Finally. I upgraded my digital camera to a Canon SD800. It was long overdue having missed quite a bit of Bryan’s candid shots.
Some thoughts on this modern marvel:
1. The body feels like it was built with “cheap”, low grade plastics. In comparison, Canon’s older S-series cameras were built with metal which gave them a sturdy and an indestructible feel. My theory for the use of cheap plastics is: a) it’s all about profit margin baby — plastic is cheaper than metal, or b) Canon is thinking about us users — plastic means lighter weight.
2. The door cover to where all the communication ports are is flimsy and, again, feels cheap. I feel like I am going to break that stupid thing in a few months. My theory? See 1a. God damn evil corporations.
3. The new generation Canon Digic-III chip is considerably faster and takes somewhat sharper images than my S230. At maximum resolution, 90 pictures equals to approximately 250MB worth of JPGs.
4. HUGE 2.5″ LCD screen that’s going to be main source of battery drain. But boy, it looks beautiful.
5. Face detection actually works — that is — if the subject is front-facing. But what’s REALLY cool is that the face detection technology actually moves with the subject if you have an active kid like Bryan. And it will follow and focus on where the face is fairly accurately.
6. The camera packs in way too many features than an average consumer would ever use. I mean, when was the last time you wished you could replace the color of something with another color IN CAMERA! I mean, com’on! I don’t want to pay for that B.S. feature, Canon.
7. Canon seems to assume that people will spend A LOT of time customizing this camera. There are features where you can make “folders” and assign pictures to various categories that was predefined. Um, yeah… nice try. Another useless feature. Like I am going to spend my time organizing my photos IN THE DAMN CAMERA.
8. Focusing can be weak and slow. But overall, it does the job. But I just hate it when you thought you got a sharp focus in the camera, but then it looks all out of focus after it’s downloaded.
9. Improved dynamic range, but it’s no RAW. Bright areas still get washed out relatively easily. But it’s definitely a step up from my S230.
10. Acceptable lag upon powering up and between shoots. Nothing is more annoying than having to wait for the camera to process the previous image that you miss out on the next great shot. Obviously this is no continuous shoot in DSLR cameras. But man, it’s fast!
I like the fact that the camera is a much faster beast. But control wise, it’s still no SLR. I look forward to the day when a DSLR with a decent dynamic range becomes more affordable.