Canon PowerShot SD780IS12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x

Awful. Time to try another camera brand. Adios Canon consumer products.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I’m a member of Canon Professional Services and make my living using Canon cameras.

I have owned a number of point & shoot digital cameras, all Canon.

First the good. The 780IS is sleek and tiny. For a $200 camera, it creates pretty darn good HD video. Much better than expected. Nice still images on bright sunny days with non-moving subjects.

Unfortunately, we (bought for my wife) didn’t buy for its video capabilities, but to mainly capture images of our young kids. The Canon 780IS is a train wreck in the photographing moving kids department.

The shutter lag problem is the big deal breaker here. Push the shutter and wait wait wait. Holy cow, is anything happening? finally a photograph is made, literally 1 second, sometimes 2 seconds later. The 780IS is the absolute worst digital camera i have ever owned. AVOID it at all costs if you’re taking photographs of anything that moves (kids, pets, smiles, emotion). In low-light or a with a moving subject this thing performs worse than my very first powershot (circa 2000). Amazing that Canon would put out such a POS.

excelent but seems to be fragile
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I had a Canon PS 710IS and decided to change to a SD 780IS due to the tiny size and portability

Pros:

Tiny size ans easy to carry

Good quality movies

Fast shutter – allows to take more than 2 pictures in 2 seconds

Excelent battery life – taking more than 200 pictures with one full charge

Contras:

Seems to be fragile – don’t drop it

poor optical zoom – should be at least 4 x

do not use rechargeable common batteries

Diffcicult to use special effects and faetures

For my amateur and sporadical use due to the excelent portability this camera fits.

Love It
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is my first digital camera and I find it very easy to use. I bought it for a cruise and it took wonderful pictures. I purchased it in red and my husband purchased a black one. Highly recommend this camera.

A wonderful itty bitty camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I did a lot of agonizing between the SD940 and this camera. After all the 940 is almost the same camera, but with a slightly bigger screen, and slightly better optical zoom and wide angle. That’s a lot of slightlys. I had ruled out Nikons and Fujis only because I really wanted the HD video, and I love that it’s a MOV format instead of an AVI. (yes I’m a mac user). In the end I bought this camera because it was $169 on Black Friday and at an 90 difference I see no reason not to go with this camera. Currently at a $50 difference, I would say if you happen to have the extra cash, and those slightly better features are important to you, go with the 940 – but I think if you get this camera I think you would be quickly happy and forget what the differences were anyway.

This is a TINY camera. It’s quite a bit smaller then my iphone! When you are recording video, and I found the quality quite good for such a little package, make sure you don’t cover up the mic on top while holding the camera, which is easy to do since it’s so small. The IS works really well, I was amazed at what I could hand hold in low light. Macro is quite good as well. A feature I really like is you can have your playback display show both the whole photo and a 100% zoom so you can see the noise and focus quickly, which is super handy. There is not a lot of manual customization on this camera, but there is a program mode where you can control some things like slow syncro flash, WB, etc. I really wish it came with a case, but canon does make a case specifically for this camera, and you can get it on amazon.

I usually hate software included with cameras, but I was forced to try it out, because the camera does not mount as an external drive, so I needed it to import photos using the camera’s usb. Surprisingly I find the software pretty handy, particularly for trimming videos. I would recommend something else for actually enhancing your photos though.

All in all, I love the size, love the video, enjoy the photo quality, and highly recommend this camera.

Great Father’s Day Gift
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera as a Father’s Day gift for my husband. He absolutely loves it. It arrived in plenty of time and was priced comparably with like cameras advertised in the newspaper. The size makes is great for carrying to soccer games or orchestra concerts. Great present.

Perfect for vacations
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought this camera from Amazon, came quick. This is my third digital camera, my first was purchased in 1999. This camera is compact, I actually used the Video much more than taking photos. For best results, you should use Windows Media Play, download all the appropriate software at http://www.afterdawn.com to view .mov files, very smooth video. Quicktime application did not do such a good job. I have Dual Core 2, with 2 gig mem on my laptop. Canon did not include Mini-HDMI to HDMI, so I had to buy one for $11 from Amazon. I highly recommend the 16G SD with this purchase, it will record about 1.5 hr in 720P HD video. that is all that you will need. I played with the manual settings, but auto mode is really the way to go, results were great. The photos appear to be a bit soft compare to my current compact camera. You should also buy a flexible, bendable, mini-tripod with this camera.

A great pocket camera for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
One of the problems with writing camera reviews is that people never consider the “space” which this camera occupies in the market. For example, I know that a $200 point and shoot camera will never take as awesome photos as my $3500 digital SLR, or even as my Powershot G10. But at the same time, I’m not going to go out on a night of drinking with my friends and bring a digital SLR because a) it’s expensive and b) bulky.

Having said that, I’m really impressed at the output of the pictures. At the default high resolution JPG, I was blown away at how crisp the images were. At higher ISOs, the photos became progressively noisier – but that’s a problem that’s common among most point and shoot cameras. I’m not too worried – again, this is a camera I’m taking out and about and taking snapshots, not trying to be Annie Liebovitz. Prints at 8×10 look fine.

The 720p video is rather slick – even while goofing around taking videos, the videos were of decent enough quality that I’d be happy posting them to YouTube or Facebook. And no “rolling shutter’, which is kind of cool. I’d recommend getting a Class 6 SDHC card for the camera, so it’ll write the HD video fast enough to the camera without having to deal with dropping video. The optical zoom doesn’t work in video mode, but digital zoom does. Digital zoom, in my experience, generally leads to awful photos and videos, so I try to avoid it all costs.

The SD780 is easy to operate, and there’s virtually zero learning curve if you have experience with other Canon cameras.

One of the common complaints is that the camera’s casing will attract dings, scratches and other things that will keep your camera looking less than pristine. If you’re going to be buying this camera, you’re better off spending $25 extra to get the Invisible Shield cover for this camera.

For under $250, this camera is great. It’s smaller than my Blackberry and wallet, and makes up deficiencies by being a petite camera that fits in virtually any pocket.

Perfect truly portable memory maker
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I really wanted an HD camcorder, but haven’t gotten one due to prices, the fact I would need to buy a new computer to process the AVCHD files, and the nagging voice of reason that told me I wouldn’t use it as much as I think I would (based on my past experience with a Sony Handycam gathering dust in the closet). But I knew I needed something to capture my daughter’s moments. So far, I’ve been suffering through using the standard dev video on my Panasonic point and shoot which hasn’t been a bad experience, but the video quality can get quite dismal. So I started shopping for the new compact “pocket” camcorders ala Flip Mino HD and Creative Vado HD. After days of procrastination, ordered up a Vado for larger hard drive size, larger viewing screen, and cheaper price. Then I learned that the new point and shoots produce HD video. After cursing myself for my failed research, I went down to Best Buy and picked up the Canon SD780. I didn’t think I would keep the Canon just because I didn’t need another point and shoot but once I did a side by side video comparison with the Vado, it was a no brainer. The video colors from the Canon were more vibrant especially in lower light. The Canon also picked up sound much much better than the Vado which made people sound like they were far and tinny. In the end, the Canon won out and I have absolutely no regrets. It fits in the pocket nicely and is easy to manage. The still pictures are high quality Canon photos and having the still picture functionality is just an added bonus for me.

Good things come in small packages
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic camera. I moved up from a 5 MP Sony Cyber-shot. It was small and the pictures were good, but this is truly amazing for its size. The battery life is excellent and the media is coming down in price. It will read up to 2 TB SD cards, when they eventually get around to making them. I bought a HDMI cable to camera connector for my HDTV and the movie I made looked like it was made professionally.The “anti-shake” system worked beautifully. I couldn’t be happier with this camera.

Great Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Just go to auto mode and shoot away. One of the smartest Auto modes I’ve used in any camera. Picture is kind of grainy at 100% but who cares. I don’t upload 4000×3000 images anyway. Great, solid feel. Buttons are small but still very much usable.

Nice Camera with HD video.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My SD750 was dropped to the floor and the lens cover is broken. So, I got a chance to look around for a new camera. It comes down to ZS3, SD780IS, SD960IS, but end up with SD780IS mainly because size, capability HD, good indoor shot quality, and the price is pretty good.

The result is great, better photo quality compared to SD750, but video quality is much better. And it felt very small in hands, and fit very comfortably in jean’s pocket. And one bonus I got is I can reuse almost everything from SD750.

Excellent camera for the price
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Think about this – this is a $220 camera. For the price, you get a real compact camera with HD video capability.

Camera review:

1) Great size. It’s amazing they are able to cram everything on something this small.

2) Great weight. It is real light and not a drag in my pocket when I’m wearing shorts or khaki pants.

3) The LCD screen is good. 2.5 inch is more than you need to do quick reviews, deal with the settings, etc.

4) The viewfinder is quite small but who uses that for point and shoot cameras anyway.

5) Buttons – no problems with using the buttons or the zoom knob. I have large hands and can navigate pretty easy.

6) Quiet – the motor is noticeably quieter than my old Canon SD600.

7) Picture quality – excellent as always. I tend to shoot in normal mode with either 12 or 8MP and the quality looks great. This is a point and shoot so you are not going to get vibrant pictures as you do with a DSLR. However the quality is real good so I have no complaints here.

Zoom – I like the 3x zoom. No problems. I think the digital zoom is okay but then it’s not always good on any point and shoot.

Video review:

1) Great video. It outputs in 720P HD quality. Nice look and feel when viewing on a computer or on tv. HDMI port is a bonus on the camera.

2) Only drawback is you can’t optically zoom while filming. But then think about the size of the camera – so plan your shots accordingly before filming. You’ll get good video clips for the web to share. Not going to produce an oscar-winning film with this

Overall:

What else can I or anyone else say? Great camera for all the features offered for $220. I love the color, red, too. Nice to have a different color than the same old silver or black boring colors.

If you are curious about the quality of pictures or video, go to Vimeo or Flicr and do search for SD780. It should be enough to convince you to buy this.

Enjoy!

I Love This Little Gem
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this camera. It’s just what I wanted. I am the owner of several canon cameras so when my last canon died after several years of heavy use, I knew that canon was the only way to go. I went in search of reviews of highly recommended small cameras. After reading many reviews on different websites the Canon SD780IS captured my heart. I love the gold color. The pictures that it produces exceeds my expectations. It’s very easy to use straight out of the box. This camera has many features that one may never use but is there if you ever need them. Haven’t played with the video much yet so the jury is still out on that. I love that it is so small it fits in a pocket ready to pull out at a moments notice to capture that can’t miss picture. I highly recommend this camera to anyone no matter your level of photography experience.

Great camera for a novice photographer!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had been looking for a camera for awhile and this one peaked my interest. i had diligently read reviews and was impressed on ratings and comments and decided to buy it. upon receipt, i understood the buzz. for a novice photographer like me, this makes my pics look like i know what im doing. im so very pleased with the picture quality, ease of use, and all the features this little camera has to offer. im very happy with my purchase

Amazing camera very small and beautiful, and superb photos.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Excellent wide angle (5.9mm)lens with 3x optical zoom to 17.9mm. (That’s the equivalent of 30 to 100mm in 35mm camera jargon.) The lens is stabilized (IS) and it works well. The wide angle is necessary for interior shots and for landscapes. Stabilization can be selected as continuous, only at shooting, or off for tripod work.The LCD (2.5in) is smaller than several of Canon’s SD series, but allows the presence of a bright optical view finder. I consider an optical view finder to be essential for operation in direct sunlight. Photographs are recorded as JPEG, and are magnificent at ISOs up to 200 (above an ISO of 400 noise starts to become apparent). I usually print them at 16×20in on an Epson Stylus PRO 4000. The camera will also record sound (monaural) and High Definition (HD) video (16×9) at 1280×720 pixels, 30 frames/sec as well as standard definition video. Movies are recorded in the MOV format. The program ZoomBrowser EX on the included CD contains a function to convert MOV files to the AVI format. The conversion is a bit slow taking about 10 min for a 1 min clip. The HD movies played on a 42in plasma TV are stunning. On a 16GB SDHC card, the camera will take over 5,000 photos at highest resolution, or about 90 min of HD video. The camera has a mini HDMI port, so videos and/or photos can be displayed on a HDTV through an HDMI cable (sold separately). The SD780 IS offers a large number of shooting modes. I often use the Macro mode to produce 16×20in prints of small flowers that on the final print are 4-times life-size. The camera comes with all the bells and whistles currently offered on many of the newest (and far more expensive) DSLRs. For example, the self-timer countdown can be set to start only after a new face enters the frame. Although most of my photography is with a medium format film camera using Velvia 50, the Canon SD780 IS produces comparable results, and it is always in my pocket. An amazing 12.1 megapixel camera! Congratulations to Canon!

Great little gift.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this for a friend, and it’s been working great. We love it. Seller shipped right away, she opened it just before the holidays, and she’s been using it daily since. It’s a great camera for someone who wants one, and doesn’t want to spend the money on a huge camera. It’s durable feeling, and has had no problems so far. This is the third Canon PowerShot SD I’ve bought. I have an older model for myself, and a newer for my mum, and this one for a friend. They all work great!

owner
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Nice machine. The only thing I do not like is the need to keep the camera really steady to take a photo. Once you get that down you can snap some nice pics.

Great Camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Our last digital camera was seven years old and stopped working. We normally don’t take that many pictures but there were a few times that my wife wished she had one and when I needed one for work, it was time to start looking. My cousin has the ELPH 1200 10 MP and I noticed it took great pictures. After reading reviews and checking out consumer reports we went with the Canon 780 12 MP. At first my wife thought it was too small when she took it out of the box. However, after charging the battery and using it, she can’t put it down.

It is so simple to use and so conveniently small, we almost always have it with us. We have been taking pictures for weeks, even on vacation, and only recently have we had to charge the battery for the first time. The battery lasts a very long time.

I don’t have too many technical aspects to report on, I’m not that camera savvy. I do have to tell that I needed to upload pictures to a site but they were too large. The manual has easy instructions on how to reduce the size of the megapixels and that solved the problem after taking new pictures. For an easy to use, everyday camera that you can take anywhere, I would definitely recommend the ELPH SD780

A great purchase!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera takes amazing pictures! I’m an amateur photographer at best but was able to capture a spectacular sunset that was chosen for a national website! This camera is small but powerful and very user friendly. I couldn’t be happier with it.

SD780IS Review
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera has been great. I went to a couple concerts and took some great HD video. I also was able to take some great photos. I don’t think there is a better point and shoot camera on the market right now. It’s like having a Flip and SD canon camera all in one. Canon for the most part has always had great support for their products.

A True Pocket Camera with HD Video
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just purchased this Canon on a whim, earlier today at Best Buy. I have been tinkering with it for the majority of the evening. My previous SD300 is still working like a champ, however I have been considering a video camera for some time…after some peering at the video camera counter I wandered over to the point and shoot table… what initially drew me in to the SD780IS was its appearance on the display stand. The sleek matte-black body is very eye-pleasing…then I looked at the specs. and realized that it shoots video in HD! (1280×720) Then all the other attributes made me realize that it was time to update my “everywhere, anytime” camera.

I proceeded to check out some of the other Canon SD cameras. The SD960 became the other candidate…it has a little more glass(4x)zoom, over the SD780’s (3x)zoom. The SD960 has an appealing f2.8 apeture over the SD780’s f3.2. The SD960’s screen is more tailored for the HD video capture as it has a 16:9 ratio LCD panel. (Kinda nice for instant viewing ON THE CAMERA)

After some thought I went with the SD780 for these reasons:

1. The HD video capability is awesome and comparible with the SD960. It has a HDMI jack. The traditional 4:3 screen does not bother me, because the video is ultimately going to be viewed on a HD TV.(There will be an upper and lower bar on 16:9 playback through the SD780’s LCD).

2.The weaker 3x zoom is not a big deal as this camera is for general shooting(out w/ freinds, bars, random afternoon at the beach, mountain biking, etc.)and with this camera EASLIY fitting in my jeans pocket or camelbak, the portability is what gives me the opportunity to document those moments, that would otherwise be missed. The SD960 is a little bulkier(but still small). I do also shoot with a Canon 40D, accompanied with L optics, but the weight and bulkiness do not lend to certain shooting circumstances. (as mentined above)

3. The user interface on the SD780IS is like most (if not all?) preceeding SD cameras. While there is not much control in the way of shooting settings, feature buttons like flash override, AE lock, AF lock, and exposure compensation are present on the camera body. The SD960IS has two buttons and a jog wheel, which lend to swims in the menu. I’m sure the new interface on the 960 is intuitive, but I liked the 780 due to its similarity to my old SD300.

I am very happy with the results produced thus far with the SD780IS. The HD video is excellant, however it should be known that once recording you can only zoom digitally. Low light cabilities and sound in video mode are excellent. The stills I have taken look great. Also, to the budget-minded who are upgrading from older digital point-and-shoots, a class 4 minimum 4GB or 8GB SDHC card would be well suited due to the demanding memory of the 12.1 million pixels, and HD video. Also, most old card readers will not process the the SDHC cards so you may have to purchase a new card reader as well.

I have to mention it again…the small size of the Canon SD780IS is mind-blowing…and the functionality actually mirrors its beauty.

My thoughts
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have a Konica Minolta Dimage X1 8MP Digital Camera with 3x Anti Shake Zoom (Cradle Included) which I love and have used for years but my problem was that only I could take pictures in focus with it. Which defeats the point and shoot aspect of a small camera.

So a few years later I upgraded. After reading reviews of all different brands and testing them at my local electronic super store, I decided on this Canon PowerShot SD780IS12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black).

I am very happy with it and will continue to recommend it to friends looking for a new camera.

Its smaller than my old camera which was the smallest at the time and has a 12.1-megapixel resolution. Being able to carry the camera in my front pocket with ease is what I love about small cameras.

It takes great pictures, but most importantly to me is that other people can take great pictures with it and the camera stays in focus. Which means I can ask a stranger on the street to take a picture of something with me in the shot and it turns out every time. Very important to me.

Setting the camera to “smart auto” automatically selects an appropriate setting from 18 specially defined settings when I take a picture and it works.

Optical Image Stabilizer works like a charm to help with the hand shakes.

The face detection is awesome and works well thanks to the advanced DIGIC 4 image processor in the camera. A Face Detection Self-Timer automatically detects an increase in the number of faces and makes the appropriate adjustments so you can set up the family for the picture, jump in the group and still get a perfect shot. The camera knows when you are in place because it can “see” your face.

Red eye correction works as it should. Either the camera can be set to remove the red eyes from the picture when it detects them or after you take the picture you can go back into the picture while it is on your camera and remove them. Its easy to use and works.

The camera feels very well made but if you have a hard time pressing small buttons beware the camera has only small buttons. Not a problem for me though.

HD video mode works great and looks better. The HDMI out port makes hooking the camera up to my HDTV a snap. 280 x 720 resolution, 30 minutes / 4GB

Love the 100% all black

I am very happy with this camera and look forward to using it as my pocket camera for years to come.

The simplicity review: Why I love this little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
It’s easy to get lost in feature lists and technical comparisons. I’ve done that with lots of devices, and certainly I could do so here. But my new-camera needs were fairly simple, and the bottom line is that this little gizmo fulfilled them all.

My husband used to be a professional photographer, and he is still most comfortable with a camera that gives him a lot of control; he wants and needs an SLR, and he cheerfully will adjust F-stops to get a photo to look just-so. Cool; he can have a high-end camera. But I’m a typical snapshot photographer who merely wants to record her vacation photos. I don’t pretend to be a good photographer; I just want to create pictures that aren’t embarrassing.

I want something simple enough to use without memorizing a manual, too. I like that I _can_ do more with the camera than the basics… but I especially like that I don’t have to remember how to twist a lot of knobs.

My needs were short and sweet: I wanted a camera small enough to carry with me that could make up for my weaknesses. (My 5-year-old Canon was too big to fit comfortably into my laptop bag, so I had to be really motivated to bring it along on a trip.) The PowerShot clearly fit the bill on the first requirement; it does literally fit into a breast pocket, so I actually have the camera with me. It’s fast to turn on, too, so I can be fairly spontaneous.

It’s solid, so a klutz like me can drop it without worrying too much (not that I admit that I’ve done this already…). And – okay, this sounds dumb, but it matters – it’s RED. So I can find it lurking at the bottom of my purse, otherwise known as The Black Hole From Which Nothing Emerges.

Primary among my weaknesses (the photo-taking ones, let’s not get too personal…) is a bad case of hand-shake. All too often, my pictures were out of focus, because I tend to move as I whack on the button. The PowerShot’s image stabilization delivered admirably. I took 88 pictures on a recent trip, and the only pictures that are out-of-focus are because someone was actively waving his arms while he was talking.

One extra that I appreciated — and I would never had shopped for — is the camera’s ability to identify faces and focus on those rather than, say, the potted plant next to my subject. I can tell that the camera is doing a better job for me; certainly my first batch of photos has a higher success rate than anything I’ve done previously. That feature certainly has changed the way that I look through the viewfinder.

I haven’t used the camera for video; I have a Flip Video for that use, which is even more dead-simple than this. (Perhaps this makes me sound like a Luddite. In reality, I’m a software geek. But I don’t care to be a geek about EVERYthing. I like convenience, too.)

Weaknesses? Well, I do agree that the on/off button could be a problem for people with big fingers (though it’s fine for me). And the place where I plug in the USB cable to connect to my iMac seems like it might be fragile. It probably is just fine; it just *looks* like I could break off that connector during a brain-dead moment.

But man, I love this little camera. It’s simple enough for me to use, but not so stupid that it gets in my way. That’s just what I wanted — and it might be exactly what you wanted, too.

Excellent Camera for its Size
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera mainly due to its size and ability to shoot HD video. I upgraded from a Sony DSC-P8, which took pretty good daytime pictures but horrible low light shots and the shutter lag was ridiculously long. Also, I couldn’t fit the camera in my pocket because it was so thick. This camera is an improvement in all of those categories. Of course I understand the Sony DSC-P8 is an older camera and most new cameras would be better.

This is the smallest, slimmest camera I have ever owned. I also have a Canon XSi DSLR which allows for more flexibility and takes professional looking shots but its by no means compact. When going out with friends or on a short trip, I’d much rather take the Canon SD780 IS which I can fit in my pocket. I also purchased the Canon PSC-1050 camera case from Amazon which is made specifically for this camera, as stated on the packaging. If you buy this camera, you should also get this case. Why buy a small camera only to buy a bulky third party case?

To me, the low light shots are acceptable for a point and shoot camera. The pictures still have a little bit of noise to them if you zoom in on your PC, but no where near the shots I took with my Sony. However, even though the noise is much improved, the sharpness of the pictures suffer a slight bit. The older Sony was better in this department. Overall, the low light shots taken with the Canon look much better than the Sony. I have no complaints with the daytime shots.

The shutter lag is also much better than the Sony. You can forget taking pictures of moving objects with the Sony. It sometimes took 3-4 seconds for the camera to take the picture from the point of pressing the shutter. The SD780 IS still has a shutter lag of about a second or less depending on the shooting conditions. For shots of moving objects like children and pets, I have my Canon XSi.

The buttons and on screen menus are easy to use and understand. Due to the small size of the camera, the buttons are small. I sometimes have trouble pressing the correct button. It’s not a major problem though. I would rather have small button and a large LCD than the other way around.

Overall, I am very pleased with the camera. I never expected it to be perfect since its a rather inexpensive and compact point & shoot camera, but it exceeded the expectations that I did have and serves its purpose well.

Wow
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
can’t beat this camera especially for the money. For years I’ve wanted a small camera to shoot both video and stills and not only is it here but it shoots HD and you can go super high quality on the pictures. All in an inexpensive Very compact little package. I wish I could get around using it’s software to download pics and video but it’s okay and it’s a small price to pay for an awesome camera.

best camera i’ve owned!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is simply fantastic. It has everything you could really want all packed into this tiny little elph! Takes great photos, the automatic scene feature is outstanding and works flawlessly. Macro shots look professional and the HD video is superior for a digital camera. My only complaint is no optical zoom during movie mode (only digital, which distorts the picture). Shoots well in low lit areas when using flash, otherwise pictures are a bit grainy. The camera is very attractive in design and small enough to take on the go. Battery life is average, but it only take 90 minutes for a full recharge! I’m glad I purchased this instead of the Sony w290.

Great little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been using the new Canon SD 780 for about a week now, and I like it. I’ve been a Canon point-and-shoot fan for some time. In my opinion Canon has the best optics. I have a Canon G10 for higher-end photography and although it is a compact camera, it is not quite a pocket camera. I wanted something I could easily keep in my shirt pocket all the time and the SD 780 fits the bill perfectly. I find that I shoot a lot less if I don’t have a really compact camera available. The SD 780 is Canon’s smallest camera to date.

It’s easy to use and the Canon layout is excellent. The buttons are small and it may take a day or two to get used to them, especially if you have big hands. The HD video is really great and noticeably better quality than the 640 x 480 mode of my G10. My quibbles are few:

– 3.2 maximum aperture instead of the usual 2.8

– No optical zoom in the movie mode.

– Grainy images at ISO of 400 and higher. This is a problem with most point-and shoot cameras, even my G10.

Overall, considering the very small size, it’s a great camera.

Great Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was really impressed by the pictures and the HD video I was able to take with this camera. I purchased this as a replacement for my older SD800is which I thought took great pictures. The only thing I would have liked to see was a bit more zoom, the camera is so small that if they made it slightly larger to accomadate more zoom it still would have been a smaller than average camera. It has an HDMI port but they do not include the cable you need to connect it to your tv out of the box. Those are only minor annoyances, I would definitely reccomend this camera to anyone looking for a compact that takes great pictures and video.

its a great camera but u need to be careful
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
you can get crisp beautiful pics but u need to have the right sunlight and the right setting on ur camera. basically u need to know how to work the thing, so read the manual before u freak out.

Great gift
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My husband purchased this camera as a gift for me last month. I absolutely love it. My previous camera canon powershot A720 was good too. I love everything about this camera.

Pros:

Easy to use

Simple controls

Nice settings

Bright LCD,

Excellent quality,

Good battery life,

HD Movie

Cons:

No superfine setting

Low-Light Performance

great camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera has many upgrades from it’s older Canon SD versions. It’s tiny in size but has all the features I wanted. It’s AUTO setting is amazing. It’s so smart that I dont even need to adjust anything I normally did in MANUAL setting

Tiny, Fantastic Camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is my 5th digital camera, my second TINY camera. It is absolutely miraculous what Canon has stuffed into this little package. I am mostly interested in close-up photography of flowers, mushrooms, insects and other small subjects. I also want a camera that can fit in my jeans pocket – this is it. Usually I have to fiddle with settings to get the lighting/focus right, but this camera does an excellent job on FULL AUTO. I’ve uploaded a couple of insect photos – take a look at those.

Like all small cameras with a small flash, photos of subjects that are farther than about ten feet away don’t always come out perfectly exposed – for this reason. I use the flash as infrequently as possible. Within the limits of the flash, it does a good job of illuminating faces and objects and not overexposing. It also achieves focus lock quickly – unlike other cameras I tested before purchasing this one.

The metal case (I bought the red one) feels substantial and sturdy, not cheesy. The buttons are small but I don’t have any difficulty using them (I have average-sized female hands) but a big man might find it fumbly. It is REALLY small – about the size of a Blackberry Phone – with rounded corners. It slips easily into my front jeans pocket.

The image stabilization works very well – it is very hard to shoot close-ups of plants and insects without some movement – this camera eliminates the fuzz. Very impressive!

I always purchase an extended warranty for my digital equipment. SquareTrade offered the best warranty for the money. I’ve happy with my purchase and would highly recommend this camera for someone who wants portability and GREAT shots using the fully automatic functions, and who would like the option for programmability as well. There are MANY settings on this camera, I’m just not sure I’m going to need them!

powerful little pocket machine, amazing results
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
first of all, i cannot stress 2 things more:

–> read the manual before starting!!

–many people buy point and shoots for typical picture taking but neglect getting to know all the features, including several here that give you just enough room for manipulation that can produce magnificent results.

–key thing to remember….if you see the [DISP] symbol pop up on the menu as you scroll through your different settings along the bottom of the viewfinder, PUSH “DISPLAY”, as it opens an entire addtl menu of more options or adjustment settings! one of my friends who also owns a canon point and shoot was oblivious until just recently that he could “stitch” his photos or adjust colors b/c he never discovered the hidden options!

–> secondly, my use of this camera once again solidifies the one piece of advice i’ve received from pro photographers time and time again: if you have the eye, even point and shoot cameras can produce fabulous results comparable or even better than the next guy with the fancy SLR [ie my boyfriend! ]

For the rest, i’ll try to be as concise as possible, but please keep in mind that i’m just an ordinary consumer–i don’t know much about electronics and/or photography, so if something i comment on seems really irrelevant and/or obvious, then sorry! i’m just trying to point out stuff found significant or notable in comparison to my past experiences with other point and shoots.

also, I’ve posted an array of photos i took right after buying this camera…if anything, they should be enough evidence as to what a great product this is! (in the end, canon’s digital camera sensors never disappoint, despite how much others tried to steer me towards nikon!)

1. beautiful, sleek body that stirs up complements EVERY single time i take it out; however…

–buttons may seem a little small for big handed guys (i’m a girl w/small hands, and even sometimes the power button is a little annoying)

–actual menu buttons, however, seem very easy to maneuver

2. this little monster actually has a viewfinder….yay!!! don’t forget how important this is for when you’re standing out in glaring sunlight and can’t really see your LCD screen!

3. start up as well as capture speed is awesome…had absolutely no issues missing out on spontaneous and candid photo ops.

4. manual setting really requires conscious adjustment of ISO, as camera has a tendency to pick up blur with just hand held pics in normal cloudy daylight. however…

5. i’ve never seen a point and shoot take such beautiful night pics!!!

6. having the wide format option is awesome: it really made a 100% difference in many of my shots in terms of composition (although wish it was truly a “wide angle” type of effect…instead, black bars just chop off the original top and bottoms of your view)

7. video is great except frames-per-second gets noticeably jittery during quick movements by the subject

8. i shot the majority of my pics in “vivid” color, but this camera steals my heart by giving me additional opportunities to adjust color on the pic after its been taken (saves the edited pic as a copy)

9. battery life is great…i would take pics from day to night during my vacation, spending several seconds before each shot playing with composition, white balance and pushing the shutter button halfway (for focus) over and over again (vs just simply pushing the button), and battery still lasted 2 days.

10. 3X optical zoom is a little weak; however, not ever really a major issue from my experience…however, i DO wish optical zoom worked in video mode.

11. 3 parameters that i found myself adjusting most often for the best pics = ISO, light source (although seems like “cloudy” setting when outdoors always worked best, regardless of amount of sun), and color…also, sepia and black and white were very fun–often when the lighting was just too bright washed out colors, switching to sepia always miraculously captured textural details that produced just as beautiful of a picture

12. black and white mode seemed to be a little weak in its capture of contrast, depsite how much i’d try pointing around at different places for the white balance that i wanted.

13. rarely used flash in my pics; however, when taking outdoor daytime pics in which my subject was backlit, using the flash managed to operate effectively even when i was sure that i was standing way too far from my subject.

overall…i give this canon SD780 a 10/10, as it has by far been one of the best purchases i’ve ever made! i’m especially thankful that i had it with me during a vacation in which i had so many opportunities to capture more artistic images. it’s a relief to know it don’t need a big expensive camera to do that! hope this helps

Love the portability
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Love that this camera can slip into you back pocket. So far so good. I have always used a bigger camera so it takes awhile to get used to this little one. Pictures look great – I think you always wish you could have more zoom. The only downfall I have found so far (and I may be able to adjust it) is the lag time before you can take your next shot.

canon does it again
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
i purchased this as a replacement for my last canon digital powershot elph. i was in love with my last camera, but it was lost/stolen on vacation. i got a great deal on this camera, so i went for it although i didn’t actually need all those megapixels (12+!). after shooting with this camera for my friend’s wedding i found it easy to carry, attractive, and with many nice features . it shoots great pictures. i adore the sepia and black and white shooting features. i am still having difficulty with the auto-face-focus feature (not always accurate, but pics come out nice anyway), and selective foreground focusing, but its really a great camera. i recommend.

Not what I expected from Canon
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
My first digital camera was a Canon Powershot. It took excellent pictures in sunlight, but when my kids were born, I discovered it was not sufficient for low light or action shots. I then purchased a Fuji FinePix F20, which took excellent action shots (for a point and shoot) of our kids. When my F20 died, I wanted to go back to Canon if possible because I really liked the colors the Canon produced. I was betting that Canon, after several years, had improved their capability of taking action shots since Fuji had done so well with this.

After reading a good review in Consumer reports, I purchased the SD780. I used this camera over Christmas and had to delete most of the pictures of the kids due to blur. This camera performs very well in low light, but only if the subject is completely still. I also took pictures in direct sunlight, and those images were noticeably soft. This was surprising. If I can’t even get good pictures in direct sunlight, what good is this camera to me? I did not use the video, so I cannot comment on that. I also discovered that the comments on the battery/memory card door are accurate – it feels like it doesn’t close completely and is cheaply made.

I returned the SD780 and tried the Panasonic Lumix ZS1 (which did not produce nice color), Canon Powershot AS1100 (which took terrible low light shots), and finally went back to Fuji to purchase an F70EXR. Of course the F70 is larger and heavier than the SD780, but it feels much more like a quality camera and not a toy. Why sacrifice quality just to have the tiniest camera around?

Update: Returned the F70EXR due to purple artifacts and severe overexposure in sunlight (even on automode). I’m at a loss here…

Canon PowerShot SD 780IS
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Small, lightweight, stylish, great “purse” camera. Love the photos produced in low light situations. Flat buttons are the biggest challenge when using this camera. Camera’s slim design is very delicate and should be protected and handled with extreme care.

Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Gold)

Amazing camera!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m impressed with this camera. It’s very small and sleek and takes great pictures. It seems very durable and not cheaply built like other cameras. I was taking picutres all day and the battery was still half way full. This camera also shoots HD video and the quality is better compared to the nikon coolpics. If you shoot alot of video consider buying a bigger storeage sd card. I have one 8 gig and 2 gig and lasts me all day. This camera has many great features and a very nice LCD. It even has a tiny viewfinder. I highly recommand this camera to everyone.

Small and Portable
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I LOVE this camera, the quality of the pictures are incredible and the zoom is outstanding. My only issue is the static it has before you snap a photo and after you record a video. Aside from that I won’t trade it for any other

Love this camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love the simplicity of this camera. It’s a great size with easy to use features. Pictures are sharp and clear. I actually had an older model of this same camera that I loved. As I was taking a picture of one of my cats, he accidentally knocked it out of my hands and when it hit the floor, the lens was bent beyond repair. Hence the 4 stars on durability.

Great travel camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera as a replacement for a travel camera, I’m not a pro photographer so all the techno mumbo means nothing to me…. the end product (pictures and video) is outstanding for any size camera and when you consider it’s small size! wow!

Tiny and great HD video
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought the SD 780 because I wanted HD video. It’s HD video is great. Some other reviewers complained about the HD video being noisy, especially in low light. However, I found that the SD 780’s HD video was just as good as, if not better than, than other compact cameras’ video abilities in low light.

My one complaint is that the SD 780’s video format is now Quiktime .mov (all earlier Canon SDxxx used .avi). This can be slightly annoying if your computer runs Windows and you expect to use Windows Media Player, Windows Movie Maker, etc. to view/edit videos because these applications can’t handle the .mov created by the SD 780. However, you can easily get quicktime viewer to view the videos on Windows, and you can get conversion software to turn the .mov into formats that work with whatever software you use.

Cannon PowerShot SD780IS12.1 Review
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is far superior to my last digital camera albeit my last one was 5 years old. It would seem that digital cameras had improved a lot in five years. The Canon takes great photos with little talent needed by the operator. The only area that I give it less than a perfect score is “ease of use” – the camera was much smaller than I expected and as I have large hands its very compactness makes it a little award for me to operate.

Good purchase
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Light weight, easy to use, great pictures. Wish it had more zoom. But you get what you pay for.

Fine if you want a small camera
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera for my wife in April ‘09 so that it would be easier to keep in her purse when needed. It is indeed small and easy to carry around. This is our third Canon Powershot camera. I must say that the first one we owned took better indoor, zoomed pictures. This camera is awful when zoomed to the optical limit of 3x. (indoors) Outside the shots are fine. The HD video is impressive for a small camera. I just can’t get over the BLURRRRRR every time a shot is taken indoors. Hmmmmm, I thought his had that new feature called Motion Detection Technology. If only I could get back my Canon 2MP camera. Oh well!

Everything and more
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had researched several cameras before making this purchase. I typically take pictures with a Nikon D50, but I wanted a point-and-shoot that I could carry around more easily but still take decent pictures. This camera has not disappointed me. It’s tiny but incredibly sturdy, and takes excellent quality pictures. In addition, I had video recorded a Christmas concert, and when I played it on my computer I expanded the video to “full-screen” and the image did not become grainy at all. I love this camera. It’s an absolute steal for this price.

Great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this as my daughter’s Xmas present & she almost didn’t get it because I wanted to keep it for myself. Its small & sexy with a large viewing area. Our family always uses cannon cameras & we love them.

Super fast service. I received it more quickly than I thought was possible, especially at Xmas.

Great little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This little camera is awesome! It fits great in my purse, it takes beautiful pictures and videos and is very easy to use.

I LOVE IT!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’d been shopping around for a new camera, and bought the Canon Powershot 1100IS, but I wasn’t pleased with it. It didn’t seem to do much more than my old camera, which is nearly 5 years old. So then I came across the 780IS and I love it! I’m a college student, so it was fun to have one in such a bright red color! Also, it easily fits into my pocket, so I can carry it around to football games or parties or wherever else I go. Also, the color accent feature is a lot of fun. It’s easy to use, and you can create some really neat pictures with hardly any work involved. It’s great! I definitely recommend this camera!

Look Guys – Real View Finder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
On those bright sunny days or in the dark of night those bigger than life plastic panels are lousy for composing your subject. Try using a view finder no matter how small….it can save the day!

Pixel Peeper? Skip this one for sure….
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Very sad to say, this is the first Canon that left me very disappointed.

Pros

-Size

-Build quality (except for battery door)

-Looks

Cons

-Picture quality

-Refuses to use flash in Auto mode

-As a result of above, ISO shoots to 640, making for watercolor like photos..BLAH

-Battery door feels very flimsey,even when closed.

Summary: Such a nice looking and feeling camera, but OMG are the pictures soft, even outdoors at ISO 80, they are soft. Go indoors and it turns to crap.

Canon PowerShot
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Love this camera. And the price!!!! Cheaper than anywhere else– with free shipping too! I saw this camera in a store and am very happy that I checked Amazon before I made the purchase.

Best camera I’ve ever owned!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Fantastic quality, very compact, quick and easy to use. I’ve had several Canon SD series cameras and this one takes the cake. Its size is perfect for on-the-go, the picture quality is amazing, the settings are easy to use, and the pictures come out sharp and well-focused. I’m really very pleased! I’m convinced you can’t beat it for $200.

IMPRESSIVE
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Very happy with camera, have taken about 200 photos during my first month.

The picture quality is good, with tons of settings.

The HD video is a huge plus, the quality is amazing.

I like the size, it packs easily into my pocket, so i can take it everywhere.

At the price paid, this camera is a real value, I highly recomend it.

Ok for facebook photos outside, but makes sacrifices to reach it’s size
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Things I liked:

- It’s size

- It’s quick startup time

- It’s quick autofocus (shutter lag) time – first pocket camera I’ve had where the shutter lag started to border on “I didn’t even notice it”

- Real nice colors in the photos I took

Things I didn’t like:

- It’s small, but weighs enough to still be noticeable. The listed weights don’t back me up, but it felt like it weighed more than the sd1200 in my pocket.

- Resolution – despite being rated 12 megapixels, I got slightly *less* detail out of it in sunny conditions than I got out of my 5 megapixel kodak point and shoot that I bought 5 years ago for like [...].

- Things in the middle of a picture have the same detail as my 5mp kodak, but things around the edges are notably fuzzier and blurrier.

- Got a couple of out of focus shots even in bright daylight

- To be fair, it did do better in low light than my kodak, taking clearer and more color-accurate shots than my kodak in my apartment with the lights on.

If you’ve read the Consumer Reports review, it suggested this camera had really good ISO (low light perfomance). It’s rather misleading. I bought this camera hoping it had really good night shots – they were just as crap-tastic as other point and shoots that fit in your pocket. Even with lighting directly above them, I could not get a non-blurry picture of my friends at night without a flash. If I used a flash, it tended to give me the typical “faces way white and washed out” look.

I noticed while noise is technically well controlled, what happens is that the darker and higher the iso for the shot, the more smudgy and less detailed the photo gets. I mean, I thought they did a nice job at it – I didn’t get that “lots of noise” look to my darker photos. But those photos also clearly lost some resolution.

If you’re looking for resolution in your photos from the 12mp rating, or are excited about the supposed high ISO rating, this camera will be a disappointment. Even buying just a *slightly* larger camera like the SD1200 will likely (based on my shots + online sample photos) give you more resolution and slightly better low light performance, though the noise removal on this camera is pretty nice (perhaps the sd1200 will get replaced with a camera with the same processor as this one) but results in reduced resolution rather than additional noise in your photo. If you just want a tiny point and shoot to take pics to put on facebook, this camera is a very nice option. But I think the physically slightly bigger cameras are a noticeable step up in image detail over this tiny, tiny one.

Excellent Camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Simply put, this camera takes excellent pictures. The size is Very Small. The HD Video really surprised us. You can really see the difference. If you like a small camera that takes great pictures, look no further.

I’d Give It SIX Stars If I Could!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is AWESOME! Had a Cannon before and this is 1) much faster, 2) MUCH lighter, 3) 12 MP and 4) just simply works! No rocket science to taking good photos after the first time you charge the battery. That being said, if you want to do lots of fancy stuff – you can. I love the video in HD that can go up to 30 minutes. My previoius Cannon was non-HD and went for a max of three minutes. Another great feature is the zoom – which can be used while you are in video mode. Older Cannons did not allow you to do that. I’ve got three little ones and I can’t think of a reason why I would need to buy a separate video camera. So, now with just a couple of ounces, I can do it all.

I highly recommend any Cannon product, but this one is so outstanding I would suggest you just stop your search and buy it. BTW, I purchased it from the Amazon shop, not one of the other dealers though Amazon. I’ve never had anything but issues buying electronics outside the actual Amazon shop itself. Go though Amazon.

Don’t forget that most credit cards add additional time to your manufacturer’s warranty – mine (Chase Visa) gives me TWO extra years of coverage – nice!

Below expectations, too much hype, little substance
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
i bought this camera after seeing so many positive reviews from amazon. i didnot buy from amazon, but a different retailer since i wanted to evaluate it before a final buy. i didnot like the camera and here is why–

1. HD video – very grainy in low light. Video taken at home during evening hours with lights on appears very grainy. Camera is too small and too light to hold steady for 10-15 mins continously while taking video- stabilization doesnot seem to work. you will see small movements in the video which are irritating – reflects your hand moving during that time. No good surface to get a good grip and hold nicely.

2. Zoom – is useless in low light and at max zoom 3x images appear grainy. lot of fuzzy pictures at high zoom.

forget about digital zoom.

3. Pictures – quality of pictures (steady , no movement) is same as my old s410. Nature photos like trees,foilage are more clear with s410, appears fuzzy with sd780

4. File size – 12MP is useless, creates more grainy pictures and increases file size. A 8 or 10MP camera with better/bigger lens will take good pictures.

5. In good light – Nothing extra ordinary – any camera will take good pictures. dont see value in paying 225+$ for that.

6. Battery – Got very hot after about half an hour of charging. The battery charger and battery became very hot and i had to let it rest for a few minutes before inserting into camera.

7. LCD – very grainy. with a camera this expensive i want to enjoy taking pics. When i look at LCD, pictures appear grainy, so dont feel like taking a picture although i must say that the final pic is good. i can understand LCD resolution is less, but grainy LCD is definitely not appealing.

8. Sound- cannot use HD video so much, because microphone is too small and unable to capture sound clearly.

May be my expectations were too high after reading so many awesome reviews, or may be i like my s410, which is a canon too. May be other comparable cameras from sony, nikkon also suffer the same drawbacks – i dont know. Buy this camera if you want to take images in good sunlight at 3-4 feet away.

Great for on-the-move!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Bought it for my wife since we have a son who is running around a lot. Has worked perfectly for that, and is not too clunky where you have to strap it around your neck like the Digital SLR cameras. It fits in tight jeans barely even noticeably (wife). Takes great pictures, and has enough settings for an average photographer. I’m not too good with cameras, but this one seems to work swell with what I bought it for.

Awesome
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Update since purchase. It’s now 6/09. I like it even more now. I’ve been using the movie mode and it look pretty good. I have a 62 inch HDTV and it looks great!! This coming from a camera smaller than a disposable camera. I have an 8 gig memory card and never ever had to worry about memory capacity. It’s now a little cheaper so I’ll get one for my wife.

Awesome camera!! I am one impatient person. No problem with this camera. Turn this camera on and you are ready to snap pics in seconds. Second shot? No problem with lag time. It has and does everything I need. Plus, my favorite color is red. Easy to carry. Battery charges in less than 2 hrs. Software for the computer isn’t the greatest but it does the job. Battery life is great. No regrets with this camera. Haven’t even tried the HD video yet. I’m sold even if it didn’t have that feature. That’s how good it is.

fantastic purchase for me…
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
loved the camera….perfect..u can go on and on reading specs of diff. cameras and searching for the perfect one…but believe me, this is it! esp. for the price tag

Decent, but a bit disappointed
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Couple bummers for me: couldn’t connect to download pictures to computer w/ USB — I even downloaded the software and it still didn’t work. I got a card reader, so I’m able to now, but that was a tad annoying to work around. Also the viewfinder picture is a bit yellow and grainy — but the photo ends up coming out fine. The “shutter lag” is also a little frustrating, esp. when asking strangers to take you and your friends’ pictures! I guess you can press button 1/2-way down and that preps it to take the pic quickly after that, but that’s obviously too much to explain to anyone who you’re asking to take a picture. Anyway, I’ve always loved Canon, so I’m sticking with it.

Great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Compact camera that takes great pictures. I was impressed by the quality of the pictures, even when taking photographs in motion. The video is also great, even after zooming. I am really impressed.

FAVORITE!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve got through quite a few cameras in the past few years. I’ve definitely decided that canons are the BEST cameras around, and so far this is my absolute favorite camera! It’s very compact and portable. The gold is chic and unique (so when a heard of cameras are snapping away you can always find your own). It’s got amazing point and click capabilities & the “auto” function is usually pretty precise (sometimes i have to go manual… but rarely). I’ve gotten so many compliments on my pictures…in all different lighting. I love candid shots and this is the PERFECT camera for such photos. GO CANON!

Poor noisy photos
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I wanted to like this camera. Size and features and speed are great.

But the picture quality is terrible.

Outside shots show well over saturated in the greens at all settings.

Pictures are extremely pixilated and noisy.

For 12mp I expected this to have sharper images than my Olympus 5mp camera but they were FAR worse. Printed and on a larger screen they don’t hold up.

Enlargements are terrible. All the images look like they’ve been digitally sharpened about 5 times.

Video feature is nice but 90% of the time I want to take photos with this and ones that appear natural not juiced.

SD780IS
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is an upgrade from my SD100. First off let me talk a little bit about what I’m comparing this to. The Canon SD100 was the first of the digital elph cameras and at the time it was very small, sleek and had a relatively high (3.2MP) resolution for a camera that size. Then, 10 years went by.. It took great pictures and was bulletbroof, I can’t remember how many times I’ve dropped it in snow, mud, sand etc and the thing would not die! So it was apparent that I needed a new camera, just by looking at friends photos they took with a modern point and shoot camera.

I settled on the 780IS rather quickly, just going for the current $250-$300ish Canon elph. 12.1 MP is enough, can’t see needing more than that for the next 10 years at least. We’ll see though. I like how fast it powers up and the intuitive menu, that is still similar to my old SD100. The picture quality so far is great, I’ve been using it for a lot of nature shots and I’ve found I don’t have to use the saturation setting as much in photoshop. It is also much lighter than the SD100, so better for backpacking and snowboarding and biking and anything else where weight matters. Going to Utah in a few months so I’ll really put this baby to the test. Can’t wait!

Great little camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The portability of this camera cannot be beat! However, do not expect SLR grade pics with it. Its a point and shoot, and really can do quite a bit. But its not going to give you the best picture quality you’ve ever seen. Also, the flash is fairly weak, probably due to the small size and power limitations.

I was also impressed with the speed. Others have said its slow, but I disagree. From power button press to picture taken is less than 2 seconds.

Overall, a great camera for slipping into a pocket and carrying with you.

Great Camera!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera on the recommendation of a friend who had an older version and have been extremely pleased. It is compact and lightweight and more importantly, makes great pictures. The image stablization feature is excellent. It is simple to use and I highly recommend it.

Try this….Beautiful!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This camera is really wonderful….when i first saw it i doubted it’s ability but it turned out to be awesome….try it and i guarantee that you will also like it………

Best digital camera I’ve ever owned
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This Canon is the best digital camera I’ve ever owned! I’ve been waiting for a digital camera that shoots great HD H.264 video and this one does the trick. It’s overall still quality is that of a good consumer digital camera so you’ll see artifacts when zooming in closely. Night shots are good for consumer cameras but not excellent.

One issue I’ve discovered on my Canon SD780is is that there are strange vertical lines sometimes in video mode if the camera is in direct sunlight. However, I can’t lower the rating level since everything else is so excellent at a $200 price level!

A great camera in a tiny size
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I just returned from a trip to Thailand where I used my new Canon PowerShot SD780IS. It was very easy to use and the battery lasted a long time. My pictures are sharp and videos clear. The size is very convenient. I bought a neck strap and wear it around my neck for convenience. Amazon’s price couldn’t be beat!

Movie Feature
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Bought this camera mainly cause I thought with its OIS it would be more stable than my Vado hand-held.

Turns out the Canon video shows plenty of noise, which makes me want to put it aside.

Worse, for a PC Windows user, I have yet find a satisfactory way to edit this Quicktime movie format. Even bought Apple’s Quicktime Pro, but this software is a bear of an application when it comes to make a movie out of several clips.

Any ideas are welcome.

Update: Used the ZoomBrowser software Canon provides with this camera to stich several video clips together into a large movie.

Was astonished to realize the software transformed the Quicktime mov file into an “avi” file, one that can now be played with the Windows Media Player-very good video results too, a big surprise.

Amazing Grace, Canon why are you not recording the videos in the “avi” format in the first place.

Perhaps this newly converted file can now be edited with an ordinary Windows based editing software?

Great camera for the size
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Canon PowerShot SD780 is a great camera. I was drawn to the camera for its small size and HD video capability. The camera is comfortable in your hand and has all of the features of a standard point and shoot.

I am using a 16GB SD class 6 card for storage. I am getting 5001 12 megapixel pictures. Or 86 minutes of HD video.

On the plus side:

+ Very small form factor

+ LCD is bright and crisp

+ Optical view finder (can turn off LCD display with one button to save battery)

+ On/Off button does not allow for accidental pushing

+ Mini HDMI out port

+ HD video (720P) is good quality. Sound is good. (Quicktime MOV files)

+ Picture quality is good

+ Image stabilization helps alot

Neutral or Negatives:

- Only 3x optical zoom. This is probably due to small size of camera. Would like to see at least 5x

- HD video is recorded in .mov quicktime files. Fine for Mac users, but if you run Windows you will probably need to convert the files before importing them into editing software

- Some pictures look a little grainy in lower light

Canon PowerShot SD
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am very happy with the quality and performance of my camera. It is compact, easy to use and takes great pictures. Service received from Amazon is wonderful as well.

Take with a grain of salt
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera met all my expectations, but then again, I’m by no means a photography expert. I took it on vacation and it never failed. Great picture quality, slim, great battery life. Gets the job done.

Amazing!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m absolutely amazed by this little camera! The photos are great but the HD video is absolutely astonishing!!! Great aluminum body and feels very sturdy. Fast action for a point and shoot. Works great with my Mac and the video quality off the camera is just great.

Can’t go wrong with this one or with Canon in general. Had problems with a previous 4 year old camera and their service was immediate.

Canon, you are one of my favorite companies!!! Great camera and great price!

great camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Let me mention a couple properties of this product.

This product works better when you read the manual book which exist with the product. Also, all the picture requirement can be fixed as your desir (look at manual setting to controll as your desire). It works great, and I did compare the picture quality with my friend’s 12.1 sony camera which cost more then $300 but this one was better!

A Digital Dream Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera on super sale on “Black Friday” and have been so pleased with it I can hardly contain my excitement. I adore it’s sleek design and compact size. A pocket is all you need to carry it around. Despite the camera’s small size it has a large screen for viewing. The features are easy to use and the quality is fantastic. I’m so enthralled with this product I cannot recommend it enough. While I’m certainly still learning to use it and all its features, I have already taken twice as many photos as normal and feel they are much better than before I started using the PowerShot. Its portability adds to my desire to shoot more shots. I can carry it anywhere and therefore am more apt to take spontaneous photographs. I bought the Canon in an attempt to improve my amateur photography skills and have been impressed with my progress so far.

No sound recorder!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
The camera is designed very well. It feels very durable, and is small, with a quick start up speed. The photos and HD video look great so far. Here’s my only problem. Canon has removed one of the nicest features of its previous SD cameras: the sound recorder. With the lens retracted, you used to be able to record up to an hour of high quality audio. I’m very disappointed that they’ve removed this feature! Canon has also removed the fun “stop action video mode”. Perhaps they thought they were removing clutter from the menus, but they also removed some great features!

Incredibly portable, good pics
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Very compact and excellant pictures. The HD video is great, unless you zoom which quickly degrades image quality. Battery life is very good, and has a ton of present picture modes. A great buy, especially if you want an ultracompact camera.

I love this camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is an awesome camera! the HD video quality is pretty darn good, most people are surprised that the video I shot came out of this tiny little camera. The price is decent and it works great. I had a sony before that cost me an arm and a leg… never again!

Love it!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera takes GREAT pictures. The quality of the pictures is better than I expected. The image stabilization works really well. None of my pictures have been blurred, even when I have accidentally moved while taking a picture. The colors are very vivid. Movies come out great as well.

My only concern is the door for the battery/memory card compartment. The hinge seems kind of flimsy, so I am extra careful whenever I open it.

Other than that – I would highly recommend this camera. And the red color is absolutely THE BEST!!!!!!!

LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dual View Finders Makes this a Plus
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Most point and shoot cameras have eliminated the ability to look thru the view finder when shooting the picture. Regardless of how well the image stabilization software works, it is still difficult to get a sharp picture when you have to hold the camera in front of you. The Canon PowerShot SD780IS gives the user the choice between the large, well-lit LCD or the traditional viewfinder.

The controls are easy to identify and use and the battery life appears to be quite satisfactory. Picture quality is excellent.

Great investment!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve been looking for a high quality digital camera to take pictures for the holidays and this camera does not disappoint! It is so surprisingly durable and the HD quality video recording was so nice. I used this feature at a concert in Orlando and the sound quality was fantastic for being in a room filled with loud music! The camera is also ridiculously slim and portable and the picture quality is great!

perfect pocket camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Love this little camera, I have used Sony and panasonic but this Canon combines the best qualities in both in a work of industrial design art. The HD movie thing is just amazingly good for such a small camera. If you want a camera in your pocket this is the way to go.

An amazingly small camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
After almost 100 reviews, what is there to add?? Most of the 4/5 star reviews here are accurate.

This is a great camera. Amazing features packed into an unbelievably small package. I want to stress; this is a SMALL camera. Yes, it does easily fit into your shirt pocket. If you have it in your pant’s pocket you will not even know you’re carrying it. You might even lose it in your purse.

Dare I say it -it’s almost TOO small.

Since it is so small, I want to add the warning if you have large fingers this might not be the camera for you. I have relatively small hands and fingers, for a man, and I have some difficulty operating all the buttons and functions. You will find yourself using your fingernails to operate this camera.

Other than the smallness of the buttons, this is one amazing piece of technology.

Minus one star for difficulty with button/function operation.

Great little camera for the price
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Its a great camera in every level.. I gave it a 4 only because the shooting time is still slow.. by the time camera takes the pic, the event you are taking is over… but the delay is better than the camera I used have..

Love this camera! Face recognition, zoom, low-light functions rock
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve owned had a few Canon cameras in the past, but I never really loved any of them. We relied on my serviceable SD550 for years, and I had brief experience with a SD750, which was technologically superior, but I found it unintuitive to use.

I just bought the SD780IS for a major trip and wow, I had a great experience with it. This camera is tiny, thin, truly ultracompact. The best features to my mind are that it focuses quickly; I love the face-recognition feature that helps with focusing; and it’s low-light function and incredible zoom abilities blew my mind.

In addition to taking lots of pictures of people amidst complicated scenes, we spent time photographing cathedrals, which were both dark and detailed. This camera on the highest quality setting really did the trick. I ended up using it almost like a set of binoculars to examine the details of stained glass and statues later.

Three quick caveats: First, I have not fully explored the video function, which on first glance looks pretty good using the highest quality setting. Second, the shutter button is in a slightly awkward spot, but I got used to it. Third, the brushed-silver finish quickly started to discolor a bit where my fingers wrapped around on the front.

Overall though, this camera provides incredible function and value. I’ve finally found a Canon to fall in love with. Invest in a big memory card (8 GB gives me over 2000 photos on best quality) and enjoy!

Using it in Europe
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I did quite a bit of research before buying this camera and it works great. I’m very happy with the quality of the pictures and the easy to use menus. I didn’t think I’d ever use the video but I do I’m on vacation in Europe now and am very happy with the quality of the pictures and the easy menus.

This camera is great.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My nephew researched the best digital cameras using various websites and publications. He chose this camera as did his father. They both recommended it to me. After getting this and using it for about a month and a half, I have to agree with them – this is a good camera.

THE BEST CAMERA I EVER HAD!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is the BEST CAMERA EVER! [...]

When it does look at the GREAT QUALITY of my CANON SD780IS…on my gosh…the best camera! You wont be sorry…TRUST ME! It does it all. Video, Pictures, Close Ups, Editing…man its the best camera.

And I got the RED ONE and its HOT LIKE FIRE!!

Perhaps the most complete pocket camera ever made
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
How can something this small do so many big things. I put a 16GB card in it and wow! An hour & a half of HD video? Thousands of 12 mega-pixel photos? I took it to a Eric Clapton/Steve Winwood concert and came home with a lifetime treasure of concert movies. I’ll leave the hyper technical stuff to other reviewers.

This thing is so cool it’s like a little dog you can use to introduce yourself to girls! “Oohhh it’s so cute”…

Good camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I don’t know much about cameras, but I can’t imagine a much better one than this one. It is easy to use. The pictures turn out well. I even captured some high-def video with success.

what i expected
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
After reading dpreview.com, cnet, amazon & others; this camera lived up to the reviews. I’ve not tried the HD video cable output direct. But the video capture is excellent considering the size of the camera. Images are crisp & vivid. I used it side by side with a nikon slr and it excelled when you consider the difference in cost & optics. Form factor is unbeatable & spare batteries are cheap. Happy with purchase.

Great Camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a good product from what I have seen of it and the pictures it takes are nice to look at.

Awesome Camera and great pics!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I purchased this camera as a Christmas gift to myself, it has become one of the best investments I’ve made. The pictures on this camera are the clearest and best pictures I’ve ever taken. Right now, I am extremely satisfied with the ease of using this camera seeing that I am not really good at working camera’s.

Small wonder!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Had a Canon SD1000 that fell out of a car and was run over on a dirt road. This camera is the same size, though more rounded, with many upgraded features and uses the same battery and memory so we can use them in the new camera as spares. It takes great pictures and because it is so small you can take it anywhere. Negatives? Sometimes the shutter doesn’t fire as fast as I would like. Especially in low light with the flash on. Also, be prepared to use your fingernails to push some of the menu buttons as they are small. I opted for the gold color and glad I did as it sets my camera apart and makes it easy to identify among other cameras.

Small yet very powerful!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is simply awesome. I purchased this as an alternative to my normal full size Canon DSLR and I have not been disappointed. I was a bit shocked when I opened the box at how small the body of this camera is, it’s tiny about the size of a cell phone. Still, don’t let the size fool you, this thing has a lot of advanced features such as image stabilization, facial recognition, video capture, etc. I often find that a point-and-shoot camera such as this is perfect for situations where you want to grab candid photographs or when carrying a heavy DSLR is not practical. This camera features a large bright LCD screen which makes composing a shot a breeze and a better alternative to the microscopic view finder. The size of this camera can be both a blessing and a curse, on the downside, if you have large hands or fat fingers you may find using the small control buttons a bit difficult. Most importantly, the image quality of this camera is outstanding and is good if not better than a full size DSLR. I am very happy with this purchase and I would certainly recommend this camera to anyone looking for a small, lightweight, high-quality point-and-shoot.

Excellent Product
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The Cannon 780s is a very fine point and shoot camera with extra features. The quality of the pictures is really good. The size is amazingly small and light, easy to carry around in your pocket. My wife who loves to take pictures but is not very adaptable to complex cameras finds this one very easy to use. The extra features of a viewfinder and movie capability also make this camera stand out.

great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This little thing is the exact size of a credit card (well thicker of course) and takes fantastic pictures for a point and shoot, as well as very nice HD video. I have a 4GB memory card in it and can hold quite a bit of video if I want. Only gripe, and it’s very nitpicky is that shooting a lot of video kills the battery fairly quickly, but that obviously wasn’t its primary purpose. Battery is excellent if only taking photos

Canon SD780ISs
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
There is a whole planet of reviews for this thing on Youtube with actual footage from and of the camera. One of the best Ultra Compacts out right now!

Good camera- terrible customer support from Amazon.
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This review is all about Amazon’s lack of customer support, not about the camera which happens to be great for it’s size and intended use. Between the day that I ordered this camera and before it was shipped there was a price reduction from Canon. After searching for a customer support # for Amazon, which is not easy, I was told by one of their overseas support staff that I would be credited the difference. Great.

I then received an email the following day stating that this is not true and I would have to pay the original price even though everyone else in the country was selling it for less. Not a good business plan on their part.

I highly recommend this camera but I suggest that you buy it elsewhere.

Cool looking camera……Bad video quality
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera from best buy on sale. I did a few days of research and was leaning toward the sony t500. Then I saw this canon on sale so I picked it up. I am now returning it because the video quality is really quite terrible. There is noise all over it! Even on a bright sunny day outside, you could still see noticeable noise in the video. Also, beware the HD video. I had seen online where some people warned that it takes a lot of cpu to edit it. Well my pc couldn’t even play back the video file without it being choppy. And I have a very nice pc! Just keep that in mind. I do have to say the camera itself looks very cool and the menu system is very intuitive. But looks can be deceiving.=)

Great camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
As long as the scene you’re taking a picture of isn’t dark, this camera is able to produce great quality pictures.

amazing cam
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve always loved Canon and this is one of my best purchases ever. The cam’s color is cute and the pictures’ quality are very good! Buy it. I’ll never regret!

Excellent Digital Camera, Amazing HD Video Recording, Tiny Body and Weight
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I consider myself an amateur photographer, and would probably be willing to spend more hours looking for the ‘right’ equipment than doing my homework. Now, that was the case when I purchased this little toy. I had a Nikon D40 dSLR (one of the big cameras), and I was looking for something smaller that I could carry around everywhere. Particularly, I needed something to take on my trip to Japan.

I spent days reading reviews and testing products at stores, and finally decided on this camera. I narrowed down my choices to Canon cameras, because although I love Nikon cameras and dSLRs, I think that when it comes down to point-and-shoot cameras (small, easy to use cameras) Canon cameras are simply the best. I’ve never been disappointed by one of these.

Among 10 different Canon models it was difficult to choose, but what finally made me decide on this one was the size and ability to record HD video. I watched on YouTube some of the sample videos (which you can find just by typing the camera model) and the HD was amazing, even in such a small camera! The resolution is great, and the picture quality simply great. 12MP of image resolution means more to love and more flexibility to crop when editing (it also means you should get an SD card with a couple of GB’s)

I got the camera with an 8GB card and I can take thousands of pictures at maximum resolution, or record over 45 minutes of video in one clip if I want to do so. This camera’s pictures rival my Nikon dSLR pictures, and the flexibility the camera gives you in manual mode is great. I mostly use it in automatic modes, and it works perfect.

If you are looking for a ‘photographer’ camera, then I’d still go for a Nikon D40 or something similar, since you can shoot in RAW format which is very valuable for heavy editing. But if you just want to capture easily all the beautiful things around you, and videos of your family/friends or you enjoying your days, this camera is perfect for all of it.

One more note, the camera feels great in my hands and it’s very easy to use. I was quite familiar with the Canon menus, so it might have been easier for me to use it, but I’m sure you can learn fast how to master this camera.

Ask any questions you may have.

great point and shoot
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Very easy to use out of the box. Not the best video quality but for a camera better than average.

Great for Product Photography
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Once in a while I do something smart. This is one of them. I had been using my camera phone and an old Fuji camera which kept blurring out or had poor white balance. So I took the plunge and got a better camera. I was concerned because it was so small, but was lured in by it’s slim and sexy design. I am so happy I did.

This camera takes great indoor shots, it’s a camera that works like a professional one when it comes to taking pictures of interior. Pictures shows dimension and depth. It’s auto feature is nearly perfect and the manual feature help control the white balance which is really important for product photography. Now I can post on ebay without being embarrassed about appearing cheap. I can use regular lighting without being concerned of the yellowish tinge.

People photography is fine as long as I’m not in it. Perhaps it’s a little too clear. Personally I like the fuzzy haze that makes a person look sort of dreamy. But my intention wasn’t for portrait photography so it wasn’t a major concern.

The video is like every other video camera, it’s great it can record up to 60 mins to 120 mins on a 4gb memory card (sold separate). It doesn’t zoom in too well without blurring out though. So I still need to invest in another video camera if I plan to ever zoom in super close. But for YouTubing it’s probably fine.

If you’re looking for a good deal. I’d be patient and buy it online at places that don’t charge tax and shipping. You may find yourself saving and additional $40 so you can put it into accessories like adapters, memory cards and extra battery. You’ll need it. It doesn’t use regular batteries.

For what I need it for, it works and I love it. It’s a great entry level camera, with super quality.

nice camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
bought this for a present for daughter who is a senior in college and who knows what she likes in a camera. she has been pleased with every aspect of it, takes good pictures easy to use really good red eye fix, videos pretty good. her sister also bought one

Great Camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great camera for the price. The only thing that I wanted a little more of was shutter speed but light years faster than my kodak.

Very Dissapointed!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I had been doing research into a pocket video camera and narrowed down my choices to either the MinoHD or the Vado HD until I came upon this camera. I read the rave reviews and decided to go down to the local best buy and check it out. It was so tiny and cool looking with a great list of features that I just had to have it! I started snapping some indoor and outdoor pics and videos as soon as I got home. I downloaded them to my computer and took a look at the results. They were not nearly as great as I was expecting after reading all the reviews so I decided to break out my old sd600 and take side by side shots and compare the two. I was shocked! My old sd600, which is only 6MP by the way, took much sharper, colorful and clearer pics than this camera! Even when I blew the pics up the sd600 still outperformed this camera. This made me wonder how the hd video would compare to the pocket cameras. I ordered the Vado HD from Amazon and received it two days later. I shot side by side video with both cameras to compare the two. The video from the Vado HD turned out to be much better in all lighting conditions. The video was clearer, sharper with better color saturation and was $100 less! So this camera is going back to best buy. Maybe I just happened to buy a lemon or maybe my old sd600 is just a really fantastic camera…who knows. I REALLY wanted to like this camera though! It looks really cool in red…lol

Good camera, good HD recorder, great size
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Great point and shoot and pretty good video recorder. You’ll need a lot of light to get crisp video, indoor will be OK, but will show a decent amount of grain. The size and portability is the real deal maker for this camera. I couldn’t find a case that fit it snug enough, so I bought a cell phone clam shell. It fits perfectly and I recommend it. The battery life is not the best, the view finder is literally like looking through a pin-hole on a piece of paper. But in a tight spot I guess it would function..but no better then just holding the camera and guessing.

Overall, a nice camera. I have used it a lot and it usually can determine the correct settings when in ‘auto.’ But the real reason i got this was for the HD and the size…both are good and I recommend this camera for those that aren’t going to ‘pixel-peep’.

Great little camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I got the camera so that I would have something small that I could throw in my purse so I could take pictures whenever and wherever. I wanted something that would take a great picture, and be easy to use because I am not the greatest with technology. This camera is all those things and not a bad price.

Canon PowerShot SD780IS Digital Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Deep Red)

I SINCERELY APOLOGIZE TO AMAZON FOR THE FIRST REVIEW I WROTE. The mistake was mine. I would give Amazon 10 stars if I could and the camera is a 5 star. After 12 seperate orders from Amazon, they have become my favorite store because of their exceptional customer service and the quality of their products. Items always arrive when promised and usually a few days before the scheduled delivery date.

FOLLOW-UP: My mother who is NOT a camera enthusiast liked this camera so much because of it’s small size, simplicity, and video/still shot picture quality that I gave it to her and ordered another one from Amazon for myself.

Love this camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I always buy Canon PowerShot cameras and this one is my favorte so far. It’s easy to use, creates quality pictures and is so small.

I like it!!!!!!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The camera is very nice, and the shipping was on time.Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Silver)

Perfect P&S
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this camera for several months now. I was looking for a good P&S camera that I could carry with me at all times. My dSLR was becoming too much of a burden for me to carry everywhere.

While most people are giving you the technical aspects of the camera, I’ll talk more about the ease of use.

This camera was perfect for me. I have small hands and it’s the perfect size for me to hold. My fingers line up with all of the buttons.

Although the power button is flush with the top of the camera, it is not at all difficult to turn on and off.

Moving around to the different settings is also very quick and easy to do.

Overall, this is a great little camera.

Shipping for review
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Shipping from Amazon sucks.

I placed order on October 18th and after 6 days I got an email from Amzaon mentioning that the order is delayed. When I placed the order the item was showing “In Stock”. Now my order will be delivered on November 5th. I called Amazon customer service line and twice hung up upon. Third time, I spoke to Michelle, Supervisor, and she mentioned I cannot cancel the order and order will come by Nov 5 – Nov 12th. I feel like hostage at this time as I wanted camera by certain time. I can not buy it from other place and will have to be at mercy of Amazon to deliver product when it gets here. Amazon still shows that this item is IN STOCK with green light.

Great Canon PowerShot SD780IS
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Great Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12.1 MP Digital Camera with alot to offer.Very easy & simple to use.This camera allows you to zoom in & out as you record videos.It takes Great picture & videos.The Camera is small so it’s great to cray with you anywhere.

Bring it with you everywhere you go!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I’ve been using Sony Cybershot T7 (with very slim & cool outlook) for the past few years. It has 2 weaknesses:

(1) The body is so thin & sensitive that those with shaky hands will not get sharp photos.

(2) The stabilizer for this model isn’t good enough. So it produces unacceptable blurry photos to capture movement.

As I’m taking more & more pictures nowadays with my frequent biz trips, I’m looking for another value buy camera which suits my style well & meets below criterion:

(1) reasonable price

(2) mini size & easy to carry

(3) reputable brand

(4) good stabilizer for movement capturing

(5) user friendly features

(6) quality downloaded photos

Here it goes, Canon powershot SD780IS! Now I almost rely on it for all my new photos. I just encountered once whereby it showed ‘Lens error’ & asked me to change my battery pack (I remembered I charged it full at home) when I wanted to use it outside during New Year eve. I’m not sure whether it’s because of the very cold temperature below zero which caused the disconnection of the battery pack. It resumed working when I was back in the train.

Overall, you won’t regret to own it!

love at first shot
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I absolutely love this camera! And when I first opened it was expecting the usual canon elph size but its even slimmer and is a perfect pocket camera. The black matte finish looks great. I have always been a fan of the quality of pictures that canons produce and this was no exception. I have used sony’s cybershot, fuji slim camera, nikon cool pix and others and this by far gives the superior shot every time. the picture always looks so clear and amazing unlike some other small digitals that give a little grainy look. It has great features for photo taking and special effects. It has the usual color changing modes to black and white or sepia but it also has some cool features tha will pick up just one color and do the rest in black and white. The HDMI is a great plus and HD video. Overall I really have to say that this camera is the most user friendly out of other camera’s out there. Its easy to hook up to any computer and uses and sd memory card so you dont have to get any converters like with the sony. The picture just comes out great with no effort at all. I definitely would recommend this camera to everyone and have since recommended it to my mother and a coworker- both of them love it!

Very comfortable, good Flip replacement, fast, good images
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
If you are thoughtful about quality of your photographs and plan to shoot things like sporting events in a badly lit gym, you probably won’t want the SD 780 as your only camera. Then again, you wouldn’t want any point-and-shoot as your only camera. On the other hand, if you need something to take on vacation, or something to have in your back pocket when you are outside with your kids and don’t want to miss anything, or are looking for an alternative to Flip, you can’t go wrong with the SD780.

Already an owner of a large DSLR coupled with a heavy lens, I was looking for something that would 1) produce acceptable pictures under regular conditions, 2) replace a Flip cam for shooting video, 3) always stay in the pocket in that unassuming way a good cell phone does, and 4) cost under $300. I’ve looked at and tried pretty much the entire Digital Elph line-up, and also seriously considered a Lumix because of their awesome wide angle lenses, but ultimately decided SD 780 was pretty much what I needed.

I’ve owned the camera for a couple of weeks, and here are some first impressions.

1) The video is great — much better than the old non-HD Flip. It seems that I shake the camera more than Flip because of its design, but, and that was a nice surprise since you can’t see it in the product shots, the Elph has a tripod mount. The file sizes are an order of magnitude larger, however, so stock up on a decent and fast (class 6) memory card right here on Amazon for about $15 for 8 Gigs.

2) The image quality is what you would expect from a camera of this class. Pictures are great in a perfect light, and not so great in all other light conditions. I haven’t seen a point-and-shoot that performs otherwise.

3) Given a choice between a couple of random extra features and smaller size, I would always go for the size. None of these extras make your pictures look significantly better, but a constantly bulging pocket is a major annoyance. This camera is very small. I have large hands (I’m 6′2″), and the small buttons haven’t been a problem. The camera is also very pleasant to hold and look at.

4) Fast start-up time. Shutter lag is ok. There are other point-and-shoot cameras with much higher frame-per-second numbers. If you are considering one of those pocket-sized Lumix cameras, Lumix are slower.

5) The other non-Elph camera I looked at was a Canon Powershot SX10IS with the crazy 20x optical zoom (28-560mm equivalent). The SX10IS is bigger, more expensive, and doesn’t have HD video, but if you are into stuff that requires powerful zoom, SD780 won’t cut it.

On the downside, the lack of manual controls is a complete waste. Also, does anyone ever use that tiny optical viewfinder on this thing? And why can’t they name their cameras in a way that doesn’t remind an alphanumerical soup?

Overall, SD780 is great at what it’s been designed to do. Manual controls and even a slightly wider lens would’ve earned it five stars in its class.

Good… until ‘Lens error’ started showing up.
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I loved this camera because of the design and portability, I just started hating it some weeks ago when the infamous ‘lens error’ started showing up. It worked for about 6 months. This is my third canon camera and the second one that has this issue. I think I should consider some other brand.

The best digi cam I’ve ever owned, still not perfect however.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
As far as picture quality and easy of use, this camera gets 5 stars. I found it took fantastic photos in all conditions. Indoor and outdoor, day and night, up close and far away. This camera has just enough features to make me very happy without overwhelming me.

The biggest bonus of this camera was the video quality. I made a couple videos early on and discovered the quality to be so good that I use the video feature quite often now.

The downside to this camera is more delicate then I feel that it should be. Just placing it in my pocket accumulated some large and irritating scratches on the screen. I ended up placing this camera in a sock to keep it from getting any more scratches. If I’m not careful I’m afraid the screen could become significantly obscured by scratches. I plan to see if I can find a screen protector for this camera.

Small, all-around.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Out of the box, everything looks great. The camera is sleek, compact, well-fitted with easy-to-use features, and very lightweight. The image quality, though, is poor. The pictures lack life – the colors are very dull. This camera is probably great if you require an ultra-compact form factor, but for less money, you can get a better-looking picture (from Kodak among others).

Very cute camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Its a very slim camera. Picture quality is good. Since it is very small one, hard to press the buttons. Overall its a very good camera.

cannon digital camera is sweet
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is nice. picture quality is very good. the display is good. battery life is just fine. I’m not a fanatic on picture taking. use once in awhile and the battery life lasts for my use. It is a little small for the people that have large hands like myself. Other than that I am very Happy with it. Easy to use and carry.

Memory Card NOT included
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Pretty cheesy to not include the memory card…I have used an Elph for several years and wanted to upgrade…and here this is with no memory card. Should be clearly noted when ordering or considering buying. My star rating isn’t possible because THERE IS NO MEMORY CARD.

Great camera!!!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Camera is excellent for the price I got it. Take beautiful picture in the daytime as well as the nighttime. The video cam feature is top notch as well. Really happy with this product!!!!

Great small camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Does everything it says it will and does it well. This is a great camera for close to medium range shots, when traveling you can take great stills and very good HD video. Only thing I would fix would be the ability to zoom optically when in video mode. If you want a small camera that captures HD video …. buy this one SD780IS. Got this from Amazon $[...] bucks cheaper than any other retailer or on-line vendor $[...]… WOW!!! Also bought the 8gb sdhc class 6 memory card.

Incredible!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Prior to buying this camera, I did an extensive amount of research with cameras that would fit my budget. I finally was succumbed to the Canon SD780is. After much testing, it was clear that this little camera packed a punch. The quality of the photos blew me away. I also enjoy the features that allow you to bring out colors depending on lighting situations before you take the photo. The auto feature, which allows the camera to adjust for you accordingly, is excellent for beginners. It zooms 3x before sacrificing megapixels but it can go beyond that to 12x. The HD recording quality is excellent, but what blew me away was that it was able to record sound with almost perfect replication to the real thing. The camera is tiny and very portable. It is about the size of my cell phone. I was very pleased with the SD780is. I’m sure I’ll be enjoying these aesthetically pleasing photos for years to come.

Great small camera with HD video capabilities
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera to take to Europe. We wanted something that could take nice pictures AND have the option of video. I took tons of pictures and I’m really happy with them. This camera is tiny, which is great, and the battery lasts a long time (although the video recording does really eat up a lot of the battery). The charger works here and abroad (but you still need a plug adapter–not a voltage converter). That worked well for us too. I am very happy with the purchase, and Amazon had the best price.

Canon powershot DS 780IS
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I had a Sony digital camera which I absolutely loved, but it was big and bulky and I wanted a smaller camera that was easier to take around–something I could just slip into my purse. My daughter had an older version of this camera and loved it, and the reviews on line were really good, so I bought it. Well, the size is definitely a plus. It is nice and small and fits easily into my small purse, even with the case I bought with it. Without the case, it can fit into my jeans pocket. However I am very disappointed in the video part of the camera. I realize it takes HD video, and that HD takes up more space and takes longer to upload, so I turned the HD off, since I mostly want my video clips for uploading onto the computer and do not care if they are in HD or not, but even lowering the size, it takes SO LONG to upload even the shortest video clip (1-1 1/2 min. clip takes a good 8-10 min or longer to upload) that its almost not worth it. Taking videos also totally drains the batteries. I bought a second battery, that I keep with me all the time. Since I love taking videos of my grandson to send to relatives on the computer, unfortunately this camera is not really what I want it to do. So unless I am doing something wrong when I am uploading (don’t know how I could possibly be tho!) then I am disappointed in that part. As for the digital pictures though, they are great. So I will most likely keep the camera. Now I am looking at possibly buying myself a small video camera to supplement this camera. Any thoughts anyone?

Excellent Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is great. I used it on a recent trip where I was on a tour bus and i was able to get quick shots while the bus was moving. The pictures came out perfect, as if i was standing still while shooting them. The only issue I’m trying to figure out with the camera is why it gives pictures of people a different color tone (sometimes orange or red). I’m not sure if this is a result of the flash or the settings. Overall I’m satisfied with the camera.

Good; not great; flawed; expensive
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
My son dropped my Canon SD1100is, a great camera that I loved, so I bought SD780is as a replacement, and was ultimately disappointed and returned the camera. Both cameras are a very convenient size and they use the same battery. Problems I encountered with the SD780is are (1) that the door/piece/cover that covers where the battery and SD card are inserted was loose. It shifted/wiggled/moved every time I took a picture, just a little bit but enough to be annoying and unacceptable in an almost-$300 point-and-shoot camera. It just felt cheap and wrong given the price that I paid and given that other cameras don’t do this. At first I planned to exchange the camera, but then I found that the cover wiggled on the 2nd SD780is that I looked at too, so I got a refund. (2) Second, the HD video was a primary reason that I bought the SD780is instead of SD1200is, but when I viewed the HD video on my computers it consistently had a line/defect/artifact? through the video-not good. (3) Third, at one point the 780 camera screen didn’t seem to turn on and function when I hit the power button, though later at the store it did turn on for the salesperson, so I’m not sure how to explain this unusual event. (4) Fourth, still picture lighting and flashing was inconsistent, producing some disappointing photos in normal-usage situations. (5) Lastly, shutter lag is a problem; there’s often what feels like a half-second delay between the time that you push the button and when the picture is taken; this is a problem with a lot of point and shoots but is quite annoying even if lots of cameras have a similar flaw. Overall, this might be an okay camera but I would also consider alternatives, especially considering the price. I expected the newer, more expensive, SD780is to perform better than my older, cheaper SD1100is, but it did not deliver as I hoped and expected it would.

love it
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
love the camera. photos are great and is very user friendly (i’m not camera saavy at all)…its tiny and cute, no complaints so far. my friend who’s a photographer told me i can do so much with it, will comment when I get there…

good digital cam
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
we bought one, and this is our second digital camera; it was made with high quality crafsmanship and compact. The pictures are sharp.

Love it!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love this camera! It takes beautiful pictures. I highly recommend it. But be ready to read the manual. The things this camera can do are amazing! I still have yet to learn what all the buttons do. But then again, I’m not that technologically savvy.

“Memory Card Error”
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Do NOT buy this camera. It was an absolute hassle receiving it from Amazon. I’ve been an Amazon customer for years and I’ve never been so disappointed in my life. It took us a month to get it and we were without a camera for a weekend getaway. We finally got it in time for our honeymoon in Greece and were pleased as punch with it for TWO DAYS. After we had taken many pictures of us visiting once-in-a-lifetime sites, the camera read “memory card error,” was completely nonfunctional, and had lost all of our pictures. It wasn’t the memory card–it’s the camera. Now our sexy little Canon has no use other than collecting dust as we try to get our money back.

PS–We got an Olympus while in Greece and, while it cost a bajillion euros, we are in love with it. Check out an Olympus instead.

Fantastic Pocket Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My family and I do a lot of camping and off-roading, which makes this camera ideal. I carry it in my shirt pocket so that it’s instantly available. I’m taking many more shots now than I was able to do with my Canon digital SLR. I’ve also discovered several really neat features on this camera that I use all the time now, including zooming the image after it’s taken. I’m very happy with this camera.

great selection for first digital camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I received this camera a few days after I ordered it, and I have been very pleased with it. The camera is very easy to operate, yet it offers a lot of functionality. I think it is an excellent choice for a moderately-priced digital camera. One of my primary goals was to obtain good battery life, and this camera does that. I purchased an 8GB Sandisk memory card that permits storage of 2500 pictures. I also bought the Canon PSC-1050 Deluxe leather case that can be attached to a belt, an accessory that was invaluable on our recent trip to Arches and Canyonlands parks. Whenever I wanted to take a picture, I simply pulled out the camera in a single motion with one hand. The lightness of the camera, its ease of use, long battery life, and the quality of the pictures make this a great purchase for its price.

Only 1 word – Disappointing
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I had high expectations from this camera. Great reviews, great brand name, 12 MP, HD video recording, HDMI etc…so many features but I’m disappointed at the results of this camera.

Not sure if it is the piece I received, but the quality of pictures and video is very bad. The video was very grainy…the pictures didn’t live up to the expectations. My old 4MP Nikon coolpix did a better job than this. There are not many cameras out there for ~ $220 which have all these features, so I chose this camera. Returned it after a week of use. Tried in various surroundings – indoor, outdoor, hd video etc…nothing is good.

1 star to camera. 5 stars to Amazon for promptly processing the refund.

Great pocket camera / video recorder
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If you are looking for a tiny camera / video recorder that will fit easily in your pocket to take easy shots whenever you want… this is what you are looking for. The power on time is super fast. The video quality is excellent.

The only down sides:

- You are going to want to get a descent sized card.

- Low light video quality isnt that great.

Perfect
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The small size (about as large a full size iPod) is perfect for those on the go like my college age son!

fits in my shirt pocket and is a great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was looking for a good camera that didn’t require me to carry a case and this one fit the bill. Did the research on these “ultra compact” cameras and this one had high ratings on most sites I checked. The performance, battery life is excellent and the picture quality is outstanding. I do use a DSLR for special occasions, but for just snapshots, vacation pics, and enjoying life…this is the camera. It fits in my shirt pocket!….Just a great little camera all around…

Cannon Powershot SD780IS
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Great camera for what it is… small, inexpensive and stylish. I carry it when going out at night with friends, and anytime I even think I might want a picture… It is so small that I forget it is there! Night shots, image stability are not the best, but Im still learning how to use it to get the best pics in those conditions.For the $200 it is a really small, fast, well built camera. I was particularly excited about the rounded corners… after having a SD1200 (ex took it), my thigh was bruised from the sharp corners.

Love the speed!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera was bought entirely b/c my old camera would take too long after you pressed the button until it actually took the picture – this one is nearly instant on the children/pets setting. I spent a little extra to get the HD video feature b/c I think all things will be HD soon and I’ll be glad I made the investment. This is our only camera we use know to take pics and video of my infant son. It is awesome. The buttons are a bit small, but nothing that would deter me from buying the camera again in the future.

Best point and shoot canon
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
If your reading this, I suggest you buy this camera NOW! Best canon of all and I’ve owned a few!

Excellent camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This Canon camera is the best digital camera I’ve had yet. Its about half the size, but double the picture quality which is fantastic. I’ve found that Canon is always the easiest to use and takes the best pictures so you really can’t go wrong with this camera. It was also really worth the price. I HIGHLY recommend this camera to everyone!!

Worked fine for the people who designed it…
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
…but it’s pathetically small for everyone else. I don’t own this camera, but after trying it out in several stores, I found its buttons are just about too small to be usable. Just take that for what it’s worth ahead of time

This is an incredible camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been taking pictures for over 50 years. This camera is amazing. Run, don’t walk and buy this little camera. You will not be disappointed.

Nightmare
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Let me start bt saying I have always purchased and loved Canon products. Until today.

I wish I could say this canon camera has been a good expereince, but it has not! I went in search of a new small point and shoot to take to outings where I would not want to take my Canon rebel DSLR and my Sony handycam, and after researching cameras, felt like the Powershot 780IS was the best of both worlds; decent picture quality and decent video quality. Initially I was pleased. After I received the camera I began taking snapshots and videos to see how it functioned. Grainy in low light, nice pictures in overcast .. . then the sun came out. . .oh boy. I began getting lines down the LCD in both picture mode and video mode that showed up in playback and on download. I was going to return the camera and after talking to Canon Tech they told me that it would be quicker and easier to go through Canon and get it fixed. When I complained that I would be getting a “refurbished” camera than for the price of a new one, they told me I could discuss that with them and “work it out” once it got there. With the countdown to my vacation I had purchased it to take on at 2.5 weeks, I sent it back to Canon. I received it back today, literally 1 day before we leave.. . and to my distaste, it continues to do the same thing. Again on hold with Canon, they continue to tell me they will “repair” only, and that I should send it back to them, even though they have replaced the ENTIRE INSIDE OF THE CAMERA! I attempted to take pictures AND video in my dining room where there are no windows ,just my chandelier, and now there are purple lines all down the LCD and on playback. With my vacation 1 day away, I now need to decide send it BACK to canon, whose Customer Service has left little to be desired, or send it BACK to Amazon, for either a return or exchange. With one day left until my vacation, clearly I will be cameraless. Perhaps this was an unfortunate incident, however if it was damaged and the inside replaced, it should be functioning properly. So either it wasn’t really fixed, or its a poorly made model. You decide, I still haven’t.

Awesome Little Camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is my 10th digital camera. I own variety of different brands of digital cameras for different shooting conditions ranging from underwater Sony camera to Nikon SLR.

The size is very compact. The camera takes awesome pictures with very good metering. The dynamic face tracking ensures all the faces are in focus with evenly balance exposure.

Pictures at highest resolution are not as sharp, with some distortion.

However, the 12MP is a bit over kill for me. It’s a waste of storage space and difficult to post or e-mail.

This camera is perfect for a night out with friends. I will probably use something with bigger lense for my travel.

Overall rating is excellent, for everyday use. It is definitely a “BUY”!

LOVES it
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I love this camera – it’s tiny, it’s sleek and it takes fabulous pictures. The picture quality is great and the focus is wonderful – it takes just as good pictures up close as it does farther away. It also does really well with shooting in motion. I recently went on a trip to Maui and took pictures from the car and they were great. I used to have a Nikon Coolpix and I’ve definitely become a Canon convert. My only complaint for this camera is that it doesn’t take pictures fast enough i.e. there is a slight lull in between when you press the button and when the picture is taken and when you can take the next one. There is an option to have it in a faster shutter mode but the pictures aren’t as focused. I’m not a photographer so this is too complicated for me – i just need a camera to point and shoot and take great pictures. Even with the slower picture speed, i LOVE this camera.

SD780 review (from a SD770 owner)
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The SD780 is Canon’s replacement for the 10 MP SD770 model released around a year before it. I upgraded to the SD780 as I was happy with my SD770 but liked the new features and smaller profile.

The interface has improved, most notably with the automatic shooting mode detection. As I have a dSLR for serious photography I used the SD770 as more of a happy snaps camera and as such it spent nearly all it’s life in the automatic profile. The SD780 utomatically activates a suitable shooting profile in auto mode (when taking a close range photo for example it will automatically select macro mode), and so far I’ve found this system to be very quick and accurate. It’s lighter than the 770 (which itself is quite light) and doesn’t cause any discomfort in your pocket thanks to it’s slim profile. Another improvement is a wider lens (it’s no Panasonic FX37, but a 33mm equivalent wide end is better than 35mm) which was one of the shortcomings of the older model. Unfortunately the SD780’s lens is f3.2-5.8 which means it does struggle at times with low light even with the optical image stabilisation system activated. The lens itself is quite good for a compact point and shoot, with no noticable barrel distortion. Shooting performance is excellent, as good or even better than the previous model with very quick power up to shooting times, shot to shot times and minimal shuttter lag.

The CCD resolution has been increased to 12.1 megapixels but is the same physical size. This coupled with quite agressive noise reduction means that image quality does suffer at high ISO settings. Combined with the relatively slow lens it’s night performance isn’t quite as good as some of it’s rivals, but is still adequate quality for casual shooting. While the extra resolution is a bonus in daylight shooting I can’t help wondering if the resolution increase was more of a marketing excercise than anything else, and whether the camera would have better served retaining the older 10 MP image sensor.

720P video is a welcome addition as is the switch from Motion JPEG to H.264 video. The video files are stored in the Quicktime container so Mac users especially will find it easy to work with video files from the camera. Battery life is best described as adequate, Canon has switched from the NB-6L to the smaller NB-4L which means battery life is rated at 210 shots, which is lower than average. The batteries charge quickly however and the battery life isn’t really a problem if you charge it after every trip.

Overall I would say that the SD780 is a solid camera with a couple of shortcomings, mainly due to the packaging constraints. I bought the 770 because I wanted something that was as carryable and convenient as a cameraphone but with decent quality images. If that’s what you are looking for you wont be disappointed.

Great small camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I wanted a camera that I could carry in my pocket to shoot HD video of my daughter’s graduation. I looked at those pocket camcorders, but when I found I could get a tiny Canon that would shoot HD video and was also a regular camera, that sounded more versatile to me. I have owned several Canon digital cameras before, and have always been happy with them. After reading reviews of this one, I had two concerns: Would it be so small that it would hard to operate with my average-sized male fingers, and would such a small device have adequate image quality? After using it at the aforementioned graduation, I am happy to say that neither one of those concerns was a problem. It has a quality feel and is VERY small, actually a bit shorter than my iPhone 3G, about the same width, and only a little bit thicker. But it is very easy to operate. It fits easily and comfortably in both my pants pocket and shirt pocket, but I bought a small cellphone case that fits it very nicely, so I can also clip it to my belt.

I have a couple of suggestions for anyone who might want to use this camera for video: First, I wasn’t sure how much memory card capacity I would need, so I went ahead and bought 2 16G SDHC cards. Good move! I filled the first one up before the end of the ceremony, and was able to quickly swap in the second one. The thing I didn’t consider, though, was battery life. I got a low battery warning even before I filled up the first memory card. Fortunately, there were two parts to the ceremony, and during the break I was able to find an outlet to charge up the battery. In general, I like the small rechargeable battery that comes with its own charger, but it would be good to have a second charged battery on hand. Another idea I had was to screw a mini tripod into the bottom to use as a handle. That worked out very well. It made it easier to shoot over the heads of the people in front of me, and was probably more comfortable too.

In summary, I’m completely satisfied with this camera. The image quality is more than adequate for my needs, and I love the small size.

awesome camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
when I first got this camera it was so small I thought, this can’t take very good pictures, but boy was I wrong, it takes great video and pictures, size is so portable you can just stick it in your pocket! My daughter loves it!

good for it size
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
This is a very good camera for it’s small size.

The pic quality is very good in most cases but not so great indoors. The HD video is fantastic.

The user interface is simple and easy to use.

all in all it is a good buy.

GREAT BUY! NICE UPGRADE FROM THE SD 750
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
now, dont get me wrong, i was a total Canon SD750 junkie. that is still an amazing camera, so much so that i kept buying them after i would lose one. so, with a high precedent set, i eventually tried to go outside canon. I got the kodak 1033. pictures were ok, VIDEO WAS SO BAD. HORRIBLE Sound. returned it. went back to the canon. And i shopped around wanting to go a step above and FINALLY they released this little devil. so slim, so compact and amazing HD video!!! LOVE IT! and CANON! I also had a flip camera and it was so annoying carrying around 2 things! this little devil does both!! so happy

Perfect–with one minor detail
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera after my SD 790 IS died over the 4th of July weekend. I am a huge fan of the color accent mode which is why I bought this Powershot instead of the other models that don’t have this feature. The SD790 had the option to keep the original photo in addition to the color accent photo. Unfortunately, this little Powershot does not have the option to keep the original photo. That is a shame considering that is why I bought this camera and paid the extra for it.

Otherwise, I am very happy with it.

SD780IS–best compact camera for the money.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
As an experienced and picky photographer, I’ll try to be fair, objective, and to the point.

The bottom line is this is a great compact digital camera for the price. It takes great photos when set up right–auto-mode produces less-than-desired results (typical for “auto” set ups”) as they tend to be overexposed and lacking in color. Perfectly normal for auto. Use “P” mode and tune as desired. The lens isn’t that wide–I believe it’s a 28mm on 35mm equivalent, but it’s certainly wide enough for most uses. The lens is sharp but does have distortion at its widest end. Avoid taking photos of really defined horizons such as the ocean/sky.

One issue I have with this camera is the durability. After light-to-moderate use, the paint is either thinning, or rubbing and chipping off. I only had it a few months and it already looks beat and battered, especially when next to my friend’s 3-year old panasonic point and shoot which he uses a lot more than I use my camera and it looks almost new. Another friend has this exact same camera for about the same time ( a few months ) and it too is chipping, peeling, etc.

For more photos taken with this camera, you can visit my site at [...]

Great little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this for my wife as a Christmas present and she loves it! We love the fact that it does 720p HD video and has HDMI so you can hook it straight up to the tv to watch your videos in High Def. It has some really nice features if you want to play with it a little to figure it out but just to point and shoot it’s pretty straight forward without having to open the manual. Very happy with this purchase!

I love this camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is the only camera that my husband and I use to capture the important moments of our baby’s life. The quality of the pictures are excellent. It’s flash speed is perfect to catch fast actions especially when the subject is not very still. The HD videos are much better than you would expect from such a compact camera. I liked it so much that I bought it for my parents as a Christmas present.

This thing has some horsepower
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is an amazing little camera. The thing is tiny in size (thinnest yet) but huge on performance. The still image quality is really, really nice and dude,…HD video at 720p out of this thing? Sweet.

We shot a recent trip to Europe with this camera and left our DSLR at home. I was worried about carrying around just a point-and-shoot but I gotta say that the pictures came out so beautiful.

You really can’t go wrong with this. I highly recommend. For me, it’s Canon for point-and-shoots and Nikon for DSLRs.

Canon SD780: Finally found the ultimate hybrid camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had this camera now for about a week. The main reason for this purchase is the 720p HD video feature. I’ve been playing with all the recent point and shoot camcorders such as the Kodak Zi6 and the Creative Vado HD. I also have the not-yet-released-in-the-US Canon SX1 which does full 1080p HD video. I have also tried the Sony T500.

The first thing you’ll notice is how small this camera is. To date, its the smallest Canon camera yet almost to the point that its difficult to handle. I’d call it Ultra-compact and this thing can fit anywhere. The button are more flush than any other Canon which makes button finding and feeling a bit cumbersome.

I wasn’t expecting much from this camera in terms of performance but it blows all other point and shoot camcorders out of the water. The colors are much more accurate and the video overall is much smoother. Part of this due to the image stabilization feature. The toy cameras do not have this feature which is a huge necessity for something so small and light. It handles low-light situations better as well. Search SD780 on youtube for samples. Make sure you click the HD button.

The photos are secondary to me but they can be good in the manual mode. Using it with higher ISO setting will introduce noise. Then again, these photos are much better than the point and shoot camcorders. These are actually usable.

So with the point and shoot camcorders around the $200 mark (MinoHD, VAdoHD, Zi6), for $80 more (SD780) you get something that is much better overall.

+ Made in Japan and much better build quality than the toy camcorders

+ Removable SD storage card

+ Removable battery (uses the common NB-4L)

+ Image stabilization

+ Usable stills

+ Canon optics

+ Ultra compact (2/3 the size of a MinoHD)

+ Easy to use .MOV files

+ Stealth Black color

The only drawbacks I can think of are:

- Cannot use optical zoom during recording (let’s hope this can be changed via firmware upgrade)

- Photos can be noisy and grainy at times

- Mono sound recordings

Good camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
Overall, pleased with this camera. Portability is great. Picture quality not as good when zoomed in. My first video seemed a bit “jerky” and not very smooth.

captures toddler
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought this camera for my daughter who has toddler. She has said that this camera has stopped the little one in her tracks. Even when there is movement the camera takes pictures without blur, and it tracks the face to always stay in focus. I was a diehard Nikon user, but the reviews I read lead me to this camera. I sure glad I listened and now I want this camera for my own. The video is great too.

Canon SD780 IS digital camera is perfect for just about any use
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had previously purchase the SD1000 camera back in March of 2007, which was an upgrade from the Powershot S45 model. Going to an Elph body brought with it lots of bonuses, like being able to take my camera to concerts and other places where a bigger camera was not an option.

After more than 2 years with the SD1000, it was time to upgrade both my camera and my wife’s. She got the SD1000 while I ended up with the SD 780 IS.

I would have purchased this camera locally, but the color options were limited to bright red and solid black, neither of which was appealing to me or where I would use the camera.

As with the SD1000, I used my camera on a self made camera mount on my scooter – a 2006 Honda Metropolitan. I film various videos throughout the spring and summer and having a small digital makes for some excellent footage.

This camera also has an HD mode for video, which I’ve only used a few times in test videos. In the near future, I will be using this mode more often.

Image stabilization is nice, but I’ve not noticed any major improvements over using a camera that doesn’t have it. Perhaps more testing with this feature is needed, but overall, I’ve not missed the IS feature.

Photo wise, it takes incredible pictures at just about any resolution. I have mine in 1600×1200 mode, which is 2 megapixel and perfect for most of my photo needs (blogging, family photos, gatherings, outdoors activities). One nice bonus feature is that it remembers your flash setting during a power off and power back on again. Meaning, if you turned off the flash the last time you used it, the next time you power it back on, the flash will remain off. This is a great feature when you are in a place where flash pictures are not allowed, making it so you don’t forget to check the flash setting before taking the picture.

For the price, this is a great camera for a wide variety of uses and it’s proven itself to be a great model.

The two gotchas are on this camera are:

- the SD1000 used a .AVI extension on videos. This SD780 IS changes it to .MOV. Using video footage from both cameras can prove to be difficult to manage individual files.

- the case is all metal which is nice, but if you have wet or greasy fingers, it makes it slippery. Adding a clear cover like InvisiSheild helps add some grip to the camera.

Best Canon Camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had several Canon cameras and one Olympus as well as used a Sony, and I always come back to Canon. It takes the best quality pictures and has the sleekest looks. This particular camera is definitely the best I have used. Not only is it tiny and gorgeous in red, but the picture quality is superb with improved anti-shake, and the pictures come out clear even when using zoom. To top it all off, the battery life is substantially longer than my last camera.

Great little camera with HD Video
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is a great little camera. If your looking for a high quality camera that will fit in your pocket than look no further. Being little though you must realize the the buttons are small. The image quality is very good and the HD video is awesome however if you have an old computer you may not have a video card good enough to view it with. I got a new computer and it shows it fine but my old computer it is shaky on. I had an SD600 camera prior to this camera that I loved but the shutter expired after three years. Thanks to an awesome warranty through Office Depot I got my money back. I felt bad for buying from Amazon as Office Depot treated me very well but I didn’t want to wait to get a new camera and I didn’t know if Office Depot was going to come through but they did. The Amazon transaction was very easy and I have no complaints. Shipping was fast and communication was good. If I had an complaints it would be how small the power button is but like I said this is a very portable but powerful camera.

Excellent Camera!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is my 3rd digital camera, second canon. I absolutely love the camera. It is extremely portable, easy to use, takes very high resolution images and the image stabilizer is a huge benefit, it works very well too. Also, the camera has many pre-set options: black & white, sepia, sunset, fireworks, children, plants, etc. that truly enhance the image.

A very good camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I don’t like the color, black, makes features on the camera hard to read.

Camera works great. Transferring pictures from the camera to the computer is easy. Has a viewfinder which is wonderful. Zooms in & out very well. A fine camera. Glad I bought it.

great camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is great. It is so light and tiny it fits right into my wife’s purse. She loves it. Easy to take pictures.

A nice little all purpose camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
What caught my attention with this camera was its size. It is a very small camera, but packs a punch. The image and video quality is really good. We have used it in a variety of settings as well as image types and it all came out very well.

The small size of the camera could be an issue for some, but i highly recommend it.

Excellent
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera it’s amazing the size omg I love it it’s small and can be kept anywhere even your pocket. Recording my favorite HD very good quality. Although recorded videos are super heavy to upload to YouTube. Overall I’m loving this camera

Excellent, well made little camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This camera is small and made quite well. If you compare it to other cameras in it’s class, you will immediately notice it is heaftier and made of metal, not plastic. The menus are easy to figure out and the camera is packed with a ton of features. The only negative is this: When you take a picture it takes a few seconds to appear on the screen, in the interim, a note that says “Busy” appears on screen. This is annoying.

Best in Class Ulta-Compact
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I read plenty of reviews and did much testing before deciding to buy this camera. Now that I’ve used it for over a month now and on several trips I can confidently say this is the best camera at its size and price. If someone can produce another camera at this size and weight with similar features and image quality with a lower price please provide a link to it. I tested Nikons and Panasonics and they all had worse IQ, and even other bigger Canons but disliked the bulk.

The best feature of course is its size, it fits comfortably in my pocket with a cell phone too. The pictures are great and the shutter speed is amazing, especially if you turn off the picture review and want to take many pictures in a row but just not in continuous mode. The Auto works great for most anything, however indoors and in low light, its best to raise your ISO and use program mode.

My minor complaints would be the display quality(noisy),audio quality, and only 3x optical zoom. I would love it with 5x optical zoom and better audio, but its not any worse then the audio on the Flip. This is the perfect compliment to my DSLR and I was very impressed with the camera’s performance given its tiny size.

Noisy, but good
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
If you want this little new camera from Canon it’s probably due to it’s attractive body and small size, something Canon has done well in the past and managed to improve upon in the SD780 IS. If those two things are topping your list, don’t bother reading this review. You’ve succeeded in finding a tiny, attractive little camera that can go just about anywhere. If quality and features also matter, it’s more of a mixed bag. As usual, when you make a camera this small, the form factor means sacrifices in more practical areas. Nonetheless, Canon does a nice job all-around in giving you an excellent value despite the shortcomings inherent in pocket photographic devices.

For owners of small pocket cameras, it should come as no surprise that noise is the number one problem with this device. With a 12MP sensor, it’s no wonder there’s so much noise in every photo you take. Outdoors, indoors, pitch black, whatever: it doesn’t matter. You will see noise no matter how well-lit your scene is, whether there are dark areas or not. This is a huge drawback if you’re printing large photos. If you’re like most people and only go beyond 4×6 or 5×7 for that occasional photo that warrants an 8×10, you don’t have much to worry about. Though cramming 12MP into a tiny little sensor, like the one used in the SD780 IS, is certainly a cause of the high levels of noise, the resolution it provides makes the noise imperceptible when printing small photographs. You may notice it in an 8×10 photo taken at night, but for your smaller prints you should get by just fine.

Where noise is a bigger problem is in the video mode. Since the introduction of their 5D Mark II DSLR, Canon’s begun to embrace high-definition video across their photographic line. Though few cameras in Canon’s arsenal can capture HD video at this time, I believe by the end of 2009 it should be more the norm than the exception. While the SD780 IS doesn’t capture 1080p video like the 5D Mark II, or it’s (much) bigger brother the SX1S IS, 720p is quite a feat for a camera this small. It’s comparable in size to the Flip Mino HD and only costs about $50 more (if you’re comparing by suggested retail pricing). Though not as straightforward and simple as the Flip, by virtue of being a still camera first and a video device second, if you’re looking for a device that does both and are willing to pay a little extra you’ve found it. The video quality in the Canon SD780 IS is more uniformly sharp (in daylight or indoors), though the Flip Mino HD tends to pick up slightly more detail in the distance (in daylight, not indoors). The SD780 IS gives you selective focus and stabilization. While you may not care for selective focus, the image stabilization offered in the SD780 IS is very nice to have when taking video clips. The image stabilizer allows for nice, smooth pans that are not offset by the “jello effect” you get with CMOS sensors. The Flip uses a CMOS and has that issue. The SD780 IS uses a CCD and does not. The SD780 also offers H.264 encoding at an average bit rate of about 24Mbps. For H.264 720p video, this is a very high bit rate from a device. Nonetheless, the files aren’t too big. If you’ve got a 16GB SDHC card you’ll get about an hour and a half of video. Where the Flip does a better job, however, is in noise.

Though the Flip isn’t exactly the best device in low light, it still manages pretty well for a tiny little camera. The SD780 IS looks noisy in every situation. While the high megapixel rating keeps the noise harder to see in a photo, when you’re dealing with 720p video the noise is very apparent. You can see it in perfect daylight, though it’s not that bothersome, and you can really see it indoors regardless of the lighting. This is a noisy camera. Though it’s forgivable in the photographs, in most cases, it really hurts the video mode. Given the limitations of the tiny hardware and the unfortunate megapixel race, noise reduction would’ve been nice. Nonetheless, if you’re looking for an incredibly tiny device that records HD video, the SD780 IS should by high on your list by virtue of its stabilization.

Being that this is a primarily a still camera and not a video device, there are a lot of positives to look at. Let’s start on the outside and work our way in. Canon’s clearly put a lot of thought into the form factor. Regardless of what color you get, I think most will agree that this is a very attractive device. It’s compact and light, so taking it with you will seem about the same as not taking it with you: you will often forget you have it. On one hand, that’s very nice. On the other, make sure you don’t lose it. Though it’s not the smallest camera you can buy, it feels a lot smaller than it is. This could be an issue for some people. I’ve owned and/or reviewed a large number of consumer imaging devices and I’ve never run into the problems that some seem to have with button size. I’ve used a Sony camera that’s a bit smaller than this one and had no issues, whatsoever, with accidental presses. The SD780 IS is the first device I’ve owned where I often make these mistakes. If you have big fingers, you will probably find this device extremely frustrating. For me, the problem is primarily with what I’ll call the function wheel. Kind of like an iPod, in the center is a Function/Set button surrounded by a wheel of four other options. Though this is not a new interface for Canon, it’s awfully small on the SD 780 and it’s very easy to mistakenly push the wrong button on the wheel (or the center button). Personally, I don’t find myself running into this problem too often because I’m not frequently changing settings. Nonetheless, it’s something you should consider if you’ve had trouble with accidental button pushes in the past.

The other switches, however, are quite easy to deal with. The other four buttons on the back panel have quite a bit of space around them, even when not considering how small this camera is, and pushing them is no trouble at all. One is a switch that goes from automatic photo mode to custom photo mode to video mode. Though I’ve come to prefer separate buttons for starting a video and taking a photo, much like Sanyo does with their line of convergence cameras (which they’re now calling “dual cameras”), this switch works well in the sense that it keeps you in the mode and saves you from remembering which button to push when you want something. More importantly, switching modes is about as fast as you could ask for. Though it’s not my preferred way to switch modes (because I prefer the devices to seem like there’s no switch at all), it doesn’t really end up being a problem.

Lastly, there are two buttons on the top of the camera. One is for the shutter and the other is the power button. If you have large fingers, good luck pushing the power button. It’s tiny and it isn’t raised at all. I consider my fingers normal-sized and have no difficulty pushing the button but if you’re concerned, go try the camera in a store before you buy it. As for the shutter, that’s no problem at all. You half-depress to focus and press fully to take the photo, like you would with pretty much any digital camera on the market. There is also a zoom ring around the shutter button which has a tiny little edge to it for your finger to flick. It works quite well, despite being as tiny as it is. For the most part, the camera is very easy to control despite its size. Though you may have difficulty when changing settings, when it comes to general operation (aside from turning it on and off) you shouldn’t run into issues.

My two favorite parts of the SD780 IS body are its large screen and port access. The screen is incredibly bright and clear, even at half brightness (which is where it starts out of the box and probably where you want to leave it), and is well protected by a glass covering. Smudging is easy to clean but be careful of scratches. The refresh rate of the screen is also excellent. Color accuracy is surprisingly good and realistic, assuming you’re not using the “my colors” feature. I’ve come to expect less from Canon’s devices (especially in the white balancing department) and I was pleasantly surprised. While that isn’t entirely the display’s job, what I see on the screen is what I see in reality. No complaints. If you prefer shooting from the viewfinder, which is perfectly reasonable, you will definitely be disappointed. The option is nice, of course, but it’s so incredibly tiny that it seems more for show than for any actual use. I appreciate Canon’s inclusion, but I can pretty much guarantee it will never be used for any practical purpose. My other favorite part is the port access, because it’s exactly how I like it. In the top left corner (if you’re looking at the back of the camera), you pull off this little piece of plastic to reveal a mini HDMI port and a mini USB port. There’s no proprietary connections. It’s nice to see a tiny camera not sacrifice connectivity for the sake of size. To transfer pictures, just pull the plastic covering away and plug the camera into your computer. The process is the same if you want to connect the camera via HDMI to your HDTV. Canon doesn’t include the necessary cable, which is a shame, but being that I’ve never once connected my camera to a television I’m not really bothered. They do give you a standard definition cable, however, so you’re not stranded with no options. On the bottom of the camera there is the usual slide-off access to the battery and memory card. Canon really crammed them both in there, but in a way that’s impressive and not cumbersome. Additionally, they managed a tripod head mount on the bottom as well, and you can pull away a little rubber covering to reveal a hole for the tripod head’s stabilizer (the little piece that doesn’t screw in but holds the camera in place on the head).

Overall, the camera body has an excellent design. It’s not only attractive but functional. The only drawback is the possibility of accidental button pushes, but that sort of comes with the territory.

What about the camera’s features? We’ve already discussed video mode, which is excellent aside from the noise issues. The still camera features and controls are quite good all around, with only a few silly omissions. Let’s start with the menu system. It’s very simple. You press the menu button and you have two columns. One is the very simple camera options column, only giving you four choices, and the other is the function column giving you much more to do. In the camera options, you can turn certain functionalities on or off. Despite the paltry zoom on this device, which is to be expected due to its size, I’d recommend turning off digital zoom. It’s on by default. Why it is even included in cameras is something I’ve never quite understood. As for the functions menu, you have a number of basic functions (display brightness, card formatting, etc.) but also some superfluous functions like changing the sound effects and the camera’s startup image. You don’t get many choices, and the dog bark shutter sound is absent from this device (which I always loved), but you get choices nonetheless. If you don’t want sound effects at all, there is a mute feature. You should note, however, that this camera makes noise on startup nonetheless. The body is a little noisy on its own. The image stabilizer also sounds like a fan is running. I haven’t heard the microphone pick up this noise in video mode, but if operation noise is a problem for you for whatever reason you can minimize it by turning off image stabilization. That said, aside from getting a couple of extra pictures out of your battery life, I can’t imagine why you’d ever want to turn it off.

Canon’s autofocus has lagged behind Nikon’s in the DSLR market, in my opinion, but in their consumer devices I’ve been pretty pleased with how well it works. Autofocus is very fast and, in my experience so far, very accurate. The only problem I’ve consistently run into is the minimum focal distance in normal mode. Turning on macro mode solves the problem, and seems to be the most versatile mode (as it has no problem, unlike some consumer cameras, focusing far off as well). The unfortunate issue with macro focus is that it resets every time you switch modes or turn the camera off. If you want it on, you need to set it every single time. It would be nice to either be able to change the default or for the camera to automatically switch to macro when it can’t manage to focus due to its proximity to the subject.

The flash does a pretty good job for being so tiny. Even from far away, it does well. Oddly enough, close subjects were not as blown out as I’d expected. Often times the photos looked surprisingly natural for a flash. Nonetheless, since you’re getting image noise regardless, I recommend shooting with higher ISOs if you have a reasonable amount of light in the room. It still tends to look more natural, especially after a little color correction.

Exposure controls and the self-timer meet expectations. There’s not a lot of room for innovation with these features, but you can adjust what I can only assume is the gain before taking a photo. Perhaps you’re adjusting shutter speed, though I’m not sure. You can also set a self-timer for 2 or 10 seconds. Actually being able to choose the time would be a nice step up, but I don’t think many have complained about the options given. They work just fine.

The SD780 IS also includes many superfluous but fun features common to Canon’s consumer line. My Colors is one of them. They give you so many different color modes (including positive film, monotone and sepia) I don’t know why you’d want to create your own, but you do have that option. You can also shoot in black and white with a color accent, if you’re trying to create the feel of Schindler’s List in your family photos (hopefully that includes no one), or just swap colors for whatever reason you’d want to do that.

Playback mode is excellent. It’s very easy to zoom in and out on your photos and navigate through them. You can even display a histogram and EXIF data while looking at the photo, which is pretty excessive but cool for a consumer device. Video playback provides a wealth of control, which even includes in-camera editing. This isn’t terribly new to Canon’s devices but it’s still nice. Personally, I’d rather edit outside of the camera but if you need space on your card and don’t have a spare it might be a good way to solve that issue (assuming you have parts of your videos that you want to remove).

As far as silly omissions go, when selecting an image size you can get the normal 4:3 or 16:9 (likely a result of the video mode). Where’s the 3:2 option? Digital cameras have pioneered the 4:3 format, which, personally, I do not like. When printing a 4×6 photo I’d prefer to avoid cropping. Both 4:3 and 16:9 require cropping, which is unfortunate. It seems ridiculous to not offer 3:2 shooting, but then again that’s not the norm with these devices. I think that’s unfortunate. As I’ve mentioned previously, the lack of an HDMI cable and noise reduction is also too bad. The HDMI is understandable as this camera is pretty inexpensive (and you’d never know that by looking at it), but noise reduction is sorely missed. It’s no replacement for an actual lack of noise, but a little bit would go a long way with this device.

The battery life is surprisingly good. Perhaps I feel that way because I haven’t used a camera this small in a long time, but being that it can make it through the day given all the crap I put it through with room to spare, I’m impressed. The camera also comes with a separate charger, which is great if you want to pick up a spare battery. It’s also very easy for travel. Though I always prefer the option, at least, to charge via USB (in case I forget the charger or don’t want to bother bringing it with me), the provided charger is very compact and makes charging the battery an easy thing to do. The only downside is that you constantly have to remove the battery from the camera, but they make that access easy enough (as described earlier).

Overall, there’s a lot to like about the Canon SD780 IS. The noise issue is the biggest drawback, but educated buyers should know to expect this when purchasing a pocket device. Everything else is mostly trivial. Though the noise issues are a major drawback, especially if you’re interested in the mostly great HD video mode, this is a great little camera and well worth the price thanks to the HD video mode.

In summary…

+ Attractive, tiny size and solid build

+ Surprisingly good battery life

+ Big, bright, color-accurate display

+ Menu system and on-screen interface is attractive and easy to use

+ Forgetting the noise issues, video mode is very good providing 720p video in H.264 with a high bit rate (average of 24Mbps)

+ Easy access to ports and easy to transfer photos or display them on your (HD)TV

+ The flash is surprisingly effective without being excessively bright

+ Inexpensive for what you get

= Very high resolution photos, though this comes at a cost (6 to 8 MP seems like a more logical choice)

= Image stabilization is excellent considering the size, but isn’t what you get with a larger device

= Has a viewfinder, though it’s pretty much useless

= Many superfluous but fun features, mainly color-related

- Physical buttons are often too small and accidental pushes are commonplace

- Images and video are extremely noisy, no matter the lighting conditions

Correct case for SD780 IS
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
After much searching I found the correct case for this camera. It is specifically made for the SD780IS, It is the Canon PSC-1050. It says made for the Powershot SD780IS right on the box and fits like a glove. Get the correct case.Canon PSC-1050 Deluxe Lether Case (Black)Canon PSC-1050 Deluxe Lether Case (Red)

What an amazing camera! Big camera performance, tiny package!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I selected this camera as a “always carry” item. I own a Canon 20D professional camera with many lenses and other attachements, and it is HEAVY. So I don’t take it unless I am on a photo shoot.

The SD780IS has a very important feature: an optical viewfinder. This is really helpful in bright sunlight, when you will have great difficulty using the LCD to frame a photo.

The image quality is great, the HD video is great, only complaint is that the mic is very susceptable to wind noise.

The ability to apply filters and cropping/resizing in the camera is very nice.

This camera is so small it is smaller than a credit card (only thicker). The flash works great, the focus light works great – I can take photos in complete darkness! The shutter lag is very very short.

If you are looking for an absolutely GREAT camera that will disappear in your pocket (you will forget it is there), this is the one!

The only limitations (in comparison to my “big” camera) is… no lens options (only built-in 3x zoom, with a very good digital zoom and image stabilizer function), and a slightly higher noise level in the image data (required because it uses a very tiny sensor). The noise is not visible for even very large prints (12 megapixels is a LOT of pixels). And, of course the adjustment options are limited (I like shutter priority, but can’t do that on this camera). However, the exposure system is EXCELLENT!

I usually shoot in Program mode, with -2/3 stop exposure. This is due to the fact that auto mode causes the image to often be slightly over-exposed (as viewed on the LCD). The image is usually NOT overexposed, just looks that way. Since I like to share the photos on the camera a lot, I use this to get great color on the LCD, not just on the computer. The additional image noise from this adjustment is very tiny.

Great camera! HD video in the palm of your hand! Waiting for Canon to release the 60D so I can do HD on my big camera, too!

Very Good I really like it
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I was looking for a small portable camera with good picture quality.

The 780 met my needs. I would recommend the camera.

Awesome camera
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am far from a professional photographer but I have used many cameras over the years and I absolutely love this one. Great features, great quality, and a decent price for all of it.

Canon 780 IS
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Do not use a hdmi large to small adaptor on a hdmi cable.The one I purchased did not let the camera connect to the HDMI input on the tv. Had to purchase all-in-one large to small adaptor cable. Some reviews said that the telephoto did not work in video mode. On this camera it does work in auto mode. Camera was a great purchase.

SD780IS 12.1 MP
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Decided to upgrade from my Canon SD630. Chose the SD780IS based on the HD Video capture along with the 12MP camera. The video quality in HD has been a great upgrade from my previous Canon. Sound quality capture is bit low but overall the video is great. I compared this to other Flipp HD recorders and found the Canon to have the same FPS. For me, I wanted a single device for photo and video capture. I am not a fan of carrying 2 devices. The SD780IS is very small but easy to handle. It fits well in my pockets which makes it even easier to use when walking around or traveling. I would recommend this camera to folks that like a small point and shoot that captures HD video.

Great little camera
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I love my SD780. I won’t bore you with a lot of stuff, just hit the highlights.

* Great pictures in a variety of situations. 12 megapixels makes for some super sharp photos.

* 720p HD video looks great. To think you have a HD camera that’s not much bigger than most cell phones is incredible.

* Simple layout of buttons and features, though I wish some buttons were raised in order to give tactile clue of layout in dark or situations where it’s faster to not look at the cam