Dirt Cheap Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP

posted on 14 Dec 2007 10:13 by dirtcheapelectronics  in ProductDetail

2. Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom Canon PowerShot SD850 IS 8.0 MP Digital Elph Camera with 4x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
4.5 out of 5 stars
In Stock

List Price: $399.99

Price: $249.99

You Save: $150.00 (38%)

70 used & new from $239.00

Product Details

Features

Product Description

Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Digital ELPH camera has an impressive array of top-tier photo features including an advanced ultra-compact zoom lens and optical viewfinder to easily capture, record and share brilliant images under a full range of shooting conditions, all within a curvaceous, eye-catching compact design. It is a digital camera that will really get your creative juices flowing. It starts with a high resolution 8.0 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. Still Resolution - Up to 3,264 x 2,448 (Large), 3,264 x 1,832 (Widescreen) - 16 - 9 Movie modes - 640 x 480 / 320 x 240 (30 fps/15 fps) available up to 4GB or 60 minutes, 640 x 480 (2 hours at 0.5 fps/1 fps), 320 x 240 (1 min. at 60 fps), 160 x 120 (3 min. at 15 fps) On camera editing Windows and Macintosh capable Computer Interface - USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (mini-B jack); Video Out - NTSC/PAL (connect cables included); Audio Out - Monaural Power Source - 1. Battery Pack NB-5L; 2. AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC30 (both included) Unit Dimensions (W x H x D) - 3.56 x 2.22 x 1.04 in./90.4 x 56.5 x 26.4mm; Weight - Approx. 5.82 oz./165g (camera body only)

Editorial Reviews

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

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.

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.

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

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.

Customer Reviews

Outstanding camera5
This little jewel is an excellent camera for the price. Yes, it has lots of bells and whistles if you want to use them, otherwise, just point and shoot. Ideal for those of us who do a lot of traveling. Purchase the carrying case, slide it onto your belt, and away you go-- hands free!

Love the PowerShot SD850!5
This was a last-minute purchase decision before my husband and I went to hike the Inca Trail to Maccu Picchu in Peru. It turned out to be a great decision! This camera is small and easy to use, and it takes excellent-quality pictures. There is not a lot of 'wait time' between takes, so you don't have to worry about missing that great shot. It fits in the pocket of a jacket with no problem. When traveling in developing countries, I'm usually worried about having a camera strapped on the outside of my clothes, but this camera is inobtrusive enough that I didn't mind doing it at all on this trip. We quickly figured out a lot of the features with no problem (which is lucky since we didn't have a lot of time to do so) and I'm totally excited with how the pictures turned out once we got home. We also got a ton of compliments from fellow travelers about how clear the viewing screen is and how nice the camera is overall. The price was right and I'm really glad we went with this camera!

Customer Reviews

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.

I'm not going to write a technical review since those will be available once the reviews are out. I have no doubt that this camera will meet the same standards as the SD700. I couldn't find this camera at target because it was new, so I just ordered it and expected a canon quality camera.

I wanted to replace my Canon SD700 because after a year of owning it, I find that it takes a lot longer for the camera to respond. The SD700 seems to have a problem with focusing and I end up either missing pictures or getting semi-blurry pictures. I find that with time, canon cameras do this because I also owned the canon S410 and had the same problem.

The biggest problem I foresee is the on/off button. It's in the same spot, though I have no idea why they even moved it there in the first place. The problem with it is that the button sits nearly flush with the camera. I have to use my fingernail to turn it on. So if you want to take a picture, you better have your camera on and ready beforehand. I find it very difficult to turn on the camera without using my nail since I don't feel like pressing really hard on the button just to turn it on. If they just left it the same as the SD700, they would've been better off. I'm sure there will be a lot of complaints on this one.

What they did improve was the circular options dial. They raised it to the point where you can actually feel and see the difference. Why they didn't do this with the on/off button is beyond me. There is also an auto sensing mechanism in it because when you put your finger on the flash, for example, the lightning bolt bolds and is bigger than the other options. A little unnecessary, but whatever.

The screen is a vast improvement over the SD700. On the SD700, I have a little mark on mine similar to one of a missing pixel, but the lcd is damaged from being banged around in my bag. I have seen other people's SD700 and theirs is far worse. There are also other minor scratches on the SD700 screen, though not bad. The SD850 is made of some kind of scratch resistant material and when you turn the camera on, you can immediately tell the difference between the 2 screens. If you touched the lcd on the SD700, you can see the liquid squishing around and you don't get that on the SD850. Do yourself a favor and just buy a screen protector. They sell them everywhere.

The A/V out digital wont stay shut though. Unlike the SD700, it doesn't snap in. After playing with it, it still won't stay in place. It's annoying because the camera mode dials are there and I'm afraid it might interfere. I am going to go to Circuit city to see if this is a problem with their display model. If it is, I'm sending this back for a replacement.

The overall build of the SD850 is nearly the same, great quality.

I had SD700IS for about a year until last month lost it during travel. It is great camera, great image quality, fast response. Base on that good experience I ordered SD800 without thinking. I'll have to say SD800 is severely flawed in its low light performance -- grainy, soft, dark.... to a point of unbearable to me since I use these point n' shoot cameras 80% indoor. Promptly returned it!

Then I scanned through reviews here on Amazon and on www.dpreview.com, seems SD850 is quite good. So I ordered from Amazon and got it today. Can't wait to test its low light performance and I'll have to say it beats my expectations -- fully exposed, brilliant AND natural color, tad sharp, smooth like silk. I am very happy with SD850.

Only thing SD850 lags behind SD700 seems the former takes a little longer between shots especially when using flash. But not so bad at all, it just SD700 is superb in this regard.

This is no doubt a great compact camera. I just want to point out a good alternative. I ordered an SD850 but returned it because I found the Canon A570IS was almost the same as the SD850, but at almost half the price. The only major differences are battery and size. The lithium-ion battery on the SD850 allows many shots on a full charge and discharges very slowly. The A570IS uses two AA batteries and traditionally the quick self discharge rate of NiMH batteries has given casual picture takers a big hassle. But with the new low self discharge NiMH batteries like the Sanyo Eneloop, this is no longer an issue. (I have a 4-year old Kodak digital camera and didn't use it often because of the battery problem but after I bought the eneloop batteries, it started to shine again.) The SD850 and A570IS have similar width and height, but the A570IS is 0.65 inch thicker on the right-hand side because of the battery compartment. But I see this as an advantage because it allows you to have a better hand grip while taking pictures. The difference in the number of pixels (8MP for SD850 vs 7.1 MP for A570IS) is ignorable. I did notice that one reviewer pointed out the A570IS is slower in processing image.


edit @ 14 Dec 2007 10:47:22 by pittayut ( shopkeeper )

edit @ 15 Dec 2007 18:06:43 by pittayut ( shopkeeper )

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