Canon SD1000 as IXUS 70 vs. SD 870 or IXUS 950 vs. SD 950: it’s easy to be lost there

Canon is the fastest digital compact cameras mfr. Look: PowerShot SD950, SD870, SD1000 as IXUS 70, SD850 as IXUS 950 and PowerShot G9, A720, A650, A640, A570, A560, A550 – they are only 2007 models. It is impressive but it is just a little complicated to choose the one. Therefore, for the right choice it is better to know exactly what you want from this digital camera. For more details look through Canon A650 vs A640, against A630 and From Canon A630 / G7 and Nikon P5000 to Canon G9 / A650 and Nikon P5100.
The ultra compact camera’s type
Of course, it is so cool to shoot with SLR but it is a little complicated and for many photographers this digital camera type is not preferable. SLRs are huge, expensive, need swapping lenses and the main thing is far from a majority of consumers need SLR’s pictures. I can say the same about SLR-like cameras, excluding picture quality. However, a chance to put a camera into a pocket is very attractive. In addition, we have PowerShot A-series (A720, A650 et.) and G-series as G9. But much more alluring is a smallest camera for a jeans pocket with bigger advantages. With a modern electronics, it is a reality. We have any Ultra compacts with 12 mega pixels sensor as SD 950 or 4x zoom lens as SD850. Unfortunately ultra compacts price ($400 for SD950) can be near any SLR’s models (Canon Rebel XT, Olympus E330 – E400).
Ultra-compact’s features
Is that so necessary, to have the 12MP sensor or an optical image stabilizer for an ultra compact? Most photographers can say ‘NO’. For those who do not agree to pay four hundreds for a toy gadget Canon made the Powershot SD1000 for about $165. In addition, it is not a toy camera.
Canon Powershot SD1000
Known as Canon IXUS 70 this small (86 x 54 x 19 mm (3.4 x 2.1 x 0.7 in), 175 g (6.2 oz) digital camera has ‘on board’ 1/2.5 inch 7MP sensor, 35-105mm 3x zoom lens, 9-points auto focus tape with Canon’s famous Face detection and can capture 640 x 480, 30 fps movie. What is more, it has 2.5 inch 230,000 pixels LCD, optical viewfinder, and build-in flash and continuous drive at 1.7 fps. It is not bad for a toy and looks like Canon A570 excluding a 4x zoom.
Images from the IXUS 70 look excellent in user’s tests, with accurate colors and plenty of sharpness, and rendering through Canon’s DIGIC III image processor. Maybe SD1000’s automatic white balance yield slightly yellowish images, but in most pictures, it is producing very neutral colors. I do not know, is it a con that IXUS 70 has no manual exposure controls, but with a small and solid body, good image quality, and not a poor feature set, this digital ultra compact can make a pleasure for a thrifty user.
Features
- Built-in flash with red eye reduction and slow synchrony options
- SD/SDHC compatible, with 32MB card included
- Rechargeable Lithium battery and charger included
- Software for Mac and PC; Windows Vista compatible
- Expanded ISO from 80-1600 (manual), with Auto, High, and Auto ISO Shift options
- Ten scene modes; Color Swap, Color Accent, effects, and multiple color options including Sepia, Black and White, and Vivid
- Adjustable contrast, sharpness, saturation, red, green, blue, and skin tones
- Shutter speeds from 15 seconds to 1/1500 second
- In-camera red eye correction in playback mode
- Evaluative, Center-Weighted, and Spot metering modes
- White balance adjustment with seven options, including a manual setting
- Custom /adjustable self-timer
Canon PowerShot SD870
This ultra zoom camera has a little more than SD1000 but already for $300. There is 8-megapixel 1/2.5 inch sensor, 28-105mm 3.8x zoom lens in a compact metal (93 x 59 x 26 mm (3.7 x 2.3 x 1 in), 165 g (5.8 oz) body. The SD870’s 28mm equivalent wide-angle lens makes it preferable for those who like to shoot in small rooms and any closed up area. With the new Digic III image processor, face detection, optical image stabilizer and other similar SD1000’s features as capturing 640 x 480, 30 fps movie etc Canon SD870 has 3.0" 230,000 LCD screen. Unfortunately, the SD870's optical viewfinder has been removed from this model, ostensibly to make room for the large LCD screen. To tell the truth an optical viewfinder becomes useful for ultra compact in at least two scenarios: when you want to conserve power, and when lighting conditions make it difficult to frame a shot with the LCD. Therefore, it is not a trouble. SD 870 is compatible with Canon portable printers, as well as PictBridge compatible, so is able to print to any printer that supports PictBridge directly, without the need for a computer in the middle.
Features
- 8.0 mega pixel sensor delivering 3,264 x 2,448 pixels
- 80-1,600 ISO sensitivity with ISO Auto Shift
- 15-1/1,600 second available shutter speeds
- F/2.8 maximum aperture
- SD/SDHC memory card capability
- Powered by Pack NB-5L lithium-ion Battery (rated at 270 shots per charge)
- In-camera editing, including cropping, digital red eye reduction, and color modes
- Auto-ISO Shift modes
- 16 Scene modes: Auto, Camera M (Manual settings), Special Scene (Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot), Color Accent, Color Swap, Digital Macro, Stitch Assist
Canon PowerShot SD950
Known as Canon IXUS 960 this is an expensive ($450-480) digital camera with a large 1/1.7 inch sensor and a great many 12 mega pixels. It looks stylish and as the top of Canon's Digital Elph line, enclosed in a titanium shell (96 x 96 x 28 mm (3.8 x 3.8 x 1.1 in), 205 g (7.2 oz).
SD950 has a successful combination of a bright, 2.5-inch 230,000 pixels LCD screen and an eye-level viewfinder. The camera can capture a High Definition movie at 1024 x 768 resolutions, but unfortunately only in 15 fps. As a result, movies can be a little jumpy. The pleasure from using a large 1/1.7 inch sensor is deteriorated by some noisy images. I have already written about bad results of pumping extra pixels into the compacts sensors Canon Powershot G9, SD950 and A650: can 12MP make SLR from compact. In this case, we have useless 4000 x 3000 resolutions in chase of 12 mega pixels.
Features
- 3.7x optical zoom (35-133mm equivalent)
- ISO 80 to 3,200
- Shutter speed from 15 to 1/1,600 second
- Maximum aperture of f/2.8 at wide-angle and f/5.8 at telephoto
- Spot, Center-Weighted, and Evaluative exposure metering
- White balance adjustment with seven modes, including a Custom setting
- Built-in flash with seven modes
- SDHC/SD memory card storage
- Pure titanium shell sculpted in Canon's Perpetual Curve design
- DIGIC III image processor with face detection technology
- Adjustable ISO settings up to 1,600, plus Auto and ISO HI settings, and an ISO 3,200 Scene mode
- 16:9 Widescreen still image capture mode
- Five Movie modes with sound, with 1,024 x 768 XGA modes at 15 frames per second
- Continuous Shooting mode 1.5 fps
- 11 preset Scene modes
- USB 2.0 Hi-Speed / A/V cable for connection to a television set
- DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) and PictBridge compatibility
Conclusion
The best purchase from these three digital cameras in my opinion is the Canon SD1000 for its good (abt. $165) price, strong body and good picture quality. This gadget has an attractive price / quality ratio and can be a good gift at Christmas. As for the PowerShot SD870, its best selling feature is the large and lovely 3-inch LCD screen. Unfortunately, its wide-angle lens has a high chromatic aberration at 28mm. Canon Powershot SD950 can be preferable for those who are really in need of its pure titanium body sculpted in Canon's Perpetual Curve design with groovy but expensive features. As for another brands, there are some interesting and not expensive digital compacts from Fuji. For more look through Fujifilm F50fd vs FinePix S5 IS Pro: 12MP from digital compact it’s not the same as 12MP from SLR.