Description

It may be Canon's slimmest Digital ELPH, but it's selection of photo-friendly options is undeniably wide. From full HD movie capture to peak performance in even the most unforgiving shooting conditions, this digital camera is on the cutting edge of point-and-shoot picture taking. One-year warranty. Model SD780IS.

Customer Reviews

 Last of the Enjoyable Canon Digital Elph Camera - Sep 01, 2010

The Canon PowerShot SD 780IS is my latest and the fourth Digital Elph acquisition. This could very well be the last camera for this Canon branch (with 12+ megapixels)to come with a real-image optical zoom viewfinder. I hope I am wrong on this assumption.

Prove me wrong on the following three points if one could do quality photographic management without a camera viewfinder:

1) Any compact digital camera(including the new Canon brands) which allows the photographer to get a good view of the object in front through the LCD screen, with the sun on his back.

2) Any compact digital camera (including the new Canon brands) which allows the photographer to take rapid succession or panning shots viewing through the LCD screen inches away from the eyes.

3) Conserve battery with a LCD screen only digital camera.

It's no point in lamenting the whys and the stupidity of doing away with an optical zoom viewfinder on the Digital Elph series, or any similar cameras for that matter. Best Buy doesn't even carry this Digital Elph model. All PowerShot cameras or similar it carries have only LCD screens.

Compact digital cameras with viewfinders are a vanishing species. If you like a digital camera with a viewfinder, or have ever own a lower than a 10 megapixel Canon PowerShot Digital Elph, get the SD780IS camera. It's worth it.

 Great Choice - Aug 31, 2010

I've owned two cameras prior to this canon (a kodak & an olympus) and this is by far my favorite. Even though it wasn't the most important factor for me, the small size is a definite plus. I've used it for an entire day without having low battery although I do think charging nightly is a good idea if you use it quite a bit. The picture quality overall is great. Yes, it takes a blurry picture from time to time, but if you set the camera correctly (its really easy to do) your pictures will turn out great. I use this camera for facebook/internet use and for printing normal size photos & find it works very well! And an added bonus - its actually a pretty tough camera. The first week I had it, it was COMPLETELY submerged underwater for 5 minutes (turned off) and after about a week of drying out, it works perfectly. I can barely believe it & it makes me love it that much more. I highly recommend this camera!

 Great Camera - Aug 31, 2010

I love everything about this camera. It's easy to use, it's conveniently tiny, the pictures are clear and taking video is easy also.

 Excellent camera for everyday use! Always ready!!! - Aug 29, 2010

Love this camera. I bought it for my daughter who just turned 19. She loves it too! I'm so glad that I bought it! The price was definitely right and the options exceeded our expectations. She has a great camera that is going to always be ready for her to roll out and use whenever she needs it in her busy life. And when she slows down, she'll have some great photos to look at and remember where she's been and what she did!! :-)

 Great little point and shoot - does what I ask - Aug 28, 2010

This camera has more functions than I know about I am sure. I just turn it on, point it at what I want and take a picture. They usually turn out great and if they don't it is probably my fault, and that is the only reason I am giving it 4 stars. Sometimes it would be nice for these cameras to be idiot proof so that they still take great pictures when you just point and shoot, but they take even better pictures when you actually know how to use the camera properly and utilize all the fancy settings and functions. Some of us don't know how to trick out the F-stops, etc and we truly want the camera to do it ALL for us. :-)
But for the most part I'd say 95% of my pictures come out great. I got this camera after a trip to Costa Rica. My friend had a snappy Canon and every time we saw a great picture opportunity my old camera took forever to come to life and I was missing pictures while hers was up and shooting away. I did a lot of research on the Internet and decided on SD780IS, not only for its start up speed but for its other features, which I am slowly learning how to use.
I am no longer missing photo opportunities. It is also small enough that I carry it the tiniest of purses, or even my back pocket.

 Pocket Camera - Aug 27, 2010

Sometimes your DSLR is too bulky to be carrying around in certain situations. That is why I decided to buy this camera - for its portability and size. I hate it when at concert shows they deny my DSLR or when I am out and about with friends and you do not want to carry the DSLR. This camera is perfect for these occasions. It fits perfectly in my pocket and I love the feel of it.

Of course do not expect the same image quality results of DSLRs, but I was somewhat impressed with the quality this small camera has - especially with its video quality. I bought it not knowing it has HD capabilities, and now I am more than happy that it has it.

The battery life on the camera lasts for a long time. I charge it once every three weeks. If I use it a lot I charge it every week or two weeks. The viewfinder on the camera is pretty useless for me. I tried to use it but I feel awkward using it.
This camera is great to carry around everywhere.

 Great portability, easy to use, has a view finder - Aug 26, 2010

I had been looking for a small camera to take on hiking trips that I could carry in a shirt pocket. This little camera is just what I needed. It's compact, has a view finder, though small, for using in bright sun light. The screens on every camera I've had washed out in bright sun light. Takes great pictures and videos. I carry this in my purse all the time. The battery charger is also small and easily carried in my purse. I am glad I bought this little gem.

 Couldn't ask for a better camera - Aug 24, 2010

Its easy to use, looks great, and it's affordable. I couldn't ask for a better camera. Also the picture quality is great and the macro setting is better than any point and shoot I have waver used

 Bang for your buck, Best PAS I've Had. - Aug 24, 2010

I've owned a course of 10 different point and shoot cameras throughout my life. This is definitely the best by far. Shot probably, you can have images close to DSLR's (with editing). I was amazed by this camera, and I usually don't get feeling with point and shoots. For it's price.. this camera is amazing. I HIGHLY recommend it. I'm a semi-professional photographer, and when I'm not caring my huge canon 40D with its multiple lenses, I carry this around.

 Compact but cheap - Aug 23, 2010

Yes this camera is very small and it fits in your pocket no problem. This enables you to get shots you might not have otherwise because you actually have a camera with you. That is the best feature.
The price you pay? Cheap construction- my lens randomly stopped retracting/working 3 months in. Canon is repairing for free for the record. Picture quality is a bit worse than other point and shoots (like my friend's panasonic lumix) on "auto" which is where most people shoot these types of cameras anyway. Overall yes its small but its also kind of a little POS.

 Nice ultra-portable - Aug 23, 2010

I've had this camera for about a month now. It was a replacement for my A590IS. I have to say I was skeptical about the quality of the pictures because of the extremely small size. But bought it anyway because it is a Canon, very small, and it has 720p video recording.

I am back from a week off and now that I see the pictures I am surprised with the quality, the colors. Of course it is still a compact so do not expect DSLR like pics. The video quality and sharpness is pretty good too. The battery life was a surprise too, over 250 pics per charge (I bought a backup battery too, I recommend it if you take around 200 pics per day when on vacation).

Overall a very good camera, very small and compact. Good thing is that its price is low because it is not the newest model.

 Should've just rebought my old camera - Aug 23, 2010

Had a Canon Powershot 1200IS. It broke. Got this one, thinking it'd be the same, just higher res. pictures. I was wrong. Seems like it's lacking image stabilizing which was in the 1200. Shots only come out clear if it's on auto. in the program mode, hands must be stiller than a surgeons and still might come out blurry. Very frustrating. Stick with the 1200. I regret this purchase.

 Best Camera Ever - Aug 23, 2010

It takes the best pictures of any Cannon or Fuji camera we have owned.
Simply a great camera.

 Perfect Snapshot Camera - Aug 19, 2010

You really can't beat the size of this series of Canon snapshot cameras. It fits in your pocket without weighing you down or bulging, which makes it great to take to parties or a night on the town. I've had older generations, and am just as satisfied with this one. I filmed a space shuttle launch with the video feature of this camera, and the sound and video quality were much better than I had expected. Snapshot still photos are excellent.

 MUST be faulty unit, can't be this bad. NO macro capability. - Aug 18, 2010

I must have gotten a faulty unit because it has no macro capability, won't focus up close at all. I tried all the different settings to make sure, and it MUST be broken. Otherwise, it is crap. Let's see how difficult it is to return it and get one that actually works.

 Great point and shoot, but image quality suffers... - Aug 17, 2010

I bought this camera because of the form factor. It's the smallest point and shoot I've ever seen and fits in your pocket without feeling a brick. The camera itself takes decent pictures, but you can't expect much from such a small camera. If you're looking for the best image quality then you should look elsewhere, however, if you plan taking a few shots here and there without having to worry about carrying a huge camera then this camera is for you. Most people will use this camera to develop 4x6 pictures and maybe a some 5x7s, but if you want to print out a poster, you may be dissatisfied.

 Amazing Little Camera! - Aug 16, 2010

We purchased the Canon PowerShot SD780IS camera for our teenage daughter to replace an unreliable Samsung which ate batteries. I have a Canon A95 and have really enjoy it, so we thought we would give this one a try. She has had it for 3 months at the writing of this review. It is everything it claims to be and more.

The battery life is amazing! We bought her an extra battery based on the experience we had with her finicky Samsung. So far she has never needed the spare battery. She loves the fact that it is small and fits into her purse. She took it to the Otakon Convention in Baltimore, on a trip to Chicago and Minneapolis and it took fabulous photos each time under lots of different conditions.

It is petite and works well for people with small fingers. Most men may find this camera difficult to use due to its small button size. However, I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for a good quality camera and a good value for the money.

 not as good quality as I expected - Aug 15, 2010

I have had Canon point and shoots for years. I got this one, and I am having difficulty with blurriness. I would like to return it, but I was out of town and didn't get it done. Overall disappointed in the quality of my pictures. When set on Automatic it takes forever to focus and shoot. I am a true amateur. To use this camera and get quality pictures I am going to have to up my knowledge of all the settings.

 superb - Aug 15, 2010

bought it for my wife and she absolutely loves it. v easy to operate and cute for a girl

 CANON POWERSHOT SD780IS - Aug 14, 2010

Great camera for someone with limited camera experience. Easy to use and sharp pictures!

 nice little portable camera - Aug 13, 2010

Great little point and shoot camera that does pretty good video. Nothing spectacular, but nothing bad either. Nice to have a little camera to carry around that shoots decent pictures.

 Not for pockets - unusable after less than a year - Aug 12, 2010

I have owned the SD780IS for almost a year, and have taken several thousand pictures with it. Overall, this is a great camera, but....

Being a point-n-shoot, I always carry it around in my jeans pocket. Unfortunately, dust has gradually crept into the optics. At first it was barely noticeable - in fact it was only after it became unmistakable that I reviewed earlier photos and saw dust blobs there too. For un-zoomed pictures, this dust results in a slight haze. But for zoomed-in pictures, there are mysterious dark blobs all over the photo. I spoke with the local camera repair shop about getting the optics cleaned, and they explained that the optics assembly is a single part and that Canon will not supply them with the necessary calibration software. The only option was a one-size-fixes-all price of $119, plus shipping both ways. Since I can get a whole new SD780IS for $145 with free shipping, having the camera repaired at that price makes no sense at all. Plus, it would still be prone to dust gunking up the internal optics.

So instead of repairing or replacing it with a new SD780IS, I'm going with a waterproof point-n-shoot (Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2). Much more expensive, but hopefully I'll have a camera that lasts longer than 12 months.

 A great pocket camera - Aug 12, 2010

This is a great little camera. It's easy to use and easy to download to my computer. The picture is great for a small camera. It's easily transportable and durable.

 lens trouble - Aug 11, 2010

My 780 IS is having lens trouble. The camera is only a few months old and I definitely have not dropped it or bumped it. First it wouldn't focus, sounded like it was struggling to extend and retract. Then I pushed the off button and got a "lens error, turn it off" message. It struggled some more, then finally retracted and turned off. This has happened multiple times this afternoon. Boo.

 LOVE IT! - Aug 08, 2010

I love this camera - I have taken quite a few trips with it, the pictures are great. The zoom video is so easy to use. I love the color!!!! And I love how tiny it is, how light it is and how it easily fits in my pocket!!! Best thing I ever bought for myself!