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Expert Recommendation
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Overview
The Canon SD7700 IS is the best overall affordable ultra compact digital camera. It produces great images, which are rich in colors and fine details, and is one of the few ultra compacts with an optical viewfinder. The build quality is good. The rich feature set makes the camera versatile and generally useful.
My Best In Class Pick
Canon PowerShot SD770 IS
Canon is the pioneer of the digital camera revolution and is the market leader. The Canon SD770IS is a well-built ultra compact with many useful features. Its optical viewfinder (OVF) will help when tracking subjects and will also help extend the battery life (i.e. one can switch off LCD). The OVF also helps shoot with a stable conventional posture.
Despite its tiny proportions, the lens is one of the best among compacts with good corner-to-corner sharpness. The resulting images are full of fine details and rich colors with minimal noise reduction artifacts.
Other useful features are:
- Face detection Adjusts exposure based on faces in the scene and removes red-eye automatically. It also adjusts the White Balance and supports Face Select & Track.
- Motion detection technology Combining inputs from its Face Detection Technology, the optical Image Stabilizer, changes in scene brightness and changes from frame to frame, it raises the ISO setting to freeze the action.
- LP (Long Play) VGA movie mode, which utilizes more efficient compression for movie clips and therefore requires less memory card space than the normal VGA mode.
- 5” LCD with wide viewing angle
Overall this ultra compact provides the best value because of its best-in-class image quality and feature set.
Comparison with Sony Cybershot DSC-W150
The Canon SD770 IS has better low light performance & image quality (better corner sharpness, more fine details in its images).
Comparison with Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5
The Canon PowerShot SD770 IS delivers images with less noise reduction artifacts and has a greater battery life, in large part because of the availability of an optical viewfinder.
Pros
- +Good corner to corner sharpness in images
- +Good image quality (good colors, minimal processing artifacts)
- +Above average low light performance upto ISO800
- +Optical Image Stabilization
- +Optical view-finder
- +High Resolution LCD (230K pixels)
- +Good performance (speed of operation)
Cons
- -Wide end of the lens could have been more wider
- -Lacks Aperture/Shutter priority modes
Where to buy
Canon PowerShot SD770 IS
Comparing My Best In Class Pick with Other Good Choices
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| Customer Rating | ||||
| Price | $244.00 | |||
| Size (W x H x D) | 3.4 x 2.1 x 0.8 in. | 3.7 x 2.3 x 0.9 in. | 3.7 x 2.1 x 0.9 in. | |
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Sensor Size
Most digital cameras, even most digital SLRs, have sensors that are smaller than a standard frame of 35 mm film (36 x 24 mm). These smaller sensors have a number of effects on the captured image and the use of the camera, including an increased depth of field, decreased light sensitivity, increased pixel noise, and increased degree of enlargement.
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6.0 x 4.5 mm | 5.8 x 4.3 mm | 6.0 x 4.4 mm | |
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Effective Sensor Resolution
The Effective Sensor Resolution tells you the total number of pixels that are recorded when you take a picture. The units are MP, which stands for megapixels or millions of pixels. For outstanding fine compression prints, 3MP is required for 5x7's, 7.1MP for 8x10's, and 10.9MP for 11x14's. The effective sensor resolution is only one of many important factors that will determine the quality of the photograph when displayed or printed at different sizes.
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10.0 megapixels | 8.1 megapixels | 10.1 megapixels | |
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Shutter Lag Time (including auto-focus time)
This is the time from fully pressing the shutter button until the image is captured. Longer shutter lag times make it more difficult to capture the desired moment.
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0.4 - 0.6 sec | 0.3 - 0.6 sec | 0.3 - 0.6 sec | |
| Max Shooting Speed (continuous) | 1.5 frames/sec | 2.3 frames/sec | 1.4 frames/sec | |
| Max Video Resolution | 640 x 480 pixels | 640 x 480 pixels | 848 x 480 pixels | |
| Max Video Frame Rate (max resolution) | 30 frames/sec | 30 frames/sec | 30 frames/sec | |
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Min Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)
The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. On any 35 mm film camera, a 30 mm or less lens is considered a wide-angle lens.
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35 mm | 30 mm | 30 mm | |
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Max Focal Length (35 mm equivalent)
The 35 mm equivalent focal length is a measure that indicates the angle of view of a particular combination of a camera lens and the sensor size. The term originates from the time when the vast majority of photography was done with 35 mm film. Larger max focal lengths make distant objects appear more magnified.
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105 mm | 150 mm | 120 mm | |
| Optical Zoom | 3.0x | 5.0x | 4.0x | |
| Auto Focus Assist Light Available | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Min Focus Distance (not macro) | 11.8 in. | 3.9 in. | 19.7 in. | |
| Min Focus Distance (macro) | 1.2 in. | - | 2.0 in. | |
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Max Aperture (wide-angle)
The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (wide-angle) is the largest possible size at the wide-angle limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor.
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f/2.8 | f/3.3 | f/3.3 | |
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Max Aperture (tele-photo)
The aperture refers to the size of the opening in the lens that determines the amount of light falling onto the sensor. The maximum aperture (tele-photo) is the largest possible size at the tele-photo limit of the zoom lens. The lens aperture is usually specified as an f-number, the ratio of focal length to effective aperture diameter. A lower f-number denotes a greater aperture opening, which allows more light to reach the image sensor.
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f/4.9 | f/5.2 | f/5.8 | |
| Max ISO Setting | 1600 | 3200 | 6400 (reduced resolution after 1600) | |
| Max Usable ISO (subjective) | 800 | 400 | 400 | |
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Viewfinder Available
A viewfinder is a window that you look through to compose the picture. Some cameras do not have a viewfinder and instead use the LCD display. The LCD display may be difficult to see in bright light and may make it more difficult to capture fast-moving subjects because of the time required to update the display.
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Yes | Yes | No | |
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LCD Screen Size
The LCD Screen Size is the length of the miniature LCD monitor measured diagonally.
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2.5 in. | 2.7 in. | 2.5 in. | |
| LCD Screen Resolution | 230000 pixels | 230000 pixels | 230000 pixels | |
| Storage Media | SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card | Memory Stick Duo, Memory Stick PRO Duo | SD Memory Card, SDHC Memory Card | |
| Image Quality | ||||
| Lens Quality | Very good | good | very good | |
| Image quality (noise reduction artifacts) | very good | above average | good | |
Sony Cybershot DSC-W150
Sony is one of the leading manufacturer of compact cameras. This is their model in the W series of cameras, which come with an optical viewfinder. The camera has a lot of things going for it with a 5x wider (than normal) angle zoom, fast operation, good build quality and good resolution. However the camera produces images with a slight blurring in the corners and applies slightly too much noise reduction, especially at higher ISOs, which destroys subtle color gradations (e.g. skin tones) and fine details a bit more than average.
The image quality and large zoom range earn it second place.
Comparison with Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5
The Sony Cybershot W150 has more zoom and an optical viewfinder.
Pros
- +Wider angle 5x zoom (32-128mm)
- +Optical viewfinder
- +Image stabilization
- +Well built
Cons
- -Blurring of fine details near corners
- -Excessive noise reduction at high ISOs.
Where to buy
Sony Cybershot DSC-W150
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5
Panasonic cameras are renowned for high performance (shutter response and focus speeds) and sharp lenses . This is one of the two cameras in the recently launched FS series (easy to use, affordable and stylish). The camera is equipped with a 4x zoom lens and is a snappy performer. The latest image processing Venus Engine IV produces minimal color bleeding, which was an issue with earlier models. Noise reduction is still a bit too high at higher ISOs, which can turn areas of fine details into a colorful mush a bit more than many of its rivals.
The camera is equipped with useful features like: Intelligent ISO – in this mode the camera can determine if the photo subject is moving and change the ISO setting and shutter speed accordingly, thus giving a blur-free photo.
Face Detection – Detecting up to 15 faces, Panasonic’s Face Detection can even track a face if the subject is moving.
Quick AF – The Quick AF (auto focus) system starts focus on the subject by just pointing the camera to the subject, thus minimizing the AF time.
Pros
- +Good performance
- +Rich feature set
- +sharp lens with wide angle view
- +Well built
Cons
- -Too High noise reduction at higher ISOs
- -No Optical viewfinder
Where to buy
Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS5
How It Works
You tell us your budget, intended uses, and desired features. We show you personalized recommendations from unbiased experts to quickly identify the best digital camera for you.
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How to Pick Digital Cameras
- For Travel Photos
- For Photos of Children or Pets
- For Action or Sports Photos
- For Photos in Low Light
