't see any way around black bars on a camera without cropping because a camera's lens, inherently, doesn't capture a wide-screen image anyways.

2) There IS camera distortion. It is only noticeable when staring at the camera screen while moving the camera around. However, this is to be expected when you have a 24mm wide-angle camera

3) The image quality is not as good as the SD750. This is a big disappointment because my SD750 is 3 years old. The difference in quality only becomes visible when you zoom in too much. The biggest difference is the amount of noise that you can see when zoomed in. On the up side, you REALLY have to zoom in to notice the difference. Also, you can take the SD3500 off auto mode and tweak its settings to make its pictures look better than what the SD750 produced. But the noise when zoomed in all the way never really goes away.

Even though the image quality is not as good (on some cases), the overall picture usually looks better because of the wide-angle lens (24mm vs 35mm) and several other tweaks that can be made

4) The casing is very, very sleek. Almost too sleek. My original SD750 was grippy when holding it so the camera cant really slip out through your fingers. The SD3500 however is very slippery and I've had to be extremely careful not to drop it.

5) The camera case has a slight-bluish hint to it.

6) Fish-eye and miniature effects are very, very fun. Anytime you want a nice laugh, take a fish eye picture of someone's face (or another body part to make it larger)

7) Camera is heavier than you would expect.

8) The on-screen image appears to lag slightly if you move the camera around rapidly.

9) Because of the camera's design, I find myself covering the part of the flash sometimes.

10) There are no places around the camera where you can grip the camera naturally

Bottom Line:
I still recommend someone buying this camera. It is feature packed and more than what you can expect from a point-and-shoot. As long as you are not extremely nit-picky and know what you expect, then you will definitely like this camera.

I Hope this helps potential buyers make a decision!!