HotGears

Customer Reviews:
CANNON! There is no substitution….
I just got my first Cannon today and I’m impressed with the technology which went into this camera. I did a lot of research on this camera before I bought it. Unlike the lousy SONY I owned before it. Cannon is the only brand of digital camera’s that is consistently top rated for picture clarity. After having the Sony for 6 mos. I can really appreciate that characteristic. There is too many cool feature’s about this product to list so you’ll just have to read the spec’s on it yourself.Canon PowerShot SD790IS 10MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom However, the feature’s which stand out the most are the stitch assist and the computer-less printing abilities. The stitch assist allows you to bridge multiple picture’s together to create a panoramic picture. You don’t have to worry about lining the pic’s up perfectly either, the camera automatically does it for you. Secondly, The picture bridging ( computer-less printing) allows you to crop, select multiple images for same page printing, select paper size and image size all from your camera. Face detection on this little gem is also pretty outstanding. While detecting a face, it magnifies just the face for your approval before you take that 10 mega-pixel work of art. So, before you waste money on any other brand, do your own research. You’ll see, Cannon reign’s supreme!

Impressed
Now first things first. I am upgrading from a Sony p-72 3.2 mega pixel camera that I got back in 2003. So there are many cameras out there that would be a big step up.

I was only interested in a point and shoot and it had to be compact for traveling purposes. I would love a DSLR but they are pricey, bulky and did not fit my daily needs.

I started reading around for a month or so to see what was out there and read all the pros and cons. I have read so much that I finally grew sick of it. In its basic form, all point and shoot cameras have +’s and -’s. It all depends on features that are most important to you and how you will be using the camera.

After many reviews, forums, and websites I decided to go with the Canon 790IS. I was very apprehensive on the quality of picture this camera would provide due to manufacturers pushing the limitations of the sensor. The sweet spot for most point and shoots are 6-8MP.

So what drew me to this camera?

I was really impressed with the size, screen size, material that the camera was made out of (not cheap plastic), and most of the automated settings which make the camera very easy/quick .

I didn’t want to have to mess with manual settings on a point and shoot. My impression of a point and shoot is it is ready to go when I need it. Maybe 5-10 seconds to change the macro but that is it. If I have to spend much more than that, great picture opportunities would be lost.

So I took the plunge and bought it here off of Amazon in addition to a 8 gig Sandisk ultra II for pictures and a spare battery.

I am not going to go into what the camera comes with as other people have done a great job with that already.

After three days of waiting, I got the camera.

I was quickly impressed on the startup speed of the camera and quality of the pictures. I took 150 in the first day. The battery is still going strong.

I also tried the higher ISO settings and they will only be good on a tripod. The 3200 iso macro that is in the camera is really good. It downgrades the 10 MP to 2ish but makes a really dark shot seem to be early evening. I used it many times and it worked great. Way better than what I am use to. You can do it manually but need to keep the camera stable or you will get a blur.

I have had the camera for almost a month and I am very pleased with it.

You can’t go wrong with the Amazon price. It is 100$ lower than retail.

The camera is very well built and does an excellent job as a point and shoot. Even quick when using the flash. So again, you need to look at what you will use the camera for and what features are important to you. This one satisfied all of my requirements and I am very happy with my purchase.

As a side note:

I recommend getting a screen protector for the large screen. It will be easily scratched if you put in your pocket with change or other objects.

Just keep in mind you get what you pay for in screen protectors. Boxwave ones are highly rated and last forever. IT would suck to get a scratch across that beautiful 3inch screen.

compact & amazing
This small “Elph” creates high quality pix (10Mp), and the image stabilization makes using it almost idiot proof. Lots of features, but easy and effective in AUTO mode.

Truly Point & Shoot - A Fantastic Camera
I’m getting married in two months, so I began looking for a camera for use on the honeymoon, to replace my Casio EX-Z57.

I’m hardly a professional photographer; mostly I take pictures of family and friends in party situations, or scenery.

Ideally my new camera would fit easily in my pocket, would have a large LCD screen suitable for reviewing pictures at parties, and would produce great pictures on the “automatic” settings. Manual settings are lost on me; I don’t want to mess with the F-stop setting, white balance, or focus.

I started doing quite a bit of research, and was a little intimidated by the number of models on the market. I created a spreadsheet to sort through the 25 most popular models on amazon.

My primary criteria was:

LCD Screen Size

Thickness

Resolution

Secondary Were:

Optical Zoom

Price

This camera ended up on top. I summoned my courage, added it to my cart, and hit “checkout”.

I received the camera 3 days later, and fell in love on the first day of using it.

Observations:

The 3.0″ LCD screen is bright, and is clearly visible even in bright sun. I don’t miss the viewfinder.

The camera is very small (3.6 x 2.2 x 0.8) and fits easily into my pocket. Surprisingly light, much more so than my old Casio, which was the same approximate dimensions (3.5 x 2.3 x 0.8).

Pictures taken on the “auto” mode look beautiful, both on the computer screen and my 42″ plasma. Colors seem accurate, and everything is very crisp. People’s faces don’t look washed out, or orange. For additionaly testing, I took pictures in bright sun, of faraway objects, and things up close (about 4 inches), and everything came out great.

Video is surprisingly good, but VERY file sizes are large. My first video was about a minute and a half, and was about 150 Megabytes. Played on Playstation 3 (the Casio wouldn’t).

The 3x optical zoom works fine. I expected a little more for a camera in this pricerange, but I realize you have to sacrifice something for a camera to be this thin.

Concerns:

I was worried that I wouldn’t like the “new” buttons, which aren’t actually buttons at all, but similar to a Motorola Razr. They work well so far though.

The scroll wheel. It actually rotates, unlike one you’d see on an iPod. As a mechanical engineer, I know moving parts will wear out. Durability may be an issue, but on the plus side, it has really improved navigation through the menus.

Overall, it’s a fantastic camera, and has exceeded all my expectations. I would reccommend it without reservations to any of my friends, and am looking forward to the pictures it will take of my honeymoon.

5-Stars

Wow. This is the Point and Shoot to have!
After leaving the Canon family (SD630) and trying Panasonic (DMC-TZ3) - I’m back! The SD790IS is the best Canon Point & Shoot I have tried. This is a great camera. If you would like a simple Point & Shoot with the ability to allow many manual adjustments - this is the camera to have. It’s a small footprint with a lot of quality!