| Likes |
- Excellent colors
- Great movies
- Excellent White Balance accuracy
- 3-inch LCD with wide view
- Trendy look
- 28mm wide lens
- Quick face detection |
| Dislikes |
- High noise above ISO 80
- Poor dynamic range above ISO 80
- Lots of over-sharpening
- 1.3 fps Burst mode
- Weak flash
- Expensive |
Conclusion
The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS offers a few practical upgrades from its predecessor. The 3-inch screen makes it easier to read menus and check pictures. It has a wider 28mm lens that can fit larger portraits. The SD870 also boasts a new face detection system that recognizes up to 35 faces at a time – but how often do users photograph that many people? And in general, the SD870’s autofocus system is a bit pokey. There are few pluses to the camera’s performance, though. Its colors are very accurate and its movies are among the best we’ve seen.
The SD870 keeps the optical image stabilization from the SD850, along with the automated Exposure modes and few manual controls. The specs and features are great, but there is a lot of competition from other manufacturers in this point-and-shoot segment of digital cameras. The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is a nice digital camera, but its price tag is still on the higher end of what it should be. Perhaps in a few months when Canon releases the next version of this camera (maybe it will recognize 36 faces at a time?), the SD870 IS will be more favorably priced.
