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More…Sleek and silver, Canon's $350 PowerShot SD850 IS exemplifies its Digital Elph line: Solidly built, beautifully designed, and sweet to use. One of three Digital Elphs we reviewed together (the other two being the $450 SD950 IS and the $400 SD870 IS), this model has a simpler set of features compared with its siblings.
Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
Pricing
$239.99 - $249.95 From 2 Vendors Get Best Prices »
- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- General
- Image Processor
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 8 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 3264 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2448 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Exposure Controls
| Maximum shutter speed | 1600 |
| Minimum shutter speed | 15 |
| Bulb setting | 0 |
| ISO equivalencies |
|
| Exposure settings | 0 |
| Exposure compensation range | 0 |
| Number of scene modes | 11 |
3
6 User Reviews Add your own »
$239.99 - $249.95
From 2 Vendors
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- Lab Tested
- How We Test Cameras »
Pros
Excellent build quality
Effective image stabilization
Cons
Zoom button is somewhat uncomfortable
Sibling model has wider lens, bigger LCD
Bottom Line
The SD850 IS performs similarly to the newer SD870 IS but has a smaller LCD, a lens that isn't as wide--and a better price.
Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Compact Camera
PowerShot SD850 IS Review, by Tracey Capen November 14, 2007
Not that it comes poorly equipped: Where the SD870 (which did not make our chart) has a 3-inch LCD and an extra-wide-angle 28mm zoom (35mm equivalent), the SD850 IS still offers a sharp, bright 2.5-inch LCD and a 4X optical zoom that starts at the more traditional 35mm (35mm equivalent). Plus, it has an optical eye-level viewfinder, which the SD870 IS lacks. For any photographer who likes to take quick shots or loves to shoot in bright sunlight, any eye-level viewfinder is a must-have.
In look and operation, the 8-megapixel SD850 is a near twin to the top-of-the-line, 12-megapixel SD950 IS. Both come wrapped in a rugged-feeling metal shell (the SD950's is titanium). With either, you get well-organized, efficient, and flexible exposure controls and silky-smooth operation. And since you can buy the SD850 for about $100 less than its sibling, it's truly the better value for the average photographer.
One of the more interesting advantages of the SD850 IS over the other two models is its LCD. A common problem with many LCD screens is that they are difficult (sometimes impossible) to view when you're wearing polarized sunglasses--the screens essentially turn black. According to the published specifications, all three cameras use the same LCD technology. But in bright sunlight, wearing my expensive prescription (and polarized) sunglasses, the SD850 was the only one of the three whose LCD I could easily view.
As with other Elphs, this camera has lots to like. All of the key exposure controls are grouped together on one screen. Scrolling through them and changing settings is about as quick and easy as it gets. The innovative focus-check window, during the instant shot review, magnifies a portion of your photo, letting you know whether that future enlargement will be sharp. Advanced controls include exposure, flash, and focus lock, but no aperture- or shutter-priority or manual exposure controls.
Images shot with the SD850 IS were a bit underexposed, but still pleasing, and all looked sharp. Landscapes had good color saturation, though the color balance was a touch on the bluish side. That's easily fixed by using one of the camera's many built-in color enhancement tools, or its capable image editing and management application.
The only knocks on this camera is a zoom button that's a bit uncomfortable on the finger, and the animated on-screen icon that visually duplicates the presses you make on the four-way thumb button. This icon tends to pop up unexpectedly, but fortunately, you can switch it off in the setting menu.
While the SD850 IS may not have the large LCD of the SD870 IS or the sky-high megapixel count of the SD950 IS, it is still a fine all-around point-and-shoot for most shutterbugs, and is a better value than its two siblings.
--Tracey Capen
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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77
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75
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84
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Cameras
77
79
78
77
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 139.25 |
| Battery Life Score | Good |
| Image Quality Score | Good |
| Image Quality, Color | 62.5 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 57.2 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 59.9 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 51.4 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 63.5 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 59.1 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 42.2 |
| Number of Batteries | 1 |
| Number of Shots | 255 |
User Reviews
Average User Reviews for Canon PowerShot SD850 IS
1 Review Add your own »
- Latest User Reviews 1 review
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Reviewed by: tricitiesbear
Duration of ownership: 2 Weeks
Strengths: There is so much to be said for this camera. The lens is great, as is the battery life. Don't rely on the internal memory. SD memory is cheap thse days so buy yourself a gig or two. Most important for me is the durability and quality of contruction.
Weaknesses: Not as many manual controls as I'd like. I tend to experiment with my photographs but this camera does fine for most of the pictures I take.
Overall: I was looking for a good replacement camera for my Fuji FinePix 3000. The camera case developed a crack allowing light leakage. Very strange as the camera was never dropped or abused. Anyway, this is a great camera. Unbelievalbly smooth prints without noise. Very little editing required prior to printing. This is a very flexible camera. This camera is light years ahead of my tired Fuji and doesn't require a suitcase to carry it around.
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: jruo
Strengths: Easy to use, small, lightweight, beautiful photo's
Weaknesses: None that I've found.
Overall: I bought this camera for my daughter's birthday and she said it was the best present I could have given her. Her last digital camera broke and she loves the SD850. We recently came back from vacation and the pictures came out beautiful. The camera is very user friendly. She likes that it doesn't take up much room in her bag and the small size. Another plus is that it has a battery pack instead of rechargable batteries. It's very easy to recharge. All in all, would highly recommend this camera.
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Reviewed by: JWM2008
Strengths: small and compact
Weaknesses: picures blurry
Overall: Got the camera for Christmas. It's April and the lens will not retract. Website FAQ is not working properly -- can't get any answers. I guess we'll try to send it in for repair. Very disappointed.
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Reviewed by: bkatams
Strengths: small, easy to use
Weaknesses: worthless after 6 months
Overall: I purchased the Canon SD850 IS 6 months ago and have used it regularly. It suddenly stopped working - the lens would not retract. I sent it to Canon for service under their one year warranty. They decided that it would not be "economically feasible" to repair the camera and have sent it back to me still broken. Canon "customer care" says that the technicians found "water damage" even though the camera was never around water and worked fine up until the moment it stopped. Clearly, if they don't want to repair something a customer sends back, they can just say "water damage" and they are off the hook. No recourse for me, no appeal process, nothing for me to do but warn others. It was a nice little camera, but if it is only going to last 6 months, forget about it.
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Reviewed by:
Strengths: got my camera, free shippping, in 3 days
Weaknesses: the $94 extra bundle was somewhat disappointing.
Overall: I was surprised when the camera arrived 3 days after ordering it. All was in tact. I tried it and the pictures look very very good. I was disappointed in the case. Too big. I thought it would be the Canon case, It was generic.The 'film'packet I purchased extra to protect the LCD is a bit hokey. Can't get the bubbles out even after the 2nd sheet used and scraper scratched the film.
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Reviewed by: dungbooty
Strengths: Compact Size, Awesome Picture Quality, Multiple Points of Focus
Weaknesses: Light/Compact (easy to drop if you're not careful), Slightly Complex Menus-But mostly intuitive
Overall: I bought this camera a couple of weeks ago for our family trip to Cancun. The camera took great pictures outside in bright light, indoors, and during the beautiful sunsets. I didn't have a hard time with the basics...it was easy to use right out of the box. The menu took a little while to get used to. I still haven't used all the manual functions, but with the Auto settings, it takes such great pictures that I am not sure I will even bother with the manual stuff for awhile. The Image stabilizer worked wonders for my unsteady hands! The battery lasted without recharge (over 200 pics). The display is bright and clear. I don't yet know if you can time/date stamp the pics. I will say you have to be VERY CAREFUL not to drop the camera...it's so smooth and light it easily falls out of your hands...make sure to use the wrist strap. I highly recommend this camera to anyone from novice to experienced users.
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