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

I've had this camera now for about a week. The main reason for this purchase is the 720p HD video feature. I've been playing with all the recent point and shoot camcorders such as the Kodak Zi6 and the Creative Vado HD. I also have the not-yet-released-in-the-US Canon SX1 which does full 1080p HD video. I have also tried the Sony T500.

The first thing you'll notice is how small this camera is. To date, its the smallest Canon camera yet almost to the point that its difficult to handle. I'd call it Ultra-compact and this thing can fit anywhere. The button are more flush than any other Canon which makes button finding and feeling a bit cumbersome.

I wasn't expecting much from this camera in terms of performance but it blows all other point and shoot camcorders out of the water. The colors are much more accurate and the video overall is much smoother. Part of this due to the image stabilization feature. The toy cameras do not have this feature which is a huge necessity for something so small and light. It handles low-light situations better as well. Search SD780 on youtube for samples. Make sure you click the HD button.

The photos are secondary to me but they can be good in the manual mode. Using it with higher ISO setting will introduce noise. Then again, these photos are much better than the point and shoot camcorders. These are actually usable.

So with the point and shoot camcorders around the $200 mark (MinoHD, VAdoHD, Zi6), for $80 more (SD780) you get something that is much better overall.

+ Made in Japan and much better build quality than the toy camcorders
+ Removable SD storage card
+ Removable battery (uses the common NB-4L)
+ Image stabilization
+ Usable stills
+ Canon optics
+ Ultra compact (2/3 the size of a MinoHD)
+ Easy to use .MOV files
+ Stealth Black color

The only drawbacks I can think of are:
- Cannot use optical zoom during recording (let's hope this can be changed via firmware upgrade)
- Photos can be noisy and grainy at times
- Mono sound recordingsGet more detail about Canon PowerShot SD780IS12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black).

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

OVERVIEW
Canon SD780IS is the perfect travel/everyday camera. It weighs a little over 4 ounces. The size of the camera is astonishing. It is smaller than my iPhone 3G and my wallet. I love the new 720p video recording HD feature on the 2009 Canon P+S line. The image stabilization for video/image stills is a winner. The clips are sharper and clearer than the clips from the Creative Vado HD and the Flip Video MinoHD.

PLAYBACK ON COMPUTERS
For video playback without choppiness on the computer, you need to have at least a Core 2 Duo 1.66 GHz or higher processor on Windows (Vista/XP SP2/XP SP 3) or Core Duo 1.66 GHz or higher processor on Mac OS X (v10.4-v10.5)

MEMORY CARD
You should get at least 8GB Sandisk Extreme III SDHC (Class 6 or higher) memory card for the camera. 4000x3000 resolution images can quickly fill up your 2/4GB SD memory card.

CONCLUSION
+ Quick Continuous Snapshots
+ 720p HD Video Recording with Image Stabilization
+ Lightning Quick Startup
+ Ultra-Compact Point & Shoot Camera (Thin + Light Combo)
+ Beautiful Design
+ Great for Beginners (Very Easy To Use)
+ Bright LCD Screen
+ DIGIC IV Technology
+ Blink Detection
+ Can Edit Video Clips on the go
+ Scene Detection Mode works Flawlessly

- No Optical Zoom in Video Mode while Recording (You can Digitally Zoom)
- Monotone Sound in Video Mode
- Only 3x Optical Zoom for image stills
- View Finder is Useless
- Little Noisy/Grainy when Using Higher Than ISO400 but Acceptable

SCORE/VERDICT
09/10: Recommended


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