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Canon PowerShot SD790 IS Silver Digital Camera

Canon PowerShot SD790 IS Silver Digital Camera

Canon - 2554B001Release Date: Mar 2007

Chiseled edges with a subtle gleam give this PowerShot SD790-IS Digital ELPH distinctive sculptural appeal. Its high-end specifications include 10-Megapixels of Resolution plus Face Detection and Motion Detection Technology, to deliver the ultimate in crisp, clear, amazingly detailed images. View yo... Read Morer crisp clear images on a large 3.0" PureColor LCD II screen for bright, accurate color with great viewing from a wide range of angles. Minimize

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Summary of User Reviews

Number of Reviews: 11
Positive Reviews: 82%
Negative Reviews: 18%
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Positive Review

Reviewed by: jenniferzad on 10-Dec-08

Strengths: Small, light weight, great to have in your pocket! great way to access the menu, good design.

Weaknesses: i cant list one at this time.

Summary: I got this as a gift for someone and they loved it. Nice compact camera that has lots of options and good megapixles and a decent zoom.

Negative Review

Reviewed by: nermar13 on 27-Nov-08

Strengths: 3 inch lcd

Weaknesses: out focus

Summary: the vr does not work so well. red eye problem. i dont think this camera is so great its average .and the pictures are not so sharp like i was expenting

Positive Review

Reviewed by: mighty18 on 23-Oct-08

Strengths: Design (flush buttons); Image Stabilizer; Screen (sharp images; Great Shots With Flash.

Weaknesses: Screen (prone to smudges); Weight

Summary: This is my 6th Canon P/S camera and I continue to find reasons to remain a fan of this manufacturer. As usual, it is very user friendly plus all the 'Manual' settings to meet your needs.-I took shots while intentionally shaking my hand to test the Image Stabilizer. The result far exceeded my expectation with sharp detailed images.

Positive Review

Reviewed by: fy8h on 09-Aug-08

Strengths: Attractive solid exterior. 3 inch high resolution LCD. Sharp pictures and good video recording. 10M. The face detection feature.

Weaknesses: The included SD capacity is small.

Summary: This is a great compact digital camera. Once you open the box, you will like it - the attractive solid exterior and the 3 inch LCD (high resolution). The pictures are very sharp and the videos are good. The face detection feature is amazing. It actually moves while the face moves - the new technology is unbelievable.It comes with a small capacity SD. SD are cheap now. You can buy a 2G SD for $10, so that is really not an issue.

Positive Review

Reviewed by: x0lliex on 23-Jul-08

Strengths: Huge Screen, Simple to Use, Stylish Design, Great Pictures, Great Battery Life

Weaknesses: Only 3x Optical Zoom

Summary: After going through many different digital cameras I finally tried this one and I am glad I did. This camera produces great photos and is really simple to use. The huge screen is easily visible both at night and in bright daylight making the lack of a viewfinder irrelevant. The included battery lasts for 100s of shots making it great for taking lots of photos while away from your charger. The 3x optical zoom is not as good as you would hope for in this camera's price range but the 10MP pictures are so big that you can just crop out all of the unwanted bits of the photos. The face detection works well but can sometimes struggle with multiple people. Overall it is a great camera and I am really glad I went with a Canon this time.

Negative Review

Reviewed by: pammyyoha on 16-Jul-08

Strengths: Body design/construction, LCD gorgeous/clear, very high resolution

Weaknesses: Autofocus system or metering does not read bright scenes and completely destroys them - white sky, pale vegetation;Scroll wheel takes getting used to, barrel distortion is obvious

Summary: I love the feel and weight of this camera and the LCD. The pictures it takes correctly are very high resolution and nice colors. However, its autofocus or metering system messes up more often than normal. Taking pictures with white things in them or reflected light, or dark and light colors sometimes causes it to overexpose drastically.What photos do turn out well (and if you can get it to focus on just the right object it will turn out, but it is extra work) are really good.Other cameras I've had/tested are not like this. The Panasonic TZ4 didn't do this as bad in high contrast (it has "intelligent" vs. stupid autofocus). The Canon SD870 takes beautiful outdoor photos. Canon SD850 also overexposed bright shots at times.To use this camera, be prepared to stick it on manual and drop the exposure .75 or so, or focus on something that clears up the picture, or it will be washed out and useless in certain situations.I wrote Canon about this issue, wondering about a firmware update, and they imply it is normal behavior. Here are their comments:CANON'S COMMENTS - "The auto focus may not work well on the following types of subject:Subjects with extremely low contrast to the surroundings Subjects mixing close and far objects Subjects with extremely bright objects at the center of the composition Subjects that are moving quickly Subjects captured using full zoomTo shoot these subjects, first aim the camera at an object at a similar distance, lock the focus and recompose the image with the desired subject, or use the manual focus.One of the advantages of digital photography is that your results are instantaneous; there is no expense for film or processing, so you can take as many "practice" shots as you like and make corrections right away. We strongly suggest that you experiment with your camera until you are comfortable with its features, and that you prepare well in advance of any important event you wish to photograph. Unfortunately, due to many varying shooting/exposure conditions, we are unable to provide step-by-step instructions that will result in an exact combination of camera settings that will generate the results you desire."

Positive Review

Reviewed by: rcditto on 13-Jul-08

Strengths: High quality pictures. Huge screen.

Weaknesses: Not as fast at taking pictures as my old S500

Summary: I replaced a Canon SD500 with this one. The 790 takes MUCH better pictures than the SD500, however it does take them slightly slower. Maybe it's because they're 10MP instead of 7MP, or maybe it's because it actually leaves the aperture open longer to let a proper amount of light in. Either way, pictures are very high quality. I love the big screen! I debated getting the 770 and saving myself fifty bucks, but I'm glad I went with the 790. The controls are really slick, and easy to use. I was skeptical at first, but really they're pretty straightforward and takes no time to get used to them. Battery life is great also. I've taken at least 100 pictures and still have "full charge" on the battery indicator.

Positive Review

Reviewed by: wdanj on 18-Jun-08

Strengths: Easy to use,Image stabalizer, 10 MP, Great Pictures.

Weaknesses: Not anything important! You need to buy accessories like a case and larger SD card.

Summary: This camera is well made and easy to use. It has all the important bells and whistles. Battery life is very good. You would be hard pressed to find a better camera for the money. This solid camera will stand up to use over time. I have taken pictures in the mountains, at the beach, inside and out. I have carried the camera by the neck strap, in my shirt pocket and many different ways. This is my third Cannon Digital Elph Camera I have owned. The first two cameras I used almost daily and then passed them on to other members of my family. All still work perfectly. Pictures are easy and clear. Buy this camera.

Positive Review

Reviewed by: markbond on 15-Jun-08

Strengths: Simplicity and Ease of Use

Weaknesses: Uses proprietary battery

Summary: This is a well built, very small, easy to use point and shoot camera. Simply, this camera fills my needs for taking pictures without fiddling around with a bunch of settings. The picture quality is just fine.

Positive Review

Reviewed by: kerbe on 12-May-08

Strengths: Easy to use.Wide variety of options and settings.Captures excellent images.

Weaknesses: Unlike film Elphs, comes w/o a case.You'll need to invest in an HCSD card -- it comes with a tiny standard SD card.

Summary: Doing your homework -- ie searching the internet -- when attempting to purchase a camera of any kind is nearly an impossible task: Every review you read seems to contradict the one before it! In selecting this camera I was lucky -- the vast majority of critical and user commentary was of a positive, if not glowing, nature. Plus it's a Canon and all my film cameras have been Canons. The first point-and-shoot camera I purchased was a Canon Elph that traveled with me during a summer in Japan. I was amazed that something so small could capture such excellent images. This Digital Elph is my second digital camera -- and the images it captures are stunning when viewed on my HD monitor. And it's even smaller than the film Elph! I'm looking forward to "playing" with it even more as time permits -- there are a plethora of options and settings that I haven't even begun to explore.

Positive Review

Reviewed by: sus2an on 13-Apr-08

Strengths: Image stabalizer; superb focus; color quality; pocket size10 MP!!!

Weaknesses: Haven't found any.

Summary: I use a Canon EOS 40D professionally but keep this little jewel in my pocket when I need to catch an image fast. Considering what you get in this tiny package, the price is extremely cheap. Buy it!