Canon PowerShot SD800 IS First Impressions Review

The SD800’s auto mode truncates the Func/Set menu to only the Image Size option. Still, all of the options in the regular recording menu can be accessed, including the face detection system. I snapped a few shots in the auto mode of the lovely scenery in the convention center. Pictures looked good, and the legs of people walking by were not even blurred.

 

Movie Mode

The Canon PowerShot has plenty of size options and a decent amount of control over exposure too. The size options include 640 x 480, 320 x 240, and 160 x 120 pixels. The top resolution has selectable frame rate options of 30 and 15 fps. The QVGA size can record one very smooth minute at 60 fps or the usual 30 and 15 fps. The smallest size records 15 fps up to 3 minutes. The camera accepts SD or SDHC cards up to 4 GB, allowing for plenty of room for video recording.

 

The optical zoom is not available while recording, but the digital zoom can be activated (this makes the video look awful though, so it should be avoided). The image stabilization system fortunately works in the movie mode, keeping the subjects from looking like they are on a rowboat on a stormy day.

 

The movie mode records monaural audio and does it quite well for a compact camera. It picks up a lot of background noise, but the closest voice rings loud and clear. It reminds me of the audio on Antique Roadshow. The face detection technology does not work in the movie mode, but there are some other fun effects. Color Accent and Color Swap modes can be accessed in addition to the other My Colors modes, allowing users to record movies in many colors. The white balance option is accessible too. With it, users can make sure that their white picket fences actually look white in the video.

 

The Canon PowerShot SD800 IS has viewing and editing options in the playback mode for video clips. Movies can be played, fast forwarded, rewound, paused, and scrolled through frame by frame. The file can be split to cut the beginning or end.  The camera can overwrite the existing file or save the truncated clip as a separate file. Overall, videos looked great with the many options and the steady image stabilization feature.

 

The bottom of the multi-selector switches the SD800 into the burst mode and activates the self-timer. The burst mode is not amazingly fast at 1.7fps, but it goes for an amazingly long time. I snapped 25 full-resolution pictures and the camera was still ready for more. The self-timer can delay for 2 or 10 seconds, or can be set to Custom. The latter allows users to adjust the delay from 2-30 seconds for 1-10 shots.

 

The playback mode on the Canon SD800 IS is supplemented by plenty of viewing and editing options, along with a jump button that improves navigation. Pictures can be viewed one at a time or in index screens of 9. Navigating through the pictures is done with the multi-selector. Scrolling right and left moves through the pictures in the camera. Pushing the top of the multi-selector activated the “Jump” function; users can jump to the shot date, 100 images, 10 images, to movies, to the next folder, and to My Category. The Jump feature will be handy for those 4 GB SD cards that will store plenty of files.

 

Pictures can be magnified 2 - 10x and can be rotated, protected, and erased. My Colors effects can be added too. Videos can be played back and edited to cut the beginning or end.

 

File information and histograms can be viewed with images, and sound memos can be added up to 60 seconds. Files can be organized into “categories” that can be customized similar to Kodak’s Favorites mode that sorts pictures into albums for weddings, vacations, and such.

 

The following is the full playback menu found on the PowerShot SD800.

 

 

The Canon SD800 has a good slide show with interesting transitions, but don’t expect anything fancy like background music. While some other compact cameras are including melodies, this PowerShot is sticking to the basics.

 

To access the scene modes, users must select the “SCN” position on the mode dial. The following options then appear in the Func./Set menu: Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, ISO 3200, Color Accent, Color Swap, Digital Macro, and Stitch Assist. Many of these scene modes sound familiar because they are included on other digital cameras. There are two unique to the Canon brand though, the Color Accent and the Color Swap options.

 

Color Accent lets users choose a color to flaunt, then dulls the rest.  The Color Accent function looks similar to black-and-white photos of children with selective brightly colored flowers and red lips. The Color Swap mode lets users choose two colors to swap with each other using a setup similar to setting the white balance with on-screen instructions.

 

The Stitch Assist mode lets users snap pictures from right to left or from left to right. The live preview is supplemented with a small portion of the previously taken picture to help line things up. The image size, compression, and exposure compensation can be adjusted in the scene modes, and the face detection system can be activated as well.