Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital Elph 7.1 Megapixels

The Canon SD1000 Digital Elph is a joy to use, and it takes fantastic photos!

The camera I've been using the last few years, a simple Casio, dropped on the ground one day, and it was busted. It was good timing I think; it was old and slow, and indoor photos never turned out very good.

Canon PowerShot SD1000

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I went online and did some research. I have heard people talk about the Canon Digital Elph series of cameras. Turns out that our local Staples store has the Canon SD1000 Digital Elph in stock. The reviews were very positive, and the price was right ($218 I think). I went and picked one up, and a 2 GB memory card as well.

Features

I am very impressed by this camera. It is very simple to use. It has great automatic features, but you can also use some manual settings for more control. 7.1 Megapixels, good speed, great photos in almost any setting - I am a happy camper.

The camera is thin, light-weight. It fits well in my pocket of my pants. The preview window is big and fast. It's also very accurate. On my old camera, the pictures in the preview window often did not look like what I would see on the computer after downloading the photos, but the SD1000's preview window is very accurate compared to the final result. It has 230,000 pixels of resolution, which is very impressive.

Speed is an issue for me with cameras. The SD1000 is fast. One day I will get a quality, super fast SLR, but I can't afford one yet. Until then, this one can fulfill my needs most of the time. If it was even faster, I would be even happier, but I can't really complain. Compared to other cameras in the price range, it's a quickie.

Another thing I have to mention is the face recognition feature. It's awesome. It detects faces very quickly, and puts its focus here automatically. This is very handy when taking photos of people. A white little square shows up around peoples faces when you just aim the camera at them. How cool.

Battery life is also good. It has a small rechargeable Lithium battery, and when using the LCD, has a CIPA rating of approximately 210 shots on a fully charged battery. You can recharge the battery fairly quickly - an hour and a half and it's fully charged.

Slim, stylish 7.1 Megapixel Digital ELPH with 3x Optical Zoom lens
Chic modern minimalism in the ELPH's classic Box & Circle design in two color variations to suit your personal style
DIGIC III Image Processor with improved Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction for sharper images and improved functionality
Vivid, high-resolution 2.5-inch PureColor LCD with scratch-resistant anti-reflection coating for easy on-camera viewing
ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto to reduce image blur and expand low-light shooting capability
Five movie modes including 30 fps VGA, Time Lapse and Fast Frame Rate
Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with select PIXMA Photo Printers, CP and SELPHY Compact Photo Printers

I've never been too interested in using video on cameras such as these, since I have a Sony DV camcorder. The test I've done with the SD1000 are pretty good though. Can come in handy I'm sure.

In summary, I love this thing. It is so easy go get good results - it's impossible to not like it. I take it almost everywhere now, since it's small and does a great job under almost any conditions. If you want a point and shoot camera that delivers satisfactory results - check out the Canon Digital Elph series. There are more cameras in this line of cameras than the SD1000, and all of them are worth a close look. I'm keeping this one until someone drops it on the sidewalk again ...