Canon PowerShot SD790IS 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom by Canon
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Digital camera reviews of Canon PowerShot SD790IS 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom
Digital camera Review: 2008 Model: End of a Quality Era for Canon!
Summary: 4 Stars
I've owned the following models and reviewed some of the them: SD1100 - SD790 - SD780 - SD940 - SD1400
Of these, I have tested photos and video back to back and I was always impressed how my 2008 SD1100 outperformed every single Canon model from 2009-2010. SmartAUTO technology seems to be the culprit, in addition to increased pixel size affecting the quality. And oddly, the DIGIC III seems to also outperform the newer version processor.
The SD1100 VGA video also outperforms Panasonic's LUMIX VGA & WVGA, and shockingly comes close to Canon's HD quality. The major difference: screen size. But for PC/Mac viewing, I find VGA size acceptable.. not to mention file size for non compressed HD can get enormous.
After doing a lot of research and picking the brains of several Canon reps, I discovered that Canon released the SD790 after the SD1000 using the same 35mm lens, only with a larger 3" LCD screen vs 2.5" for the SD1100.
See this link: http://www.canon.com/camera-museum/camera/index.html
So I decided to buy a Canon SD790 refurb for only [...] and I must say, THIS IS ONE AMAZING CAMERA constructed of metal, not cheap plastic and feels bullet proof. The large 3" LCD screen is amazing for an older model.
The STILL PHOTO quality is identical to that of the SD1100 and beats the SD780 quality with similar 35mm lens (not wide 28mm). I've said it before though: SmartAUTO on the newer models creates horrible photos indoors. You must use PARTY mode or PORTRAIT. AUTO feature on the SD790 seems to work like a charm. You don't get the yellow (poor white balance) tint on human skin on this model and the SD1100.
Another KEY setting for the SD790: the focus system. If its set on CENTER this may cause "blur" problems raised by others' reviews. If you don't hit your subject perfectly, then the photos will blur and focus on the wrong object. With FACE DETECTION, it works 100% of the time for me. The other focus setting tries to capture the closest object, and seems to work very well.
DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR THE BEST CANON AND BEST POINT & SHOOT I'VE OWNED. Heck, for only [...] it outperforms Canon models 3x the price.
My next back-back test is the newer SD970 version vs. its predecessor SD790.
Digital camera Review: A Great Camera...Do some research on the reviewers
Summary: 5 Stars
I am writing this not only because I feel that this is an outstanding camera, but also wish to help future reviewers and purchasers to evaluate these reviews. I checked all reviews that gave this product 2 stars or less and guess what I found out......Every other item that these reviewers have evaluated have been given equally poor reviews by the same evaluator....Take this for what this is worth....with a large grain of salt....BTW, both the Canon SD790 and the Sony T77 are, in my opinion, outstanding examples of top notch ultra compact digitals. I cannot understand why the images produced by "their" specific units are as mediocre as they state.Digital camera Review: A Tale of Three Treasures!
Summary: 5 Stars
This review is a combination of three:
Canon PowerShot SD950IS 12.1MP (Titanium)
Canon PowerShot SD770IS 10MP (Silver)
Canon PowerShot SD790IS 10MP
I first purchased the Canon SD950, and after loonnnggg shipping from Jr.com, I received it and tried it out. The camera is much bigger than the SD500 that I upgraded from--even though it's got so many bells and whistles. One thing about Canon that's got my eyebrow raised: Why the big font as if we can't read?
The Image Stabilization is a wonderful thing, right along with the face detection. It even focused on an enlarged print of a little girl! The 3.7 zoom is nothing to frown at either. ISO is easier to set now so one can play around with the settings...
The camera is made for "big hands" and it took me about two weeks of off and on shooting to get used to it. The 12MP quality is okay, and I didn't have to get used to too much new button placement. One thing I didn't like is the play button. I felt I had to really push my finger on the play button in order to view my photos. It annoyed me enough to see what else was out there.
The Canons SD770 and SD790 were next on my list. Even though they were "only" 10MP, they had newer technology from Canon: Motion Detection and Infinity and cute buttons in all new small packages.
SD770IS(Silver)
First the SD770. This was a nice small camera! Not cheap feeling at all, Canon packed everything but the kitchen sink in there. I like the "Infinity" setting that the SD950 didn't have. Also, I have the silver version and it's nice, small, sleek, and takes great pictures. I didn't like the way the battery cover was not spring loaded. Also, either it was this particular camera or the 770 in general, but it seemed like I had to "dig" for the battery and SDHC card once put in. Yes, it's compact, hefty, and full of bells and whistles, but it was...kinda boring. Maybe because the silver color didn't have the pizazz of the black version that I'd read reviews on. Moving on to the SD790...
SD790IS
Bigger camera! Compared to the 770, it's a giant! The same size as the 950 except in a square/cube like form. The 950 is curvy, while the 790 is sleek and boxy (not sure if that's an oxymoron or not!). The 790 also has a new button format that I'm not sure if I like or not. I really enjoyed the SD500's button placement and while I can appreciate a "play" button...why not make it easy access instead of having to constantly press the button down? I'm thinking that the play buttons will eventually wear out. The big screen is nice, and even though I haven't used a viewfinder since...ever, it would be nice to "just have". So the lack of a viewfinder is a potential bummer. You never know when you gotta smear your nose on the photo screen to take pic! lol Also, the 790 is a fingerprint magnet.
I tried to take the same pictures with all the cameras, but couldn't always (morning/evening, different zoom, etc.). Both the 770 and 790 have high ISO settings (as did the 950), but I didn't even use anything that high previously! All the pictures came out great. Even my crappy pictures of my messy coffee table were clear and colorful! One issue I had with all three cameras was the color accent setting. It seemed as if I got better black and white/one color photos from my SD500 than either of these cameras. I have to do a lot more tweaking. However, it could be just because of the balances of the colors and the lighting effects in my environment.
If I just had to choose based on portability, photos, looks, bells/whistles, ease of use, I would go crazy trying to decide. Both cameras are amazingly small! The thing that keeps me wondering about the 770 is, "how can they fit all these specs in this TINY camera!?? But, I'm a sucker for good looks, so the scale points back to the SD790! True it's bigger than the 770, but it's still small considering the screen. I always take great care of my electronics, so I'm not so worried about fingerprints. If the button issue upsets me extremely, then I'll just upgrade to Canon's latest and greatest in 6-8 months.
One more thing: I purchased the SanDisk 4 GB Extreme III SDHC Card w/ MicroMate USB Reader
and it gets 900ish pictures on the 10MP versions at the highest settings.
Either way, can't wait to take pics on the new SD790. I feel that although all three are great, the 790 has that sleekness with Canon's new technology all in one package.
Get out, purchase any of these cams and you'd be satisfied.
Digital camera Review: A great camera!
Summary: 5 Stars
We bought this camera after doing some research. It seemed like the Canon Powershot was the best camera in its price range and size. We went with the 10MP Powershot camera instead of the 8MP one because the 10MP was only slightly more expensive and we figured with the rate that technology changes, we'd be outdated just that much sooner with the 8MP. So far, we've had a lot of fun figuring out the different functions and settings, and our pictures have been turning out really well.Digital camera Review: A heavy camera with a great LCD screen but a lousy clickwheel
Summary: 3 Stars
This camera is a lot heavier than all the Sony Point and Shoot cameras i have used until now.
Here is a summary of the positives and negatives
POSITIVES
1. Great 3 inch LCD screen
2. Fast startup
3. Uses SDHC cards so you can use an 8GB or 16GB and never worry about memory full
4. Value Price
5. Compact and lightweight battery charger with worldwide 100 ~220v compatability
NEGATIVES
1. Horrible Rotating Wheel. Many of the functions you can use the click wheel, but for the selections you have to use the rotating wheel, it is a nightmare getting use to this
2.Lag time to shoot is still slow, a common problem with compact point and shoots
3. No touch screen
4. Not slim - Stubby and a wee bit heavy
5. If you don't like the ubiquitous silver color - no other choice