This digital is One Of TWO that has a WIDE ANGLE lens!
I do not own this particular camera myself, but if you are interested in portable digital point and shoot cameras, since Canon discontinued the Power Shot S-80, this one is one of THREE digital point and shoot camera on the market that I know of that has a "true" WIDE ANGLE lens of 28mm! (The other is: The Panasonic DMC-FX01
for $250---and one more is the Kodak EasyShare V570 with a 23mm lens for about $250)

So, you ask, "who needs a 28mm lens?" You do! Most people concern themselves with how LONG is their telephoto lens. But, most people who "know" know that it is the WIDE ANGLE lens that is most important---most of the "best shots" are made with a WIDE ANGLE lens. For example, you're in Europe and you are trying to "get a shot" of that Cathedral of Notre Dame over there. You NEED a WIDE ANGLE lens. You are in the California Poppy Fields and you want to get the expanse of the golden-yellow poppy flowers with the huge blue sky filled with white clouds above---you need a WIDE ANGLE lens. You are sitting at thanksgiving dinner and you want to take a photo from the foot of the table with everyone sitting on the left and right---you NEED a WIDE ANGLE lens. You are in the garden of the California Mission and you want to take a photo of the ENTIRE garden surrounded by the mission walls---you NEED a WIDE ANGLE lens. It's Christmas day and you want a photo of the ENTIRE GROUP of visitors in front of the Christmas Tree---you NEED a WIDE ANGLE lens. This is where the 28mm lens on THIS camera comes in! So, you NEED THIS CAMERA! Otherwise you'll be cutting off heads and leaving Aunt Sylvia out of the "Christmas Group Photo" this year---and as a result of not having a wide angle lens she'll disinherit you and you'll live a life of poverty and misery everafter! :o) If you agree or disagree or know of ANY other digital point and shoot camera that has a WIDE ANGLE lens please write, Email:boland7214@aol.

Here's one more wide angle candidate: Kodak EasyShare V705 7.1MP Digital Camera with a 23mm wide angle lens plus a 5x Ultra-Wide-Angle Dual-Lens Optical Zoom that goes out to 180mm!

Excellent ultra-compact camera with great features!
I just got this camera, and I have been testing it out all day. The image stabilizer works great in low light, and the pictures come out very clear. I have had trouble in the past of taking pics outside at night or at concerts, but when I tried it outside earlier this evening the pictures came out real nice. I absolutely love the wide-angle lens. Shooting speeds are excellent and the camera operates and turns on really fast.

I was trying to compare the SD700 IS, SD800 IS, and the SD900, and I would definitely recommend the SD800 IS. The SD900 does come with a higher megapixel resolution, but I think the image stabilizer will be more useful.

The actual camera is even more attractive than what you see in the pictures. It has a very sleek body, and I thought the color (more pewter compared to the lighter silver tone of other SD ELPH cameras) looked better than that of the titanium SD900.

Overall this is a superb camera!

SD800 IS - The Definitive Review
So I have been scouring the web looking for opinions about SD800 IS. Since there were no pro-reviews coming out soon and I needed a camera for the weekend trip, I took the plunge and picked up SD800 IS three days ago.


BACKGROUND:

Before I jump into the review, I want to mention that I have been using full-manual film SLRs since I was 18. My current camera collection includes Optio 43WR (to take rafting / skiing / adventure sports pics), Digital Rebel XT, and now SD800 IS. I have also spent some time with T10, SD630 and an assortment of cheaper models.

I have realized over the years that the smaller camera are way more useful for someone with an active lifestyle. I have put my Optio 43WR through some tough times with skydiving, falling down ski slopes, and using it underwater (no, it is not recommended by Pentax) and it came up with amazing pictures. Also imagine a cute girl at a party asking you "Is that a SLR in your pants, or ..." you get the picture (pun intended!).


WHY NEW CAMERA?

I needed to replace my aging primary companion Optio 43wr with a new ultracompact model with underwater housing which allows me to dish out the abuse I need to get great shots. Money was not an object, so I was looking only at top-of-the-line models from ALL brands. The other note-worthy contenders were Sony T-30 Black, Sony DSC N2, Fuji F30.

I was also very unhappy with the pictures in low-light conditions by 43WR. I spend a fair amount of time snapping low-light pictures, so that was a top priority for me as well.


SD 800 IS:

So here is what I have found about SD800 IS...


Gizmo factor:
- This one has to be one of the most tricked out cameras I have ever used. You can edit movies, auto-rotate pictures depending on how you hold the camera, and do many other neat things. However what appeals me most is that these tricks are not flashy or distracting: they are seamlessly integrated in the user experience.
I think this shows the maturity in Canon models, compared to some fresh brands.
- The slide-show is very classy, not cheesy as you see on most other cameras.


Creative Controls:
- No full manual here, but it has Auto-Exposure lock and Auto-Focus lock. These two controls with some creative thinking will allow you to take any shots you may need. I didn't know about these features till I bought the camera, and I am very happy to find them there!
- Color-Accent and Color-Swap are more addictive than a videogame. I have so far seen my car in multiple colors, visualized what my garden will look like in fall, and help people bring out the blue color in their eyes.


Appearance:
- Personally, I am not very impressed by the looks but everyone else seems to love the understated jewelery thing going on with it.


Lens:
- Yes, it is true. Lots of blurry corners at full wide. Lots of distortion too. I think Canon is skimping on the optics here. That's what happens when you try to stuff a 3.8x zoom in a tiny body. They should have stuck to something like 28mm to 60mm zoom, and it would have been fine.

But from a practical point of view, I don't notice the corners in a picture. Naturally I stare at the subject, and move on to the next pic. So the corners bothered me in test-shots, but not in real-life shots.

TIP: Just zoom out to 35mm equivalent and the blurry corners disappear.


Optical Stabilizer:
- Extremely effective. Worth its weight in gold. I am still gloating over the vibration-free pictures I have been taking recently.


CCD:
- Images are softer than my liking. Don't know if it is the low-quality lens, or the CCD.
- Gets very noisy after ISO 400. Fuji F30 will beat the CCD hands down.


RECOMMENDATION:
Depends on what your needs are. Look at the above facts, think about your needs, and make your own decision. I will give you three options based on my reasoning:

It is the only 28mm lens out there, and you will love it despite the lens limitations. I have numerous examples in only THREE days, where I was able to get a shot like never before. So if you feel like fitting more in a frame, get SD800 IS.

If you print all your pictures, and are a family man, DSC N2 is the way to go because of 10 megapixels and touch screen. However the images are overprocessed in camera, a Sony trademark.

If you do lots of low-light photography ala Paris Hilton, wait for Fuji to release optically stabilized camera. I couldn't wait, because I have a trip this weekend!

Takes fantastic photos, but has some design issues.
This is my fourth camera from the Canon Digital Elph line (previously, I had an S330, S400 and SD400). They have always taken great photos, and Canon has truly earned my repeat business (I also had a Digital Rebel and now I have an 20D).

I've had the SD800 for a few days now. Like its predecessors, it takes fantastic photos. The image stabilizer works wonderfully, and the camera functions quite well (and faster than most compact cameras). Other reviewers have spoken about the photo quality, and you can also get detailed technical reviews elsewhere on the internet, so I won't get into that here. What I want to focus on is the functionality of the design of this camera.

Digital Elphs used to be chunks of stainless steel. I dropped my S330 from a 12ft balcony, and it emerged unscathed. This is the first camera I've had that felt like it is going to break at any moment. It is larger and clunkier than the previous generation of Elphs (e.g., it is 36% larger than the SD200/300/400), and feels "plastic-y" and cheap (despite the fact that it looks nice). The buttons are small and offer minimal feedback, so it is easy to press the wrong button, especially if you have large fingers (and even if you have only average fingers). The "mode select" dial switches between Auto, Manual, Scene, Movie and Playback modes, but it is difficult to move. The dial is stiff and has only a small raised ridge on one side, making it difficult to set the dial to the proper mode on the first try. In sum, the design of this camera makes it operation more difficult than necessary; not something I expected from a camera from Canon, espectilly one at this cost.

This camera takes amazing photos, but Canon needs to brush up on their design. For a brief moment I considered returning this camera and keeping my SD400, but this camera's features are too good to pass up. I suppose everyone will get used to the poor design, but for this amount of money, none of us should have to.

Unfortunately, Canon dropped the quality on this one
I have owned several SD cameras. I am replacing the SD700 with this one. In fact I upgrade each model unless it's only a minor change. Like the previous reviewer has stated though, I was wanting to return this one and stick with my SD700. If it was not for a trip to New Zealand in December and a desire to get nice wide landscape shots, I would have.

Upon opening the battery bay door, I noticed immediately that the metal substructure and spring mechanism were gone. Just cheap plastic parts now. In fact a piece of plastic that had clearly snapped off from somewhere fell out of the camera, so I am now awaiting a replacement from Amazon.

The camera is much taller than the SD700 and only just fits in my old case.

Clearly this model is a major step backwards for Canon's usually excellent quality. The optics though seem good with little aberration even in the corners at full-wide. Let's hope the camera lasts long enough to be able to enjoy the nice glass!

UPDATE: Oh dear! My replacement arrived fast, thanks Amazon. Unfortunately it was even worse. The polished silver surrounding the lens had not been glued in place correctly and was sitting 5mm away from the front of the camera with the adhesive clearly holding it on. Or not. I think it's best to avoid this camera and wait for the next revisions to appear. Clearly Canon thought they would make some fast money on these ones. It shows.

Wait For Canon's Cameras To Catch Up With Their Hype
When i read in The New York Times "Circuits" that the Canon SD800IS has face-recognition focusing and wide angle optics, I immediately went to Amazon to order it. The reviews about the plasticy body and wide-angle optic problems gave me pause, but i figured I could learn to live with the problems. Not so much.

My first major disappointment was with the face-recognition focusing feature, the main reason I bought this camera. The little brackets scoot around on the LCD and settle on faces all right--that part is cool. But much less cool is the fact that out of scores of photographs, with both natural light and flash, I have yet to capture ONE photograph in which ALL the faces are in focus. Objects near, but behind the faces, are often sharply in focus, but not the faces themselves. Bad news. Face-recognition focusing is a great idea, but Canon has not yet perfected it.

My second disappointment was the obvious loss of sharpness at full wide. I went to a local camera store to compare my SD800 with a SD700. Same loss with the SD700. Clearly Canon rushed the SD800 to the marketplace without addressing a prevous problem.

Another optical problem is pronounced CA (blue fringing) in high contrast area (especially at intense white boundaries), a major issue since fringing is almost impossible to remove. The SD700 also had this problem, but it seems worse in the SD800. I'm also getting far too many overexposed photographs.

The flash also varies all over the place, and too often doesn't properly illuminate the subject. I've fiddled with exposure controls, read the user's manual closely, and still haven't figured out a solution to this problem.

Other reviewers have addressed the camera's flimsy body, and those reviewers are correct. I still can't believe Canon would release a $400.00 camera whose battery compartment alone is so inadequate.

In sum, I strongly advice cosumers considering the SD800IS to check it out IN PERSON at a camera outlet. My sense is that Canon rushed out this camera for reasons of marketing, without addressng the problems of the SD700 and without adequate testing the SD800's new features. I'm sending back my SD800IS and will wait until Canon (or another company) works out the glitches of face-recognition technology and all the other problems of the SD800IS.

By the way, the one feature that works great is Canon's Image-stabilization, but I already have a pair of binocs that do that.

Wonderful camera...case could use a little improvement
First...A lot of other reviewers have talked about how 'cheap' or 'flimsy' this camera feels...I think I have a different take on this coming from a Mechanical Engineering background (and actually making similar products in consumer electronics)

I had an old SD100 and decided to upgrade, and indeed the old SD100 'feels' like a tank, and this new one 'feels' flimsier...but I dont think it ACTUALLY is. First off, the new camera is very lightweight, and from a customer usability standpoint, lighter is often confused with 'cheaper'. Second, this camera uses metal luster plastic parts...which scream 'plastic!' whereas the old camera used plastic that was matted and painted...so it looked like the metal surrounding it. People also complained about the 'inside' being plastic now instead of metal...this is actually a good thing, as the internal metal on the SD100 was punched sheet metal (aka bendable, warpable, not structural) whereas the SD800 has molded plastic that perfectly fits the desired shape, actually providing more internal support....These cameras get their extremely small size by using the case as its structural support anyways...and here like previously, the case is metallic (basically...the case is titanium to support the product, and marketing decided to sell that as a 'feature').

That all being said...it still DOES 'feel' cheaper or breakable, even if I dont think it is from the engineering standpoint...and part of product design is making something that 'feels' good...so I have to dock canon one star on this thing for not completely following through on the design front.

As for everything else....Amazing optics, this thing takes wonderful pictures...it is SUPER responsive, statup time is non-existent and focus etc time feels twice as fast as the SD100. The IS feature works wonderful (its hard to see it work I must admit...but then you turn it off and take another picture and WHOA...huge difference, one is nice and the other is blurred crazily..[...]

Image Stabilization fuels the hype of this one trick pony.
Yesterday, I got home with my new sd800. And due to the scrutiny of the forums, I immediately had to test it. I compared exact duplicate shots from my SD550 to this "upgrade" sd800. I am very sad to say that in normal shooting conditions, this model just couldn't keep up. The main things I saw the sd800 losing horribly to the sd550 in were: picture clarity, sharpness (edge to edge) and color accuracy (the sd800's produces a very warm shot, too much yellow & red). This was a disappointment indeed when you compare the fact that my sd550 is almost a year old.

Now, on the flip-side, and should you ever find yourself in "overhead fan lighting," this will be where the true benefits of the sd800 become VERY clear. If this is how you shoot, the IS will become a lifesaver for every single shot. But aside from a museum or other "no flash," location, RARELY am I not using the flash on my camera. And I found the trick to not having over-saturation or too much flash contrast (whatever the model) is to just lower the brightness setting prior to shooting and use a bit of Photoshop shadow highlight love. (Although this can never fully prevent your shot from the flashlight effect left on objects from shooting, but it helps). This camera is only ideal for shooting in an IS situation. Period. Or at least IMHO, but it is my review right? lol

My solution was simple. I ended up taking a risk against better judgment, returned the sd800, and got the sd900. Let me just say that the quality from this camera will NEVER be achievable from an SD800. So make the call. If IS is your "make or break feature," go for the 700is, or800is. However if its quality you want from your shots, and you aren't found in low light situations often, the 550 or 900 are the way to go! Price per mega pixel being the only difference.

Overall excellent subcompact. Some shortcomings compared to slightly less compact models.
I've gotten this camera to replace a Canon S45 that I bought in January 2003 and this review is meant as a contrast to that type of camera (i.e., this review may not be too useful if you're coming to this camera from another point of view). I chose the S45 at the time over the top ELPH model back then (S330, I think) because I expected that it would be my only camera for a while and so wanted manual control, RAW support, etc. As it happens, the Digital Rebel came out in September that year and when I got one, the role of my S45 changed: A take-anywhere camera for taking snapshots and video clips. The latter came a bit as a surprise, because I thought I'd prefer using my more full-featured miniDV-based video camera. However, it turns out that "compact" often beats "full-featured" (the S45 is not as small as the SD800, but it's still pretty small compared to my video camera).

In its new role, the weaknesses of the S45 were (a) not compact enough, (b) poor low-light performance, (c) limited, low-quality movie recording functionality, (d) relative slow response times. (That's all relative, of course: At the time, it was a reasonably good compromise in those areas.) On the plus side, the S45 is sturdy, I really like its user interface, and I got some really nice pictures out of it.

How does the SD800 stack up in that context? Very well, but not perfectly. I like its build quality and the subcompact size (though it's a bit on the large end of its class; not a bad thing per se). The plastic parts are no worse than the similar parts on the S45, but I get slightly anxious at the thought of scratching the shiny surfaces. The 2.5" screen make for bright and sharp previews (it feels more fragile than that of the S45, however). Image quality is a step above that of the S45 in general, and easily two steps above for low-light work (where the image stabilization function and better ISO 400 performance really shine). ISO800 seems somewhat usable, beyond my expectation.

I don't care much about some of the more exotic features like "swap colors", but one feature I've unexpectedly come to appreciate is the face-recognition contribution to focus and exposure: It works, and it works really well! (It also ties into a built-in categorization feature, in that the label "People" will automatically be assigned to pictures containing faces; that's clever too, but I don't think I'll use it.)

Unsurprisingly, the wider-angle lens is a boon to many snapshot situations. (It was one of the factors that prompted me to order the SD800.) There is considerable corner softness at the wider end, but for this type of camera it doesn't bother me too much. I wish the long end were a little longer of course (and slightly less compact models from Panasonic do better in this regard), but again I don't feel strongly about that considering the camera's size. This also appears to be one the most responsive subcompacts out there: It's certainly a whole lot faster at starting up and zooming than the S45 (though it still feels sluggish compared to a DSLR).

The movie clip recording mode is far better than that of the S45: The higher (VGA) resolution and the image stabilization are the main factors there. Still, I wish it could record a using a tighter codec (like H.264) and I wish the optical zoom could be used during shooting. A 1GB SD card will hold a little over 8 minutes of 640x480 30fps video, but once downloaded I can convert that to a H.264 file of about 70MB. The digital zoom in movie mode works well in good light (almost 5X for 640x480 clips), but in low light zooming in more than 3x or so results in exceptionally pixel-noisy clips.

Finally, the overall interface is relatively intuitive and generally well executed. My one beef is that "review" mode is part of the general mode dial. On the S45 (and Canon's DSLRs), "review" is entered using a separate switch (or button), which allows the general dial to indicate the recording mode: A half-press on the shutter and the immediately goes back to recording mode. On the SD800, if I'm reviewing images and suddenly see an opportunity (which happens all the time), I have to first fumble with the dial (being careful to select the right mode) and only then is the camera ready to shoot. On the plus side, when shooting a picture the camera automatically displays the image shot for a customizable amount of time (I set it to "until shutter pressed") and allows zooming into that picture.

Excellent Camera
The people rating this camera low are the ones who know their stuff about photography and bought the wrong camera. If you are knowledgeable about photography, you should not be buying a point and shoot camera. This camera is amazing for the average user, the image stabilization works great and helps improve low light photos. The pictures come out very nice. The wide angle lens is nice to capture scenery, the face detection feature also seemed pretty reliable. Only downsides I saw were the scroll wheel for controls was a little slippery and the battery door seems cheap. Battery life is good, screen is big and bright.

Great pocket camera
This is my 3rd Canon camera, 2nd Elph. I am the epitome of an amateur photographer, and my attempts with prosumer cameras have all failed. At the end of the day, I need a simple point and shoot that produces high-quality images that are capable of being enlarged to 16x20 photographs. The SD800 meets all of the criteria and more.

The SD800 excels in low-light environments, producing stunningly clear photos indoors. The 7MP images coupled with the 3.8x zoom provide a great baseline to Photoshopping and online manipulation.

My only criticism is that outdoor images can tend to over saturate the Blues and indoor images over saturate the Yellows, but overall the image quality is excellent.

The camera is amazingly small, and travels well. The flash is powerful.

Easily beats Sony
This is my third digital camera, after the PowerShot S400 and the Sony DSC-T9.

The Sony had been holding focus worse and worse, and colors -- at default settings -- were blown out, with reds completely exaggerated, and white (even with the "correct" setting, or even "auto") was closer to yellow.

The Canon's color is much, much more accurate, and it handles tricky lighting with extremes in brightness better than the Sony. The wide-angle lens is nice, and for my purposes (wallpaper on a 30" monitor and small images for a website), I see no problems with soft focus in the corners. (I don't deny it might be there, but I'm not printing any posters anytime soon, and if you aren't, either, I doubt you'll see any soft corners.) I admittedly haven't used it in very dark settings, but I haven't taken a single blurry shot yet due to hand shake. The image stabalization seems great.

Finally, I mostly take pictures of food, and generally use the close-up macro for it, and the Canon does a spectacular job. You can't get quite as close as the Sony allows, but within 2" is fine for my purposes. (I'm taking pictures of food, not bugs. Hopefully.)

It's a great little camera. Highly recommended.

VERY pleased with this camera
I bought this camera to replace a 4MP 10x zoom Olympus C-750. I have spent the last several days playing with the different settings on my new Canon SD800 IS.

Pros:

I love that it has a viewfinder although I must say I'm finding the large display to be very useful.

The image stabilizer works very well, especially when I set it to "shoot only".

I can take very close range photos (a few inches away) in the "macro" mode" that come out perfectly.

This camera takes photos in the dark (using flash and the AF-assist beam) that come out looking as if the lights were on. I took a photo of my dog using the zoom from 20 feet away with the lights out, and the photo came out nicely.

The camera turns on instantly when I press the power button. Furthermore, the "continuous" shooting takes a photo every .6 seconds with the memory card that comes with the camera (apparently a high speed memory card will yield even better results).

In playback mode, the camera will (optionally) rotate the image when you turn the camera.

Lots of other cool hidden features if you read the manual, such as hold down the shutter button to immediately view a photo you just took.

Cons

The buttons are fine for me (a woman with small fingers) but very difficult for my husband (who has larger fingers) to use.

The shiny finish around the lens and on the side of the camera smudges easily.

The door covering the USB port feels flimsy. Since I will be using this door quite a lot, I'm concerned about how it will hold up.

I wish it had an optional "lots of help" mode or a help button that would explain settings so I don't have to consult the manual.

If it were a little more user friendly I'd give it 5 stars.

Overall I'm VERY pleased with this camera.

Just what I was looking for in an ultra-compact camera...
Although I had disappointing results after purchasing (and returning) the Canon SD700IS then the SD600, I knew I wanted to stick with the Canon line of cameras because of the distinct features Canon offers that many others do not - like its awesome Accent Color and B&W features. That's when I saw that Canon came out with two new models, the SD800IS and SD900. While the SD800 had image stabilization and a wide angle lens and the SD900 just has more pixels with no image stabilization, I decided to go with the better features found on the SD800. BOY was I glad I did!!

Putting each camera I purchased to the test, I'd take it home and make lots of "test shots"... To test the Image Stabilization, I would bounce the camera up and down and take a picture -- and most if not all pics would come out blur-free. The Macro Function is MOST EXCELLENT... And the Accent Color feature is SUPER COOL... For all intents and purposes, all three cameras (SD600/SD700IS/SD800IS) were just what I was looking for in a compact camera. That is, until I decided to take some indoor (average to low light) pictures without using the flash... For the Canon SD600 and SD700IS -- I have one word to describe it -- BLUUUUUURRRRRRRRRRY.... Whereas the Canon SD800IS passed muster! This was an important factor for me since I take a lot of indoor photos of my pets and they don't care too much for the flash.

So if you like to take a lot of indoor (average to low light) photos without the flash, look no further... And just think - if this camera can take photos in low light conditions really well, you DEFINITELY WON'T BE disappointed with any its other capabilities!!

excellent ultra-compact camera
I just have this gadget yesterday and my first impression with this camera is high. I bought this over SD700 mainly because it has image stabilizer, new DIGIC III processor, and wide angle lens. Build-in quality is decent, despite of plastic battery door that many other reviewer complaint, I found this is not a great deal. This camera made in Japan, so you can be sure the quality of this camera is strong.
Picture was great. I try macro shot and the picture comes up better than my Nikon D50 camera. There are many other features like color swap, color accent, multi-shooting modes that you need to play with more to get familiar with this. I will give you more updates after downloading the pictures. Highly recommended!

Updates 11/7/06
I downloaded the pictures and it comes up beautiful, crisp, natural color. Didn't notice any corner softness.
Stabilizer works great. Now I can take low-light photograph without worry of getting blurry pictures. Pictures without flash also come in great shape. For me just unbelievable! Macro shot also excellent. I can take very2 close pictures while my Nikon DSLR unable to focus within very close distance. One thing that I really enjoy is color accent feature. Just pick any color from your object: live! , and the camera will automatically select only the color you choose to be taken. Other than that, will be black & white. For example you want only flower shown in color on your picture. Or maybe you want to swap the color of your flower from red to yellow? isn't that cool? not to mention it has great movies features which allowing you to take high quality video at 30 fps!
Other advanced features that you might be able to find only in proffesional camera also available such as:
- Exposure Lock(AEL)
- Flash Lock(FL)
- Focus check mode

I really recommend this camera for everyone. Even great backup for amateur/professional user.

Excellent Camera
I had a Canon powershot A75, and this camera its amazing with the new features, the IS , the wide-angle lens, excellent pictures, the zoom evens is great

I recomended this camera for everything, its amazing choice!!!

NO PROTECTION FOR SHOOTING INTO LIGHT SOURCE
Generally, this is a fine camera. I bought it, even though I already owned an Olympus digital with similar resolution and a bigger viewing screen (3" vs. 2.5" on the Canon), but without an optical viewfinder. I was disappointed that there is no ready way to shut off the flash on the Canon, other than going to manual settings. But, even more disappointed when I attempted to take pictures in full sunlight, and found that the sunlight streaked, and in some cases totally obscured, the photo when the camera was pointed even about 45 degrees from the direction of the sunlight. Sometimes, one just cannot help shooting toward the sun. I have not experienced such a "leak" with any other digital camera I have ever owned, including Canon, Minolta and Olympus. I did get some relief by using my other hand as a sun shield, but even that was dicey. Other than that, the overall viewability of the screen and quality of the pictures were superior.

800 vs 700 settled toss up
When comparing the elph IS features, if all other things are roughly equal except what I mention here, it was tough, but I chose the 700. I bought the 700 for it's longer than average 4x zoom on a point & shoot. Then I thought maybe I should try the 800 because of the wide angle, new processor, and higher ISO and megapixels. But, even with the 3.8x zoom, because the 800 lens starts off lower already (28mm eqv.) to get the wide angle, it's max range of 4.6-17.3mm zoom does not even come close to the 700's 5.8 -23.2 max opt. range..plus though somewhat useless, the digital range is less too and the small bump up in MP doesn't compensate. If you find you are always wanting to get more in a shot, get the 800 with the wideangle; as the other features are better. For the shots I usually take, I find I crave the higher zoom so much that the other upgrades were not as important to me. If, like me, you think you'd be bothered by not being able to zoom in as closely, get the 700. If I want more in the shot, I can just stich assist.

Point and Shoot Review
Ok, first of all, I am not a professional photographer. I just want a camera that I can point and shoot and get good photos regardless of the conditions. I also want something I can carry in my pocket so that I actually have it handy when my kid does something cute!

I bought the Canon Powershot SD800 with these things in mind. The outdoor pictures looked great, but the problems started when I went indoors. Taking pictures in a conference room, some of the pictures were very dark and grainy, even with the flash. Yes, the flash was on automatic. So I retook the picture and this time it looked better. With several repeats, results were inconsistent, even with the flash on. As the day progressed, I handed the camera to others to take some shots, and they came out grainy and dim as well, or overexposed by the flash.

I can understand poor performance in poor conditions, but I cannot understand inconsistent performance in the same conditions.

Great Camera!
I have had this camera for about two weeks and i have definitely put it through a thorough test. The day i got it, i went to a party and took over 200 pictures.

Picture Quality = Awesome! Most of my pictures were indoor pictures for the first night with NO lights on except orange "christmas" lights. Let me say, the quality was awesome for the amount of light it had to work with. Another person there had a fuji film camera and it didn't even come close to the quality of these pictures. Outside pictures taken the next day came out so crisp. You RARELY have to retake a photo.

Image Stablization = Again, Awesome! I did a lot of research between this camera and the SD700 and i eventually picked this one b/c of the image stablization. Boy am i glad i did. Of the 200 photos, i think maybe 5 were blurry. I was so impressed.

Wide Angle Lens = Good! Yes, there are blurry edges once in a while when you are taking pictures with no zoom. I probably would have never noticed it, but sometimes when you are viewing it 100% you notice them. The blurriness is such a small thing, the great things about this camera outweigh it.

Video = Awesome! It does a great job. I have not noticed any feedback from the microphone either.

Time Between Photos = Great! As soon as you turn this camera on, it is ready to go. I am taking pictures in literally a second. After you take a picture, i think the longest thing, is displaying the picture for two seconds. I think it is like 2 seconds betweeen taking pictures, literally. That is such a great improvement over my old nikon camera.

Construction = Good! What can i say, its a small camera. If you want easy to use buttons and a more durable frame, get a bigger camera. If you want a camera this small, you are going to have to make some sacrifices. The design of this camera is definitely not a deal breaker.

Overall = I am glad i made the choice i did! I am so glad i got this one versus the SD700 or another brand. The pictures are great and the small quirks about the camera are not enough to outweight the great things about it. If you want an easy camera to use that works when you need it, you will not be disappointed with this one. Don't get me wrong, you still need to read the manual b/c it has cool stuff like "scenes" modes that you can use to improve your pictures even more. But after you know how to use it, this camera does all the work for you; you just worry about taking pictures!

Great travel camera
We bought the Canon SD400 for a trip to Peru last year because of it size and features. We loved it! Unfortunately, it now lives in Mexico as it did not make it home from our last trip. So, we repalced it with the SD800 IS. We love this one even more! The size is still great even though it is a little bigger. The wider angle lens is one of the main reason we chose it because we also shoot alot of in door photos. The 7.1MP's more than make up for the slightly shorter zoom IMHO. With the extra battery and leather case you are go to go around the world.

simplicity and occasional brilliance
Pros: This camera replaced a dropped SD300, the choice was between the SD900 at 10 MP and the SD800IS with 7.1 MP. This camera has an impressive macro ability and the image stabilizer lets me shoot without flash in dim light. I shot a handheld 1/4 second photo at 2x zoom resting my arms on my knees and it was perfectly clear, something I've never done with an SLR. Movies are drastically more watchable with IS than without. Wide angle is wider than most point-and-shoot cameras and it is very helpful. Underwater case is good to deep water and is cheap for such things. Highly recommended. (Other camera is 300D).

Cons: you can't control much. The camera is a bit larger than the earlier models in this series, and is curvy. I found the earlier design easier to hold and use. The power button is just goofy, an odd-shaped plastic insert in the top of the camera.

Canon SD 800 IS / Point and shoot champ
I have owned several PS didgicams, all having strengths and weaknesses. The sd 800 is no different. It takes very good photos if exposed correctly . Colors are rich and well saturated, maybe a tad over , but not too far done like my former lx-1 by pani. I bought it for the features, wide angle, IS andcompact as compared to LX-1. The SD800 takes pictures far better than the LX1 as far as color and sharpness, all in a small package. I use a Nikon D200 w/ over $5K in lenses, but have found that while my pictures from the sd800 are no wear near the quality of the D200, they are more numerous, meaning it comes w/ me everywhere and i never miss a shot, unlike the large D200 which sits at home most of the time. I brought the sd800 on my recent trip to PR and it was great. 600+ pix on a 2g card, no need even to bring the laptop as the file sizes are small enoug and the 2g card big enough for a weeks worth of keepers ( itossed several hundered bad photos). While most will complain about, the corner softness, the design, the this the that, remember this, it is about getting the shot and the sd800 is always thier when needed and performs in 80% of all situations (low liight is ok, lots of noise at iso 200 +, but better than the LX1, flash is weak and recycles slow, and high contrast is tricky but use AE compensation and AE lock to get it right). Bottom line, if you pixel peep at 100% and make your decision on this camera, you are stupid. It is a PS digicam w/ great features and very good photo quality. As far as some design problems and cheap plastic material, it is metal and the Sd door is cheap, but when the sd700 came out it was $499, the sd 800 is $360 from amazon and has better features in the wide lense. Get this camera, if photo quality is poor it is a poor sample, exchange until you get a keeper, you won't regret it.

A remarkable little camera
This is my third Canon Powershot (the others are the 110 and the 260). I like all three of them and have been very satisfied with the image quality and the reliability of the older two, which played a large role in choosing this model. Digital camera technology has advanced so rapidly that this model has capabilities far beyond those of the earlier two.

Pros:

Image stabilization: works well, makes it possible to take hand-held photos of still subjects in low light without flash.

Autofocus on faces: I thought this would turn out to be a useless gimmick, but (surprisingly) it actually works. When enabled, the camera looks for faces and draws rectangles on the LCD viewfinder around those it finds; it then focuses on those portions of the image.

Excellent 30 fps 640x480 movies, which can be as long as memory allows.

Can also film 60 fps at 320x240, for slow-motion playback.

Truly pocket-sized ("the best camera is the one in your pocket, not the one you left at home")

Replaceable rechargable battery with compact multivoltage charger included.

Larger-than-usual zoom range, including medium-wide angle.

Long exposures possible for nighttime photography (not long enough for most astronomical photography, though).

Fast boot time, unnoticeable shutter latency, short recycle time -- the first digital camera I've had that doesn't keep me waiting.

Cons:

No raw mode (JPEG stills and AVI movies only).

Battery and charger are not compatible with older Canon Powershot cameras.

Controls are small and a bit awkward for adult-sized fingers. The very lucky kid who gets one of these would probably not have a problem.

I would love to see a compact digital camera with a bounce flash ... the flash on this camera (like others) produces harsh, flat light and red eye and has a very limited range. A wireless slave flash is available but (according to what I've read) only works when the builtin flash is on.

An underwater housing (Canon WP-DC9) will be available soon (yay!) but at a price not much below that of the camera (boo!). I would love to see a rainproof compact digital camera that could survive an occasional dunking, without an expensive and bulky housing.

Most of the case is metal, but one end (including the battery/flash card cover) is plastic, and in my judgement, this will require careful handling to avoid breakage. This is a step back from the earlier Powershots I've used, which have robust metal cases that can tolerate occasional clumsiness.

Excellent Camera !!!!!
What a great camera!

I am an ex-wedding photographer and am very picky about the equipment I buy. This camera produces beautiful images and downloads them very quickly to your computer using the included Canon software. Be sure and get a 1GB fast SD card...it pays off in fast image save times as well as image upload times.

The 28MM eq. lens is very rare in this size camera as is the optical image stabilization system. The portrait mode does a great job of eliminating red eye, unlike many other cameras. There are even a few manual settings available for those so inclined. Try using the exposure compensation to darken up a shot to add some drama.

The only con is that the zoom switch is a bit jerky, but that's a nit. Another great camera choice in this category is the Casio Ex-Z850 which I have used and also love. The Canon 800IS beats the Casio for 2 reasons, 28MM eq lens and true optical image stabilization vs. the digital kind.

I am completely satisfied with this camera and Highly recommend it to anyone.

I really like this camera
In my opinion, this camera is worthy of a 5 star rating, one of the few I've ever given.

My experience with cameras in this class started with a Canon S-100, which I upgraded later to a Canon S-400, both of which proved to be excellent for my on-the-go photography needs. My only criticism with this class of cameras was that they lacked two features I really wanted:
1. wide angle lens
2. image stabilization
I guess the Canon folks read my mind with the introduction of the SD-800, and after reading a number of positive technical reviews for the camera on the web, I purchased one as an upgrade for my beloved S-400. I was particularly suspicious regarding image stabilization, since my only prior experience with a camera using this technology had been disappointing (Canon S-1, a larger 10x zoom model).

As might be expected with the advances in memory technology, the SD-800 takes movies at a higher resolutioni (640x480) than the S-400 (320x240) and has a higher maximum pixel count (7.1 vs 4.0). It also uses the smaller SD memory cards as opposed to the bulkier CF cards for the S-400, and the lithium battery pack has a different form factor (which means you can't reuse stuff from an earlier model).

What I consider to be the 2 real upgrade features for this camera, the wide angle lens and the image stabilization, are what truly distinguishes it from its competition. I've had this camera for about a month now and can happily report it is a significant advance over the S-400. The image stabilization is a dream. With the S-400 I had to rely on bracing the camera in many circumstances where with the SD-800 I can count on sharp images just holding it out, composing, and taking the shot. In a recent work session where my group had accumulated a great deal of writing on a wide white board along the side of a narrow conference room, I was able to capture in a single, sharply focused shot the entire board, something the S-400 would have taken 2 shots to achieve followed by a photo stitch. There is some distortion at the outer edges, but I personally don't see this as a drawback given the advantages to getting the whole image (after all you can crop the picture if the rather small amount of distortion truly bothers you).

What else? Well, the camera is lighter and more comfortably contoured than the S-400. It does retain the view finder (thank heavens ... there are simply circumstances where this is the only reasonable way to compose a shot). A single door is used for both memory and battery (vs. 2 doors on the S-400). As others have reported, the door has a flimsy feel, but my first camera in this line (the S-100) had a similar door and I never broke it. Anyway, the USB-2 picture download pretty much eliminates needing to pop out memory cards to get a faster download speed via a card reader. I did invest in a 4Gb high speed SD card since maximum movie length is 4Gb at 640x480, 30 frames per second, or about 25 minutes worth of pretty darn good movie taking. My experience to date is that with this level of capability and convenience I doubt I will every use my cam corder again for family movies.

Out of the box I found the controls and interface to be easier and more intuitive than the S-400. I have all the capabilities I had with the S-400, plus some "gee-whiz" features I've had fun with but I doubt I will use routinely (e.g., color swap). I can also recommend Canon's leather case for this camera. It provides an extremely easy way to carry the camera on your belt (it uses a belt loop, which I think is far superior to a belt clip). I was initially put off by the magnetic flap used with this case, but now agree it's a superior design (their earller cases used Velcro).

Best point and shoot - period.
This is a nearly perfect camera -- it's feature-packed with excellent photo & movie quality. An important feature that is a "step-up" from the SD700 is the DIGIC III system (SD700 has DIGIC II). This means better quality photos & movies, AND the movie limit goes up from 1 GB (just 8 min. in hi res) to 4 GB using the SD800. The SD800's DIGIC III also incorporates facial recognition & intelligent focus (not the gimmick I thought it would be, really useful!) Battery life is better by 12%, among other improvements. Not to mention the bump up to 7.1 MP from the SD700 (6 MP), this camera is definitely worth the extra $. (NOTE: The SD900 is basically a 10 MP version of the SD550, and doesn't even utilize the new DIGIC III system)

The good, the bad, the just ok.
I chose this camera for the same reason most did, 28mm wide, great IS, and all the little things (in-camera stiching, color changing, other things). Seems Canon has finally made a camera that can focus in low light as well as a Sony. You can pretty much turn that stupid focus assist light off. While you're at it you might as well turn off the Red Eye lamp because it doesn't do anything but annoy your subjects. The 28mm wide works really nicely indoors and there aren't many that have that. Unfortunelty, they had to give up a little sharpness over the sd700 to do this, but it's a fair trade. Almost wish when you turned the camera on it started around 32mm and you had to de-zoom because the widest setting isn't used that much, and it's less sharp, but nice to have. One thing that seems off is how low the volume is even at max when you are playing back a video. And, there seems to be a lot of camera noise or something going on, although I've only watched and listened straight from the camera, I haven't downloaded a play one on a tv or pc/mac to hear if it sounds the same. I hate how much work you have to do to delete a picture or even view the last one you took. Sure, you can set the post view long but to see it later you have to go to Play. If yo don't hit Disp to delete right away you have to go to Play mode then press Menu, select it, then hit the set button, then press Menu again to exit, what a pain! Canon, just copy Sony and be done with it. Sony uses a button to show the last picture at anytime, then another to quickly delete it. But this isn't about Sony, this is about Canon. I don't think the bottom door is that bad, haven;t heard of one breaking yet. The face recognition stuff and area focus is hit and miss, you may just want to stick with center focus. The colors are pretty true and it's amazing how dark it can be and still get a picture in without flash. Overall it's an improvement over my last pocket camera (W1) but not in sharpness. Overall it's the features and not the image that led me to this one. Favorite color setting is Vivid because Normal is just too flush.

Simply Awesome
I just upgraded from the Canon s400. Amazing camera and has been very good to me over the years. I wanted some new technology, Digic III and the IS system. This camera so far is perfect. I do not have the 'crappy' door issues that some other users have as I am used to it with Canon products. The door on my s400 was the same and NEVER broke as a result. This camera is small and light, just about perfect.

If you are upgrading you will be amazed how quick this camera is. Starts up fast, takes pictures quickly, just excellent. The 207k res. LCD is excellent as well. From my other Canon to this, the screen is light years better.

Need an upgrade? Buy this 800IS.

Need a new camera? Buy this 800IS.

impressive
I just got this camera today. I'm no expert on cameras but what little time I've played with this thing I really like it. I started looking for a new camera about two weeks ago. When I started I was overwhelmed. I think I read every review on every camera. Then I got really confused. So I went with my gut and got the SD800. I was very impressed with it. I think anyone looking to buy a camera would enjoy this one. I got mine from Amazon and was very pleased with the service.

Why we cannot stamp the date on the photos other than postcard mode?
It is a big design flaw. The camera only allows you to stamp the date on the pictures for postcard mode only (1600 x 1200). Is there a way to work around this issue?

Great Camera
I was in the market for a new camera with more megapixels, smaller in size and weight and a larger lcd screen. I already had a Canon Powerpoint A400, and it is a great camera, so I wanted to stick with Canon.
A friend told me about the SD800 IS so I read some reviews and checked it out and I went with it. I absolutely love it! Easy to use, clarity is fantastic, and it is really light, even with the battery. Overall, I really like the camera and I recommend that one should get this camera if they're thinking about it...you won't be sorry.

LOVE it
I got this camera about a week ago to replace my old SD200 that died and I am having a ball with this little thing. I do a lot of photography so I need a camera that takes good, sharp pictures consistently and this camera really delivers. I'm absolutely in love with the image stabilizer. I can actually use the digital zoom and still get a sharp picture. I'm amazed. Another plus about the image stabilizer: you can take low light pictures much easier. I took a picture recently of a carosel at dusk and its completely clear.

Another criteria of mine is a very minimal delay between pressing the button and taking the shot. Most of the other cameras I tried out had at least a half second delay. This camera doesn't have a delay. At all. You press the button and it takes the shot that second. The only exception is in low light when the shutter stays open longer but thats a different matter all together.

I also love all the little features. I haven't quite figured out all of them yet but this camera has a color accent feature that will pick out one color and put the rest of the picture in black and white. Its really fun to play with. There seems to be a setting for everything, so you can get the perfect shot every time and not botch the special moment.

The LCD screen is amazing. Its so clear and has awesome colors. It also flips the pictures for you so no matter what orientation the picture is you can see it full screen. The buttons and menus are really easy to figure out, but then again its identical to all the other elphs so i already knew how to work it.

I haven't printed any images that I've taken yet but I'm pretty sure that they'll be good. Overall, i just love this camera. I was sold the moment I saw how clear the pictures were, even on 10xs digital zoom. Everything about it is just perfect for every use.

Gutted at crappy front row U2 photos, this is the camera I bought...
Picture this... front row, first U2 concert in town for 8 years, I'd been in line in blistering heat since 7am in the morning for an 8.30pm start, saw an awesome opening show and took a stack of shots of the band on my trusty OLD Canon IXUS II that looked great... until I got home!

I couldn't believe that 80% of the shots I tooked looked rubbish, were blurred despite my extremely stable hands and looked like they were taken from 50 metres away from the stage rather than 5. To say I was gutted was an understatement. I felt like throwing my IXUS II into the bin... right after dropping it 3 stories out my window and going down to jump on it a good half dozen times.

I quickly did a search of the web and found that problems like this are common with digital cameras and that others too had taken 80% of blurred shots under similar conditions with older models of this camera. Some suggested using the timer so that the hand pressing the shot button didnt cause the blurriness but that wasnt what I wanted to do. A little more web research and I came across the 800 IS... and I'm pleased to say it worked a treat for the other U2 shows I saw.

I wanted to go with Canon as my friend (a professional photographer) suggested that they were an excellent brand and top quality cameras. After reading several glowing reviews on Amazon UK and other internet reviews, I purchased this model. I'm so glad I did. The image stabilizer works well under night time concert conditions. Moreover, it has a function so that repeated shots can be taken with very little delay between shots... fantastic! Also, it allows manual adjustment in ISO speed up to 800.

The image quality of this camera is light years ahead of the others - the shots are clear, sharp, crisp and clean, not to mention CLOSE, with only the occasional blurred shot, but the ratio of good to bad is well in favour of the good. Great for low light photography. The video function works well also taking great little videos although the amount of space it takes up can be huge (400mb for 4 minutes or so), although that's probably me just not understanding the settings all that well. The camera also has a wonderful zoom function including a digital zoom. Its LCD screen is large and image clear (unlike the older model I had). The functions are easy to understand and use. Personally, I find the desing attractive, although not as nice as the 900.

I'm still exploring the camera's other features although I have to say that I'm more than happy with my purchase. The one obvious downside is no battery monitor... i found with my other camera after a while the battery life ran down so that I could no longer go out for a whole day of traveling and take photos on the one battery and with this model you'd not get any warning that your batter was going flat.

Other than that, I enjoy using it and it's small and compact, which I love for traveling as I can just put it in my pocket and take good shots on day trips. I'm sure the Canon 800 IS will provide me several years of good use.

Lots of technology - poor pictures
I have the SD700 IS and decided to "upgrade" to the SD800 IS. While the new processor seems to help focus speed a little bit, the pictures (especially) indoors are worse than the 700 and are very grainy. I wish Canon would focus picture quality instead of technology features. We seem to be going on a downhill slide in that area.

Canon is hard to beat
I've had older Canon models, but this is a quantum leap. Extremely easy to use (without even looking at the manual) taking great pics right out of the box. Controls and options are way better than on older models. One of the reviewers complained about the design (small buttons etc.) which I can see as an issue only if you're Shaquille O'Neil. All the buttons are very well laid out, simpler and easier to access menu options than with previous generations of cameras.

Stunning picture quality (Canon was always one of the best) and great image stabilization feature. Check out reviews on dedicated digital camera web sites and look at some of the competitors' reviews. You'll have hard time finding anything better in this price range that combines all of these qualities in one single camera - size, ease of use, options/features, battery life and picture quality.

Just get a nice, fast SD card at least 1-2Gb and enjoy. This camera is a lot of fun and a keeper.

Terrific pocketable camera
I've had the SD800is for about two months now, and it is definitely the best 'grab and shoot' camera out there. We took it out of the box, charged the battery, and started taking pictures in full auto mode. Out of 100 pictures we took the first day, all were usable. The handling takes a little getting used to because it's so small.

I purchased this model specifically for the wide angle lens and because it has an optical view finder (which helps when shooting outdoors in bright sunlight.) My priority was to find a camera that I can carry with me at all times and will always get the shot. This one does not disappoint. For situations where I want the best possible picture quality, I carry my bigger camera.

Great new pocket-sized camera
I read so many positive reviews of this camera that I decided that it was time to replace my beloved KonicaMinolta Dimage X. I'm glad I did. I just got back from Israel and Jordan. I took my new SD800 as well as my Nikon D70. The SD800 more than held its own. The colors are fantastic, and the image-stabilization works very well. The wide angle lens produced superb landscapes. I like the fact that it is one of the few of the newer compact cameras that retains an optical viewfinder. This camera is worth every penny.

Another great Camera in the Canon Digital Elph line
I just spent a good 1/2 hour here reading reviews on the SD800 IS, and didn't agree with many of them so I had to write one myself. I have previously owned Canon's S400, S500 and SD550. I usually pass my previous cameras on to family so I can get the latest and greatest, and once again I am not sorry I did. I am extremely happy with my 800 IS. I quickly charged my battery, then took 60 photos or so using every feature I could find in the camera. Macro, flash, no flash, wide, telephoto, B/W, sepia, vivid, you name it. I couldn't take 1 bad photo even if I tried! I loved the results in all of them. My only complaints were test shots at ASA 800 and up. Yes, those will be very noisy and unusable, but when printed in a 4x6 size how bad will it be, really. Not much worse than film cameras at ASA 400 or 800. How many situations will you find yourself in needing that high an ASA rating? This camera is beautifully built, it looks and feels expensive and I think it's a quality built camera. It is not a tank like my old S400, and it's lighter than the SD550 but it does not feel or look cheap. This is an outstanding small camera. As for soft or blurry edges at the wide angle setting, NONSENSE. I just can't see it in my photos. If you are a previous Canon Digital elph owner and want to upgrade, go for the 800 IS. I picked this one over the 900 because I didn't like the looks of the 900, didn't care for 10 megapixels (when is it enough?), and the 900 did not have the IS feature, which is outstanding on my 800 IS. It really works! I took many photos indoors without flash, hand held and they were unbelievable, with excellent color balance. My flash photos seemed to cover the room just nicely too. I just loved every photo I took today with this camera. So, I don't know what all the whining and bickering is about, but this is one fine piece of camera engineering. As for the battery/SD card cover, yes, it's light and plastic, so open it carefully the way you should handle a $400 camera. There must be many clumsy people out there who break things. I never have, especially with my cameras. So, do I regret giving up my SD550 for this 800 IS? NOT ONE BIT! Both are outstanding cameras. I did a lot of research before forking over the cash for my next camera, and I'm glad it led me again to the Canon line. If you want one, treat yourself. I also hope I have made your selection easier for you. Between my wife and kids, my siblings, my nephews, brothers-in-law, you name it, they all have digital cameras now. We see many crappy photos, but almost never from those who went with the Canon Powershots. What does that tell you?

Picture quality does not live up to the hype
I upgraded to this model from the Power Shot A80. I have been a loyal Canon fan for years, and I was excited at the glowing reviews the SD 800 IS was getting. I was mainly drawn to the SD800 for (1) its small size (it easily fits into a shirt pocket); (2) the image stabilization, which everyone has been raving about; and (3) the 9-point autofocus and face detection.

I've been using the camera for a month now, and the results have been largely disappointing. The photo quality just isn't very good. The photos I have taken are not noticeably better than - and sometimes worse than - ones I took with my 4-megapixel A80. Everything looks gorgeous on the LCD screen when you first take the shot, but when you pull them up on the computer, you have noise, noise, and more noise, especially if you shot in Auto mode. You can reduce the noise in manual mode, but it's still noticeable. And the lens has a very low depth of field, even when you have autofocus turned off.

Friends have told me I'm expecting too much from a point-and-shoot. Maybe I am. I have concluded that if you go with a camera this small you need to be willing to sacrifice optical quality. And I am not.

Whether this camera is right for you depends on what your needs are. If you're looking for a convenient and feature-laden camera to basically capture snapshots, maybe this camera is for you. But if you're interested in creating crisp, publication-auality photos, look elsewhere. I'm going with a digital SLR instead.

Disapointed with picture quality
I was looking to replace my Cannon Digital Elf S300. I've had it for 5 years and was looking for something better. I was originally going for the Cannon SD630 but decided to upgrade to the Cannon Powershot SD800IS. After getting it home and trying all of its features this is what I found.

1. The pictures have alot more "noise" (grainy) in them than my old camera's pictures even on the automatic setting. And of course the higher you manually set the ISO the more noise you'll get. The pictures looked flat with no depth to them and sometimes the colors were a little more washed out than my old cammera (which by the way was the same price as the SD800IS 5 years ago.)

2. I bought this camera for low light pictures. It doesn't really do much better than the other camera's because they all have the same small flash size. I tested with over a hundred pictures and different settings and it still didn't impress me.

3. As far as the color swap feature, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. I tried replacing red with blue and all's I got was a blue tint over the whole picture. I also tried color swapping my daughters shirt from pink to black and I just got the same thing - black tint over the whole picture.

I have to be fair and say that other than these issues the cammera seemed to be fine. But I'm taking it back because for that kind of money I expect it to take better pictures than my old cammera and it didn't. The only advantage it has is a bigger LCD screen and I care more about the quality of pictures it takes. I think Cannon went cheap on this product. They don't even use the Carl Zeiss lens anymore. He switched to Sony.

Great camera
We bought this camera for a trip and I couldnt be happier. The features in this size camera are amazing. Granted I've been using a old Kodak DC280 2MP camera for the last 6 years and was happy with it for what it was, it was time time move up for higher resolution, low light capability, wide angle, and ability to do movies. I'm not a camera guru but have taken some nice pics with my old Nikon SLR.
I've only had the camera for a couple of weeks and have taken ~ 500 pics so I'm still learning all the features and quirks but here are some observations
The not-so-great:
1. zoom only moves in steps so it's sometimes hard to get it exactly where you want it.
2. Funky on/off button
3. No button for playback... you have to rotate the not-so-easy functon dial.
4. Function dial is small and it seems like it couldn have been designed better ( Although I love the small size of the camera ).
5. I havent owned a Canon before but other reviews point out the fact that earlier models were all metal. This one is metal on the front and plastic on the back. Not a big deal to me but the plastic will probably have worn off paint after some use around the corners
6. Plastic battery/memory card door probably could be better designed.
7. Other reviews said pictures look "soft" and I'd agree with that. Not quite as crisp as I wouldn have hoped for. But editing the pic's a bit can help that.
8. Photo stitch software isnt as easy to use as I'd like and doesnt work perfectly... some pic's the border between pics is blurry.
9. Plastic door cover over USB jack feels a little flimsy and I worry that the plastic piece that holds it on might break someday after continued opening and closing.
10. The camera is a little slippery without any type of textured gripping surfaces and I worry a little about dropping it.
11. To delete all pics on the memory card at once, you need to go into the menu system and select that feature but cant do it easily from the review mode.
12. When taking video's, the focus seems to be locked at the beginning of the shot.. if you zoom while taking a video things will be out of focus unless you return to the original zoom level when you started the video.

Pro's
1. Size matters... Easily fits in a pocket and thats worth it when traveling.
2. Image stabilization seems to work well.
3. Fast start up... turn it on and you can take pictures immediately
4. Great pictures and great in low light.
5. Feels solid and optical viewfinder works with the zoom (although with the LCD display I rarely use the optical viewfinder)
6. Beautiful LCD display... very detailed and crisp.
7. Auto image orientation works great.
8. Color accent feature is fun to play with
9. Having up to ISO 1600 availible is nice although you definately notice more picture noise at ISO 800 and 1600.. especially noticable at 1600
10. Face detect feature works great. I'm amazed how well it works.
11. Battery life is good and the compact charger travels well and works european voltages just fine.

Overall, I'm not disappointed in this purchase and would buy it again.
Battery life is good. I bought an extra battery off amazon for less than $20 just in case but never ended up using it on our trip.. as long as you charge the battery every day one battery got us through 1 day... although we didnt shoot much in the way of video's and that might drain the battery quicker. It's a little expensive with so many other options out there but for the size and features it was worth it to me.

It works for me
I think this is a great camera for its size and price. But don't expect it to do the job of a larger and more expensive camera.

I consider myself to be serious about photography, and I have an EOS 20D as my main camera. But I'm not going to take that everywhere, so I need a small point and shoot camera for snapshot occasions. I've taken this approach since film days, when I had a Leica Mini (way bigger than this camera) for my "little" camera.

I was in the market for a new "little" camera, and the key things I wanted--beyond taking good pictures--were a 28mm equivalent wide angle capability, a viewfinder, small (but not necessarily tiny) size, and an underwater housing. Then this camera came out with all of those!

Another feature I like is that it can mask the LCD screen to show a 3:2 aspect. I normally crop to this aspect in Photoshop, and while I generally take pictures through the viewfinder there are occasional shots where this ability to check the framing is useful.

Some reviewers have complained about softness at the edges at the extreme wide angle. I haven't noticed this, but I haven't used it for the sort of picture where it would be critical. (I'd choose my 20D for that sort of situation.) If you want wide angle photos that are uniformly sharp across the frame you probably shouldn't be using a pocket camera. There is only so much manufacturers can do with optics that will fit in a camera this size.

I think the construction of the camera is fine. There is always a compromise among weight, toughness, and price. Canon has made reasonable choices here. This camera may not be the best choice for every photographer, but it isn't reasonable to ask one camera to be the best choice for every situation.

Judging this camera against previous small cameras I've had and my expectations for it I am very happy. Judging it against my 20D it does better than I might have expected, but I never intended to judge it that way. Expecting a camera that costs less than 400 dollars and fits in your pocket to do what an expensive SLR with an expensive lens can do is silly. Even comparing it to a camera that costs twice as much and weighs three times as much is silly. But what you get for the size and price is terrific.

If you want a small camera that takes great pictures and can go wide this is the one!

More than satisfied--glad I upgraded before my vacation
This was my first digital camera upgrade from an old Olympus circa 2000--maybe I'm easily impressed. This camera worked out great for a recent vacation... and I'm glad we didn't lug around the old camera.

The biggest concern I had was the shutter delay. Apparantly all non-SLRs have some delay but I couldn't find any definitive information about this particular camera. Again, perhaps all modern cameras are similar to this Canon--but I can say without a doubt, that if you pre-focus you can take action pictures with this camera. I am impressed.

My ultimate reasons to choose this camera were:
--wide angle lens
--size


Surprisingly useful features:
--image stabilization (one of those rare features that actually has great utility and not just marketing value).
--video capture (I just didn't expect to ever use it and it's quite fun).
--"scenes" for auto-settings. The aquarium setting worked great for example.

Negatives:
--corners of wide angle lens are definitely soft and off color sometimes... but, really, it's minor and the primary drawback found in any wide lens. I find the gripes about this issue a bit unwarranted because I think all similar cameras have (effective) 35mm lenses. Bottom line: I love the look of wide angle that I'm glad to sacrifice a tiny bit of quality to get the great shots.

--Flash is not that great. Personally, I found myself using the "AUTO HI" ISO setting (where it's still auto-ISO, but tends to use higher values) in order to take low-light photos. They're grainy, but if you have at least some light I still like the results better. I don't know if the flash is just poor at picking the right power for the subject's distance or what--but the flash pictures just didn't turn out that great.

Regarding the review comments about the flimsy battery cover... When I first saw this I thought, "oh, is that all they're talking about? who cares" The door cover on the battery is fine. It's not metal like the rest of the camera case but it's fine. However, the cover for the AV and USB cable hook up is totally flimsy. It has this plastic tether/hinge thing that makes me very concerned... however, it seems to be well designed and simply "feels" cheap. Even if this fell off I wouldn't be terribly concerned. I guess my point is that the battery/SD cover is fine!

Finally, something I noticed as I was optimizing a bunch of vacation photos today...the exposure and color balance is awesome in this camera. Again, maybe I'm just easily impressed but if I had gone through 30 images as I did today with photos from that old camera I know I'd be using Photoshop's Auto-colors or Auto-levels to improve at least half of them. I barely touched any of the photos from this camera. They really are quite close to perfectly balanced.

Nice camera, I didn't like it
Mine had a minor defect, a loose "DISP." button, so I ended up returning it and getting an SD700 which I am very happy with. Some other things I didn't like about the SD800: the LCD screen does not fit tight against the back of the bezel, the battery door really is flimsy, too many chrome plated plastic pieces, is the image quality really as good as the SD700?. On the other hand, there are a lot of things to like about this camera: 28 mm (equiv) wide angle lens, face detection really works, good low light/high ISO performance, and many other great features. It's a nice camera, but nothing in the material world is perfect.

Superb, a keeper!
I have had my SD800 IS for a couple of weeks now and after reading forum posts, I have finally learned to work well with the wide angle and you can't beat it. I also have an S230 which I still use and it still takes excellent pictures. I also have a Fuji F10 which I bought for the extremely long battery life and great night shots. All cameras have their pros and cons. I don't think you can beat the color quality of a Canon photo. The SD230 had a minor flaw where I had to check to see if it was in video mode or shooting mode, because the switch would easily flip from one to the other. They fixed that with the SD800 and now it stays in place. I like the size and portability of the SD800, it's as easy to carry around as a cellphone or drop into your purse if you are a female.

This is the only camera that I don't shoot in auto mode. I just think the pictures look much better if you shoot in manual and select an ISO like 80, or if you use SCN mode. At any rate I'm learning, and the more I fool with it the better the pictures look! For example at wide angle, some may be disturbed at the physics of perspective, buildings tilting inward, that kind of thing. It's sure easy enough to correct with any software that has perspective correction included. For me it's Paint Shop Pro. Many of my shots are indoors, at family and work events, and at least the wide angle gets everyone into the picture!

After having owned other digital camera brands, I do still come back to Canon for the beautiful color rendition of the pictures. I'm going to keep the SD800 IS!! Oh, and one more thing, I bought a 1gb SD card that folds in half and makes its own usb connector, eliminating the need for a card reader! That's great for traveling. I do any deleting, etc. from a card reader or the folding usb SD card, because it holds enough pictures to where I don't want to use extra battery power. I don't see where I am forced to use the date stamp, and don't, but then I'm still learning. I'm beginning to believe that one can't have too many digital cameras.

Doesn't work with Windows 2000
The camera takes great photos, and I can easily download to a Mac. However, ZoomBrowser Ex 5.7 will not install on Windows 2000. It's supposed to, but it generates a useless error message and bails. I have several older Canon cameras, but the older version of ZoomBrowser Ex (5.6) refuse to acknowledge the PowerShot SD800. I'll be returning my camera - it's obviously useless if I can't get the photos off of it.

Best in class.
Sure, there are some legitimate quibbles about the SD800. For example, while generally solid in construction, the USB and video out are hidden behind a remarkably flimsy cover. In fact, when you pull back on the lid, it feels as if the slightest additional force would break it, although so far so good. And, yes, as some reviewers have noted, the mode changing dial might be difficult for someone with clumsy fingers.

You also should know that, while it has a manual mode, this is a not a camera for someone who wants to tweak apertures or shutter speed. It's a point and shoot, after all. That's the category. If you want more, look elsewhere. So, that isn't a complaint. It's just a caveat to those who aren't fully sure what they want out of their camera.

Also, some have complained about the camera being "only" 7.1 mega-pixels. This kind of "insight" doesn't really help when looking at cameras as light, small, and easy as the SD800. Certainly, if you need to make prints bigger than 16 x 20 (after cropping), then perhaps you should be concerned -- and ought to be looking a something other than this point-and-click beauty. This camera is about a beautiful form factor, easy portability, and stunning pictures, not making posters.

These points being said, the SD800 is a very special camera. I've owned a number of digital cameras (Fuji, Nikon, and Canon), and checked out way too many cameras before I purchased the SD800. The picture quality is superb--the best I've seen under most conditions. It's incredibly fast on recharge, focus, flash, and picture snapping. It also has a wide-angle lens that grabs enough extra real estate (and people) to make far more stunning pictures than the typical lens on a point-and-shooter. The SD900's lens pales in comparison. I dare you to see for yourself!

As for overall build, this is a solid, virtually all metal camera. Would it survive a 12-foot fall? Maybe not. Few cameras would. My last Nikon broke on a 5-foot fall. That's life. Just keep it on a strap.

This is a great camera. The camera to get, in fact, if you want gorgeous pictures, a great lens, and more features than you can shake a stick at, including amazing optical image stabilization that really works, and software that identifies faces in a shot and makes sure they all look as great as they can.

Defective camera in low light
This camera is packed with features, I love the image stabilization and the wide angle. However, in low light conditions with flash, camera produces white spots. I tested it out on 2 SD800s, both on a tripod, with flash in lowlight, and both were producing white spots in random locations. I ended up returning them and make sure you get the re-stocking fee waived.

I set up the SD400 for the same test and it was fine.

I would consider waiting till this issue is resolved.

Excellent Little Camera
Great little camera. This is my third digital camera and my first Canon digital.

The image stabilization feature is what sold it for us. We purchased this as a replacement for our stolen Sony DCP-100. We liked that camera a lot and looked to Sony for a replacement. But after reading reviews and handling the Sony's we weren't impressed at all.

In looking back at the photos we had taken with the Sony we realized how many of them were blurry. So we went with the Canon as it was one of the only cameras in our price range that had Image Stabilization. We have already noticed a difference in our picture quality. IS is an excellent feature for a camera this small as the slightest movement of your hands passes directly to the camera.

Battery life seems good so far but we haven't really stressed it yet.
All of the hatches for the various compartments seem a little too delicate for my liking, but I thought the same thing about the Sony and it never failed.

I don't like the fact that I have to remove the battery from the camera to charge it. thats a lot of moving seemingly delicate parts just to charge the battery. Why can't it charge through the USB cable?

The other issue I have with the camera is the finish of the front of the camera. It is VERY delicate and scratches VERY easily. I suggest buying a case for this camera ASAP. I delayed purchasing a case and now have scratches on mine. Our previous Sony had scratches too but only after two years of use and still weren't as noticeable as these after just two days.

Overall we are very happy with this camera. The menu is easy to use and set up for your preferences. The big 2.5" screen is bright and works well even in bright sunshine. The buttons have a very solid quality feel.

It takes better pictures than the Sony it replaced and we were very happy with that. The macro mode could be better as it doesn't allow me to get as close to a subject as I would like but that inst a deal killer as I don't shoot that many macro images.

Overall a great point and shoot camera that anyone should be happy with...from first timers to professionals just looking for a pocket point and shoot to carry around. But then again it should be for $400. There are better values in this category (i.e. Panasonic) but this one had the best mix of features and quality for our needs and wants.

PROS:
Small size
Image Stabilization
LCD display
Fast start up and easy to use

CONS:
Delicate hatch covers
Must remove battery to charge
Delicate front surface finish scratches easily

Awesome camera
We have had the camera for a week and took a lot of pictures at Christmas. Every picture turned out, even pictures where the sun was shining in the window behind subjects. We haven't even tried the manual settings yet and all settings have been on automatic. We wife had a Kodak camera and always had some pictures out of focus. Not one picture has been out of focus. We are very very impressed.

Best reason to upgrade your point and shoot
I have a Canon 1DMarkII Pro DSLR and all Canon L series lenses. I studied photography and love manual control, BUT I also want to take my camera everywhere for those impromptu moments. For a point and shoot, I want the camera to be well priced and take great pictures on auto mode, yes, AUTO - otherwise I might as well take my professional camera body with me. Another reason why I want Auto mode to work as advertised is because I want others to hold this camera and take photos of me. How many times have you let others hold your camera only to find the image blurry or not focused on your face.

I've owned or used regularly the Canon Powershot S50, S60, SD700IS and now SD800IS. You'll find lots of technical data reviews on the SD800IS but I'll focus on actual usage for the average person who's not a technical data freak.

I upgraded from the S60 to the SD800IS for the image stabilization. Higher megapixels is not a reason to upgrade a relatively new camera, but Image Stablization is. You'll get much better shots period. All point and shoots suffer from the problem of camera shake; Canon IS works! You'll also be able to shoot at lower ISO's resulting in less grainy photos. Most point and shoot cameras work well at ISO 100 and progessively get worse above ISO 200, the SD800IS is no exception. Bottomline, image stablization helps you stay at ISO100/200.

Yes, this camera is feature packed and the buttons are sometimes hard to push but there's no perfect small camera. The problems people write about, I can live with it, it's not as bad as it sounds and I quite like the buttons on the SD800IS. The power button is nicely recessed so you won't accidentally turn it on - this is usually the biggest concern for me since I put in my pant or jacket pockets.

The images are amazing. With the IS and face detection capability, anyone without photography training can take great photos -- the #1 complaint for most amateurs are blurry shots or where the camera has not focued on the person's face. Canon has done a great job with technology that works quite well.

The images are sharp and look good printed. It's not as good as my DSLR but it rivals any other point and shoot of its size and weight. I'm also not sorry they dropped RAW recording format as from what I've read, with these small sensors the difference compared to JPEG is not noticeable. The battery lasts a long time unlike the older Powershot S50/S60's. Sure, the camera body is a bit plasticky, wish it was more solid, and you have to be more careful about not dropping it. Same goes for most other point and shoots so the problems people are nitpicking about with the SD800IS are typical of other cameras in its size and price range.

The video is also fabulous and works great with the image stablization. This camera is perfect for a new dad like me who wants to always have a camera around to take pics and vids of my child.

The wide angle lens is also handy. I'm more likely to use wide-angle to get group shots indoors than the telephoto range. Not many point and shoots have the 28mm wide-angle range so you're sure to notice the difference in family shots in tight spaces like living rooms.

The gravy on top feature has got to be the Grid Lines feature for rule of thirds (helps you compose your shot) and 2:3 aspect ratio (if you're printing 4x6 and want to avoid cropping wrong areas). The LCD screen is bright and works well on sunny days.

The flash is a bit weak, but that's the same with all point and shoots. Add a $129 Metz 28 CS-2 compact flash and this camera is set for anything. I carry the SD800IS and Metz compact flash in 2 small custom-fitted $10 neoprene cases that I found on eBay and this setup goes with me everywhere. Hardly noticeable in my jacket pocket.

Bottomline: if you're looking for a new point and shoot, look for one with a wide angle lens (if you plan on taking indoor photos), image stablization and face detection technology. I'm not loyal to Canon just because I own lots of their equipment; I'll buy any brand point and shoot that meets my needs. After several months use, I'm still extremely happy with my SD800IS and believe it's the best point and shoot Canon has released so far.

I wish I could give it more than 5 stars
I upgraded to this from a Canon Powershot S40, and am impressed with everything I've used it for. The controls are easy to manipulate and understand, and the pictures are turning out great under varied conditions. The flash is powerful enough for all the shots I've needed it for, and I especially love how easy it is to vary the exposure so I can take pictures of people in front of bright backgrounds. I also appreciate the small size, and find that since it's easy to take it anywhere I'm taking many more pictures. Even so, the camera doesn't seem flimsy at all. Of course, the additional megapixels mean that I can crop my pictures and they're still big enough to print clearly.

The biggest surprise so far is how well it shoots video, something I hadn't even considered when I bought it. I took a short, impromptu video the other night, and it turned out better than my 5-year-old camcorder takes. Of course, it had to be short, but I was able to record the important part and even put it on YouTube. I've taken several short videos since, and they've been a great supplement to documenting our family holiday gathering.

I highly recommend this camera. Once you get it, make sure to study the user guide to learn about all of its amazing features.

Must have camera if you want to travel.....
Well, Image-Stabilized is a must feature for all the digital camera from now. This is a good beginning. I cannot live without this IS feature. I can shoot picture with 1/8 second with flash with my hands. Life is totally different and great with this camera. LCD screen is large, my wife loves to view all the pictures. Wide angle is the other must when you travel, trust me, you need it. However, you need to know how to use this camera "Right". Otherwise, you cannot feel this is an "Angel". I know it has soft corner issue. But so what, if you only print on 4x6 paper, you don't even see or feel it. If you want to print on something that is larger than 8x10. Then, get the Canon or Nikon pro camera, this camera is not fit for you anymore. So, just enjoy your life with this camera! By the way, Canon digital image processing beat the hell of every the other brands you know for sure because they are the pioneer of digital image processing. Don't expect any the other brand will out perform Canon in any near future. It is not easy to build up that system to be the pioneer in digital image. So, you won't go wrong with this camera. Why wait!?

A Great Overall Package
The two main reasons I bought this camera were:
1. I wanted a camera with an optical view finder;
2. The 28mm (35mm equiv.) lens which allows easier indoor & outdoor scenery pictures.
The rest of the cameras features compare equaly or better to most in the price range. The build quality seems really good, and feels solid for a small camera.
In conjunction with my Dig. SLR I have all I need to get the pictures I want.

A mixed bag.
What I want from a digital camera: High quality photos, wide angle capabilities, at least some manual controls, good build quality, compact size.

I bought this camera because I wanted a small wide-angle camera. My Canon S80 is great, but just too big when all I have is a little purse. I thought about the Panasonic/Lumix wide-angle cameras because they have slightly more manual controls than the Canons, but after trying one for a couple days, I wasn't happy with the picture quality. I tried the Casio Z850, which I loved, but no wide-angle. (But if you have to have manual controls and a tiny camera- that's the one for you).

So I've settled for this guy. I can't complain about picture quality, but I wish there were manual controls. Also, the design leaves much to be desired. The mode dial is difficult to use, the battery/SD door is difficult to open, and the door to the USB outputs, etc. is extremely difficult to close properly. All I can say is that I'm happy I'll never open that later door again.

So if you want wide angle in a small size, go with this. Otherwise, I think there are better options.

Really great camera!
This camera does everything I hopped it would. I just took it on vacation and couldn't have been happier. The battery lasted quite a long time. The photos look amazing!

Great Camera
The wide angle is superb! Easy to use, good battery life as well....a little big, but takes great low light shots as well......just wish it had a 4X6 reslution format seeing that's the standard that all photos are printed at!

So far, so good.
I just started using this camera, so I don't have much to give...but, from the little time I've spent with it, it's great. The image stabilization is fantastic, especially when you're zoomed in -- I have pretty shaky hands, and the picture came out perfect with the camera completely zoomed. The LCD would be cooler at 3" instead of 2.5", but it's big enough. I was a little thrown off by the LCD at first - it looks grainy, so I thought my pictures would come out that way - but no, the pictures are great quality. The only design feature I can complain about is the little (tiny, actually) knob that changes mode (play, shoot, etc.) -- it is very small, and a little hard to turn sometimes (especially when you're in a hurry to get that perfect shot in time!)...other than that, everything else seems excellent. The face detection feature is excellent - considering 99% of the pictures I take are of my son. I especially love the way you can turn the camera in play mode, and it will automatically rotate the picture so you're still looking at it right side-up. Very cool.

Excellent point & shoot camera
This camera is an Excellent point & shoot performer. It is pocket size, very fast (very little shutter lag), and takes excellent photos. Image stabilization works great. It's hard to get a blurry shot. Coupled with a fast SD card, shot to shot times are very quick. This camera is worth the slightly high price.

Canon PowerShot SD800 Pocket Camera
My decision to purchase a Canon product was strongly influenced by many years of good experience with earlier Canon cameras. I had owned an AE-1 35mm film camera for more than 20 years and a Powershot G-2 4 mpx digital camera for the past four years. When the G-2 was stolen I decided that I would replace it with a smaller, lighter, pocket type, point and shoot camera. Canon has a fairly wide selection of models in their Digital Elph line covering a range of prices and features. I selected the SD800 because it was the only one that featured a wide angle lense (28 mm equivalent) and an attractive 3.8x optical Zoom. The camera has an impressive number of features, some of which I am still learning about. In the two months I have owned it it has lived up to my expectations. It is small and light, fits easily in a pocket, appears to be of high quality manufacture is giving me excellent pictures.

Perfect Camera
I like this camera for great oportunity in it.Canon PowerShot SD800 is easy to use and makes nice pictures.I don't have any claims to it.

SD 800 review
this camera is a good product with drawback on its plastic battery cover. The sliver plating wear out quickly, no very appealing!!

SD800 review
Very easy to use and high quality pictures.
Software is easy to use as well

Quality, value, reliable brand, etc.. Buy one today!
I've now had this camera for about 6 weeks and I really love it. It came with me to Colorado for a world cup ski racing event in early December and I was very impressed with just about every feature. The first day we were there, it was minus 17 degrees, with the wind chill at minus 33, yes, below zero. After about 3 hours, my cell phone battery even died out, which really surprised me that the cold puts that much drain on a battery. However,my Canon stood through it all quite well and with power to spare at the end of the day, I'm happy to report.As a long time, avid skier, I have always taken along a camera to bring those shots back home from around the world and I'm glad that I did. However, when preparing for the day in the morning, laying out all the necessary stuff to take along ,I would dread carrying those few extra pounds of camera in my pocket and little by little, would eventually begin to leave it behind and then miss out of course on the best shots of the day. My last camera, a Canon power shot A 80, about 4 years old has been handed down to my 12 year old daughter as her back pack always has about 20 pounds of gear in it anyway and she doesn't seem to notice the difference.
I love the speed at which the camera "boots up".It's ready to shoot in about 2 seconds. I also take a lot of close up people shots, which the wide angle is absolutley perfect for. It virtually guarantees me a good shot with the wide angle lens. The video format is great too. Make sure you buy a 1 or 2 gig card. Night shots are also great with the image stabilization feature.Overall, a really well thought out design and a very functional all around camera for just about anybody, regardless of their camera experience. Great job Canon!

Great Camera
I did a lot of research before purchasing this camera and I'm really glad I did. I wanted a camera that not only took fabulous pictures, but would last us for a very long time. So far, I am very pleased with the quality of pictures and the features the camera has!

Excellent Images In A Small Package
For someone who enjoys photography, but doesn't like to lug a big camera, the Canon SD800IS is an excellent choice. You can drop it in your pocket and take it with you on hikes, walks,etc.and it's always ready to capture that image you would otherwise miss. The images are sharp and it is ready to capture them immediately after hitting the power button. What it doesn't have is manual settings like apeture or shutter speed, etc., but save that for your "lugging" camera. I find myself using the SD500 more than my Canon S2is, which does have the manual settings.

takes a bit of learning
the anti shake feature does not live up to expectations. Otherwise, a good camera.

Great camera!
For a compact camera this takes really great photos. While shopping for digital cameras some features you want are rechargeable battery pack and image stabilization. This has both.

Great Camera
This is a great camera and has many unique features usually found on more expensive or larger digital cameras. The wide angle lens is fabulous and the overall feel and design of the camera is great. Setting the ISO above 800 leads to some noise in the picture, but the low light picture taking with this camera is superb. The image stabilization is a must have feature. I won't buy any camera in the future that doesn't have this. The learning curve for using this camera is a little daunting, but worth it.

Canon SD800
I'm vary happy... have had no problems at all... the battery life is excellent... the operation is vary intuitive

Owned many cameras
I used to have the 3.2MP Powershot. It was very good but is now un-retreavable at the bottom of Lake Superior. The SD800 Stability function makes for much clearer pictures, the camera is much faster. The older 3.2MP would miss action shots because it was slow not the case with the SD. The battery lasts twice as long.

Amazing!
I just got my new camera and I love it! It's very simple to use and the battery lasts for days. The picture quality is amazing and the time between taking one picture and being ready for the next is extremely fast. I'd suggest this camera to anyone looking for a new one.

Great camera
Received this camera for Christmas 2006 and it works like a charm, large LCD makes it easy to see. This camera makes great pictures.

User friendly
This is the second Canon camera that I've owned. I've found it very easy to use and the picture quality is superb.

Excellent Camera
I own a Canon Powershot G4 4 MP camera. At the time of purchase, it was the top of the line camera. I have been completely satisfied with this camera, but it was getting a bit dated and was larger than the newer cameras on the market.

When I decided that I was going to upgrade, Canon was my first choice....boy I wasn't disappointed. The SD800 IS is literally twice the camera at half the price and size as my G4. The LCD screen is "huge" in comparison. The 7.1 MP is more than enough resolution. It's small size makes it the perfect point-and-shoot pocket camera.

The image stabilization (IS) eliminated the blurred images from my pictures and now I can even record video!

I can't recommend this camera high enough.

A great all-around camera...
This camera (and all Canon SDs in general) is perfect for a non-professional photographer. It produces great quality pictures, is easy to operate, and offers many features that are both useful and fun for the user.

Top Notch Camera, Very Pleased!
I've owned this camera for about 2 months now and am extremely happy with it! Prior to my purchasing this one, I had several other Canon cameras (s45, a400, s1IS) and, overall I was happy with them, but they had some limitations and downfalls as well. I decided to sell them all (while I still could!) and use the proceeds to upgrade to the SD800 because it had everything that I every wanted/needed (image stabilizer, AF lamp, large LCD, W-I-D-E angle lens, and very small, compact size) and more!

I frequently take pictures of various kitchen/bath remodeling projects that my company does and I found myself really needing a wide angle lens. The SD800's works GREAT! For instance: Previously, if I wanted to take a picture of something like a small bathroom, I was forced to try and take 3-4 pictures using stitch assist mode, and then spend 15+ minutes on my computer trying to cobble them together. My results were mediocre at best though because stitch assist is really only designed/suited for large, outdoor panoramas. Now that I have the SD800 with its 28mm wide angle lens, I can get the same type of shot in ONE picture and the resulting image is usually perfect, and requires no extra computer work on my behalf. I love it!

This camera also takes excellent pictures of people and animals, as well as outdoor scenery. It produces colors that are very accurate and "true to life". It powers on very fast and is easy to operate. The power and operational buttons, as well as the menu interface are arranged nicely (logically) and work well. The flash seems to be adequate for the lower light indoor and night shots that I've tried. The image stabilizer is a fantastic feature that works great! (I've tried turning it off/on for comparison and the difference really is "night & day"). The 2.5" LCD is a very nice/welcomed feature and is very bright and sharp, and the battery seems to last a very LONG time before it needs re-charging! (Without a doubt, the SD800's lower power consumption/battery life is a HUGE improvement over the previous models that I had).

I usually find myself using the full auto mode (which works beautifully), but I like the fact that I can switch to the manual or scene modes and adjust a few settings if I need to, or just want to play around a bit. I haven't experimented with the facial recognition mode yet, but from reading other reviews it seems to work very well. I don't really have any use for the movie mode, (yet) but from my limited experimentation, what I can tell you is that it works very well for short "candid" clips of a few minutes in length--precisely what its intended purpose is. (Not professionally videotaping a 2 hour concert!)

I've read some other reviews where people are complaining about this camera's "cheap appearance" or saying "it feels like it's going to break apart at any moment" ...or that (get this) "it's a piece of junk because it broke when they "accidentally" dropped it". I'm not sure what other cameras they've used, what they're comparing the SD800 to, or what they expected to happen when it fell to it's demise, but I would wager that those people are fairly inept, tend to find fault where there isn't any, and have no accountability for their own actions. The truth is, the Canon SD800 camera is very well made, looks great (I think anyways), and has a very "solid" feel to it. It's a precision engineered instrument though (read: computer with a lens) and if it were "dropped on the floor"...or "off a balcony" (accidentally or not) it would be only logical/reasonable to assume it WOULD break! (What would you expect? What camera wouldn't break?) Most, if not all camera manufacturers (including Canon) include a nice little wrist strap with their cameras (you can buy/make one also) that can be worn to prevent the camera from being "dropped on the floor"...or "off a balcony"! The wrist strap is a pretty simple concept, and it's really easy to use! Just attach one end of the strap to the camera, and place the other end of the strap around your wrist, Problem solved! Now, If these people can't understand that, they probably shouldn't be using a nice camera like this, and would be better off using disposable cameras...or, perhaps a box of crayons and some drawing paper. Also, I have yet to take any pictures using this camera that have any noticeable barrel distortion or pincushion (blurry corners/edges) using the wide angle or zoom. I don't see ANY problems with the location or operation of the on/off power switch. The battery doors construction is just fine, and the operation of it, and the round mode selector dial is easy if you use your thumb to slide or rotate them. (Respectively)

My only real gripe is that Canon (as well as other manufacturers) insists on providing a cheap, "throw away" memory card with their cameras. In this case, it's a puny 16MB card. What's the point? It's grossly inadequate. In order to get the most out of this camera, you will need to purchase a larger capacity card. I bought a 1GB Ultra II which works well, and seems to be very adequate for my needs. (I usually use the M2 setting and superfine mode)

Bottom line: This is a pretty remarkable camera that, if treated with reasonable care, (ie: kept in a "sunglass sleeve" or dedicated camera case when not in use, and used with a wrist strap when it is) should provide its lucky owner with years of service and very high quality pictures. It really is a top notch camera and easily earns my 5 stars. I love it and highly recommend it!

No gimmiks here. It just works
I've had this camera for a couple of weeks and I must say that it's as easy to use as any powershot camera from canon. It's fast, and pictures come out beautiful. Face detection is neat and works well for me. I love the fact that it's a 28mm lens. I can take a picture of myself at arms length and it looks like someone's taking a potrait shot of me :P (perfect for those parties where I would take pictures of me and my buddies at close range)

Great camera
Takes great pictures and movies as long as you keep it in the fully automatic mode. In the mode where you can change some of the parameters, I have not been able to reliably take good pictures.

It does just about everthing my $2700 Canon 5D SLR does!
I bought this camera for my wife so she could easily take many of the typical family pictures that I traditionally have taken with my sophisticated and expensive Canon 5D and the like! I took pride in using all of the fancy things my "sophisticated" cameras could do along with their expensive lenses. Well, much to my surprise this little bugger can do just about everything I can do with my Canon 5D! OK, it won't do exactly what $2,000 to $5,000 worth of lenses does with the 5D, but it does a heck of a job for less than $400 in a package that fits in the palm of your hand!

Good point-and-shoot
The feature set on this is bare-bones compared to some similar sized and priced cameras I have used, particularly in regards to manual settings, but it takes very nice pictures in most settings on its own. The wide angle lens and 3.8x zoom are very handy and unusual features for a camera this size.

Canon SD800 - compared to our A610
After returning our Canon a610 to futureshop for repairs on the lcd (it went green) and finding out that it would not be back in time for the holidays (a long story, i'll say), we decided to pick up a new canon to take with us.

Being very happy with the performance and quality of the 610, as a camera and the pictures it took, we decided to go with another Canon. Looking at a few models, the sd800 looked like a good option, with a 7mp resolution vs. our 610's 6mp, IS, which came in very handy during the holidays (we took 1600 pictures in about 16 days), and a familiar user interface we were well used to.

Initial use of the camera was great. My wife was VERY happy with the form factor, being able to drop it right into a pocket, vs. the 610 being about double the size, considering all the dimenions.

Then about 5 days into our trip, as we were heading towards the active lava fields in hawaii for a hike out to the lava, and our camera died! Battery dead! Ugh! It was fairly late in the day, so we decided to head back to our cottage, recharge, and head back to the lava flows the next day. What had happened, was I had charged the camera the night before, then decided to transfer the pictures over to my laptop, and forgot to turn the camera off overnight, draining some of the power.

In any event, after that, we looked in the manual to see what the average lifespan/picture capacity was on a single charge. The manual said around 300 pictures w/ lcd, and 600 or so w/o. The battery pack being around 1100mah, I realized the difference. We normally use 4 AA 2300 mah energizer/dynacharge rechargables in our 610, which last -forever- and easily can take over a thousand pictures (i've never sat and tried to take that many), the sd800 has only 1/8th the battery capacity.

Overall, I would highly recommend the camera, as a great quick point&shoot, small compact you can toss in your pocket, purse, backpack, etc. If you decide to buy it, I highly recommend that you get a second battery pack for it. They swap in and out very easy, and will save alot of grief when you're vacationing somewhere and run out of battery power. The recharge time on the batteries is great too, around an hour or 2 to completely recharge.

dwight s.


ps: Just a quick note I forgot to mention in my review. After taking numerous pictures, I printed 62 5x7s, 10 8x10s and 3 11x14's from pictures taken with this camera, using walmart's online photo service (they are across teh road from my office).

It was the first time I had really printed large size digital pictures and I must say, i was -thoroughly- impressed with the quality of the shots printed at 11x14 and gave them to my wife for christmas. She was quite surprised and very happy to see the shots printed and framed.

We've got the two canon's now, the sd800 and an a610, and i would say we've completely switched to digital photography from 35mm film. I would suspect our next camera will be a canon digital slr - a friend of mine has one which i've used a few times, and I really like it.

Excellent, solid compact camera
The SD800IS is an excellent sub-compact camera. Most importantly, the images are very sharp, especially for a sub-compact. It is very easy to use and I like the fact it still has a view finder when shooting in bright light. I also really enjoy the macro feature for real close-ups. I have not yet fully explored the most advanced features of the camera. The lack of full exposure control is the only limitation, but the auto modes are working for me pretty well.

Terrific camera
I've gotten great pictures. 3 of my friends have bought the same model after seeing my results.