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More…Once again, Canon has upped the ante on point-and-shoot cameras. Not only is the SD880 IS Digital Elph stylish, durable, and exceptionally easy to use, it also takes great pictures and provides 28mm of wide-angle bliss. (The SD880's focal range is 28mm to 112mm; the lower the first number is, the wider the angle of view that the camera can capture.)
Canon PowerShot SD880 IS
Pricing
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- Spec Navigator
- Digital Format
- Display
- Exposure
- Image Processor
- Included Hardware
- Included Software
- Lens
- Shutter
- Storage
- LCD Screen
- Exposure Controls
- Dimensions
- Power
- Flash
- Lens Features
- Connectivity
- Other Features
Image Processor
| Number of image sensor pixels | 10 megapixels |
| Image sensor | CCD |
| Maximum horizontal image resolution | 3648 |
| Maximum vertical image resolution | 2736 |
| Image sensor quantity | 1 |
| Image format | JPEG |
| White balance | 0 |
Lens
| Accessory Lens | 0 |
| Lens Model | 4X Optical Zoom Lens |
| Telephoto Aperture Maximum | 5.8 mm |
| Wide-Angle Aperture Maximum | 2.8 mm |
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 | 18 |
- Lab Tested
- How We Test Point-and-Shoot Cameras »
Pros
True wide-angle lens (28mm to 112mm)
Great optical image stabilization
Cons
No optical viewfinder
Limited manual functions
Bottom Line
Superb design, excellent picture quality and a wide-angle lens make the SD880 IS a divine travel companion.
Canon SD880 IS Digital Elph
PowerShot SD880 IS Review, by Danny Palmerlee November 5, 2008
That wide-angle capability should strike a chord with anyone who's combed camera catalogues in search of the perfect point-and-shoot--28mm is a rare trait indeed. Even the pricier SD990 IS, Canon's other new addition to the Digital Elph series, offers only 36mm on the wide end.
With a street price of about $270, the SD880's primary wide-angle competitors are the Nikon Coolpix S600 and S610, as well as the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX37. The specs on those cameras and on the SD880 IS are nearly identical, but one significant difference is focal range: the Lumix's 25mm-to-125mm lens is wider and longer than the 28mm-to-112mm lenses of both those Nikon models and the Canon SD880. If this nudges you toward the Lumix, remember that the Lumix's LCD screen is half an inch smaller than the SD880's big, bright 3-inch display.
So what are other reasons for going with the Canon? First, although the SD880 is slightly bigger than all but the Coolpix S610, I find it the most comfortable to hold. Its controls are also the most logically placed: It's easy to keep a firm, single-handed grip on the camera, even while thumbing the buttons on the back. The SD880 also has a rear dial (new to the Elph series) that lets you scroll through menu options with lightning speed, and I find the SD880's menus to be the most intuitive compared with those on its competitors.
In the PC World Test Center's subjective tests, this camera's image quality and battery life both received a rating of Very Good. The SD880 IS's image quality was particularly outstanding in terms of color accuracy, exposure, and sharpness, which all earned Very Good ratings. Distortion was a mild weak spot, although the SD880 IS still managed a Good score from our jury testers.
In battery life, the rechargeable lithium ion battery lasted 310 shots on a single charge, earning, as noted, a Very Good rating (many of the other point-and-shoot cameras in our recent tests lasted 280 shots or less).
The SD880's innards are equally impressive: It boasts Canon's new Digic 4 processor which--along with faster processing speeds, more accurate white balance, and better image quality--enabled Canon to add features known as Servo AF (continuous focus tracking for moving subjects) and i-Contrast. The latter, which can be applied during shooting or in playback mode, lets you see more detail in shadowy areas than with any of the earlier Elphs.
On the downside, you don't get an optical viewfinder, although these days that's a standard omission in order to make room for larger LCD screens. The SD880 also lacks manual focus and aperture settings, but it does have 13 slow shutter speed choices (between one and 15 seconds) and exposure compensation. Finally, note that the SD880 is bigger than its competitors and definitely too heavy for a shirt pocket. For me, this isn't an issue, as it fits in my hand perfectly and in my jeans pocket just fine.
All told, the SD880 is one of the best point-and-shoot cameras I've seen in its price range. If you don't mind the extra ounces and the lack of manual functions (it is a point-and-shoot, after all), you'll be smitten with this camera.
--Danny Palmerlee
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PCWorld Lab Results
- Rating Breakdown
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82
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76
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85
- See Complete Lab Results »
Performance Comparison with Similar Point-and-Shoot Cameras
82
76
81
See a full Comparison Chart of These Point-and-Shoot Cameras »
Performance
| Battery Life (minutes) | 169 |
| Battery Life Score | Very Good |
| Image Quality Score | Very Good |
| Image Quality, Color | 70.1 |
| Image Quality, Distortion | 57.9 |
| Image Quality, Exposure | 61.2 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Flash | 46.6 |
| Image Quality, Exposure--Normal | 67.5 |
| Image Quality, Overall | 58 |
| Image Quality, Sharpness | 51.5 |
| Number of Batteries | 1 |
| Number of Shots | 310 |
User Reviews
Review Now! Already own it? Tell us What You Think
User Reviews From Around the Web
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Reviewed by: JonWit74
Strengths: Lightweight, easy to use
Weaknesses: Inside lightquality
Overall: Very easy to use and the dial information is easy to understand and use. The picture quality is great thus far I am completly satisfied with this camera and would recommend it to anyone.
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Reviewed by:
Strengths: -Digic4 Image Processor-10 MP-3.0'' LCD Screen-Compactand just very easy and fun to use!
Weaknesses: the most expensive point and shoot of the bunch but definitely worth it!!
Overall: Not only am I happy with the product but the service of buydig.com was superb as well:1) secure checkout2) free shipping3) no tax4) and the one that did it for me was very low price compared to the other big stores...like walmart...newegg...bestbuyI'm definitely very happy!
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Reviewed by: masuarezdl
Strengths: Excellent Image QualityLots of Options
Weaknesses: Average quality at high ISO (low light)A bit confusing to manage, complex interphase
Overall: I am no expert photographer at all, but I happen to distinguish between a good and a bad picture just like everyone else. I previously owned a Casio Exilim Z500, 5MP (drowned in a jacuzzi) which took very nice pictures too but had to be replaced. I bought a Nikon Coolpix 210 as a replacement but had to return it right after due to the extremely low quality of the images in all light settings. They appeared blurry and were out of focus.In contrast, the Powershot 880IS delivers cristal clear pictures, very good, vivid colors, and has a lot of options for the non experienced photographer. The pictures that you will see on Canon's webpage are a real representation of the camera pictures by any regular person. I would definitely recommend it.
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Reviewed by: gman757
Strengths: High quality compact camera. Lots of features. Good image stabilization. Nice wide angle shots, decent zoom.
Weaknesses: So-so flash. Can't go full manual. Poor picture quality at medium to high ISO settings.
Overall: I wanted to get a compact digital camera with lots of features that takes good pictures, and this camera delivers. It's a great vacation camera, as it fits in your pocket and takes excellent daytime outdoor shots. Dark or indoor shots are very good as well as long as your subject is relatively close to you. The flash is somewhat mediocre, so once you get out of its range, the quality goes down quick. But that's pretty typical of compacts in general. Also, noise is noticeable at ISO settings of 400 and up. This camera offers ISO up to 3200, but I wouldn't use anything above 400 due to the noise. The image stabilization works well, making shaky shots a thing of the past. I've found the face detection doesn't work a lot of the time, but when it does work, it will automatically remove red eye if you have that feature enabled. There are a ton of settings, which can be overwhelming for some. Unfortunately, you can't go full manual, thus limiting what you can do with the camera. But it does have a nice wide angle (28mm), and decent zoom. It also has macro mode, enabling nice super close-ups. It allows some in-camera editing such as cropping and red-eye removal. It is PictBridge compatible, so you can print directly to your compatible printer. All-in-all, a great little camera to carry around anywhere with you.
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