Canon SD700 IS Digital ELPH (IXUS 800) Concise Review
Review based on a production Canon Digital IXUS 800 IS (SD700 IS)
Announced just before PMA 2006 in February, the 6 megapixel SD700 IS is the new flagship model in the long-running and very successful IXUS / Digital ELPH range. The SD 700 IS is the first Canon ultra-compact ever to feature optical image stabilization, and the first to sport a 4x zoom lens, though in most other respects it is very similar to the previous 'top of the range' SD550. Ostensibly a 'point and shoot' fully automatic model, the SD700 IS nevertheless has a fairly comprehensive feature set packed into its slim metal body. Let's start, as usual, with the headline features:
- 6.0 million effective pixels
- 4x (35-140mm equiv.) zoom
- ISO 800 and optical IS for flash-free indoor shooting
- Canon's DIGIC II image processor, iSAPS and 9-point AiAF
- Wide viewing angle 2.5" LCD screen
- 16 shooting modes
- My Colors photo effects
- Widescreen (16:9) stills recording
- 30fps VGA movies
SD700 IS / IXUS 800 specifications
| Street price | • US: $440 • UK: £290 |
|---|---|
| Naming | SD 700 IS Digital ELPH (US) |
| Body Material | Metal and plastic |
| Sensor | • 1/2.5 " Type CCD |
| Image sizes | • 2816 x 2112 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 30 / 15fps |
| File formats | • Still: JPEG (Exif 2.2) • Movie: AVI (Motion JPEG compression) |
| Lens | • 35-140mm equiv |
| Image stabilization | Yes (lens shift-type) |
| Conversion lenses | None |
| Digital zoom | up to 4x |
| Focus | • TTL • 9-point AiAF • 1-point AF (Fixed center) |
| AF area modes | • Normal • Macro • Infinity |
| AF assist lamp | Yes |
| Focus distance | • Normal: 1.5 ft./45cm-infinity • Macro: 0.79 in.-2.0 ft./2-60cm (WIDE), 1.3-2.0 ft./40-60cm (TELE) • Digital Macro: 0.79 in.-2.0 ft./2-60cm (WIDE) |
| Metering | • Evaluative • Center-weighted average • Spot |
| ISO sensitivity | • Auto • High ISO Auto • ISO 80 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 |
| Exposure compensation | • +/- 2EV • in 1/3 stop increments |
| Shuttter speed | 15-1/1600 sec |
| Aperture | F2.8-5.5 |
| Modes | • Auto • Manual • Digital Macro • Portrait • Night Snapshot • Special Scene • Stitch Assist • Movie |
| Scene modes | • Foliage • Snow • Beach • Fireworks • Underwater • Indoor • Kids & Pets • Color Accent • Color Swap |
| White balance | • Auto |
| Self timer | • 2 or 10secs • Custom |
| Continuous shooting | approx. 2.1fps until card is full |
| Image parameters | • My Colors (Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Positive film, Lighter skin tone, Darker skin tone, Vivid blue, Vivid red, Custom color) • Saturation: 5 levels • Contrast: 5 levels • Sharpness: 5 levels • Red, Green, Blue, Skintone: 5 levels each |
| Flash | • Auto • Manual Flash On / Off • Slow synch • Red eye reduction • Flash exposure lock • Range: 50cm-3.5m (wide) / 2.0m (tele) |
| Viewfinder | Real-image zoom optical viewfinder |
| LCD monitor | • 2.5-inch P-Si TFT • 173,000 pixels |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • AV out |
| Print compliance | • PictBridge • Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP printers only) |
| Storage | • SD / MMC compatible • 16MB card supplied |
| Power | • Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery NB-5L • Optional AC adapter |
| Other features | • Optional High Power Flash HF-DC |
| Weight (No batt) | 165 g / 5.8 oz (approx 192g / 6.7 oz with case and battery) |
| Dimensions | 90.4 x 56.5 x 26.4 mm (3.56 x 2.22 x 1.04 in) |
If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital
Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help
you understand some of the terms used).
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Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
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This article is Copyright 2006 Simon Joinson / dpreview.com and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact: Phil Askey
