Canon PowerShot A720 IS

By Jeff Keller

Canon includes a 16MB memory card along with the A720, which holds just three photos at the highest image quality setting. So, unless you have a larger memory card sitting around, you'll need to buy one right away. The A720 supports all kinds of different memory card formats, including SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, and HC MMCplus (which I didn't even know about until now). I would recommend a 1GB card as a good starter size. Buying a high speed card is a good idea, though you don't need to go overboard.

Like its predecessor (along with most of the other A-series cameras) the A720 is powered by two AA batteries. The alkalines that come in the box will quickly find their way into the trash, so you'll want to pick up a four pack of NiMH rechargeables plus a fast charger right away. Once you've got those installed, here's what kind of battery life you'll get out of the camera:

Read more >>

Canon EOS Rebel Xsi

By Jeff Keller

One of the big changes on the Rebel XSi is the switch from CompactFlash to Secure Digital flash memory. The only surprise here is that it took so long to happen. Canon doesn't include a card with the camera, so it's up to you to supply one. The camera supports both SD and SDHC cards, and I'd suggest a 2GB card to start with. It's definitely worth spending the extra bucks for a "high speed" card.

The XSi uses an all-new battery known as the LP-E5. With 8.0 Wh of energy inside its plastic shell, this battery is 50% more powerful than the one on the Rebel XTi. Here's how that translates into battery life:

Read more >>

Canon SD1100 IS Digital ELPH (IXUS 80 IS)

By Lars Rehm

The Canon Powershot SD1100 IS (IXUS 80 IS in Europe) is as fresh off the Canon engineers' drawing boards as it can get. It was announced only a few weeks ago for the PMA trade show in Las Vegas and already has made its way into the basement vault which accommodates the dpreview labs.

The camera comes as a replacement for the SD1000 (IXUS 70). The key features of this ultra compact aren't anything to write home about but the SD1100 promises to be another solid point and shoot tool coming out of the Canon stables. It combines an 8MP sensor with a 3x zoom (38-114mm equiv, optically stabilized) and lets you view images and menus on a high resolution 2.5 inch screen.

Read more >>

Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Digital ELPH (IXUS 950 IS)

By Lars Rehm

The SD850 IS (IXUS 950 IS in Europe) was first announced in May 2007 as a replacement for the Powershot SD700 IS. It constitutes only a relatively subtle upgrade. Visually the SD850 is virtually indistinguishable from the older model (only the color of the camera back has changed, from black to gray), and there are only a handful of modifications to the specification of the camera. Most notably the sensor now records 8MP images instead of 6 and the resolution of the 2.5" screen has been increased to 230,000 pixels. The 'digital heart' beating in the SD850 is now the latest generation of Canon's imaging processor, the DIGIC III. With the new processor there come a couple of new features too: Face Detection and the useful Auto ISO shift option.

Read more >>

Canon Digital Rebel

By Jeff Keller

If there was one camera that really changed the landscape of digital photography in 2003, it's the Canon Digital Rebel. The 6.3 Megapixel Digital Rebel, also known as the Digital Kiss and EOS-300D (depending on where you live), is the first digital SLR with a list price of under $1000. In fact, it's just $899 for the body only kit, or $999 for the body plus an 18 - 55 mm lens. The other camera companies must be nervous.

Read more >>

Canon PowerShot A720 IS

By Richard Butler

The PowerShot A720 IS is a minor update to the A710 IS and is the latest in Canon's popular 'A-series' of cameras offering a strong feature set and good degree of user control at a competitive price. It isn't the smallest or most powerful camera in the World, (or even in the Canon range), but it does a little bit of everything and gives a good degree of control over what the camera is doing, if you want it. This focus on making small cameras that do their job well has seen Canon dominate this sector of the market for some time so it will be interesting to see if the A720 IS does anything to upset this situation. The specification highlights are:

• 8.0 Megapixels and 6x zoom
• Optical Image Stabilizer
• DIGIC III processor with Face Detection AF/AE
• ISO 1600
• 17 shooting modes including VGA movies (30 fps) with sound
• Optional accessories available, including Underwater Case

Read more >>