Canon PowerShot SD780 IS

	Design & Layout
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Design & Appearance

Aesthetics are very important in the high fashion world of ultra-compact point-and-shoot cameras. The Canon PowerShot SD780 is, in fact, a very attractive digital camera. Canon delivers on its promise of an exceptionally slim design. There are also the four "bold" colors: gold, silver, red, and black. We think the gold model was especially nice and would appeal a large variety of users.

The buttons are well laid out and give the camera a simple, elegant look. As with other entries in the ELPH series, Canon is high on the curves here. But it's not as round as the SD960, which looks a little too much like a 1950s kitchen appliance. The brushed metal, the slim profile, and the architectural simplicity combine for an altogether pleasing aesthetic.

Size & Handling

Canon is certainly marketing the SD780 as the most compact of its digital camera lineup. Sure, it might be a little snug in the front pocket of your skinny-fit jeans, but most people would consider this a pocket camera.Measuring 3.43 x 2.15 x 0.72 in. (87.8 x 54.5 x 18.4mm) and weighing in at just 4.06 oz. (115g), the SD780 is the smallest from Canon and is smaller than most point-and-shoot cameras from other manufacturers.

The Canon SD780 in hand

Some ultra-slim cameras are so small that they just don't feel comfortable in larger-than-child-sized hands. The SD780 largely avoids that fate, being surprisingly comfortable to use. The buttons are all within easy reach, including the four-way directional controller, which rests easily beneath your thumb. You'll probably need to keep the tip of your middle finger perched on the front of the camera in order to keep in balanced during one-handed shooting, but it's surprisingly intuitive.

Menu

As with most of the Canon point-and-shoots, the SD780 has a quick menu, accessed via the Function button, which brings up the more commonly used options, such as ISO, white balance, and aperture. This is a nice interface, though not quite as slick as the beautiful menu system on the Canon SD960. When you want to make more complicated adjustments, you can press the Menu button to access the camera's administrative menus. In photo mode, everything is divided into two tabs: photo settings and camera settings. Video mode has a different first tab (video settings) and the same camera settings in the second tab.

Perhaps our biggest complaint about the menu structure of these Canons is the designers' decision to split functions across two different places. There's nothing wrong with having features accessible in a quick menu, but they should be duplicated in the camera's main menu as well. It's never fun to be left guessing

The main administrative menu on the Canon SD780

Menus are navigated via the four-way directional controller on the back of the camera. There are 26 display languages available. As is true on most Canon cameras, the menu display is clear and presented in a refreshingly large font. The physical act of menu navigation rarely feels like a chore on the SD780.

Ease of Use

One of the factors that makes the SD780 easy to use is the clear manner in which information is displayed on the screen. Though some data is presented in the form of inscrutable icons, you can usually glance at the LCD and quickly determine your ISO, shutter speed, and white balance preset, as well as your image quality setting, remaining battery life, and number of shots or video time you have left. It's an interface that's easy to access and easy to understand.

The buttons and switches are all well positioned and nicely responsive. Perhaps the one deficiency in controls is the design of the four-way directional control pad, which lies at the same elevation as the Function/Set button at its center. It can be quite easy to accidentally hit the center button when you're trying to select one of the directions instead. Having a little bit of a fingernail will help you hit the correct button, but having very long fingernails will make life difficult.

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