Digital Trends

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS

September 23rd, 2007 | by David Elrich

Testing Cont'd

Once my expeditions were done, it was time to download the images make some 8.5x11 full bleed prints with no tweaking. Since I liked the output of the SD850 IS it’s not surprise I was happy with the prints from the SD870 IS since the innards are basically the same (imager and processor). The shots taken of the strong primary colored-equipment in the playground were very good, with bright yellows, reds and purples all looking very close to the real thing. The Face Detection circuitry did a fine job as well. All is not perfect since some shots taken with strong backlight were not properly exposed in straight Auto.

I also took a number of indoor shots in a dark corner with available light. The camera had no problem focusing, thanks to the AF Assist lamp. Once I defeated the flash, I bracketed the ISO from 80 through 1600 to check for image noise. At 1600, the photos were filled with digital noise by the bucketful—forget about letter-sized prints. However, 800 was better than I expected although still noticeable with 400 better still. Although useable, I’d still try to keep the ISO as low as possible—this holds true for any point-and-shoot digicam. High megapixels on small imagers means digital noise no matter how you slice it. On a more positive side, the OIS did a very good job minimizing blur when shooting without the flash.

Conclusion

Since this is a fairly new camera, the SD870 IS is selling for just slightly less than $399 USD list, while the SD850 IS costs under $350 USD. For this reviewer, the 28mm lens makes it worth the difference; the larger LCD screen is just icing on a yummy cake. As I said with the SD850 IS, I will heartily recommend this camera to anyone looking for a solid aim-and-forget digicam. The photos are very accurate and the vast majority of shooters will be more than thrilled with the results. And that 28mm lens definitely brings out the Diane Arbus in all of us.


Pros:

• Nice 28mm wide angle lens
• Superior point-and-shoot photos
• Solid 3-inch LCD screen

Cons:

• No aperture control
• Digital noise at high ISOs