Canon Cameras

Canon SD 700, 800, G7 & Nikon P5000?

I've been examining a Canon SD700 and SD800 and have been having trouble deciding between the two. The 700 has the longer zoom, which I need, but I could also use the wide angle just as well. I need something fast, that's shoots well in low-lighting, and shows great colour & sharpness. I take a lot of movies, and use special functions, continuous shots, widescreen, a lot too (stitch, macro, my colours, etc.). Size is a factor, so I'm avoiding SLRs altogether. Cosmetic appeal would be nice too (my priorities are movie, and especially photo quality, but it would be nice to have a camera that was just cool looking too). Recently, I saw two other cameras - the G7 and the Nikon P5000. CAn anyone tell me how these would compare to the Elphs (700 & 800 SD)? Which would I be better off getting? I realize there are price differences, but putting those aside... Any replies would be great!!

Public Comments

1. After answering questions here for about 8 months, I finally decided to get a Canon Powershot SD900. If you CAN put aside the price difference, I'd consider it for yourself as well. Actually, it's cheaper that the SD800-IS. I was going to go for the SD700-IS as I think it is a great camera and a few members own it and recommend it highly, but they were out of stock everywhere and it gave me time to re-think my purchase. This is going to be a pocket camera to use when I don't want to carry one of my SLR's with me, but I still want really great image quality from the camera. Anyhow, after months and months of reading reviews, the SD900 was my top choice. After about one month of using the SD900, I am so happy with it that I bought one to give to my niece as an engagement present. I am that confident in the camera. I also bought a 5-year Mack warranty for $50. If you are even a little paranoid or clutzy, I feel that it is money well-spent. These are somewhat delicate compared to SLR's. Click on "In-depth review" and "Read Owner Opinions." Be sure to note that the reviews are many pages long so you don't stop after page one. Check the sample images, also. You can enlarge these to full size images if you click on the link below the picture. You will have to then put your cursor in the white space to the right of the picture and click once. After that, you can pass your cursor over the image and it will turn into a magnifier. Click it as a magnifier once and the image will go to full size and you can really examine the detail or look for artifacts like fringing or noise. http://www.dpreview.com/reviews/specs/Canon/canon_sd900.asp http://www.steves-digicams.com/2006_reviews/sd900.html http://www.cameras.co.uk/camera-reviews/canon-ixus-900-ti.cfm Here is one photo I put on-line that I took with the SD900. Click on "All Sizes" and view this as large as possible and check out the birds. This was taken right after sunset and there were no enhancements in afterprocessing. http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04/409551806/ Here's another photo with no post-processing at all. It was taken at the full 111 mm (equiv) zoom. It was taken in the fully automatic mode with no help from me at all. The horizon is crooked because the camera was resting on the top of my car. I did not want to alter anything, because this is part of a 3-image series comparing optical zoom with cropping to digital zoom. You can look at the other pictures while you are there and see why optical zoom is all that matters. http://www.flickr.com/photos/7189769@N04/459603923/ Anyhow - compared to the SD800-IS... The SD800 has a wider angle lens, but the reviews say, "there is a slight, but noticeable drop off in sharpness towards the edges and corners in some circumstances." Then, the SD800 only zoom to an equivalent of 105 mm. (The SD900 lens is 37-111 equiv.) The SD800 has image stabilization, which adds about $80-100 to the cost of the camera, but I say that it is wasted technology if the lens only goes to 105 mm. ANYONE can hold this lens still and should not need IS. Since we have ruled out the need for IS, I see no reason to spend more money on the SD800 than you would spend on the SD900. The SD900 has a sensor that is almost twice as big as the SD800 and this translates into better image quality. I am very happy with mine and I think everyone should own one. (haha) If you are not interested in the SD900, I would encourage you to consider the SD700-IS over the SD800-IS, as the wide angle is said to be "not that great" so you won't use it full-wide anyhow. The SD700, then, offers greater telephoto length (140 mm equiv.) than the SD800 (105 mm equiv.). It's $60 cheaper, too.