Canon SD850/SD870?

[mcraeh]

Hello,

I'm shopping for a new camera. I currently have a Canon Pro1, and I like it a lot. However, I'm looking for something a little easier to carry around for everyday things. I have narrowed it down to the Canon SD850 IS and the SD870 IS, and this is where I'm stuck. I don't care much about the manual controls, and I probably wouldn't mind the fact that the 870 doesn't have the viewfinder, since I do like the larger display on the 870. So I guess my question is, does anyone know if the picture quality is different enough to justify one over the other? Everything else on these two models looks pretty similar.

Thanks!

[mcraeh]

Oh, I also forgot to mention that it's really important that the camera be pretty fast between shots. Most of my shots will be of either my dogs or very active toddler, so I want it to be as fast as possible with and without flash.

[David Metsky]

The 870 has the wide angle lens: 28mm-105mm. The 850 has a more standard lens 35mm-140. If you want the wide angle and are willing to give up the telephoto, the 870 is a fine camera. (The SD800 is essentially the same thing only with a 2.5" LCD and a viewfinder.)

The SD850 has better image quality because of the lens. It's sharper, especially in the corners.

[mcraeh]

Thanks for the info! So let me ask you this about the wide angle... I'm not really a serious hobbyist or anything (in fact, my nice camera has more features than I'll ever know how to use), so how noticeable a difference is the wider angle lens to someone who is such a novice? I can't decide if it's important to me or not, and the problem is that I can't find a store that sells the 850, because they have all replaced the 850 with the 870. I'd rather have sharper pictures I think, but without being able to compare them side by side, I don't know how to decide.

[David Metsky]

The SD870 is the replacement for the SD800. The SD890 is the replacement for the SD850. Now, doesn't that all make sense? :) I'd take a look at the SD890 or the SD1100 as well.

I bought the SD800 because I'm a hiker/skier and I wanted to be able to take in wide expanses of scenery. The other common usage for the wide angle lens on an ultracompact is if you take lots of photos of real estate/architecture/interiors and can't just back up to get more in the shot. There's a pretty obvious difference between 28mm and 35mm, but if you have never thought about it before you probably don't need it.

[mcraeh]

Ok, thanks that helps! I did know that the 870 doesn't really replace the 850, but you know how salespeople are. Anyway, I went back and looked at both reviews and I think I actually do like the 870 better now (because of the wide angle, which surprised me). I couldn't even see some of the flaws the review pointed out in some of the test pictures, so in the end, it probably doesn't matter which one I get. And of course, that's assuming I don't switch altogether and investigate some other brand. Speaking of that, Canon is the only brand I have owned, which is why I have been sticking with it. But do I need to be considering other models? There are so many to pick from, it makes me dizzy!

[KCook]

Panasonic has more wide angle compacts than Canon. Their FX33 was pretty quick, at least without flash -

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/cameraDetail.php?cam=1070

Most brands now have a wide angle model or two. Here is a link to another thread that may help -

http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?t=37371

Kelly Cook