Canon PowerShot Digital ELPH SD800 IS / Digital IXUS 850 IS 7.1 MP Digital Camera - Silver

I have always liked this Canon model. I purchased one new in 2007 and decided to get another on Ebay in 2011. 7.1 mp is all I need to take a quality picture with a point and shoot camera. My only dislike is the location of the flash. You need to be careful where you put your finger when shooting.

This camera has a unique combination of features not available on other Canon Sub-compacts: Optical Viewfinder, 28-105mm wide angle lens, and Image stabilization. It takes great pictures, and when combined with the underwater housing, it makes for a good underwater camera. The 2 1/2 in LCD is adequate, and the optical viewfinder is useful in bright sunlight or quick action photography.

Perfect size, so you can always have it with you, even if you don't carry a purse. Very high image quality; good zoom range; effective image stabilization. In the beginning I thought I needed the eye-level finder. Now I never use it. The live view LCD panel lets me hold the camera high to get above crowds, etc. The eye level finder gives a slightly more stable shooting position and helps to minimize shake, but the IS more than makes up for this. Recently discovered video shooting, which is a nice bonus. Cameras in this range are always a compromise. For example: Manual mode doesn't really offer full control; you have to use Exposure compensation +/- to lighten or darken a picture. And it's hard to thrown a background out of focus: cameras in this size range have great depth of field and there's not much you can do about it. Reason for purchase: My wife's Canon SD500 recently died -- kept draining batteries (even new OEM batteries). I've had an SD800 IS for about 3 years, and it has functioned perfectly. I was willing to spend much more than this cost on a new Canon, but after reading about them on the web, this one seemed like the best choice for our needs.

This was my first digital camera, and I recently purchased a second SD800 as a back-up. I love the wide-angle setting and any distortion seems minimal. The photo quality is wonderful and there's a macro setting which yields good detail. I'm happy with the video quality as well.

The settings I normally use were pretty easy to learn and there are some functions I haven't tried yet. The only thing I miss is getting the instant action shots, as there is shutter lag typical of point-and-shoots. Until a compact, lightweight SLR is available and affordable, this camera has all I need.

My initial purchase was based on photographer Ken Rockwell's 2006 review. If you are looking for a new or used digital camera, he has covered other models as well. Read his Canon SD800 review here: http://www.kenrockwell.com/can​on/sd800.htm

The camera is solidly built and takes great videos as well as pictures. Videos load into Movie Maker without having to be converted. The only thing I don't like about the camera is that it doesn't have a battery life indicator. Fortunately, the battery life is excellent and spare batteries are available for a nominal price.