Canon Powershot SD10 4MP Digital Camera (Silver)

if canon's sd100 was still too big for you, the sd10 is an even smaller alternative. but you give up the optical zoom.

pros:

4MP resolution!

ultra-compact at 3.6 x 1.9 x 0.7" weighing 3.5oz. this is the smallest canon to date.

stylish, all-metal body and you it is available in four colors: bronze, white, black, or silver.

fast startup.

fast shot to shot times.

minimal shutter lag at faster shutter speeds.

impressive overall photo quality for such a small camera.

5 point AiAF system.

Quick Shot feature allows you to take pictures without prefocusing.

very good macro performance.

AF assist light is very useful for low-light focusing.

has a metal tripod mount, which is not present in all the ultra-compact cameras.

easy to use menu system.

cons:

some redeye.

above average noise.

some barrel distortion.

no optical zoom.

more manual controls would have been nice (or at least some scene modes).

no optical viewfinder this makes it tough when you use this camera in bright sunlight.

solidly built except for the camera/SD door which feels less robust.

RAW and TIFF formats not supported.

expensive for the feature set but you're paying for the ultra-compact package and the panache of this little gem.

metal body scratches easily.

32MB SD card provided is inadequate so add $$ to your budget to buy external memory.

proprietary battery again, a few more bucks for a spare.

this is another solid effort from canon. i particularly like the photo quality (especially coming in an ultra-compact package), the AiAF system, the AF assist light, and the body color options. not having optical zoom and very few manual controls top my complaints, but i guess some compromises had to made to come up with these features in such a small package. competitors would be the pentax optio s or casio ex-z3 which are slightly bigger and only have 3MP resolution but have 3x optical zoom. for even better image quality (in a slightly bigger package), also consider canon's sd100. if you can live with a bigger camera, take a look at canon's a80, which has a lot more features in the same price range.

i hope this helps you with your buying decision. peace.

I just got the camera yesterday and immediately started playing with it. Like all other Canons, robust built, feels and touched nice and expensive. Didn't have to read the manual since this is my fouth Canon over the past several years in the ultra compact line. I like my camera to be very small and light and still robust enough to survive small accidents. The startup time is excellent, pretty much like point and shoot. The display adjusts very rapidly to different lighting conditions. An optical viewfinder wold have been great, but the display is sufficient for me. The picture quality in daylight is great, evening pictures with flash are good . Movie quality in low light condition is for me at least sufficient with little distortion. The audio playback in this tiny device is loud enough to understand everything recorded. The camera can be customized with different startup pictures and sounds for all kinds of functions. The camera came with the usual software, an updated version of Zoombrowser ex and some editing software. Since I use my own preferred software to organize and edit my pictures (good old photoshop and picasa), I only assume that Canon put together an easy to use software package for the novice user.

But the camera also has some drawbacks: It is quiet difficult for people with bigger hands to remove the SD card safely and without breaking the card/battery door. As stated by the previous post, the door somehow doesn't fit the rest of the camera. It is made of cheap plastic (the rest of the camera is metal) and doesn't close all the way. I'm afraid it might break off when changing the SD card or battery in a hurry. (better keep your fingernails long to pull out that SD card!)

The battery life seems to be sufficient, but I ordered a spare battery just in case.

The leather case that came with the package is well made but a little oversized for the camera. It is also missing a pocket for a spare battery or addtl. SD card.

Alltogether it was well worth waiting for this device after they stole my old S 330 about two months ago.

Buy Canon Powershot SD10 4MP Digital Camera (Silver) Now

Eclipsed ONLY by the lower-end Casio Exilim cameras in sheer compactness, the appeal of the SD10 in all its various colors is obvious: 4 megapixel snapshots in a package so compact that it won't even feel like a presence in your pocket. For those desiring a digital camera half as a camera and half as a fashion accessory, this is the way to go.

For those more performance minded, however, consider the following.

Pros:

-Smallest 4 megapixel digi-cam on the market.

-Slightly above average start-up time (especially important for snapshooters, whom this camera is geared toward).

-Sleek, sexy design.

-Canon's 5 point autofocus system, while not especially powerful, is better than the average ultracompact 4 megapixel camera's system.

-Canon's image sensor captures better quality images than most other cameras do, within the same style.

-Canon STILL uses Compact Flash technology, which is a significantly cheaper media than sD or xD, so you save money here as opposed to competing cameras.

Cons:

-Picture quality is noticably worse than Canon's other 4 megapixel cameras (S400/410, A75/80, S45). You pay for the compactness somehow: apparently this is how.

-No optical zoom. While a larger-than-you-might-think majority of people actually do not have much need for optical zoom in an everyday setting, those purchasing this camera for trips may be disappointed.

-NO OPTICAL VIEWFINDER. Again, most people who purchase an ultracompact digi-cam aren't photo enthusiasts and are content to snap off pictures using the LCD as their only reference, but this is bound to be a factor for some customers. I wouldn't purchase this camera on this point alone, but only because I avoid using the LCD for anything at all times because of the drain it puts on the battery. Not to mention Canon compacts have a tiny (1.5") LCD that warrants use of the optical viewfinder.

Having said all that, I have to recommend that anyone looking at getting this camera STRONGLY consider the Canon S410 as an alternative. It is only mildly larger than this camera and has the same resolution, settings, but much better photo quality. It also has a 3x optical zoom lens, which ends up being an asset at times you didn't expect (think: those 30th row floor seats at a concert, capturing that mountain view from a distance, that gorgeous woman you spied walking across the other side of the club).

Misc. Note for a large number of digi-cam purchasers:

90% of people who purchase a camera with higher than 3 megapixel resolution do not need it. With a 3 megapixel camera, you can make prints of up to 5 x 7 without a noticable loss of quality, and barely any loss of quality for 8 x 10. If your computer is running at 1600x1200 resolution, the maximum size picture taken by a 3 megapixel camera will more than fill the screen. The moral of the story is this: do not be lured by larger megapixel sensors that you do not need. Look at how the camera performs in other ways, and what features you'd find the most useful. The only reasons you might want a larger resolution camera are: because you intend to crop a large majority of your photos, because you want to make poster-size prints, or because you're a graphic artist that needs to be working with as many pixels as possible to ensure quality.

Read Best Reviews of Canon Powershot SD10 4MP Digital Camera (Silver) Here

I got this small camera because I needed a quality camera which I can carry on my belt for those instant shots. Boy, I am extremely impressed with the quality of the pictures! I also have a Sony F828 8 Megapixel and let me tell you, this camera is up there if you are just printing an 8x10. It was a bit difficult to tell which pictures came from which camera unless you look really close. I also have a Sony Cyber Shot V1 (5 Meg) and the Alph is also up there with the V1, but the Alph's pictures are more colorful than the V1. The V1 is also an impressive camera but not as portable and not quite as color-saturated. The flash on this is much better than the Nikon 5000 because the Nikon flash was too bright most of the time and inconsistent. The color saturation of the Alph is similar to the old Nikon 950, which I love but the images are much sharper on the SD-10 Alph. It comes with a very nice leather belt holster about the same size as your cell phone and it's just great for portability, virtually un-noticeable. I just absolutely love this camera and have it on me all the time. Get one, you won't regret it.

Want Canon Powershot SD10 4MP Digital Camera (Silver) Discount?

The picture at Amazon makes it look huge in comparison (once you take it out of the box, you will be stunned at the actual size). I almost made the mistake of getting the Casio because it is so tiny, but reviewers said the 4MP Casio was a complete sham (more like 2MP) so I got this one instead. Very glad. Night mode is excellent and everything else is Elph qualitybasically what you'd expect. Pretty tough too.

Just to be sure, I got a "standard" memory card because I was told the other ones wouldn't be compatible?