richardc77's Full Review: Canon PowerShot® SD800 IS / IXUS 850 IS Digit...
Actual sd800is picture examples.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80382525@N00/
I bought this camera as a replacement for the sd700. I wanted a camera that would perform as well as the sd700 but with a 28mm wide angle lens which i have been waiting for over the past few years.
This camera performs very well with some reservations. It has PF'ing and some soft corner issues (28mm end) but these faults are common to most digital cams of this size and will only be noticeable under extreme pixel peeping and at large print sizes. It also has a tendency in very bright conditions to over expose slightly and as i have indicated below the answer is to use the exposure compensation in M mode. I must stress however that no P&S camera is perfect, it is about compromises...
The positives of the camera far outweigh the negatives however. The camera weighs less than the sd700, making it more pocketable, has a better LCD screen, better battery life (10% up on the sd700) and is quicker in operation with the digic 3 chip. It has some fantastic features such as face detection and focus check (normally seen on £1000 plus SLRs) and is basically a great example of cutting edge technology in a tiny package at its extreme, one which in my opinion almost all other manufacturers cannot match.
The photo quality is generally excellent, very consistent in auto, with lovely colours and the "IS" means you can very good shots with shutter speeds of 1/6th second hand held. You will get good results on iso speeds upto 400, although 800 is usable for smaller prints with some post processing. The pictures are sharp with the exception of the aforementioned soft corners at full 28mm wide angle, which won't be noticed on 6x4 or 7x5 prints and are not present at 35mm and above.
I have some recommendations for better picture quality in manual mode...
Switch off AiAF, it can be erratic and standard evaluative focus works the best imo. Select -1/3rd exposure comp in bright light and -2/3rd in extremely bright light conditions. Leave AWB on for white balance as it gets it right about 95% of the time. Don't forget to select Vivid colours when taking pictures of subjects like "fall colours" and in custom colours i have found it desirable to select sharpening to +1.
Below are some examples of pictures with the sd800is copy and paste the link in your browser to see the test pics.
I can fully recommend the camera to pro photographers who are keen to have a small 28mm feature laden cam or to beginners who want excellent results without too much fiddling.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80382525@N00/
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): $399 This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Flexible Enough for Enthusiasts
7.1-megapixel CCD give you images of uncompromising texture and detail 3.8x image-stabilized wide zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display 9-point AiAF, single poin...More at Amazon Marketplace
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