Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom

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Product Details

Download the product manual [7.09mb PDF]

• Product Dimensions: 3.6 x 1 x 2.2 inches ; 12 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000Q30420
• Item model number: 2047B001
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (469 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #375 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)

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• Date first available at Amazon.com: May 7, 2007

Product Description

Manufacturer Description

Discover a new inspiration. The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph is a digital camera that will really get your creative juices flowing. It starts with a high-resolution 8-megapixel CCD, a 4x optical zoom with Canon’s exclusive UA Lens and an Optical Image Stabilizer for steady zooming. There’s also a DIGIC III Image Processor with Face Detection and red-eye correction, an ISO 1600 setting for sharper images in low light, 5 Movie Modes and a 2.5-inch PureColor LCD with scratch-resistant, anti-reflective coating for easy viewing.

PowerShot SD850 Highlights

4x optical zoom in action

Advanced 8.0-megapixel Digital Elph with 4x optical zoom and exclusive UA lens Count on the PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph for images that will make you say "wow" every time you shoot! Equipped with a high resolution 8-megapixel CCD, this Digital Elph is just what you need to capture life’s greatest inspirations as you’ve always wanted them. You’ll get every exquisite detail in dazzling, eye-popping color. And you can print big. Plus, the SD850 IS Digital Elph is equipped with a 4x optical zoom that features Canon’s exclusive UA lens with ultra-high refractive index glass to enhance your pictures while significantly reducing total lens size. Just imagine the possibilities!

Optical Image Stabilizer technology for steady, long zoom shooting Life doesn’t give you second chances to capture special times. That’s why the elegant PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph is equipped with Canon’s acclaimed Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that automatically detects and corrects camera shake -- one of the leading causes of fuzzy or blurred shots. So now even when you’re zooming in tight you can get the steady, crisp, brilliant images you’ll be proud to shoot and share. And Canon’s Optical Image Stabilizer Technology is so convenient to use. Just turn it on, it functions perfectly with or without a flash.

DIGIC III Image Processor with improved Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction With DIGIC III, you get images of superior quality, the camera functions at top efficiency and battery life is significantly enhanced. What’s more, DIGIC III enables Canon’s newly improved Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction to give you better, more true-to-life people shots. Simply press the Shutter Button halfway down, and the PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph automatically pinpoints the faces in the scene and chooses the ideal focus point. To keep every face looking bright and natural -- without scary red eyes -- the camera controls exposure settings and flash, so every shot is just what you were shooting for.

Find multiple faces with Canon's improved Face Detection technology

DIGIC III features Face Detection AF/AE, which finds multiple faces in the frame and sets the most suitable focus point, when the shutter button is pressed halfway. And an additional new feature, Face Detection FE adjusts the flash, based on a person’s face on the screen. Exposure and flash are controlled to ensure proper illumination of both the faces and the overall scene, eliminating the common problem of darkened or overexposed faces.

Red-eye Correction detects and automatically corrects red-eye during playback for both regular and flash photography. In unusual cases where red-eye is not automatically detected, it can easily be corrected manually during playback mode.

iSAPS technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the fast DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

Vivid, high-resolution 2.5-inch PureColor LCD The camera’s 2.5-inch LCD screen gives you the big picture, whether you’re shooting, reviewing or showing off your images. This extra-durable, high-resolution screen with tough scratch-resistant coating on the anti-reflective, PureColor LCD screen offers a crisp, clear picture to make shooting, playback and using the camera’s menu functions especially convenient. Clear and bright, it also features Night Display for easy viewing in low light.

Sensitivity range expanded to ISO 1600 The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph features new ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto settings that reduce the effects of camera shake and sharpen subjects in low-light situations, giving you greater flexibility for shooting.

ISO 80 v. ISO 1600

Creative Light effects, and five movies modes A new Special Scene Mode "Creative Light Effects" brings you a new pleasure of capturing night scenes! You can select ant effect before shooting, then it transforms background bright spots to stars, hearts, music notes and more.

Shooting movies have also five options. With a highly flexible movie mode, you can create the movie that’s perfect for any application. Select from VGA (640 x 480 pixels) and QVGA (320 x 240 pixels), with frame rates of 30 fps and 15 fps for recording up to 1 hour or 4GB. Also choose from Fast Frame Rate (QVGA; 320 x 240 pixels) recording at 60 fps for up to 1 minute, Compact Movie Mode (QQVGA; 160 x 120 pixels) recording at 15 fps for up to 3 minutes, and Time Lapse (640 x 480) recording at 1 or 2 sec. intervals. The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph supports the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed standard, so you’ll enjoy the fastest possible data transfer speeds when using a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed compatible computer.

18 Shooting Modes including 11 Special Scene Modes

• Auto The camera chooses all the settings so you can concentrate on your subject.
• Manual The ultimate in creative control, you set ISO speed, exposure compensation and white balance.
• Color Accent Choose to retain a single color in your image while other colors turn monochrome.
• Color Swap Select a color and replace it with a color you specify for special effects.
• Digital Macro Shoot larger-than-life close-ups with one-button simplicity.
• Stitch Assist Build awe-inspiring panoramas by neatly aligning sequential images.
• Movie Shoot in VGA and QVGA (30 fps/15 fps for up to 1 hour or 4GB), Fast Frame Rate (60 fps for up to 1 minute), QQVGA (15 fps for up to 3 minutes) or Time Lapse (640 x 480 for 1 sec./2 sec. intervals).
• Portrait The camera sets a large aperture, focusing the subject and artistically blurring the background to make your subject "pop."
• Foliage Capture brilliant shots of autumn foliage, greenery and blossoms.
• Snow Shoot clear snow scenes without darkened subjects or an unnatural bluish tint.
• Beach Get clear shots of people at a sunny beach without darkened faces.
• Fireworks Grab brilliant images of skyrocketing fireworks.
• Aquarium Achieve proper flash-free exposure and natural hues at indoor aquariums.
• Underwater Capture underwater images with reduced backscatter effect (Note: Optional Waterproof Case WP-DC15 required for shooting any underwater images).
• Indoor Reduce blur and improve color accuracy when shooting handheld indoors.
• Kids & Pets Reduced focusing time freezes fast-moving subjects, so you won’t miss those special shots.
• Night Snapshot Get natural-looking pictures with brighter backgrounds and subjects lit by flash.
• Creative Light Effects Transform background bright spots to stars, hearts, music notes and more.

The Complete Print Solution

Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph's Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the SD850 IS Digital Elph to a Canon CP, SElphY or PIXMA Photo Printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).

Print your own ID photos in 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon SElphY Compact Photo Printer.

Direct Photo Printers For desktop large-format printing, try one of the Direct Photo Printers that allow you to print without a computer in one of two ways: plug your compatible PowerShot camera into the Direct Photo Printer using the supplied USB interface cable, or simply insert a memory card into the supplied adapter. You can also connect the printer to your computer for more options. Print high-resolution, borderless images as postcards or 8.5 x 11-inch sheets within minutes.

Compact Photo Printers Compact Photo Printers let you produce versatile, fun 4 x 6-inch postcards, 4 x 8-inch wide greeting cards or credit card size prints in just two easy steps: connect and press/print. Control the printer right from your camera's LCD screen. You get durable, dye-sublimated prints quickly with or without borders. Assorted paper types let you create mini or credit card size labels. You can even take select Compact Photo Printers to a party or an outdoor picnic using an optional rechargeable battery.

PictBridge The PictBridge standard enables any digital camera that supports PictBridge to connect and print to any PictBridge compatible printer.

What's in the box

PowerShot SD850 IS Digital ELPH body, Lithium Battery Pack NB-5L, Battery Charger CB-2LX, SD Memory Card SDC-32M, Wrist Strap WS-700, Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU, AV Cable AVC-DC300

Product Description
The PowerShot SD850 IS Digital Elph is a digital camera that will really get your creative juices flowing. It starts with a high-resolution 8-megapixel CCD, a 4x Optical Zoom with Canon’s exclusive UA Lens, and an Optical Image Stabilizer for steady zooming. There’s also a DIGIC III Image Processor with Face Detection and red-eye correction, an ISO 1600 Setting for sharper images in low light, 5 Movie Modes and a 2.5-inch PureColor LCD with scratch-resistant, anti-reflective coating for easy viewing.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

518 of 523 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Camera, June 22, 2007

By	J. Elser - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

For a point and shoot camera, this little gem packs a lot of advanced features. It's definitely not a DSLR but it's sure convenient when you want to conceal it and carry it with you in your pocket.

Pros:
1) Red-eye correction. No more red-eyes! It automatically fixes them.
2) Image stabilization. Will correct your hand movements but will not stop action.
3) Face Detection. Automatically finds and focuses on faces, and sets the proper exposure.
4) LCD Screen. The 2 1/2 LCD screen is very high resolution.
5) Lots of choices concerning picture quality and color.
6) Image and video quality are very good for such a small camera.
7) Optical viewfinder. Many cameras do not have this. It comes in handy when you do not want to use the LCD screen such as in theaters.
8) Auto White Balance is much improved over the older Digic II processors.
9) There is a manual setting where you can treak your photo settings. My preference is "Positive Film," "ISO 100," "+1/3 exposure," "flash on." The photos look fantastic.

Cons:
1) Noisy pictures with ISO settings over 200. (Pretty much what you get with any point and shoot camera.) Auto setting usually selects ISO 200, which is a little noisy. You're better off to go with ISO 80 or 100.
2) Lens is wide enough for most purposes but it's definitely not a "wide angle" lens. There is some barrel distortion on the short end, meaning that straight lines, buidings, walls, etc, appear a little curved.
3) Battery/SD Card Door can slide out and pop open easily.
4) Cannot chose aperature or shutter speeds manually.
5) No battery life meter. The LCD screen only displays a "low battery" warning.

Bottom Line:
This camera is a great little convenient camera, which is able to be concealed easily, and taken about anywhere because it easily slips into a purse or pocket. It's a great camera for taking indoor portraits with flash, as well as outdoor photos. It is not good at stopping action. Pictures of kids and pets running around will often be blurry because of the 1/60 sec. shutter speed. If you are needing to take low-light or action/sports photos, you would be better off purchasing a cheap DSLR. The only reason I don't give this camera 5 stars is because of the noise at higher ISO's.

117 of 119 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars SD850 is faster then SD870, December 4, 2007

By	newjourney2006 "newjourney2006" (Silicon Valley) - See all my reviews

Since October I have been researching to find the fastest (for fast moving small kids) low light (for evening indoor pictures) P&S camera. I also know 99.9% of my prints will be 4x6 or 5x7, never bigger. And I want the red-eye reduction to work! I refuse to do touch-ups. Before I review, let me say a THANK YOU, to all who do post their reviews, because I have read them ALL, and a really big THANK YOU to Steves-Digicams and the CNET staff, who test and provide shutter speeds with flash.

I have visited all local stores (BestBuy, CircuitCity, Target, Sears, Frys, Wolf, Office Depot & Max, Staples) multi-times to play with all cameras. Yes, I am retired and have the time. Plus I reviewed all CNET P&S reviews from 1/25/07 to 11/15/07. I documented speeds of low contrast shutter and shot 2 shot with flash. From my research, the final candidates, based on low light speeds, were Fuji F40fd, Canon SD 800, 850, 870(*).
* Interesting the Canon SD870 specs say it should be as fast as the 850, but comparing 850 vs 870 under store lights, at 2 different BB stores, the 850s were noticeable faster. I even had the salesperson swap the batteries, between the two, just to be sure.

I purchased(Nov. 20,2007) the Fuji F45fd and Canon SD850. I borrowed a CanonSD800 and had my Canon A610. Without question the Fuji was the fastest for evening indoors pictures. The Fuji was also the fastest for flash recharge. The Canons 800 & 850 did missed some small kids indoors action shots. All cameras had the same brand 2Gb 150x SD. After a week I printed all the shots, as 4x6s, from the same store, as different orders with different names, to ensure no pictures were mixed.

The Canon SD800 had too many red-eyes. My old A610 was to slow for evening indoor shots. For outdoor daylight shots, all 4 cameras had the same speed results.

Overall the 4x6s quality was the same between the Fuji F45 & Canon SD850. Comparing two very similar pictures, sometimes one would be a slight plus over the other, when you looked close up, then on another picture the other camera would be a slight better, but no real difference.

The Canons do have a better long range zoom, at MAX zoom. If your need is for enlarge crops, the Canon AUTO pictures are taken at lower ISO, then the Fuji, see comparison below. I also tested the Canon SD850 with different ISOs in low light conditions. It was at the manual ISO 1600, that the Canon was as fast as the Fuji AUTO(ISO800), but the Canon(1600) pictures had higher noise.

Here are the ISO results, taken with AUTO mode. I believe this to be very important to understand the results. The listed numbers will first be Fuji F40(F45) then Canon SD850.
AUTO mode:
Evening indoors F@800, C@200
Outdoors 10pm Christmas Lights F@800, C@250
Outdoors bright sun, at min zoom F@100, C@80
Outdoors bright sun, at max zoom F@100, C@160
Outdoors cloudy F@200, C@80

Conclusion:
NO one camera is perfect for all people or all conditions!!!!!
Fuji F40/F45 is for those who want a fast, low light, small simple P&S camera, whose prints will usually be normal size(4x6,5x7). It is the BEST P&S available today, to capture fast moving kids indoors. I also appreciate the battery indicator.

Canon SD850 is a great P&S choice for more outdoors(vs indoors) or indoor adults (vs kids) pictures, or if you usually print pictures bigger then normal size.

376 of 412 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ultimately a great camera, but..., June 24, 2007

By	David C. Mercil "Buildalot" (Hawaii) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

After a few comments I decided to rewrite my review and clarify a few things.

This is my 3rd Canon digital Powershot camera. My first was a S110 (2 mega pixle camera) that I bought in 2002. My second was a S410 (4 mega pixle camera) that my wife gave to me in 2004. (I'll refer to these as S series). In addition I've regularly used several profesional SLRs in the past including the Nikon D1-X.

My new Canon Powershot SD850 is superior to my older two S series cameras in almost everyway. But, like everthing else it's not perfect.

Minus 1 star:
The camera seems to experiance increased barrel distortion (where the picture is sharp in the middle but fuzzy around the edges). This seems most noticable in daylight shots without a flash. For you experts out there; yes, I'm aware that barrel distortion is common on these types of cameras. I feel however that it is more noticable with this camera. You can test the affect for yourself if you shoot straight at a flat, textured surface such as a brick wall, etc. without a flash. Note that you may have to use a tripod to avoid camera shake. View the picture at 100% resolution, compare with other cameras and decide for yourself. My comparison was with my older S410 which had only half the resolution and much less noticable distortion.

Minus 1/2 a star:
The camera tells you the F/stop and shutter in the display, but does not let you change it. And, the camera loves the F2.8 setting (lens cranked wide open), especially in lower lit scenes whether you are using a flash or not, which most likely has something to do with the added distortion.

Minus 1/2 a star: (other things)
The power button that so many people have complained about is a little awqured but not something you can't get used to. The A/V out cover that a few others mentioned is fairly low quality and just seems to sit in place without anything really securing it. Also, it is difficult to take pictures without getting fingerprint smudges all over the LCD screen. My older S410 did not have this problem because the screen was much smaller and way out of the way of my thumb.

One more note:
The cameras rounded body is a mixed blessing. On one hand it looks cool, and fits in a pocket much easier. Unfortunately it is also much more diffiuclt to simply set it on objects when you are using the self timer. My older S series cameras were small boxes with flat bottoms and could be placed on uneven objects such as rocks with ease. Because this camera has a more rounded bottom doing that becomes much more of a balancing act. The longer protruding lens does not help much either. Small price to pay I guess..

Overall it seems like a good camera, but the real test will come next week when I take it on its first trip.