Canon SD850 IS reviewed
By Donald Melanson 
posted August 17th 2007 3:04AM
posted August 17th 2007 3:04AM
Canon's SD850 IS may not have caused all that much of a stir when it was announced a few months back, but those still trying to make up their mind about it can head over to Photography Blog, which has just put the camera though its usual review process. While they found the SD 850 IS (known as the IXUS 950 IS overseas) to be quite a bit pricier than some of its 8 megapixel competitors, they nonetheless found plenty about it to recommend, including its solid feel and all-metal case and, most importantly, generally great images delivered straight out of the camera. On the downside, they found a bit of noise cropping up when shooting in low light conditions at ISO 200 or above, although even there they found it to perform better than many of its competitors. If that's enough to convince you, you can grab the camera now for an MSRP of $400, or considerably less if you shop around.
My SD850 IS camera broke! The lens never went all the way in after power off. I have googled this camera and noticed other people with the same issue. But hey, other than that it is a nice camera.
Hmm, I was going to buy the SD800 IS pretty soon. Anyone know if there are any important differences between that model and this one? They look the same on the outside and seem to have similar features.
Give Canon's compare function a whirl:
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ProductCatIndexAct&fcategoryid=113
@Aaron:
The primary differences between this model and the SD800 are the sensor and the lens. The 850 has an 8MP sensor instead of the SD800's 7.1MP, but it forgoes the wide-angle lens found on the SD800 for the more typical 35mm equiv. on the SD700.
I own the SD800, and LOVE it. The wide-angle lens was great on a recent trip to Europe, because I was able to get more of the scene in the frame than the others in my group. It's a feature not found on many (if any) other sub-compacts.
I would say that unless you're going to be getting poster-size prints, get the 800 and save yourself some cash. But you can't go wrong with either.
Cool, thanks for helping me out guys. I think I'll go with the 800; wide angle sounds good to me.
Coming from an SD800 IS Digital ELPH, where can I get the 3072x1728 (Widescreen) formatted pictures printed, in that aspect ratio?
I see that the SD850 IS now has 3,264 x 1,832 (Widescreen).
http://www.usa.canon.com/consumer/controller?act=ModelInfoAct&fcategoryid=145&modelid=15262
One of the best "Point and shoot" camera's on the market, nasty face detection, too. For it's size and quality, it's worth the price.
Am I the only person who's noticing that recent cameras are actually worse than the previous generation due to manufacturers cramming too many pixels onto sensors. Madness.
No, you're right. That's why I went for the Fuji Finepix F31fd. It only a 6mp camera but the high ISO with little noticeable noise has gotten great review. www.dpreview.com/reviews/fujifilmf31fd/
Giles - I completely agree. Pentax and Canon are both guilty of this, as aer others I am sure. Possibly elementary question - But is there any way to determine with readily obtainable specs (perhaps from the mfg) which cameras have a "correct" number of pixels for its sensor size and which models have "faked" or crammed pixels?
No, Giles, I noticed that too. Even with IS and a wider aspect, my SD800 has a hard time keeping up with my 4-megapixel SD300 in low-light shots. I imagine the SD850 is even worse as it's even more pixels on the same real estate.
This camera is also not wide angle, unlike its predecessor the SD800. I don't really see the point of it, actually.
I wonder if this is a camera you can carry around in your pocket without the camera becoming filled with dust. My sd630 has it all over the inside of the lens, and Canon will take it back if you have 2 weeks to wait for them to fix it.
Do manufacturers test products like people actually use them, I wonder sometimes. My last razr before it died filled with dust too. I'm no Pigpen, but apparently I attract dust like its my job.
We like our SD630, I think the SD850 is rather ugly, actually.
the wide angle lens isn't always better... the picture quality actually drops due to increased corner softness. i'd say the SD700 is the smartest buy because it has the best image quality and the lowest price.
guys guys guys, don't get hung up on megapixels. They are almost of no real relevance. What matters is sensor sensitivity and size, which go hand in hand. When they increase the "megapixel count" they are essentially making it harder for light to hit that sensor due to smaller pixels. Pixel that you do not need. I shoot professionally with a 6mp dslr and have never needed more resolution. And I've made several gallery prints at 20x30' (with the help of Alien Skin Blowup).
Something isn't right about this one if it's having problems with noise at iso 200. Just get an entry level dslr for about the same price with more than twice the sensor size. If you can't get a decent shot at iso 800 (noise), don't buy the camera. Remember, megapixel=marketing not quality. Trust me, it's what I do for a living.
Anybody know how to download video images on the Canon SD850IS onto a Mac computer? I'd like to eventually post it on google video or youtube.
It's not on the manual.
Thanks,
ease