Canon PowerShot SD780IS 12MP Digital Camera (Black)

Alright,

First off, I am not a pro photographer. I use a Rebel XTi, and a Leica D Lux 3, so i'm not exactly using top grade shooters. I just like to have decent pictures is all.

So, with that aside, I will say that this camera is absolutely excellent to just have on you at all times. If you are looking for insane DSLR quality pictures, obviously you should be looking elsewhere. For people who can deal with some noise here and there, its totally perfect. I'm not a camera buff that's going to nit-pick this camera. I am an average person that uses a camera everyday. Ease of use is great. Menu's, changing settings, video are all easably changable. Maybe someone with bigger hands might refute this, but it fits/feels fine in my hand.

To be honest, the noise all the way up to 800 is actually pretty good. Again, it's NOT a high end point and shoot. But for $200, it out performs my Leica in the noise department.
How often do you go above 800 anyway? I know even in the lowest of light, i'm either not using this camera if I want a printable shot, or you can set the exposure to be less, then set the flash settings accordingly and it's alright.

AF is pretty quick, not say G11 fast. But with moving targets, a few days of practice should warrant you the abilities to feel comfortable of trying. This is probably the only draw back. Then again, that's why I have a DSLR for action and artsy stuff.

Overall, for a camera that is inexpensive, easy to you, and very light weight this is an awesome deal. I am very happy with this camera, and so is my fiance who I originally purchased it for.

Hi All,
I love taking pictures, and I'm pretty good at it.
Before I bought this camera, I had the previous version -very wonderful. I loved everything about it. It made great photos. Then in December I decided it was time to try the new generation, which to me sounded like it would be even better than the one I had. I was so excited!
Well... I've really tried to love my new camera. Really. But nope, the love connection is just not gonna happen.
The quality of the pictures is not good at all.
The quality of the video is ok, but there is a lot of noise.
What I hate the most about it, is that I have no control in the automatic mode. I know, it's automatic, d'uh, but sometimes I don't want to mess around with the white balance and such, so I enjoy just taking my camera out and taking an "easy" picture in automatic mode. This won't happen with this one. I love taking macro pics, and it just won't work well in the automatic mode with this camera. I missed so so so many good shots just because the camera couldn't figure out that I wanted to take a macro picture. It's so frustrating when that happens!
The manual mode sucks too. Even after setting the colors, it looks crappy.
Anyway, I feel like I'm talking too much now and I should probably get to the point...
My point is: if you like the previous version, keep it!
Or, if you don't care about taking nice pictures and just want to take "so so" pictures, buy it!.
But for people who enjoy nice and good quality shots, this is not the camera for you.
Now I'm trying to sell it so I can get another camera...! It even makes me feel bad that someone is going to buy it!
Hope this helps!

My first generation digital Canon camera final gave up after lots of heavy use and abuse. In looking for a replacement there were so many positive reviews on the SD780 that I wondered if it was some sort of marketing gimmick. Well, I liked the styling, the specs, and the price so I thought I'd take a chance on it and can now see why others were so enthusiastic.

To be honest when I first opened the box the camera was about the size of a deck of cards and was quite smaller than I expected. I wondered if I could even work the buttons. No worries. The size grew on me (if you will excuse the pun) and although the power button is smaller than I would prefer, the rest of the controls can be manipulated comfortably. I bought the gold color camera and think it's beautiful.

For starters the camera is pretty intuitive if you just want to jump into it, but I recommend studying the manual at some point to really understand the finer points and incredible features. By the way, unlike others, this manual is very well written and useful. You can also download a pdf version from the Canon website. The "auto" mode is a no-brainer, but using the varied programmed settings is pretty easy. I like the fact that a particular program function has a plain English title to go with the icon since icons always confuse me. I don't take much video, but it worked amazingly well for a small camera. The clarity and colors of the still photos were a huge improvement from my previous camera. I'm still learning and playing though.

One of the big features for me is the digital macro function. I use my camera extensively in business and often need to take macro shots of components. I was blown away by this capability. It was better than my macro lenses on my old SLR 35mm cameras. Just read the manual instructions first.

I was surprised that it didn't come with a memory card so I ordered a 4GB which is adequate for my needs. I do recommend a case and the LCD screen protector that will protect the display from scratches, fingerprints and is supposed to reduce glare. With the understanding that there is not much real estate on this camera, my improvement wish list would be for a larger power button, a better access door to the USB/HDMI ports, and a plug in charger so you don't have to take the battery out. Bottom line is that I am really enjoying this camera and have no hesitation to recommend it with the understanding that it is small.

Love JUST about everything about my little red camera. The only concern I have is regarding the latch cover over where it connects to the computer. It seems a little flimsy and will be careful when when I use the cable.

Before you buy any Canon camera you need to be OK with the possibility that your camera may become a brick. You see, Canon cameras often times get the error message, "Lens Error, Restart Camera", and you can do NOTHING about it. Don't believe me, just call Canon and ask them yourself. This is my second Canon camera to have this problem, my first being the PowerShot SX200is, and Canon REFUSES to acknowledge the problem. It's a shame because I really wanted to like this camera.