Canon PowerShot SD700 IS Digital Camera Review

by Emily Raymond
Published on May 30, 2006

Navigation
Intro	Testing / Performance
Physical Tour	Components
Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters
Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Specs / Ratings
Photo Gallery

Front (8.0)
In a new “Perpetual Curve” design, the flat front face and left side of the Canon PowerShot SD700 are contoured to fit more comfortably in the photographer’s hand. The Canon logo, located right where the fingers rest, also serves as a grip for the right hand. Just right of center is the Canon 4x zoom lens; its label and “5.8-23.2mm 1:2.8-5.5” specs are around the rim. Surrounding the lens rim is a shiny chrome band that looks almost like a fun-house mirror. On it is a plug for the camera’s image sensor: “6.0 Megapixels.” An optical viewfinder is on the left of the chrome band, an auto focus assist lamp in the center, and a flash bulb on the right. The most unnoticeable feature on the front of the SD700 is the microphone, which is a tiny speck below the left side of the viewfinder.

Back (8.0)
Two colors in the Canon SD700 IS’s tri-color design appear on the rear plate. A silver matte panel sits at the right and provides a resting place for the mode dial and control buttons. The left portion of the back is shiny black and frames the LCD screen, optical viewfinder, LED indicator lights, and power button. While amply sized, the 2.5 inch screen leaves room for other features on the back. A Canon logo is painted in the top left corner above the screen, and next to it, almost on top of the camera, is the built-in microphone.

Almost directly in the center of the camera is the optical viewfinder, which protrudes ever-so-slightly from the black surface. On its left is an ‘AiAF’ logo and to its right are two LED indicator lamps. To the right of those is the power button, which has its own LED to indicate when the SD700 is on. The silver matte panel, which wraps around the right side and top of the SD700, only makes up about one-fourth of the camera’s back. A nickel-sized mode dial protrudes from its right side; a cutout on the back shows its icons.

The control buttons are squashed on the lower half of the silver panel. About halfway down, a print/share button holds an LED in its center; a Func/Set button is in the center of the multi-selector below it. Below the multi-selector are two oval-shaped buttons; the left Disp. button changes the display on the LCD screen, and the Menu button, naturally, enters the menu system.

A multitude of icons make the selector’s multi-function capability even more noticeable, but they are large enough to almost blend with each other and make the general impression somewhat overwhelming. The “back” function icon appears above the multi-selector, the ISO letters on the top of the selector itself. While the flash is the only icon on the right side, the bottom contains self-timer, burst, and delete functions and the left side has icons for macro and landscape focus modes.

Left Side (8.0)
Although there are no features on this side of the camera, the Canon PowerShot SD700’s left side shows off the camera’s full triad of colors. The steel-colored front panel and the shiny black rear panel sandwich the central matte silver band.

Right Side (8.0)
The right side is a little thicker than the left side, but its size won’t make the SD700 any less portable. Widest at the front, it slopes back to the rear panel in a curvaceous design.. The wrist strap eyelet sits in the center of the right side, with a plastic port cover above it. This hides the two jacks to the USB and AV-out cables. Directly behind this feature is the notched side of the mode dial.

Top (8.0)
On top of the SD700, the front panel’s steel color reaches almost to the center of the camera; a shutter release button surrounded by a zoom switch interrupts it on the right side. The center of the camera is a matte silver color. Its panel is skinny on the left – with an “Image Stabilizer” tag – and grows thicker until it consumes the right side and part of the back. The bottom left portion of the top is shiny black surface reminiscent of patent leather shoes.

Bottom (8.0)
At the bottom, the three colors’ arrangement looks almost diagonal. A door on the left side opens when pushed toward the camera, then to the outer edge, revealing the lithium-ion battery and the memory card. Almost directly below the lens is a socket for a tripod mount. The company information and serial numbers are located on the black portion of the bottom.