Digital Trends

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS

September 23rd, 2007 | by David Elrich

Testing and Use

In less than 2 seconds, the digicam is ready to shoot as the lens quickly extends from the body. I started in Auto mode at top resolution (3264 x 2448 pixels, SuperFine) then proceeded to move to Manual. I kept the optical Image Stabilization set to Continuous so it was always on but there are Shoot Only and Panning options. With “only” the IS kicks in when you press the shutter while panning concentrates on removing the shakes from up and down motion. The IS system is quite good and it helps in almost all lighting conditions but especially indoors with the flash off.

In Auto the camera is quite responsive with quick movement through the 3.8x optical zoom. It also focuses quickly with help indoors thanks to the AF Assist lamp. While at a picnic I took many shots of very colorful playground gear and kids having fun on slides using single shots and continuous mode. Many images were also taken of smiling faces. The SD870 IS has Face Detection that helps capture properly exposed photos of human faces. Just as the SD850 IS and other Canons I recently used, this technology does a very good job, about the best among competing systems from the major manufacturers.

As mentioned the camera does not have a viewfinder—just the 3-inch LCD screen. I did not find this to be a handicap—nor should I say a physical challenge? Yes, in direct sunshine I couldn’t distinguish the colors (even adjusting brightness) but I definitely could see what I was shooting. For me the tradeoff is worth it but you should try it out before you buy. The camera has grid lines which are especially helpful with the large screen for capturing level horizons.

What really made my photographic week was the 28mm lens. Ever since taking my first photographic baby steps with an old Pentax film camera, I’ve always loved wide-angle shots. There’s something about that slight distortion I like for almost every subject—especially landscapes and portraits. You give up a bit on the long end compared to the SD850 IS but I’ll take that tradeoff any day of the week. And it seems I’m not alone with that opinion since Panasonic and Olympus also have “gone wide” with many new models. Again this is my preference—you may think it’s not worth spending another moment discussing it. Just play with one the next time you’re in the store—that’s all I ask…

After using some of the 10 typical scene modes, it was time to move into Manual (don’t worry, this won’t take long!). Since this is primarily an aim-and-forget camera, there are very few manual adjustments. You can adjust exposure compensation, white balance, type of metering and My Colors. With it you can make an image B&W, turn red to blue and other foolish stuff like that. Forget about changing the aperture—if that’s your inclination look at the new 12MP Canon G9 for $499 USD. The camera does, however, let you take long exposures up to 15 seconds.

Image Courtesy of Canon