CNET Editor's rating: 8.0 out of 10
Reviewed by
Philip Ryan
Review date: 8/29/07
The good: Impressive performance and image quality; optical image stabilization; face detection.
The bad: No manual exposure controls; no optical viewfinder.
The bottom line: While the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS doesn't have an optical viewfinder or manual exposure controls, it captures beautiful images with its wide, 3.8x optical zoom lens and ranks among the top compact cameras we've seen.
Description:
The Canon PowerShot SD870 is an 8-megapixel, compact camera.
Compared to other compact digital cameras on the market, it is expensive at around $315.
Pros:
Has a 3 inch viewscreen, which is somewhat larger than some similarly priced digital cameras.
Also, this digital camera has a 3.8x optical zoom, which is more powerful than some similarly priced digital cameras.
Weighing only 5.6 ounces without battery and media, this digital camera is rather light relative to its competitors.
This camera supports RAW picture files, which makes color adjustments in software much easier.
Cons:
None noted, given available product data.
Suitability:
A compact digital camera, suited for vacation and snapshot photography.
A recommended use, based on key features, is framed photos for the home.
The largest recommended print size, estimated from the camera's resolution, is 12x16 or larger.
Value:
Overall, this digital camera's features are as expected for this price.
However, you would typically pay nearly 30% less to get a compact camera with comparable resolution.
8 out of 10 - Excellent
SD870 VS T200
Well I bought a Sony T200 few weeks ago, took great pictures outside, but soon as I took it to my... Read more
by Empivw (see profile) -
December 14, 2007
5 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
Manufacturer:
Canon USA, Inc.
Part number: 2086B001
General
Product Type
Digital camera - Compact
Color
Black
Weight
5.5 oz
Width
3.7 in
Depth
1 in
Height
2.3 in
Main Features
Resolution
8 megapixels
Image stabilizer feature
Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom.
Sensor resolution
8 megapixels
Optical Sensor Type
CCD
Effective Sensor Resolution
8,000,000 pixels
Total Pixels
8,300,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size
1/2.5 in
Light Sensitivity
ISO 80,
ISO 100,
ISO 200,
ISO 400,
ISO 800,
ISO 1600,
ISO auto
Digital Zoom
4 x
Shooting Modes
Frame movie mode
Shooting Programs
Snow,
Beach,
Indoor,
Foliage,
Aquarium,
Fireworks,
Underwater,
Kids & pets,
Portrait mode,
Stitch assist,
Night snapshot
Special effects
Color Swap,
Color Accent
Max Shutter Speed
1/1600 sec
Min Shutter Speed
15 sec
Exposure Metering
Spot,
Evaluative,
Center-weighted
Exposure Modes
Program,
Automatic
Exposure Compensation
±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
White Balance
Custom,
Presets,
Automatic
White Balance Presets
Cloudy,
Daylight,
Fluorescent,
Tungsten light
Digital video format
AVI
Still Image Format
RAW,
JPEG
Continuous Shooting Speed
1.3 frames per second
Color support
Color
Image Stabilizer
Optical
Face Detection
Yes
TV Tuner
None
Video Capture
AVI - 640 x 480,
AVI - 320 x 240,
AVI - 160 x 120
Memory / Storage
Flash Memory
32 MB Flash - SD Memory Card
Floppy Drive
None
Image Storage
JPEG 3264 x 2448,
JPEG 2592 x 1944,
JPEG 2048 x 1536,
JPEG 1600 x 1200,
JPEG 640 x 480,
JPEG 3264 x 1832
Flash memory
32 MB - SD Memory Card
Supported Flash Memory
MultiMediaCard,
SD Memory Card
Lens System
Type
Zoom lens - 4.6 mm - 17.3 mm - F/2.8-5.8
Focal Length
4.6 mm - 17.3 mm
Additional Features
Self Timer
Yes
Self Timer Delay
2 sec,
10 sec
Additional Features
AE lock,
FE lock,
DPOF support,
Face detection,
Audio recording,
Histogram display,
Resizing an image,
PictBridge support,
In-camera red-eye fix,
USB 2.0 compatibility,
Digital image rotation,
Digital noise reduction,
In-camera movie editing,
Camera orientation detection
Camera Flash
Effective Flash Range
1 ft - 13 ft
Type
Built-in flash
Flash Modes
Auto mode,
Fill-in mode,
Slow synchro,
Flash OFF mode,
Red-eye reduction
Red Eye Reduction
Yes
Effective flash range
1 ft - 13 ft
Features
Flash +/- compensation
Display
Type
LCD display - Low Temperature Poly-Silicon (LTPS) - 3 in - Color