Six days to DL-day and I can't find my camera! Need recs!

[quest4dl]

Well, I can't find my compact Kodak Easyshare camera. That being said, I was having some problems with it - mainly ridculously low battery life - like maybe 25 shots before the camera would start shutting down. So I'm looking for a replacement and would prefer a different model. I've narrowed down to Canon Powershot SD870 IS and Canon Powershot A720 IS. The first is a pocket camera and the latter is a compact camera. Price difference is not huge so is not a major factor. Both take 8.0 megapixel pics - overall picture quality will be similar. I'm mainly concerned that I will find the pocket camera too small and hard to handle. Any thoughts on this?

Oh yeah - I can't try them out because once I open the box there is a 15% restocking fee.

 

[wendylady36]

Can you go to a store like Best Buy or Target first to look at them?

When I got my newest camera I went to every store I could to be able to look at them and handle them before I bought one. Personally I don't like the handling of the Canon PowerShot A720 IS. I have a Canon PowerShot SD850 IS. I carry it with me at all times and my friend can easily fit it into his pocket. I'm guessing the 870 and 850 are very familiar to each other. I think the 720 would be harder to handle. So I suggest the 870.

 

[silence]

well, i don't know what you are looking for....but i can say, since i own 5 canon cameras and 1 canon camcorder.....that i don't think you can go wrong with the brand. and as crazy as it might sound, i am in the market for a new camcorder!

i carry them all for different occasions.

my digital rebel is my favorite...but far too bulky most of the time.

love the canon powershot s3, the ability to take movie clips really does rock.

carry my canon powershot sd750 all the time as it fits so nicely in my purse. love that it has a huge viewing screen to see the pics.

i do not find my purse camera to be too small to use at all. i love the zoom on the others though. so, while it is my every day camera, i pull the others out for special occassions.

hope that helps. good luck!

 

[quest4dl]

Yes - thanks! This the kind of feedback I am looking for. I am leaning towards the smaller camera. I usually carry so much stuff (I have to be prepared!) that a lighter camera would be welcomed. Unfortunately most of the stores (and I live surrounded by all the big boxes, Target, Wal-marts etc) don't seem to have both cameras so I can't do a side by side comparison. There is a specialty store much farther away that is likely to have both but I'm running short on time.

 

[jemilah]

Go to a real camera store where the people are trained in photography and have your best intrest in mind not a place where it is all up to you to decide. play with the cameras tell them what you want to shoot and what you are willing to spend. Stick with a camera brand and ask about service , kodak is one of the worst for repairs.

 

[hlbtimes2]

If was I was choosing between the two, I would lean toward the 720 for the simple reason that it uses regular batteries. I hate to be someplace with a specialized battery and find I'm out of charge. Its so much easier to just use AA's and know you can get them almost anywhere.

 

[quest4dl]

Can you go to a store like Best Buy or Target first to look at them?

When I got my newest camera I went to every store I could to be able to look at them and handle them before I bought one. Personally I don't like the handling of the Canon PowerShot A720 IS. I have a Canon PowerShot SD850 IS. I carry it with me at all times and my friend can easily fit it into his pocket. I'm guessing the 870 and 850 are very familiar to each other. I think the 720 would be harder to handle. So I suggest the 870.

What is it about the handling of the A720 that you didn't like? My dh is now leaning towards this model because he says it is more similar to the size we are used to. I thought it looked easier to grip. One comment on a review site was that with the 870 model, it was easy to get your thumb on one of the controls and inadvertently press it. I looked for the SD850 but it is not very available. One main difference with the SD870 is the SD870 does not have an optical viewfinder.

 

[silence]

have you checked out www.dpreview.com ?

they have user feedback sections, i found this useful when deciding which model to buy.

if this is going to be you main camera.....i personally would go with the one with more zoom. also, do either of them have a sports mode? is that kind of thing important to you?

good luck!

 

[wendylady36]

What is it about the handling of the A720 that you didn't like? My dh is now leaning towards this model because he says it is more similar to the size we are used to. I thought it looked easier to grip. One comment on a review site was that with the 870 model, it was easy to get your thumb on one of the controls and inadvertently press it. I looked for the SD850 but it is not very available. One main difference with the SD870 is the SD870 does not have an optical viewfinder.

You just reminded me why I chose the SD850 over the SD870- the view finder. I forgot about that little fact. I never have any trouble with the SD850 and hitting buttons on accident. The thing I don't like about the handle of the A720 is that it was too hard for me to grip, but that could just be because I have big hands, it just never felt comfortable to me. The A720 also has a long wait time from picture to picture, which was no good to me, because I often end up taking a picture right after the first one was taken, I don't want to stand around all day waiting to take another one. I read that the SD870 has a poorly located power button that is easily hit when in a pocket and that can kill the battery life. So I'm afraid that I'm not much help, because I wouldn't buy either of those cameras, but then again, I'm extremely picky.

 

[quest4dl]

I was able to get my hands on an SD850 today but I also purchased the a720 for comparison. Wolf Cameras allows returns without a restocking fee. Unfortunately, I seem to have already jammed the battery compartment of the a720 !

 

[Dobie]

I just bought an a720 this morning, because it was recommended by Consumer Reports as the best value. The battery cover is tricky to operate, I'll give you that--it took many tries to get the trick-- but otherwise the camera is very easy to handle.

I'll let you know how the brat's graduation pictures come out!

 

[wendylady36]

I was able to get my hands on an SD850 today but I also purchased the a720 for comparison. Wolf Cameras allows returns without a restocking fee. Unfortunately, I seem to have already jammed the battery compartment of the a720 !

Yay! I love my SD850 I'm glad you were able to get both to compare them.

 

[quest4dl]

Just finished playing with the SD850 and I'm sold! We even tried out the movie feature - pretty impressive (though it uses up huge chunk of memory). I think the quality was equal to our Sony camcorder. We also compared it the pics taken with our Panasonic Lumix. It was comparable. The Lumix took slightly sharper pictures but the Canon was more consistent.

 

[sunshinemummy]

I have a Canon S5 IS and I must say I love my camera. Takes great pics and video. We were in california in April and I took 2000 pics and 3 hrs of video, it's amazing. It's on the bigger side but the zoom is awesome.

 

[Denton]

If I had to choose between the SD850 & SD870, I would go with the 870.

I think the main difference between them is that the 870 has a wide angle lens.


Focal range (35mm equv.)

SD850: 35-140
SD870: 28-105

 

[Denton]

Reviews for the 850, 870, and 1100

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd850-review/

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd870-review/


This might be my next camera:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd1100-review/

 

[quest4dl]

I chose the sd850 over the sd870 because I like an optical viewfinder and I don't think I will require the wide angle very much.

 

[quest4dl]

Reviews for the 850, 870, and 1100

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd850-review/

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd870-review/


This might be my next camera:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd1100-review/

This is a great resource for - I used it too! For even more detailed reviews try this one: http://www.digitalcamerainfo.com/ratings.php?ratingsGroup=PointandShoot