Discount Canon PowerShot SD780IS12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black)

I was looking for a camera that is extremely portable yet durable enough to take camping, hiking, and to amusement parks. I currently own a Nikon DSLR and an assortment of lenses. The DSLR is too large to haul around while hiking, biking, etc..

The decision was between the Sony W290 and the Canon SD780. When I saw the SD780 in the store I was immediately sold. The size of this camera is simply amazing! I can take it just about anywhere. The design is beautiful, simple, and intuitive. The build quality is superb, and the camera case is all metal, which gives it a solid feel. I did not have a case, but I borrowed my wife's motorola RAZR cell phone case and it fits perfectly! The one she has is here:

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While picture quality is not comparible to a digital SLR, it is certainly adequate for most point and shoot circumstances. When judging picture quality, one must take into account the size and weight of this camera, and the ability to take this camera just about anywhere. The Widescreen mode is perfect for viewing images on a HD TV screen. The HD Video mode is awesome, and I was amazed that my Pinnacle Studio 12 software will take video from this camera and allow it to be burned to a standard DVD. Built-in HDMI port was the deal maker for me since the Sony requires a special [...] cable. With this camera, you can use a standard mini HDMI cable.

The camera is very fun to use and has many useful features such as in-camera red eye correction which actually works quite well, automatic scene detection, macro mode, face detection and color controls.

There are plenty of image samples from this camera at this site and at pbase.

One final note - read the manual! There are manny "hidden" features such as the expanded scene modes and the built in digital clock which I would have NEVER found.

Update 7/27/09:
A five star rating was probably a bit too generous for this camera. After taking a few hundred photos, I have been noticing some noise in the photos. Also, the sharpness is not quite as high as I am used to. However, given the small size of this camera, the image quality is very good.

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