Camera Advice?

Posted on 20. Jul, 2008 by in Personal, Technology

Last week I dropped my camera…. in water. Yeah, a double whammy! And let me tell you. I LOVED that camera. I bought it about 18 months ago. I spent months looking into what I wanted and a few months saving up for it. It was a Canon Power Shot SD 630. What an incredible camera it was. I’ll truly miss it.

So, now I’m looking into a replacement camera. Initially I thought I would just get another 630. Unfortunately I can’t get a new one for any less than $300. Yikes! However, many new models have come out since then offering more features. So I had a Sony once before and it worked pretty good, but I didn’t like it nearly as much as my Canon. I investigated the Cool Pix as well but in the long run the reviews didn’t stand up to the Canon line. So, here is what I am looking into:

Canon Power Shot SD 870 IS

Price: $250
Resolution: 8 Megapixles
LCD Viewfinder: 3 inch

For a full review, click here.

870is

Canon Power Shot SD 850 IS

Price: $230
Resolution: 8 Megapixles
LCD Viewfinder: 2.5 inch

For a full review, click here.

850is

Canon Power Shot SD 790 IS

Price: $260
Resolution: 10 Megapixles
LCD Viewfinder: 3 inch

For a full review, click here.

790is

My thoughts:

I know this sounds kind off dumb, but I am very partial to the 3 inch LCD display on the back. When I was buying a camera the last time around, I ended up going with the 630 because of the bigger LCD. It was about $30 more but I have no regrets. I loved it! So, as nice as the SD 850 IS is, the fact that it only has a 2.5 inch display makes me not want it as much. Is that vain? The 850 also has a wider housing that what I was used to with the 630… so almost a double hit against it.

The 790 IS has the form factor that I liked with the 630 and also has the 3 inch display. However, it’s the most expensive. It costs more most likely because it is has a resolution of 10 Megapixles. Generally though I would think that if I could get a higher resolution camera, that would be better, right? The reviews I have been reading though have been saying that in this class of “point and shoot” cameras, the 8 to 10 Megapixle leap isn’t worth it.

So, that leaves me with the 870 IS. It is the middle priced camera with 8 Megapixle resolution. To top it off, it has a 3 inch display. Am I in love? Maybe. Last of all, CNET has a list of top 10 cameras in the 8-9 Megapixle line. The 870 IS is number one (actually the 850 IS is number two). Since I really do trust CNET’s opinion, I further lean towards the Canon Power Shot Shot SD 870 IS.

What do you think? Any suggestions that I haven’t thought of?

Meet Kenny

Kenny Conley has written 1609 posts on CMO.

Kenny Conley is the primary author of Childrens Ministry Online and the NextGen Pastor at Gateway Church in Austin, TX. In addition to creating the Illuminate Conference, a high quality kidmin conference designed specifically for volunteers, Kenny is a published author and speaker. For more biographical info, click here.

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  • http://www.jonathancliff.com jonathan

    I bought the Canon SD1100 IS a few months ago. I love this camera. It’s basically the 18 month old SD1100 camera with added Image Stabilization, and a few other bells and whistles. It has the 2.5 inch LDC, but it has an optical viewfinder which is great for sunny, bright days that I can’t see the LCD very well. It’s also a perfect pocket camera, and is almost too easy to lose. And it’s not the super-expensive,

    I was bothered by Sony’s when I was shopping, because the memory was so much more expensive. and I spoke with some camera professionals, and they all had great things to say about Canon.

  • http://www.jonathancliff.com jonathan

    and BTW I wouldn’t worry about getting anything over 6megapixels unless you’re printing HUGE pics. But I’m not an expert…