Canon PowerShot SD700 IS - Easy Camera Review

The Canon PowerShot SD700 IS is the first of the Digital Elph line to include optical image stabilization, a feature that includes an element in the lens that moves to correct for shaky hands. The SD700 is an attractive digital camera that shoots 6-megapixel images with an easy to use interface. The Canon SD700 originally retailed for $499, but can be found for under $300 now.

 

The camera itself has an organic, curvy design that Canon describes as the “Perpetual Curve.” This design fits comfortably into the hand, much better than boxy rectangular cameras. Not everything on the camera is that comfortable though: the zoom control is a little uncomfortable, and some of the buttons are placed on the bottom of the back of the camera are hard to reach with the thumb. The mode dial on the back of the camera is also a little awkward: it’s recessed so you don’t accidentally change modes, but this makes it a little difficult to turn, as you have to stick your finger right in to make the dial turn.

 

The 2.5-inch LCD screen is bright and clear, but the relatively low resolution (just 173k pixels) means that images don’t look very good: they lack detail and require a lot of zooming in if you need to check focus. This also makes it a little difficult to frame images, and the inaccurate optical viewfinder doesn’t help there. The viewfinder is also blurry (especially on the left and right edges), so it should only be used if the battery is about to run out and you’ve just spotted Bigfoot.

 

The on-screen menus of the SD700 IS are well-designed and easy to use; accessing most options does not require an excessive amount of scrolling and clicking. What does require a lot of clicking is deleting images: there is no simple way to delete a group of images without individually selecting each or reformatting the SD memory card.

 

The images that the Canon PowerShot SD700 IS took were impressive: most colors were accurate and had a good amount of detail. Fine details in images were reproduced as well as some more expensive, higher resolution cameras. We did see some noise in images, though, and images shot at the higher ISO settings (especially the maximum of 800) and with longer shutter speeds were almost unusable because of this.

 

Canon PowerShot digital cameras have a reputation for offering a good selection of shooting modes, and the SD700 doesn’t do anything to alter this: 11 modes provide a good selection without overwhelming the user. There is no fully manual mode, but there is a program mode with a few manual options and plenty of easier and more automatic scene modes. The color accent and color swap modes are also interesting: the former converts the images to black and white except for one selected color, and the latter allows you to swap two selected colors within the frame. Although both effects can be produced in any half decent image editing program, it is rather fun to have them in the camera itself.

 

The SD700 IS has a good burst mode: we were able to capture around 2.1 frames a second until the memory card ran out. While that’s not particularly fast, it’s a big benefit that it can shoot long enough to catch an entire football play or sprint race.

 

The SD700 combines a number of well-designed features into a convenient and easy to use package. It takes good pictures with generally accurate color and plenty of detail. But it’s not without its quirks: the controls are awkward and there is noise in the images. It wasn’t cheap when first launched at $499, but since then the price has fallen to a much more reasonable $300. At this price, the Canon PowerShot SD700 IS is a good value for the casual shooter looking for a small, convenient and easy to use digital camera.