The PowerShot SD870 IS Digital ELPH Digital Camera incorporates a high resolution 8.0 megapixel CCD, and a wide angle, 3.8x optical zoom lens with an optical image stabilizer for steady zooming in an extremely compact and stylish body. Plus the camera is loaded with features including Face Detection technology, in-camera Red-eye Correction, an ISO 1600 setting for sharper images in low light, and five movie modes including a time lapse movie option.
The exclusive Canon DIGIC III processor makes all of these features possible, plus it ensures that your camera performs quickly and supports the unique iSAPS technology that ensures that your pictures always look their best. Other key advancements incorporated into the PowerShot SD870 IS include auto ISO shift for improved low light shooting and an impressive 3.0" PureColor LCD screen offering enhanced colour reproduction and scratch-resistance.
| Camera Type | Wide-Angle Compact Point-and-shoot Digital Camera |
| Image Quality | |
|---|---|
| Image Sensor | 1/2.5" 8.3 Megapixel CCD |
| Effective Resolution | 8.0 million pixels |
| Color Depth | 24-Bit RGB |
| Color Modes | Vivid, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Custom Color |
| Image File Formats | JPEG (SuperFine, Fine, Normal) |
| Recorded Resolution |
Large (3264 x 2448) Widescreen (3264 x 1832) Medium 1 (2592 x 1944) Medium 2 (2048 x 1536) Medium 3 (1600 x 1200) Small (640 x 480) |
| Video Recording |
AVI Motion JPEG with Audio 640 x 480 @ 30 fps (VGA) 640 x 480 @ 15 fps (VGA) 320 x 240 @ 30 fps (QVGA) 320 x 240 @ 15 fps (QVGA) 160 x 120 @ 15 fps (compact) 640 x 480 @ 1 fps (Time Lapse) 640 x 480 @ 0.5 fps (Time Lapes) Clip up to 4GB or 60 minutes VGA & QVGA @ 30 or 15 fps, up to 2 hours at 0.5 fps/1 fps (Time Lapse), Up to 1 minute at 60 fps (Fast Frame Rate), up to 3 minutes QQVGA (compact) |
| Audio Recording |
WAV format record time up to 60 seconds with image |
| Optics | |
|---|---|
| Lens Type | Canon UA Zoom Lens |
| Optical Zoom | 3.8x |
| Lens Focal Length | 4.6 - 17.3mm (28 - 105mm equivalent) |
| Digital Zoom | 4x |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 1.2" (3cm) |
| Maximum Aperture | f/2.8-5.8 |
| Optical Image Stabilization | Yes (Lens Shift-type Optical Image Stabilizer) |
| Accessory Lens/Filter Mount | No |
| Focus Control | |
|---|---|
| Focus Type | TTL Autofocus |
| Focus Modes | Autofocus (9-point AiAF, 1-point AF), Face Priority AF |
| Focus Range |
Normal: 18" (45cm) - infinity Macro: 1.2" (3cm) - 24" (60cm) wide Digital Macro: 1.2" (3cm) - 24" (60cm) wide only |
| Exposure Control | |
|---|---|
| Sensitivity |
Auto ISO High ISO Auto Selectable ISO (80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600) |
| Shutter Type | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Shutter Speed | 15 - 1/1600 seconds |
| Aperture Range | f/2.8-5.5 (max.) |
| Exposure Metering | Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot |
| Exposure Modes | Program AE, Auto ISO Shift, Exposure Compensation (±2EV stops in 1/3-stop increments), AE Lock |
| White Balance Modes | Auto, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H), Custom |
| Scene Modes | Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, Color Swap, Digital Macro, Stitch Assist |
| Flash | |
|---|---|
| Built-in Flash | Yes (Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Slow Synchro, Flash On, Flash Off) |
| Effective Flash Range | 1.0' (0.3m) - 13.1' (4.0m) |
| External Flash Connection | No |
| External Flash Control | Not Applicable |
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Start-Up Time | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Shutter Lag | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Time Between Shots | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Burst Capability | 1.3 fps continuous |
| Self Timer | 2 seconds, 10 seconds or Custom |
| Interval Recording | No |
| Date & Time Stamp | No |
| Memory & Power | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Memory | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compatible Memory Cards |
Secure Digital (SD/SDHC) Card MultiMediaCard (MMC) |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Recording Capacity |
Includes 32MB Secure Digital (SD) Card Still Image Capacity
Video Capacity
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Battery Type | NB-5L Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery Pack | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Adapter | ACK-DC30 AC Adapter Kit (optional) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Input/Output | |
|---|---|
| Computer Interface | USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) mini-B jack |
| Direct Print Capable | Yes (PictBridge) |
| Remote Control | No |
| Video Output | Yes (NTSC & PAL) |
| Web-Cam Capable | No |
| System & Software Requirements |
Windows System
Macintosh System
|
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Viewfinder | No |
| LCD Display | 3.0" LTPS TFT Color LCD (230,000 pixels) with brightness adjustment |
| Language Options | English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Ukrainian |
| Playback Options | Single Image, Magnification (2x-10x), Jump, Auto Rotate, Rotate, Resume Playback, My Category, Histogram, Index (9 thumbnails), Sound Memos, Slide Show, Erase (single image, by date, by category, by folder, all images), Movie Playback (Normal Playback, Special Playback, Editing, Erase) |
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 3.7 x 2.4 x 1.1" (93 x 59 x 26mm) |
| Weight | 5.5 oz. (155g) excluding battery |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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Most Liked Positive Review
Love it!
I have had this camera for about three months now and love it!
I have a professional camera, the Canon 20d that I do a little photography with. It's a BIG ...Read complete review
I have had this camera for about three months now and love it!
I have a professional camera, the Canon 20d that I do a little photography with. It's a BIG camera so I needed a litle light camera that I could just turn on, point, and shoot.
It works great! I recently took a trip overseas and took around 800 pictures. All of them turned out fantastic!
The dial takes a little getting used to. But after a day of use, you feel totally comfortable with it. I love that the picture display changes direction according to how you hold the camera. This way you can look at your portrait shots up close and large! The camera turns on and is ready to shoot in no time at all and there is no lag time between photos. Plus I love the huge LCD screen!
I would reccomend this camera to anyone!
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Wish I had returned when had the chance
The first thing I noticed when I first tried my camera was that the on/off button had been activated in my purse (in a camera hard shell case). The camera read lens error...Read complete review
The first thing I noticed when I first tried my camera was that the on/off button had been activated in my purse (in a camera hard shell case). The camera read lens error which has now happened about 50% of the time I take it with me in my handbag. And I'm not one who carries over the top amounts of stuff in my purse, so I'm not sure how it keeps turning on with a hard shell case! So after reading other reviews I am now concerned that like many many others out there, that my camera lens will break due to this problem happening over and over again. Thankfully I have purchased a 2 year warranty which I'm assuming I will need sooner than later.
Now on to the pictures. I have been putting most things on Auto since I am not an advanced photographer and want my pictures to look like I am. I took it out for a baby shower during the daylight and I'd say only half the pictures turned out clear or bright enough, or dark enough. White shirts look like they're glowing, and in the shade you can't see people clearly...too dark. All in all, the inside shots with flash turned out ok, but the ones inside in very very bright room where no flash should be necessary turned out darker than I thought it should, and certainly not as true as my friends Canon 790 on Auto, or my other friend's camera which was the Nikon Coolpix. Needless to say I will have to print their photos as my pictures I think I can use only 10 out of the 100 I took. And yes, I did try to play with the settings, indoor lighting, beach setting when outside, but the result was the same.
As for the nighttime shots, I will have to learn how to play with exposures here as I missed the window on returning with the 14 days which I'm mad about. I would like to return this as most of my pictures are not turning out as well as I'd hoped. And certainly for the price I paid for this model I should have better auto pictures and no lens errors every other time I open my case.
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Reviewed by 93 customers
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
This camera was purchased for underwater as well as traveling usage. In the Canon case, it takes good underwater shots, within the constraints of not having an external flash. So above around 20'-30' the shots are fine and below that decent, but lower quality. Above water pictures were very good, as long as motion is not involved, and that's about the only disappointment with the camera. Even when set on 'kids and pets' mode, if the subject has much motion, the picture blurs. There is manual adjustment possible, so there may be a solution there, however, that's not why I bought this camera. This is one of the few cameras in this size that has a wider angle lens, which is a plus, particularly for underwater photography. I set the pictures for superfine M3, and in low light conditions there was a fair amount of lag, which wasn't a problem in higher light level conditions. On the balance, I'd recommend this camera.
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
I bought this camera before vacation since my first Canon digital camera had finally bitten the dust (after 4 years of great pics). After a month of occasional use with this camera, I still have not found a setting that takes non-grainy indoor shots without a flash. It could be me, but perhaps there's a reason the SD1100 is touted as "good in low light". It's disappointing that this model costs more and does not provide the same performance indoors.
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
Easy to understand and move around dial allows for better picture.
Pros
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Best Uses
Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
I really enjoy taking pictures indoors, with the wideangle lense you can catch the entire livingroom on one picture.
Pros
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
I like the large, bright LCD screen.
Pros
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
Camera takes great pics. Nice having the bigger view screen.
Pros
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Best Uses
Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
I bought this camera because my son had one and he liked it, and now, the more I use this camera the more I like it. This camera replaced a Nikon 5200, which, in comparison, has a very slow reaction time. We take a lot of family pictures, including grandchildren, and by the time the Nikon 5200 took the picture, expressions or locations had changed and we ended up with a lot of blurry or strange looking expression pictures. The SD870 seems to capture the picture when and as we see it. Captured expressions are what we saw when we pressed the button, and they are in focus. I also use a Nikon D70S, DSLR, and the Canon SD870 compares quite nicely with picture quality and speed of camera operation. I was a little hesitant about getting a camera with only an LCD screen and no eye-level viewfinder, but having just taken 50 or so pictures at my nephew's outside birthday party, I can say that I didn't miss the eye-level viewfinder. The LCD screen was adequate, even in the sunshine. It took me a while - and the instruction book - to figure out how to format the memory card, so it seems like that could be a little easier, but I did get it figured out without calling the help line.The camera probably does a lot more than I'll ever do, but for what I need, I think it works great!
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
The easy menu navigation makes finding things simple. The large live view LCD screen is easy to see in most lighting conditions, and the face detection is a great feature for my wife.
Pros
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
The SD870 takes amazing pictures as well as movies. We just had prints made and they came out fantastic! The color is much more vivid than my previous camera (an older Sony digital), and I love the red-eye reduction. Lag time between pictures is a fraction of my old camera, which is helpful with a 2-year old running around.
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
Am very impressed with this camera and particularly like the intuitive menus and the wide angle lens. Since I like to do a lot of scenery photography, this camera allows me to get so much more into the picture.
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
I cannot say enough about this camera. It was so affordable and takes the most amazing pictures. I have had various high end and overpriced cameras that do not even compare. It is very easy to use and small enough to keep in my diaper bag at all times. I highly recomend it!!
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
I bought this camera for my personal use after taking my office camera to London for a work trip. It is so easy to use, the photos are great, and the color accent feature is really unique. My only quibble is that sometimes I have problems getting the images to be blur-free, but I expect that's due to my limited photography skills.
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
This is a great point and shoot with a wide-angle lens, a quick shutter response and a good size LCD screen to see what you've taken pictures of. I use this for everyday purposes. It's not great for low light since it gets a bit grainy sometimes without a flash, but it seems a little better than the earlier version of this camera which I have used at work (I don't know the model number on that). For professional purposes including professional documentation for printing, I would go for a camera with a larger lens, high resolution, and better sensor, but I'm very pleased with this for everyday use.
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
Bought this camera for mom. Wanted a simple, yet powerful point and shoot for her. She loves the pocket size. She loves the wrist strap where you can adjust the strap to your arm and we both love the large, bright, clear 3" screen. Love the image stabilization feature...no more blurry shots.
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
This is a really great camera for the casual photographer. Although small it outdoes itself with controls and easiness. The large LCD screen is great for reviewing (and deleting) photos and the controls are clear and easy to use. The picture quality is fantastic and clear. Highly recommend!
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
This camera is perfect, small and with a big screen. The quality of the pictures and videos are incredible.
I took a lot of fantastic pictures on my holidays in New York.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
The first thing I noticed when I first tried my camera was that the on/off button had been activated in my purse (in a camera hard shell case). The camera read lens error which has now happened about 50% of the time I take it with me in my handbag. And I'm not one who carries over the top amounts of stuff in my purse, so I'm not sure how it keeps turning on with a hard shell case! So after reading other reviews I am now concerned that like many many others out there, that my camera lens will break due to this problem happening over and over again. Thankfully I have purchased a 2 year warranty which I'm assuming I will need sooner than later.
Now on to the pictures. I have been putting most things on Auto since I am not an advanced photographer and want my pictures to look like I am. I took it out for a baby shower during the daylight and I'd say only half the pictures turned out clear or bright enough, or dark enough. White shirts look like they're glowing, and in the shade you can't see people clearly...too dark. All in all, the inside shots with flash turned out ok, but the ones inside in very very bright room where no flash should be necessary turned out darker than I thought it should, and certainly not as true as my friends Canon 790 on Auto, or my other friend's camera which was the Nikon Coolpix. Needless to say I will have to print their photos as my pictures I think I can use only 10 out of the 100 I took. And yes, I did try to play with the settings, indoor lighting, beach setting when outside, but the result was the same.
As for the nighttime shots, I will have to learn how to play with exposures here as I missed the window on returning with the 14 days which I'm mad about. I would like to return this as most of my pictures are not turning out as well as I'd hoped. And certainly for the price I paid for this model I should have better auto pictures and no lens errors every other time I open my case.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
I love this camera. It is so easy to navigate the options in the menu. The pictures come out great inside and outdoors and I haven't had any problems. It's good value for the money.
Pros
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Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
Wow, I am a SLR photographer but I wanted a point and shoot on the side.
This is it.
Easy to use and makes great pictures.
Pros
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Best Uses
Comments about Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera (Silver):
No Red-Eye anymore as compared to earlier models
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