Canon PowerShot SD870 IS

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS made its debut just a few months after its predecessor was released. It has 8 megapixels and optical image stabilization, like the SD850. However, it has a larger 3-inch LCD screen and shorter but wider 3.8x zoom lens. It also updates the face detection system to recognize up to 35 faces at a time from more angles, and does so faster than before. Announced in August 2007, the Canon SD870 IS retails for $399.

Physical Tour

Front (7.75)
The front of the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is labeled with an embossed company logo on the left side and a printed model name below it, along with the title "Digital Elph." On the right side is a wide chrome brim with the 3.8x optical zoom lens in the middle. The chrome is so shiny that it looks like a warped mirror. Around the lens are printed specs: "Canon Zoom Lens 3.8x IS, 4.6-17.3mm 1:2.8-5.8." To the right of these specs and printed on the shiny chrome is the resolution of 8 megapixels. To the upper left of the lens is a tiny LED self-timer/AF assist lamp. To the upper right is the flash component. Overall, the front looks almost exactly the same as its predecessor, the DS850. The only differences are the omission of an optical viewfinder and the slightly shorter lens.

Back (8.5)
The back of the camera is framed in a separate panel from the rest of the camera body. The 3-inch LCD takes up 75 percent of the back and is positioned to the left side, as on most digital cameras. A Canon logo sits just above the LCD.
There is about an inch of space to the right of the LCD where the controls are crammed. There are two stacked rectangular buttons at the top: playback on top and print/share just beneath it. Below this is a bowl-shaped multi-selector, smaller than a dime and cluttered with icons. The top portion of the selector accesses ISO and jump features, while the right changes the Flash mode, bottom activates burst/self-timer/delete, and left turns on the Macro and Landscape focus modes. There is a func./set button in the middle of the multi-selector, but its small size makes for tough navigation.

At the bottom are two more rectangular buttons: menu and display below it. The buttons are the same color as the back panel, which on the model we reviewed is black, so they were hard to find quickly and took some getting used to.

Left Side (8.25)
The left side has a black-colored panel that matches the back, and is surrounded by the silver color of the rest of the camera body. There are a few bumps on this side so users can stand the camera on a table as a sort of impromptu tripod and snap a group photo or self-portrait. The bumps keep the side from getting scratched up.

Right Side (8.25)
The right side also has a black panel on it, but the top of the panel can be pried open to reveal the AV and USB jacks. In the center of this side is a skinny chrome loop for the wrist strap to be attached.

Top (8.5)
The top of the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is decorated with labels and controls along a central black band. Interrupting the black band is the chrome shutter release button surrounded by the zoom ring. To its left is a black power button, with a mode switch to its left. The switch slides between Movie, Scene, and Camera modes. In front of the power button is a small hole for a microphone; the speaker is a small grill located to the left of the mode switch. "AiAF" is printed on the left side of the top to promote its intelligent autofocus system. Just above that label, "Image Stabilizer" is embossed into the black body, where it can hardly be seen at all.

Bottom (8.0)
The left side of the bottom is occupied by a battery and memory card compartment that has a rubber flap in case an optional power adapter is to be threaded through. Directly under the lens is a plastic tripod socket and a few plastic bumps to keep the bottom from getting scratched when installing on the tripod plate.