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Phil Kim · 04-25-2007, 10:29 AM

I have both Canon Digital Rebel XTi and PowerShot SD800 IS (along with UnderWater Housing).

Nearly all the ultra compacts (although I am sure exceptions exist) are not capable of handling red eyes. So if you have your mind set on ultra compacts, I would not use red eyes as a deciding factor.

Comparing image quality between these two cameras would be unfair, particularly since my XTi has 2 L-series lenses (EF 17-40mm f/4L USM and EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM) and a fantastic portrait lens (EF 50mm f/1.4 USM). The difference is particularly pronounced at wide angle (27mm via EF 17-40mm vs. SD800's 28mm). SD800 exhibits greater barrel distortion (pin cushioning) and noticeably soft details around the edges. And forget about using ISO beyond 200 on SD800 - ISO 400 and above are unusable.

That said, I recommend SD800 IS highly if you want wide angle. On prints and 1920x1200 LCD, corner softness is not significant. Virtually none of the ultra compacts have wide angle lens and if you are heavily into shooting landscapes and buildings, it's simply a must. I suppose it's not as long as some of the competing cameras, but it is plenty long for me (I am not heavily into telephoto photography, and when I do, XTI with 70-200mm will do the job). The image stabilizer is also nice to have as it affords between 2 and 3 stops. And face detection works pretty well, further reducing blurry photos.

Although it is not a thin by today's standard, it is still small and the ergonomics is mostly excellent -- mode selector knob is a bit cumbersome to use (I wish it had a shortcut button for "play"). Overall, the camera feels right and the on-screen menu is pleasure to use. It's very responsive, although I wish the lens was faster at longer focal lengths.

And the aforementioned underwater housing. It's a a bit pricey but shooting under the ocean while snorkeling can be extremely rewarding. The battery life is also considerably better than rated 270 shots with LCD on.

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04-25-2007, 10:29 AM	#5 of 16
Phil Kim Member Location: Mountain View, CA Join Date: Sep 1998 Local Time: 02:01 AM Local Date: 12-02-2008 Posts: 486	Re: best point and shoot I have both Canon Digital Rebel XTi and PowerShot SD800 IS (along with UnderWater Housing). Nearly all the ultra compacts (although I am sure exceptions exist) are not capable of handling red eyes. So if you have your mind set on ultra compacts, I would not use red eyes as a deciding factor. Comparing image quality between these two cameras would be unfair, particularly since my XTi has 2 L-series lenses (EF 17-40mm f/4L USM and EF 70-200mm f/4L IS USM) and a fantastic portrait lens (EF 50mm f/1.4 USM). The difference is particularly pronounced at wide angle (27mm via EF 17-40mm vs. SD800's 28mm). SD800 exhibits greater barrel distortion (pin cushioning) and noticeably soft details around the edges. And forget about using ISO beyond 200 on SD800 - ISO 400 and above are unusable. That said, I recommend SD800 IS highly if you want wide angle. On prints and 1920x1200 LCD, corner softness is not significant. Virtually none of the ultra compacts have wide angle lens and if you are heavily into shooting landscapes and buildings, it's simply a must. I suppose it's not as long as some of the competing cameras, but it is plenty long for me (I am not heavily into telephoto photography, and when I do, XTI with 70-200mm will do the job). The image stabilizer is also nice to have as it affords between 2 and 3 stops. And face detection works pretty well, further reducing blurry photos. Although it is not a thin by today's standard, it is still small and the ergonomics is mostly excellent -- mode selector knob is a bit cumbersome to use (I wish it had a shortcut button for "play"). Overall, the camera feels right and the on-screen menu is pleasure to use. It's very responsive, although I wish the lens was faster at longer focal lengths. And the aforementioned underwater housing. It's a a bit pricey but shooting under the ocean while snorkeling can be extremely rewarding. The battery life is also considerably better than rated 270 shots with LCD on.