Canon SD 700 IS

[Michael (Bald Studio)]

I'm not a pro and don't generally pretend to be... but I am passionate and sometimes found that bringing out all my gear was daunting or complicated given new air travel rules. Thus started my quest for a small P&S camera that could fit in a pocket, but take decent shots (useful for travel, events where an SLR is overkill or not allowed... and useful to have with small children).

On Tuesday I upgraded to a 30D and then decided to also buy a SD 700 IS camera at B&H for about $340. I've tried snapping a bunch of pictures with it this week to test it out - and so far I have been pleased with the way this works as a P&S camera. It works snappy, is small and seems to take decent shots.

I plan to work it a bit harder this weekend as I put the 30D through some paces to learn - and I'll try to post some of the pictures.

I'd be happy to try to share my impressions more effectively - is there a template for writing a quick review, or some questions I could try to address?

[Richard_Coyle]

Michael
Did you ever write your review? I've just purchased the SD700 IS, from my independent research, and would appreciate your impressions.

[Michael (Bald Studio)]

Originally Posted by Richard_Coyle

Michael
Did you ever write your review? I've just purchased the SD700 IS, from my independent research, and would appreciate your impressions.

Hrm. Nope. But I still can - any suggestions or guidance?

After a few months, I find I still prefer to have the 30D in my hands (though I covet some new L glass for walking around); that said, I'm comfortable throwing the 700IS in a pocket or when traveling....

[Richard_Coyle]

Michael
After some time with this camera, I'm beginning to enjoy it's attributes. For such a small sensor, it's amazingly sharp, with an excellent lens helping substantially. Much better than the newer iterations, according to all the reviews I could find, particularly the SD800 with the 28mm equivalent lens. While the 28mm perspective would be advantegeous, I'm not willing to forgo the native sharpness of the image, coming from high end Nikon digital equipment now and Canon previously for film. It also is very responsive, with a reasonably rapid continuous mode. That's with either the Sandisk Ultra II or Extreme III 2G SD card. And I love that continuous IS for the video mode, as well. While I do miss the ability to shoot in full manual mode, the unit's internal computer is pretty capable for most situations, and the "manual" mode available does provide some flexibility. And in spite of reviews to the contrary, I've seen reasonable battery life, although haven't fully tested that aspect as to exact number of images on a charge. As a precaution, I did pick up a spare, since there's no battery meter, as in the DSLRs and most videocams. The one accessory I did purchase and returned was the Canon leather case. It was nicely fitted, but no place for battery/SD card, and had that lousy magnetic clasp. A real pain. Replaced it with a basic Lowepro mini case with compartments for both the above. Inexpensive and well configured.

As I used to do underwater photography with Nikonos units and Ikelite flash housings, I decided to invest in the dedicated WP-DC5 underwater case. It's slick as can be, fits like a glove and very compact with reasonably light weight. I'm going to be very comfortable using it in many environmentally challenged situations besides the occasional underwater event. In the limited testing I've done so far, there seems to be no perceptible image degradation from using the case, with the exception of needing the flash diffuser at the wider settings, and the resulting decline in light output. Would likely need an external flash if doing extensive underwater work, but that's a very limited use for me these days, so really not a necessity.

All in all, a great little camera. Now we'll see how it holds up over time!

[Floyd_Lawrence]

I do some travel writing and photography, and I'm also responsible for an occasional "sneak" restaurant interior shot to accompany weekly restaurant reviews I write. I've had newspaper-worthy images from the SD700 IS---but at over 200 ISO, noise does become a factor. I too would like manual mode. Overall, however, I'm happy with it and am glad I took it horseback riding on a Puerto Rican beach rather than my 5D or XTi.

Light balance can be a problem, and I've yet to figure out--or get good results from--the white balance yielded by the needlessly complicated symbols from which one must choose for optimum balance. Overall on the camera, a 7+ out of 10. I also have a G6 and should have taken that to Puerto Rico instead, though the SD's IS does help.