I purchased the Canon Powershot SD780IS earlier this month. I have been tinkering and testing with it since and have shot lots of pics and video. My previous SD300 is still working like a champ, however I have been considering a video camera for some time. I was visiting my local camera store, a nationwide chain, and after some time at the video camera counter I wandered over to the point and shoot table and noticed the Canon SD780IS. What initially drew me in to the SD780IS was its appearance on the display stand. The sleek matte red body is very eye-pleasing and attractive, then I looked at the specs. I then realized that it shoots video in HD! (1280×720). Then, along with all the other attributes made me realize that it was time to update my reliable but limited camera.

I proceeded to check out some of the other Canon SD cameras. The SD960 became the other candidate…it has a little more glass(4x)zoom, over the SD780’s (3x)zoom. The SD960 has an appealing f2.8 aperture over the SD780’s f3.2. The SD960’s screen is more tailored for the HD video capture as it has a 16:9 ratio LCD panel. (Which is nice for instant viewing ON THE CAMERA).
After some thought I went with the SD780 and searched online for the best price which was from Amazon. These are the three main reasons:

1. The HD video capability is awesome and compatible with the SD960. It has a HDMI jack. The traditional 4:3 screen does not bother me, because the video is ultimately going to be viewed on a HD TV.(There will be an upper and lower bar on 16:9 playback through the SD780’s LCD).

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2.The weaker 3x zoom is not a big deal as this camera is for general shooting (out with friends, bars, the beach, fishing, mountain biking, yachting etc. Yes I am an active person with lots of interests) and with this camera EASILY fitting in my jeans or shirt pocket, the portability is what gives me the opportunity to document those moments, and have footage for my YouTube videos that would otherwise be missed. The SD960 is a little bulkier (but still small). I do also shoot with a Canon 40D, accompanied with L optics, but the weight and bulkiness do not lend to my active lifestyle and other shooting circumstances as mentioned already.

3. The user interface on the PowerShot SD780IS is like most (if not all?) preceding SD cameras. While there is not much control in the way of shooting settings, feature buttons like flash override, AE lock, AF lock, and exposure compensation are present on the camera body. The SD960IS has two buttons and a jog wheel. I’m sure the new interface on the 960 is intuitive, but I liked the 780 due to its similarity to my old SD300.

I am very happy with the results produced thus far with the SD780IS. The HD video is excellent but with some ‘noise’, however it should be known that once recording you can only zoom digitally. Low light capabilities and sound in video mode are good but again with a some ‘noise’. The stills I have taken look great. Also, to the budget minded, and aren’t we all these days, who are upgrading from older digital point-and-shoots, a class 4 minimum 4GB or 8GB SDHC card would be well suited due to the demanding memory of the 12.1 million pixels, and HD video. Also, most old card readers will not process the the SDHC cards so you may have to purchase a new card reader as well.

Bearing in mind that this is primarily a still camera and not a video device, there are a lot of positives to this camera. Four colors to choose from, black, deep red, gold and silver. Though not the smallest camera on the market, it feels small. The screen is incredibly bright and clear, even at half brightness (which is where it starts out of the box and probably where you want to leave it), and is well protected by a glass covering. Smudging is easy to clean but be careful of scratches. The refresh rate of the screen is also excellent. Color accuracy is surprisingly good and realistic, assuming you’re not using the “my colors” feature.

Another excellent feature of the 780IS is the port access, because it’s exactly how I like it. In the top left corner (if you’re looking at the back of the camera), you pull off this little piece of plastic to reveal a mini HDMI port and a mini USB port. There’s no proprietary connections. It’s nice to see a tiny camera not sacrifice connectivity for the sake of size. To transfer pictures, just pull the plastic covering away and plug the camera into your computer. The process is the same if you want to connect the camera via HDMI to your HDTV.

Canon doesn’t include the necessary cable, which is a shame, but being that I’ve never once connected my camera to a television I’m not really bothered. They do give you a standard definition cable, however, so you’re not stranded with no options. On the bottom of the camera there is the usual slide-off access to the battery and memory card. Canon really crammed them both in there, but in a way that’s impressive and not cumbersome. Additionally, they managed a tripod head mount on the bottom as well, and you can pull away a little rubber covering to reveal a hole for the tripod head’s stabilizer (the little piece that doesn’t screw in but holds the camera in place on the head).

I have to mention it again, the small size of the PowerShot SD780IS is mind-blowing, and the functionality actually mirrors its beauty.

I hope that you found this Canon PowerShot SD780IS Review useful and might help you to decide if this is the right camera for your needs.