Canon Powershot SD200 3.2MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

Rating:
Summary: very good pics, slightly blurry corners and purple fringing
Review:

I had the cam for two months.

The bottom line:
Buy this cam if you need a super compact cam, that takes very good quality pictures that are well focused, correctly exposed, with accurate colors and noiseless even at night and indoors without flash. If purple fringing and a little blurriness in the corners matters to you then look elsewhere.

Outdoor pics (daylight):
Very good quality pics except pronounced purple fringing usually at the edge of a dark object (a tree branch) on a bright background (the sky). Most people won't notice it unless you tell them.

Outdoor pics (night, no flash, on timer):
The flash won't help you here for distant objects so I didn't use it. To my surprise the cam took reasonable pics of a very dark street (30% of the trials the pics were well focused wihtout noise, 70% were defocused). Instead of using a tripod I set the cam on timer to reduce hand-shake. The pic looked very much like the reality. The shutter speed was 1/10 of a second, the Iso was probably 400 (for some reason the pic info doesn't contain the ISO).

Indoor pics (daytime, no flash, on timer):
The cam sensor seems to be sensitive enough and handles low light situation well - without noise and 50% of the pics were well focused. I took focused pics at shutter speed 1/8 of a second, without a tripod - to reduce the effect of hand-shake I used the timer. I didn't use the flash indoors in daylight since that produces too much shiny faces and it doesn't look very natural.

Night pics (with flash):
I took a well focused and exposed pic of a friend of mine in a bar. The flash is strong enough for 3 meters maybe and the color rendition was accurate.

Burst mode (with a fast memory card, the cam takes pic after pic till you hold the shutter pressed):
NEWS FLASH for you - the cam focuses only at the first pic and the following pics are taken with the same focus, shutter and aperture. It is not clear to me then why that is considered usefull????

Movie mode:
The highest resolution 640x480 produces super big files so you really need a Gigabyte memory to use it. The sound is recorded with the video. Another NEWS FLASH for you - the camera focuses when taking the first movie frame and then it keeps that focus constant. That means dear Willie that the object will get out of focus if it moves around. The defocusing is not as bad as it would be in taking pictures for example (I guess the cam keeps the depth of field big by closing the aperture or something). I understand that they couldn't set up a continuous focus because the sound from the zooming lense will destroy the soundtrack.

Macro mode: I used the cam to copy pages from books. As most of the professional reviews point out, the camera produces pics with slightly blurry corners. That doesn't matter in everyday point and shoot photography of people or houses in the center of the frame but for shooting text it matters. The corners of the text were still readable but I decided to try to find a compact camera that will handle the corners better. All super compact cameras are expected to have that problem due to their small lenses.

Note: The higher pixel model Powershot SD300 is not only more expensive but will also have more purple fringing and blurry corners (as the professional reviews on www.dcreview.com show). More pixels doesn't mean better quality as many people think!. More often than not it is quite the opposite!

Rating:
Summary: Broken Screen, Broken Heart
Review: Camera is fun to use and takes great pics for its size. But if you're looking for something pocketable and take-anywhere this isn't necessarily it. The screen breaks way too easily. I had it in the front pocket of my jeans and it cracked while I was tying my shoes! Cost to repair is 2/3 the cost of a new camera. I've had a few other cameras, bunch of cellphones, and PDAs, put them through much worse and never had problems with the screen. Canon wants me to pay for the repairs but instead I'm gonna put the money towards something that can survive a few shoe-tyings.

Rating:
Summary: A great little camera
Review: Canon has made a handy camera. It's small, compact and most of all, it's easy to use. Another good thing is the view screen. It's big compared to other camera. It's easy to upload the pictures and it's easy to shoot. A great camera for the casual photo taker.

Rating:
Summary: Once Again - Good Things Come In Small Packages
Review: Canon seems to be light years ahead of their competition when it comes to things like the look and feel of their products. The SD200 is no different. This is your basic slip-it-in-your-pocket (or purse) point and shoot camera. Perfect for making 4X6 prints or for e-mailing pictures to your buds. The 3.2 MP chip seems small these days but Canon installed the new DIGIC II chip and it this case, the new hardware and software deliver crisp, clear prints or on-monitor images. Despite the small size of the camera, the screen is big and clear. (That's what first caught my eye). The 3X zoom is another surprise in such a compact package. (That's what sold me on this camera.) I have big hands but I found the camera simple to operate. In fact, since I am very familiar with Canon products, I did not have to crack the manual to get started making pictures. I wasn't happy that none of my Compact Flash cards and other Canon batteries work in this smaller camera. I guess that's the price of progress.
I have not experienced any purple color fringe effects but a friend with another Canon showed me examples so I know it can happen. Since I'm not making Ansel Adams images with this small camera, I'm not worried. That may not be true for you so make sure wherever you buy, you can return it if you are not pleased with the results. Me, mine is a keeper - it's been a reliable and fun addition to the camera collection.

Rating:
Summary: Canon SD300 - Cracked LCD
Review: I am very happy with this camera due to it's small size and several different shooting modes. However I noticed that in low light conditions if you do not use the flash the pictures are somewhat blurry, even if you change the settings around. It appears that the camera needs the flash to focus properly. Red-eye is a major problem with this camera even with the red-eye reduction shooting mode. So be prepared to fix a lot of red-eyes out of your pictures.

Also my LCD cracked for no apparent reason. I took the camera out of it's case to take a picture and the LCD was white with a purple blob in the center. I was unable to view anything on the LCD or even change the settings. I mailed the camera back to Canon for repairs, which takes about 3 weeks and as you can imagine it is not covered under warranty. The cost for the repair is close to $200. I did some research on the internet and found that this is a common problem. I really like the SD300 but am rather unhappy with the LCD repair costs and problems.

Rating:
Summary: Good camera - very fragile
Review: I have had this camera for a little over two months, and the LCD scree has broken twice. I like the camera, but the problem with the screen is a HUGE problem. I have not been rough at all with the camera, and usually carry it in a camera case. I previously had an Olympus digital camera, which I traveled and did lots of outdoor activities with, and never had a problem with the LCD screen.

Rating:
Summary: Happy Customer. From Disposables to Digital
Review: I have had this camera for over 2 weeks and I am very happy with it.

Aside from disposables, this is the first camera I have purchased. I also bought the SD200 Accessory Kit--Which contains the the PSC-90 Deluxe Leather Case and the NB-4L Lithium-ion battery pack--and a 512mb Sandisk Ultra II card.

Before buying this camera I was worried about its "fragile" two-inch screen. So I went to Best Buy to test its durability myself. After a couple of hard wacks with my finger and other random tests I was satisfied. (I ended up purchasing this camera online very cheaply from a company listed on pricegrabber.)

I carry this camera in my pants pocket everyday and haven't had a problem. The key factor is keeping it in the PSC-90 case since its stiff back is designed to protect the LCD screen. I suspect if you use a softcase from another company (i.e. Case Logic) then there's the potential of damaging the screen. Aside from rattling in my pocket with my cell phone this camera has been leaned on while reaching over a counter and hit it against with a bag I was carrying. The screen is still in perfect condition.

I take pictures for business purposes: store prices, the inside of a car I was interested in purchasing, and eBay. Its speed also makes it a good social camera. The DIGIC II processor matched with a Sandisk Ultra II is unbelievably fast and well worth the extra dollars.

Battery life is exceptional. In one day I took over 150 pics w/flash and the battery is still running. A good trick to prolong its life is to change the Power Saving setting so that the LCD display turns off after 10 or 20 seconds after not being in use. When you are ready to take another picture press the shutter button half way down. The LCD will pop back on with your subject in focus. I also turn the brightness level to the minimum--which is still bright--to save power.

The last thing I would like to impress upon is its intuitive button layout. Everything can be managed with one hand unlike older Canon cameras where many of the function buttons reside under the LCD screen. Here, all the buttons are on the right side making it a breeze to navigate.

I can go on raving about photo quality, the easy user interface, and its compactness, but I'll leave that to other reviewers. Coming from someone who was using disposables this camera is the ultimate point and shoot. Other cameras I considered were the Sony W1 and V1, Fuji FinePix, Casio Elixim, and Canon A95, S500, SD110, S410. The SD200 does what is advertised at a great cost. I am very satisfied with this product.

Rating:
Summary: wonderful!
Review: I love this camera. It is tiny, fantastic, takes great photos, movies with sound, etc. I am very satisfied with this elph.

Rating:
Summary: great camera! fits in an ALTOIDS TIN?
Review: I'm loving this camera. Some great reviews listed here. Though, someone said you could fit it inside of an Altoids tin. I have tried, but it just won't fit. Even after some modifications to the tin with some needle-nose plyers. I could possibly force it in, but not sure if I'd ever get it out and would most probably scratch the thing up in the process. So, no go. This is kind of a bummer because it really looks like it should fit, and would be really great if it did. Durable, incognito, cheap. A great and easy case for your SD200. If somebody knows how to get this to work, please share.

Rating:
Summary: The LCD screen on my SD300 broke within a week
Review: The LCD screen is incredibly fragile - see the other two reviews that mention this same problem. Canon won't price the repair until I send it in. Since I'm currently in another country, this is problematic (they insist it must be sent to the US). I waited year's for a shirtpocket canon, and I'm hugely disappointed with this fragility.