3.9The Canon PowerShot SD780 IS is a tiny, pocket-sized camera that has a 3x zoom, shoots 12-megapixel images and 720p HD video. This svelte little unit performed well in most of our tests, and can be had for $280.
The camera scored quite well in terms of image noise, the visual static that's most visible at higher ISOs. We test image noise by photographing the test chart at every full resolution ISO, under both bright and low light illumination, then measure the noise at each setting using Imatest. Click here for more on how we test noise.
Light Level Noise Comparison
There's a slight discrepancy between the amount of noise under low light and bright illumination, but this is so low that you probably won't notice it in the images. The downwards turn at ISO 1600 is due to built-in noise reduction processing.
Noise Comparisons
Compared to other cameras, the SD780 performed noticeably better than the Sony T900, a hair better than the brandmate SD970, but worse than the Nikon S630.
ISO 80
ISO 400
ISO 800
ISO 1600
60 Lux
3000 Lux
Overall, the SD780 kept image noise down to a reasonable level, scoring well versus our comparison cameras, though you're still going to see a fair amount of noiseat ISO 1600.
Noise Score Comparison
ISO(7.50)
The ISO range offered by the SD780 is good, with the ability to hit ISO 80-1600 at full resolution, and up to ISO 3200 if you're willing to shoot at 2 megapixels. The smeared-looking images at ISO 800 and above is from the noise reduction software, which lowers the amount of image noise, but loses a lot of sharpness in the process.
NOTE: The images above are not used in our testing or scoring, but are included here to show real-world examples of the differences between cameras at the various ISO settings.
