Compared to... Panasonic DMC-FX07

Below you will find a studio comparison between the Canon SD 700 IS (IXUS 800 IS) and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX01 at ISO 400.

Studio scene comparison (@ ISO 400)

• Canon SD800 IS (IXUS 850 IS): Program mode, ISO 400 , Default Image Parameters,
  Manual white balance, +0.67 EV compensation
   
• Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX07: Program mode, ISO 400, Default Image Parameters,
  Manual white balance, +0.3 EV compensation
   
• Lighting: Daylight simulation, >98% CRI

Canon SD 800 IS (IXUS 850 IS)	Panasonic DMC-FX07
ISO 400, 1/320 sec, F4.5	ISO 400, 1/400 sec, F4
3,028 KB JPEG	2,837 KB JPEG

At ISO 400 the differences are much more pronounced; the Panasonic has lost a huge amount of fine detail and there is color bleeding (especially reds), and still shows signs of noise - in fact it's pretty unpleasant, and makes Canon's ISO 400 effort seem half-decent by comparison!