sd 870is lcd panel in stock

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS was released on August 29, 2007 and was only the second point-and-shoot wide-angle lens camera produced by Canon. The SD870 was seen as the replacement model for the older SD800 that was released in later 2006. The SD870 offers a larger LCD screen (3.0" vs. 2.5") and better resolution (8.0 vs. 7.4 Megapixels) compared to its previous model.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is an 8.0 Megapixel camera with 3.8x optical zoom and uses a Secure Digital (SD) memory card. It has a 3.0 inch LCD screen that offers 230,000 pixels of resolution. The camera offers Genuine Canon Face Detection Technology, a DIGIC III Image Processor with Red Eye Correction, and a Print/Share button for easy printing, directly from the camera.

Note: This troubleshooting guide covers only the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS. Other Canon Camera models will be covered in separate troubleshooting guides.

If your camera"s screen is cracked or broken, it is more than likely that you will need to replace the entire LCD screen. There are two options available: (1) You can go to Canon"s repair request website, or (2) Go to our LCD Repair Guide.

This could be an internal problem and should be covered by all warranties. Check to see if your camera is still on warranty and if it is, then visit the Canon website above to send it it. Otherwise, this may be another problem with the LCD screen and you can replace it by visiting our LCD Repair Guide.

If a circuit on the logic board has gone bad due to trauma or water damage, your camera will not turn on. This will be apparent as your camera will not turn on at all, with nothing displayed on the LCD screen and no LEDs lit up. Follow the LCD repair guide to address this problem.

The SD870 IS is most accurate when slightly underexposed, which is why the inner rectangles are brighter than the squares. Many of the colors are very close to their ideals, with the exception of a couple yellows and oranges. The graph below shows color accuracy in a different way. The background of the graph represents the color gamut, and the ideal colors of the chart are shown as squares, while the colors the camera reproduces are shown as circles. The lines connecting each square and circle show the color error.

The 8-megapixel Canon SD870 IS has the best resolution at ISO 80, f/5.6, and a focal length of 14.7mm. The camera resolves 1640 lw/ph horizontally with 11.6 percent oversharpening, and 1470 lw/ph vertically with 11.8 percent undersharpening. Not only are these unimpressive resolution numbers, but the sharpening levels are damaging to the image quality. Almost all photos taken with this camera are way too oversharpened horizontally, which introduces white "ghosting" lines along edges of high contrast (click the chart image above to see for yourself). Additionally, the vertical undersharpening leads to soft edges in the other direction. Another problem with the SD870’s optical performance is the significant chromatic aberration, or "color fringing," which is apparent on the edges of images. Overall, the SD870 IS scores poorly in resolution and significantly worse than its predecessor, the SD850 IS.

The SD870 IS has very low noise at ISO 80, and manageable noise from ISO 100 to 400. At ISO 800 and 1600, however, noise levels rise to extreme levels. This will be apparent when you click on the still life images further down the page. The noise itself is quite ugly; small sandy white specks litter the images, along with larger colored splotches. This is a camera you want to keep at as low an ISO setting as possible. Overall, the SD870 IS scores lower than average for a 2007 point-and-shoot, but a touch higher than the SD850 IS.

We also test the noise levels of each camera with ISO speed set to Auto. The SD870 IS chose ISO 200 under our bright studio lights, but still produced a significant amount of noise visible when viewed at 100 percent. It is worth keeping this camera at ISO 80 when shooting in bright light, especially if you are thinking of cropping your images or printing them large.

*Set to Auto white balance, the SD870 IS is extremely accurate using the flash, very accurate in fluorescent light, mediocre in outdoor shade, and terrible in tungsten light. However, poor auto white balance is the case for most cameras under tungsten light. Occasionally the yellow cast it gives is pleasing, but it usually isn’t. Overall, the SD870 IS does very well in Auto white balance.

Color accuracy holds up very well in low light. It is less accurate than in bright light, but still more accurate in low light than some point-and-shoots are in bright light. Noise levels are extremely high, which is why you should avoid using this camera at ISO 1600 whenever possible. However, shooting at such a high ISO speed is the only way to capture an even exposure at 5 lux, which the SD870 IS is able to do with no problem.

We also test long exposure performance in low light, at ISO 400. The SD870 IS has a Long Shutter option hidden in the Exposure Compensation settings under the Function menu. The Long Shutter option allows shutter speeds from 1 to 15 seconds long. Color accuracy suffers a bit in long exposures, but noise levels are very reasonable. It is almost impossible to manually white balance accurately when in Long Shutter mode and there is no light meter telling you if your exposure is even, but it is still a fun addition to the camera.

The SD870 IS has solid dynamic range at ISO 80, but falls off quickly at higher ISO sensitivities. If you are shooting high contrast scenes, keep this camera on ISO 80. At higher ISO speeds, the high noise levels drown out detail in the dark areas of the photos. Overall, the dynamic range is below average, and not any better than the SD850 IS that came before it.

**Speed/Timing **– All speed tests are conducted using a Kingston Ultimate 120X 2GB SD Card, with the camera set to highest resolution and best quality.

The SD870 IS takes 0.8 seconds to process one full resolution superfine 3.2 MB photo taken at ISO 160. This is an impressive speed, and helps users take repeated photos quickly.

We test the Movie mode in bright light by recording footage of our color charts under evenly lit studio lights set to 3000 lux. Under tungsten lights, the SD870 IS has a frightening color error of 22.9, but this is actually common for cameras set to Auto white balance shooting under tungsten lights. Colors are also highly oversaturated in bright light video, making them vivid but unnatural. Noise levels in bright light are very low.

We also record footage in low light to see how the camera performs. Interestingly, SD870 IS has much more accurate colors in low light, with a mean color error of 12.3. Again, colors are quite oversaturated as well. Noise levels are fairly high, but manageable.

To test video performance in real life scenes, we take cameras down to the street and capture footage of moving cars and pedestrians. The SD870’s outdoor motion looks fantastic for a digital camera, showing great color reproduction, even exposure, excellent detail, very little moiré, and none of the highlight streaking we see in other camera video. It is still not camcorder quality, however, as you will see some jerkiness of moving objects leaving the frame. Overall, the video motion looks great, and caps off an impressive video performance.

The older Canon SD850 has an optical viewfinder, but the new SD870 chose to omit it because its larger 3-inch LCD screen took up all the space on the back of the camera. There is simply no room for a tiny window. This isn’t a bad thing, because the optical viewfinder on the SD850 was small, blurry at the edges, and not very accurate. Users are better off using the LCD screen with its 100 percent accuracy, exposure preview, and larger view.

The low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD has some of the widest viewing angles on any digital camera. It can be seen when held to the right or left of the eyes, or when held above and below. The SD870 is a great choice for concert-goers who like snapping pictures above the heads of the crowd.

The LCD has an anti-glare and anti-scratch coating, and while it seems durable it still catches glare from bright lighting. It could maybe pass as "glare reduction," but certainly wasn’t impervious to the lighting.

The display on the LCD screen can be changed with the designated display button in the lower right corner of the camera’s back , as well as with a few menu items. The display button leaves the screen blank or shows exposure and file information. There is also a Recording menu item that adds display features such as grid lines, a 3:2 guide, or both. In the Setup menu, the LCD brightness can be adjusted on a +/- 7 scale with a preview.

Overall, the Canon SD870’s LCD screen is large and has great resolution and very wide viewing angles. It works well for young concert-goers who snap pictures of the faraway band and crowd surfers, and also works for people who need a larger menu font and bigger view.

Both digital cameras have optical image stabilization systems, as designated by the "IS" at the end of the camera’s model name. The Canon SD870 IS has Continuous, Shoot Only, Panning, and Off modes available in the Recording menu. Continuous runs down the battery quicker, and is the only option in Movie mode – as it should be. The optical zoom lens isn’t functional in Movie mode, but it’s nice to have the stabilization system to keep jitters out of the videos.

There is a small zoom ring around the shutter release button that controls the lens. When pushed, it can stop at seven focal lengths zooming in and out. The Canon lens makes an annoying electronic noise when it moves. Unfortunately, there is no graphic on the LCD screen to show the approximate location of the lens; most cameras have a graphic or at least show, for example, "1.8x" in order to show how much zoom is left before it maxes out. The lens also backfires a little when zooming out and settling on a focal length.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS comes in silver and black, although both have a silver front. It is the back panel that has the color change, along with the base of the lens barrel. The SD870 carries on the tradition of its Digital Elph predecessors with the "perpetual curve" design; the side where the right hand grips the camera is rounded. This adds a little interest to the eye. The combination of chrome, black, and brushed metal components makes the SD870 an attractive digital camera.

The SD870 isn’t the slimmest digital camera on the market, but it is still one of the best-looking. It measures 3.65 x 2.32 x 1.02 inches, making it thicker than pocket models like the 0.68-inch thin Casio S880. The hefty body weighs in at 5.5 ounces, not including the battery and memory card. It won’t break wrists, but it still feels heavier than a chunk of camera that size should.

The SD870 made some slight handling improvements, the most significant being that its body doesn’t have the same slippery finish as the SD850. The earlier model handled like a live, wet fish. The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS still isn’t the easiest camera to handle, though. It is small, speckled with smooth chrome, and doesn’t have much to hang onto.

The multi-selector is slightly bowl-shaped, but not enough to make handling comfortable or navigation flawless. Users with large fingers will have trouble differentiating between the directions on the selector because it is a smooth-sided control. In the Setup menu, the "touch icon" feature can be activated to show which direction the selector is moving on the LCD screen. This is interesting, as it magnifies the icon (e.g. flash bolt) on the pressed side of the virtual selector. Modes can also be changed by caressing the selector like a rotary dial; this doesn’t work nearly as well as it should, but can be done.

The SD870 IS has the same menus included on other Canon PowerShot digital cameras – except they are bigger and more readable on the 3-inch LCD screen. The menu system is split into two: an easily accessible Function menu with the options on one screen, and a lengthier tabbed menu with recording, setup, and customization options. First things first: here is the Function menu.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is fairly simple to use, especially if users are familiar with other PowerShot digital cameras. The layout and menu systems are the same. The large LCD screen makes the menus very easy to read and the buttons are properly spaced and labeled, although the multi-selector is quite cluttered with icons. Handling seems to have been tossed to the wind, but that’s common for tiny portable point-and-shoot digital cameras. All in all, the Canon SD870 isn’t a tough cam to figure out.

On most digital cameras, the Auto mode is easily located on a mode dial, but it’s a little more complicated than that on the Canon SD850 IS. The mode switch must be slid to the far right, where there is a camera icon. This icon is a position for several exposure modes: Auto, Manual, Digital Macro, Color Accent, Color Swap, and Panorama modes are found at the top in the Function menu. The Auto mode is the quickest to scroll to, but still requires entering a menu – which can be intimidating for beginners. In the Auto mode, only image size and compression options are available in the Function menu. On the multi-selector, the ISO can be changed from auto to high ISO auto, the Flash mode switched from auto to off, the single drive changed to any of the Self-Timer modes, and the Macro Focus mode enabled. The Auto mode works well as the almost-all-purpose mode, but the Manual mode is better for situations such as backlit subjects.

The Burst mode on the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is unchanged from its predecessor. There is a Single Drive mode that takes a picture about every 2 seconds, along with a 1.3 fps Continuous Shooting mode. The performance of the Burst mode is largely dependent on the card put into the camera. When I used a standard SanDisk 512MB SD card, the camera snapped four pictures at its 1.3 fps pace but then started stuttering along at a slightly slower pace. When a Kingston Ultimate 120X 2GB SD card was used for our more formal testing, the camera smoothly shot a picture every 0.75 seconds until the card was filled.

The SD870’s Playback mode is accessible from a button in the upper right corner of the back. It can be pushed even when the camera is turned off, and will turn on directly to the Playback mode in that case. The button access makes it easy to return to shooting pictures by pushing the playback button or the shutter release button.

Pictures can be viewed in screens of nine images at a time and also chosen and magnified 2 to 10x. File information and histograms can be displayed along with pictures. And if the "focus check" feature is enabled in the Recording menu, users can view a magnified portion of the frame alongside the bigger picture on the nice 3-inch LCD.

The selection for erasing and protecting images has been updated on recent PowerShot digital cameras. Older models require users to check individual pictures before deleting them in batches. The Canon SD870, however, allows users to mark the first and last pictures in a series and delete them and everything in between. This is a much faster process.

Overall, the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS’s Playback mode is thorough with lots of ways to view pictures, a decent array of editing options, and great slide shows coupled with the large 3-inch LCD screen.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS’s autofocus system isn’t as quick as it should be. It’s a little slow to the draw on candid shots. It takes a few tenths of a second to focus and take a picture, and takes a little longer when the lens is zoomed all the way in. More details on its speed can be found in the Testing/Performance section.

The SD870 IS can focus as close as 1.5 feet normally and 1.2 inches in Macro mode. Macro mode can focus as far as 2 feet before subjects start looking fuzzy. The Digital Macro mode can focus from 1.2 inches to 2 feet. Of note is the autofocus assist beam that can be turned on and off in the Recording menu.

The freshly upgraded face detection system is one of the biggest perks over the SD850, which can only recognize nine faces at a time. Is it worth it? It depends on how often users photograph incredibly large groups of people. The SD870 tracks faces at sharper angles too, instead of only the straight-ahead profile on the SD850.

When the Canon SD870 is tracking faces, it shows a white bracket around the primary face and gray brackets around the secondary ones. The live view doesn’t always show how many faces are truly recognized, though. I snapped several pictures of a large group of people, and on the screen I saw six frames around faces at most. When I looked at the picture in Playback mode, however, more frames would appear. The most I could eek out of the system was 11 recognized faces in one picture.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS has an ISO range that remains unchanged from the earlier model. It has 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 options, along with Auto and High ISO auto modes. Like the SD850, it also has an Auto ISO Shift feature that detects blur and warns the user. Users can instantly up the ISO by having this feature turned on all the time, or activate it by pushing the print/share button. The ISO range maxes out at 1600, but users should be wary of setting it above 80. More details are available in the Testing/Performance section of this review, but there is a lot of noise that appeared in the images when the ISO is increased.

The SD870’s Canon lens is wider and has a nice f/2.8 aperture at its 28mm focal length. However, when the camera is zoomed to its full 3.8x power, the aperture diminishes to f/5.8 and lets only a small amount of light pass to the image sensor. The older Canon SD850 has a narrower lens, with the same f/2.8 max aperture, but shrinks the aperture to f/5.5 in Telephoto mode. Just to compare, the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd’s 3x optical zoom lens has an f/5.1 aperture in Telephoto, and the Kodak EasyShare V705 shrinks to f/4.4 at its 117mm longest focal length.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS has 8 megapixels on its 1/2.5-inch CCD. It has plenty of size and compression options easily accessible in the Function menu. Size options include 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, and 3264 x 1832 (widescreen). The 1600 x 1200-pixel size has a "postcard" mode that saves the date in the EXIF data. Compression sizes include Superfine, Fine, and Normal. In Playback mode, users can shrink images to 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, and 320 x 240 so they can be directly uploaded to blogs and websites or transferred to camera phone albums. The resized files can be saved separately or they can overwrite the original file, depending on which choice is selected in the menu.

Custom Color mode allows users to scroll through different parameters and adjust them in five steps: contrast, sharpness, saturation, red, green, blue, and skin tones. Overall, the Canon SD870’s picture effects are thorough.

The SD870 comes with version 31.0 of Canon’s Digital Camera Solution Disk CD-ROM. This includes ImageBrowser 6.0, PhotoStitch 3.2, and EOS Utility 1.1 for Macintosh and ZoomBrowser EX 6.0, PhotoStitch 3.1, Camera TWAIN Driver 6.8, and EOS Utility 1.1a for Windows. Apple QuickTime 7 is also included on the disk.

Users can also edit video in this software program. Users can merge separate clips into one show and add text, filters, and transition effects. The filters are fairly interesting and include Monochrome, Sepia, Emboss, and RGB adjustment. The Canon SD870 has more color effects in its Playback mode, though.

There is a tab in the Playback menu devoted entirely to creating print orders. Users can select images individually or in ranges and then choose the quantity of each image to print 0 to 99 times. A running tally appears on the LCD screen so users know how large their print order is as they add and sort through pictures. Users can select images by date, category, or folder, and can select all images at once. The print type can be changed from standard to index or both. The date can be turned on and off, as well as the file numbers. The DPOF data can also be cleared. The Canon SD870 has DPOF version 1.1 and is PictBridge compatible. With Canon Pixma, CP, and Selphy printers, it can also create ID photos and movie prints. The camera connects to printers with the included USB cable and can transfer pictures and print orders with the touch of the LED-adorned print/share button.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is powered by the same NB-5L lithium-ion battery pack that came with the SD850. The new SD870’s battery lasts 270 shots, which is decent considering the battery’s skinny size and the LCD’s large size. The camera also comes with a convenient wall-mount charger that takes a little more than two hours to fully revitalize the battery.

Underwater Housing – The Canon WP-DC17 underwater housing fits this camera and can take it to depths of 130 feet. The SD870 accommodates this with an Underwater scene mode.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS retails for $399, the same price its predecessor was introduced at. The SD850 came out in the spring, and after a few months the price dropped to slightly more than $300. Perhaps in a few months, the same will happen to the SD870? We hope so. The $399 price tag is just too high, even when considering the large LCD screen and updated face detection.

Canon PowerShot SD850 IS – This digital camera is nearly a twin with its 8 megapixels and similar body size and shape. It is a few tenths of an ounce heavier as its body includes more metal, and its slick surface is harder to handle, too. The SD850 also has optical image stabilization and comes with a longer 4x zoom lens. The lens isn’t as wide, though, at 35-140mm, so it can’t capture large group photos as well as the new model. The SD850 has a smaller 2.5-inch LCD screen but the same 230,000-pixel resolution. It has the same exposure modes and 1.3 fps Burst mode. It has an older version of the face detection technology that recognizes nine faces compared to the newer version’s 35 faces. It has a Creative Light Effect scene mode that allows users to turn highlights in pictures to shapes like hearts and stars. It was announced in spring 2007 for the same $399 tag, but the price has since dropped to slightly more than $300.

Fujifilm FinePix F50*fd* – Fujifilm was the first to introduce true face detection to the masses with the F50*fd,* able to recognize 10 faces at a time. The 12-megapixel digital camera has a 3x optical zoom lens and optical image stabilization. It also has an intelligent flash component that uses the metering to determine how bright the flash output should be. This FinePix has an all-metal body that is nearly the same size, although the Canon has a classier look to it. Still, the F50*fd* has a decent 2.7-inch LCD screen, 15 Scene modes, and more manual control with aperture and shutter speed Priority modes, and IrSimple wireless transfer technology. It accepts xD-Picture and SD memory cards. The Fujifilm FinePix F50*fd* retails for $100 less at $299.

Kodak EasyShare M883 – This 8-megapixel camera comes at a budget price of $199 but has some similar specs. Its all-metal body looks very similar to the SD870, with a flat body and wide chrome lens barrel. It has a shorter 3x optical zoom lens that is much narrower at 38-114mm, and its face detection can only recognize up to 10 faces at a time. The Kodak M883 has a 3-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels and high definition output. Its ISO range extends up to 3200, but it skimps on the white balance with only four presets and no Custom mode. There is an extensive list of Scene modes and a Movie mode that records the same 640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps. It has 64 MB of internal memory and a slot for SD and MMC cards.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 – This digital camera isn’t quite as sleek and flat, but is still small enough to fit in a pocket and comes with a 28mm wide, 10x optical zoom and optical image stabilization. It has a bit less resolution at 7.2 megapixels, but handles better and produces colors nearly as accurate. Like the SD870, the TZ3 has a 3-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels. It has 21 Scene modes and ISO that extends to 3200, but doesn’t have the face detection so many other cameras are now including. Still, it retails for $349 and can be found for $50 less online.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T200 – This skinny digital camera is crammed with features and comes at the same $399 retail price. The 8.1-megapixel camera has a similar series of Exposure modes, including 10 Scene modes, Auto and Program modes, and a Movie mode. The T200 comes in a thin metal body that is completely flat and very sleek looking. It has a 5x optical zoom lens with image stabilization. Other trendy features include high definition output and face detection that recognizes eight faces at a time. Its Burst mode is faster at 2.2 fps and it includes 31 MB of internal memory, although it requires Sony Memory Stick Duo or Duo Pro media that is generally more expensive than the SD cards other cameras use. The Sony T200 has an enormous 3.5-inch LCD touch screen that would give the SD870 an inferiority complex if sat side-by-side.

Budget Consumers – The SD870 is the newest and latest gadget, and is priced higher than it should be. Budget consumers are better off with PowerShot models that are a few months old, but still great cameras.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS offers a few practical upgrades from its predecessor. The 3-inch screen makes it easier to read menus and check pictures. It has a wider 28mm lens that can fit larger portraits. The SD870 also boasts a new face detection system that recognizes up to 35 faces at a time – but how often do users photograph that many people? And in general, the SD870’s autofocus system is a bit pokey. There are few pluses to the camera’s performance, though. Its colors are very accurate and its movies are among the best we’ve seen.

The SD870 keeps the optical image stabilization from the SD850, along with the automated Exposure modes and few manual controls. The specs and features are great, but there is a lot of competition from other manufacturers in this point-and-shoot segment of digital cameras. The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is a nice digital camera, but its price tag is still on the higher end of what it should be. Perhaps in a few months when Canon releases the next version of this camera (maybe it will recognize 36 faces at a time?), the SD870 IS will be more favorably priced.

The SD870 IS is most accurate when slightly underexposed, which is why the inner rectangles are brighter than the squares. Many of the colors are very close to their ideals, with the exception of a couple yellows and oranges. The graph below shows color accuracy in a different way. The background of the graph represents the color gamut, and the ideal colors of the chart are shown as squares, while the colors the camera reproduces are shown as circles. The lines connecting each square and circle show the color error.

The 8-megapixel Canon SD870 IS has the best resolution at ISO 80, f/5.6, and a focal length of 14.7mm. The camera resolves 1640 lw/ph horizontally with 11.6 percent oversharpening, and 1470 lw/ph vertically with 11.8 percent undersharpening. Not only are these unimpressive resolution numbers, but the sharpening levels are damaging to the image quality. Almost all photos taken with this camera are way too oversharpened horizontally, which introduces white "ghosting" lines along edges of high contrast (click the chart image above to see for yourself). Additionally, the vertical undersharpening leads to soft edges in the other direction. Another problem with the SD870’s optical performance is the significant chromatic aberration, or "color fringing," which is apparent on the edges of images. Overall, the SD870 IS scores poorly in resolution and significantly worse than its predecessor, the SD850 IS.

The SD870 IS has very low noise at ISO 80, and manageable noise from ISO 100 to 400. At ISO 800 and 1600, however, noise levels rise to extreme levels. This will be apparent when you click on the still life images further down the page. The noise itself is quite ugly; small sandy white specks litter the images, along with larger colored splotches. This is a camera you want to keep at as low an ISO setting as possible. Overall, the SD870 IS scores lower than average for a 2007 point-and-shoot, but a touch higher than the SD850 IS.

We also test the noise levels of each camera with ISO speed set to Auto. The SD870 IS chose ISO 200 under our bright studio lights, but still produced a significant amount of noise visible when viewed at 100 percent. It is worth keeping this camera at ISO 80 when shooting in bright light, especially if you are thinking of cropping your images or printing them large.

*Set to Auto white balance, the SD870 IS is extremely accurate using the flash, very accurate in fluorescent light, mediocre in outdoor shade, and terrible in tungsten light. However, poor auto white balance is the case for most cameras under tungsten light. Occasionally the yellow cast it gives is pleasing, but it usually isn’t. Overall, the SD870 IS does very well in Auto white balance.

Color accuracy holds up very well in low light. It is less accurate than in bright light, but still more accurate in low light than some point-and-shoots are in bright light. Noise levels are extremely high, which is why you should avoid using this camera at ISO 1600 whenever possible. However, shooting at such a high ISO speed is the only way to capture an even exposure at 5 lux, which the SD870 IS is able to do with no problem.

We also test long exposure performance in low light, at ISO 400. The SD870 IS has a Long Shutter option hidden in the Exposure Compensation settings under the Function menu. The Long Shutter option allows shutter speeds from 1 to 15 seconds long. Color accuracy suffers a bit in long exposures, but noise levels are very reasonable. It is almost impossible to manually white balance accurately when in Long Shutter mode and there is no light meter telling you if your exposure is even, but it is still a fun addition to the camera.

The SD870 IS has solid dynamic range at ISO 80, but falls off quickly at higher ISO sensitivities. If you are shooting high contrast scenes, keep this camera on ISO 80. At higher ISO speeds, the high noise levels drown out detail in the dark areas of the photos. Overall, the dynamic range is below average, and not any better than the SD850 IS that came before it.

**Speed/Timing **– All speed tests are conducted using a Kingston Ultimate 120X 2GB SD Card, with the camera set to highest resolution and best quality.

The SD870 IS takes 0.8 seconds to process one full resolution superfine 3.2 MB photo taken at ISO 160. This is an impressive speed, and helps users take repeated photos quickly.

We test the Movie mode in bright light by recording footage of our color charts under evenly lit studio lights set to 3000 lux. Under tungsten lights, the SD870 IS has a frightening color error of 22.9, but this is actually common for cameras set to Auto white balance shooting under tungsten lights. Colors are also highly oversaturated in bright light video, making them vivid but unnatural. Noise levels in bright light are very low.

We also record footage in low light to see how the camera performs. Interestingly, SD870 IS has much more accurate colors in low light, with a mean color error of 12.3. Again, colors are quite oversaturated as well. Noise levels are fairly high, but manageable.

To test video performance in real life scenes, we take cameras down to the street and capture footage of moving cars and pedestrians. The SD870’s outdoor motion looks fantastic for a digital camera, showing great color reproduction, even exposure, excellent detail, very little moiré, and none of the highlight streaking we see in other camera video. It is still not camcorder quality, however, as you will see some jerkiness of moving objects leaving the frame. Overall, the video motion looks great, and caps off an impressive video performance.

The older Canon SD850 has an optical viewfinder, but the new SD870 chose to omit it because its larger 3-inch LCD screen took up all the space on the back of the camera. There is simply no room for a tiny window. This isn’t a bad thing, because the optical viewfinder on the SD850 was small, blurry at the edges, and not very accurate. Users are better off using the LCD screen with its 100 percent accuracy, exposure preview, and larger view.

The low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD has some of the widest viewing angles on any digital camera. It can be seen when held to the right or left of the eyes, or when held above and below. The SD870 is a great choice for concert-goers who like snapping pictures above the heads of the crowd.

The LCD has an anti-glare and anti-scratch coating, and while it seems durable it still catches glare from bright lighting. It could maybe pass as "glare reduction," but certainly wasn’t impervious to the lighting.

The display on the LCD screen can be changed with the designated display button in the lower right corner of the camera’s back , as well as with a few menu items. The display button leaves the screen blank or shows exposure and file information. There is also a Recording menu item that adds display features such as grid lines, a 3:2 guide, or both. In the Setup menu, the LCD brightness can be adjusted on a +/- 7 scale with a preview.

Overall, the Canon SD870’s LCD screen is large and has great resolution and very wide viewing angles. It works well for young concert-goers who snap pictures of the faraway band and crowd surfers, and also works for people who need a larger menu font and bigger view.

Both digital cameras have optical image stabilization systems, as designated by the "IS" at the end of the camera’s model name. The Canon SD870 IS has Continuous, Shoot Only, Panning, and Off modes available in the Recording menu. Continuous runs down the battery quicker, and is the only option in Movie mode – as it should be. The optical zoom lens isn’t functional in Movie mode, but it’s nice to have the stabilization system to keep jitters out of the videos.

There is a small zoom ring around the shutter release button that controls the lens. When pushed, it can stop at seven focal lengths zooming in and out. The Canon lens makes an annoying electronic noise when it moves. Unfortunately, there is no graphic on the LCD screen to show the approximate location of the lens; most cameras have a graphic or at least show, for example, "1.8x" in order to show how much zoom is left before it maxes out. The lens also backfires a little when zooming out and settling on a focal length.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS comes in silver and black, although both have a silver front. It is the back panel that has the color change, along with the base of the lens barrel. The SD870 carries on the tradition of its Digital Elph predecessors with the "perpetual curve" design; the side where the right hand grips the camera is rounded. This adds a little interest to the eye. The combination of chrome, black, and brushed metal components makes the SD870 an attractive digital camera.

The SD870 isn’t the slimmest digital camera on the market, but it is still one of the best-looking. It measures 3.65 x 2.32 x 1.02 inches, making it thicker than pocket models like the 0.68-inch thin Casio S880. The hefty body weighs in at 5.5 ounces, not including the battery and memory card. It won’t break wrists, but it still feels heavier than a chunk of camera that size should.

The SD870 made some slight handling improvements, the most significant being that its body doesn’t have the same slippery finish as the SD850. The earlier model handled like a live, wet fish. The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS still isn’t the easiest camera to handle, though. It is small, speckled with smooth chrome, and doesn’t have much to hang onto.

The multi-selector is slightly bowl-shaped, but not enough to make handling comfortable or navigation flawless. Users with large fingers will have trouble differentiating between the directions on the selector because it is a smooth-sided control. In the Setup menu, the "touch icon" feature can be activated to show which direction the selector is moving on the LCD screen. This is interesting, as it magnifies the icon (e.g. flash bolt) on the pressed side of the virtual selector. Modes can also be changed by caressing the selector like a rotary dial; this doesn’t work nearly as well as it should, but can be done.

The SD870 IS has the same menus included on other Canon PowerShot digital cameras – except they are bigger and more readable on the 3-inch LCD screen. The menu system is split into two: an easily accessible Function menu with the options on one screen, and a lengthier tabbed menu with recording, setup, and customization options. First things first: here is the Function menu.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is fairly simple to use, especially if users are familiar with other PowerShot digital cameras. The layout and menu systems are the same. The large LCD screen makes the menus very easy to read and the buttons are properly spaced and labeled, although the multi-selector is quite cluttered with icons. Handling seems to have been tossed to the wind, but that’s common for tiny portable point-and-shoot digital cameras. All in all, the Canon SD870 isn’t a tough cam to figure out.

On most digital cameras, the Auto mode is easily located on a mode dial, but it’s a little more complicated than that on the Canon SD850 IS. The mode switch must be slid to the far right, where there is a camera icon. This icon is a position for several exposure modes: Auto, Manual, Digital Macro, Color Accent, Color Swap, and Panorama modes are found at the top in the Function menu. The Auto mode is the quickest to scroll to, but still requires entering a menu – which can be intimidating for beginners. In the Auto mode, only image size and compression options are available in the Function menu. On the multi-selector, the ISO can be changed from auto to high ISO auto, the Flash mode switched from auto to off, the single drive changed to any of the Self-Timer modes, and the Macro Focus mode enabled. The Auto mode works well as the almost-all-purpose mode, but the Manual mode is better for situations such as backlit subjects.

The Burst mode on the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is unchanged from its predecessor. There is a Single Drive mode that takes a picture about every 2 seconds, along with a 1.3 fps Continuous Shooting mode. The performance of the Burst mode is largely dependent on the card put into the camera. When I used a standard SanDisk 512MB SD card, the camera snapped four pictures at its 1.3 fps pace but then started stuttering along at a slightly slower pace. When a Kingston Ultimate 120X 2GB SD card was used for our more formal testing, the camera smoothly shot a picture every 0.75 seconds until the card was filled.

The SD870’s Playback mode is accessible from a button in the upper right corner of the back. It can be pushed even when the camera is turned off, and will turn on directly to the Playback mode in that case. The button access makes it easy to return to shooting pictures by pushing the playback button or the shutter release button.

Pictures can be viewed in screens of nine images at a time and also chosen and magnified 2 to 10x. File information and histograms can be displayed along with pictures. And if the "focus check" feature is enabled in the Recording menu, users can view a magnified portion of the frame alongside the bigger picture on the nice 3-inch LCD.

The selection for erasing and protecting images has been updated on recent PowerShot digital cameras. Older models require users to check individual pictures before deleting them in batches. The Canon SD870, however, allows users to mark the first and last pictures in a series and delete them and everything in between. This is a much faster process.

Overall, the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS’s Playback mode is thorough with lots of ways to view pictures, a decent array of editing options, and great slide shows coupled with the large 3-inch LCD screen.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS’s autofocus system isn’t as quick as it should be. It’s a little slow to the draw on candid shots. It takes a few tenths of a second to focus and take a picture, and takes a little longer when the lens is zoomed all the way in. More details on its speed can be found in the Testing/Performance section.

The SD870 IS can focus as close as 1.5 feet normally and 1.2 inches in Macro mode. Macro mode can focus as far as 2 feet before subjects start looking fuzzy. The Digital Macro mode can focus from 1.2 inches to 2 feet. Of note is the autofocus assist beam that can be turned on and off in the Recording menu.

The freshly upgraded face detection system is one of the biggest perks over the SD850, which can only recognize nine faces at a time. Is it worth it? It depends on how often users photograph incredibly large groups of people. The SD870 tracks faces at sharper angles too, instead of only the straight-ahead profile on the SD850.

When the Canon SD870 is tracking faces, it shows a white bracket around the primary face and gray brackets around the secondary ones. The live view doesn’t always show how many faces are truly recognized, though. I snapped several pictures of a large group of people, and on the screen I saw six frames around faces at most. When I looked at the picture in Playback mode, however, more frames would appear. The most I could eek out of the system was 11 recognized faces in one picture.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS has an ISO range that remains unchanged from the earlier model. It has 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, and 1600 options, along with Auto and High ISO auto modes. Like the SD850, it also has an Auto ISO Shift feature that detects blur and warns the user. Users can instantly up the ISO by having this feature turned on all the time, or activate it by pushing the print/share button. The ISO range maxes out at 1600, but users should be wary of setting it above 80. More details are available in the Testing/Performance section of this review, but there is a lot of noise that appeared in the images when the ISO is increased.

The SD870’s Canon lens is wider and has a nice f/2.8 aperture at its 28mm focal length. However, when the camera is zoomed to its full 3.8x power, the aperture diminishes to f/5.8 and lets only a small amount of light pass to the image sensor. The older Canon SD850 has a narrower lens, with the same f/2.8 max aperture, but shrinks the aperture to f/5.5 in Telephoto mode. Just to compare, the Fujifilm FinePix F50fd’s 3x optical zoom lens has an f/5.1 aperture in Telephoto, and the Kodak EasyShare V705 shrinks to f/4.4 at its 117mm longest focal length.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS has 8 megapixels on its 1/2.5-inch CCD. It has plenty of size and compression options easily accessible in the Function menu. Size options include 3264 x 2448, 2592 x 1944, 2048 x 1536, 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, and 3264 x 1832 (widescreen). The 1600 x 1200-pixel size has a "postcard" mode that saves the date in the EXIF data. Compression sizes include Superfine, Fine, and Normal. In Playback mode, users can shrink images to 1600 x 1200, 640 x 480, and 320 x 240 so they can be directly uploaded to blogs and websites or transferred to camera phone albums. The resized files can be saved separately or they can overwrite the original file, depending on which choice is selected in the menu.

Custom Color mode allows users to scroll through different parameters and adjust them in five steps: contrast, sharpness, saturation, red, green, blue, and skin tones. Overall, the Canon SD870’s picture effects are thorough.

The SD870 comes with version 31.0 of Canon’s Digital Camera Solution Disk CD-ROM. This includes ImageBrowser 6.0, PhotoStitch 3.2, and EOS Utility 1.1 for Macintosh and ZoomBrowser EX 6.0, PhotoStitch 3.1, Camera TWAIN Driver 6.8, and EOS Utility 1.1a for Windows. Apple QuickTime 7 is also included on the disk.

Users can also edit video in this software program. Users can merge separate clips into one show and add text, filters, and transition effects. The filters are fairly interesting and include Monochrome, Sepia, Emboss, and RGB adjustment. The Canon SD870 has more color effects in its Playback mode, though.

There is a tab in the Playback menu devoted entirely to creating print orders. Users can select images individually or in ranges and then choose the quantity of each image to print 0 to 99 times. A running tally appears on the LCD screen so users know how large their print order is as they add and sort through pictures. Users can select images by date, category, or folder, and can select all images at once. The print type can be changed from standard to index or both. The date can be turned on and off, as well as the file numbers. The DPOF data can also be cleared. The Canon SD870 has DPOF version 1.1 and is PictBridge compatible. With Canon Pixma, CP, and Selphy printers, it can also create ID photos and movie prints. The camera connects to printers with the included USB cable and can transfer pictures and print orders with the touch of the LED-adorned print/share button.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is powered by the same NB-5L lithium-ion battery pack that came with the SD850. The new SD870’s battery lasts 270 shots, which is decent considering the battery’s skinny size and the LCD’s large size. The camera also comes with a convenient wall-mount charger that takes a little more than two hours to fully revitalize the battery.

Underwater Housing – The Canon WP-DC17 underwater housing fits this camera and can take it to depths of 130 feet. The SD870 accommodates this with an Underwater scene mode.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS retails for $399, the same price its predecessor was introduced at. The SD850 came out in the spring, and after a few months the price dropped to slightly more than $300. Perhaps in a few months, the same will happen to the SD870? We hope so. The $399 price tag is just too high, even when considering the large LCD screen and updated face detection.

Canon PowerShot SD850 IS – This digital camera is nearly a twin with its 8 megapixels and similar body size and shape. It is a few tenths of an ounce heavier as its body includes more metal, and its slick surface is harder to handle, too. The SD850 also has optical image stabilization and comes with a longer 4x zoom lens. The lens isn’t as wide, though, at 35-140mm, so it can’t capture large group photos as well as the new model. The SD850 has a smaller 2.5-inch LCD screen but the same 230,000-pixel resolution. It has the same exposure modes and 1.3 fps Burst mode. It has an older version of the face detection technology that recognizes nine faces compared to the newer version’s 35 faces. It has a Creative Light Effect scene mode that allows users to turn highlights in pictures to shapes like hearts and stars. It was announced in spring 2007 for the same $399 tag, but the price has since dropped to slightly more than $300.

Fujifilm FinePix F50*fd* – Fujifilm was the first to introduce true face detection to the masses with the F50*fd,* able to recognize 10 faces at a time. The 12-megapixel digital camera has a 3x optical zoom lens and optical image stabilization. It also has an intelligent flash component that uses the metering to determine how bright the flash output should be. This FinePix has an all-metal body that is nearly the same size, although the Canon has a classier look to it. Still, the F50*fd* has a decent 2.7-inch LCD screen, 15 Scene modes, and more manual control with aperture and shutter speed Priority modes, and IrSimple wireless transfer technology. It accepts xD-Picture and SD memory cards. The Fujifilm FinePix F50*fd* retails for $100 less at $299.

Kodak EasyShare M883 – This 8-megapixel camera comes at a budget price of $199 but has some similar specs. Its all-metal body looks very similar to the SD870, with a flat body and wide chrome lens barrel. It has a shorter 3x optical zoom lens that is much narrower at 38-114mm, and its face detection can only recognize up to 10 faces at a time. The Kodak M883 has a 3-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels and high definition output. Its ISO range extends up to 3200, but it skimps on the white balance with only four presets and no Custom mode. There is an extensive list of Scene modes and a Movie mode that records the same 640 x 480 pixels at 30 fps. It has 64 MB of internal memory and a slot for SD and MMC cards.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-TZ3 – This digital camera isn’t quite as sleek and flat, but is still small enough to fit in a pocket and comes with a 28mm wide, 10x optical zoom and optical image stabilization. It has a bit less resolution at 7.2 megapixels, but handles better and produces colors nearly as accurate. Like the SD870, the TZ3 has a 3-inch LCD screen with 230,000 pixels. It has 21 Scene modes and ISO that extends to 3200, but doesn’t have the face detection so many other cameras are now including. Still, it retails for $349 and can be found for $50 less online.

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T200 – This skinny digital camera is crammed with features and comes at the same $399 retail price. The 8.1-megapixel camera has a similar series of Exposure modes, including 10 Scene modes, Auto and Program modes, and a Movie mode. The T200 comes in a thin metal body that is completely flat and very sleek looking. It has a 5x optical zoom lens with image stabilization. Other trendy features include high definition output and face detection that recognizes eight faces at a time. Its Burst mode is faster at 2.2 fps and it includes 31 MB of internal memory, although it requires Sony Memory Stick Duo or Duo Pro media that is generally more expensive than the SD cards other cameras use. The Sony T200 has an enormous 3.5-inch LCD touch screen that would give the SD870 an inferiority complex if sat side-by-side.

Budget Consumers – The SD870 is the newest and latest gadget, and is priced higher than it should be. Budget consumers are better off with PowerShot models that are a few months old, but still great cameras.

The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS offers a few practical upgrades from its predecessor. The 3-inch screen makes it easier to read menus and check pictures. It has a wider 28mm lens that can fit larger portraits. The SD870 also boasts a new face detection system that recognizes up to 35 faces at a time – but how often do users photograph that many people? And in general, the SD870’s autofocus system is a bit pokey. There are few pluses to the camera’s performance, though. Its colors are very accurate and its movies are among the best we’ve seen.

The SD870 keeps the optical image stabilization from the SD850, along with the automated Exposure modes and few manual controls. The specs and features are great, but there is a lot of competition from other manufacturers in this point-and-shoot segment of digital cameras. The Canon PowerShot SD870 IS is a nice digital camera, but its price tag is still on the higher end of what it should be. Perhaps in a few months when Canon releases the next version of this camera (maybe it will recognize 36 faces at a time?), the SD870 IS will be more favorably priced.

Single (histogram displayable), Index (9 thumbnail images), Magnified (approx. 10x (max.) in LCD monitor, advance or reverse through magnified images possible), My Category, Jump (date, my category, folder, movie, tenth, hundredth), Slide show, Red-Eye Correction, My Colors, Sound memos (recording/playback up to 1 min.), Movie (edit/slow motion play back possible) or Sound Recorder (up to 2 hours sound-only recording/playback possible).

The Canon Powershot SD870 IS is a real Powerhouse, full of amazing capabilities packed into its compact body. The 8.0 megapixel image sensor ensures images with the high-degree of detail and richness of color for maximized printing, cropping and enlargements. With the wide-angle 3.8X optical zoom capability and Canon"s Optical Image Stabilizer technology, the camera captures finer details even if the subject is at a distance.

Equipped with a ISO 1600 maximum light sensitivity, the SD870 IS is perfect for recording low light events like the dramatic presentation of a candle-laden birthday cake at the next party. It even comes with the advancedDIGIC III Image Processor with Face Detection Technology for the best image quality.

The stunning 3.0-inch LCD provides a perfect view of your scene. A fast shutter speed, auto-focusing, noise reduction and image stabilizer complete the talents of this versatile camera. The Print/Share Button makes direct printing and downloading easy through the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface. The SD870 IS is a great camera for the family photographer wanting to chronicle a life.

Next up in Canon"s new camera frenzy is the Digital IXUS 860 IS, successor to the IXUS 850 IS. If you live in North America that sentence should read: "Next up in Canon"s new camera frenzy is the SD 870IS Digital ELPH, successor to the SD800 IS". Confused yet? You should be. The new model shares its predecessor"s 28-105mm wideangle zoom but ups the sensor resolution to 8.0MP and the screen size to a massive 3.0" (it almost fills the rear of the camera).

Not to be confused with: SD 850 IS (aka IXUS 950 IS, which is different to the SD 950 IS of course). Canon, please sort out your naming of IXUS/ELPH/IXY cameras?

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 20 August, 2007 - Canon today introduces the latest evolution of the IXUS range of digital cameras for style-conscious photographers: the Digital IXUS 860 IS. Equipped with a 28mm (35mm equivalent) 3.8x wide-angle zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer, the 8.0 Megapixel Digital IXUS 860 IS is the successor to the hugely popular Digital IXUS 850 IS. The Digital IXUS 860 IS offers a range of enhancements over its acclaimed predecessor. These include a 3.0” PureColor LCD and improved Face Detection Technology*. The camera’s high ISO capabilities work in tandem with an optical Image Stabilizer lens* to significantly reduce the risk of image blur.

The Digital IXUS 860 IS combines enhanced photographic capabilities with luxurious style. The classically curved Digital IXUS 860 IS has a two-tone body that contrasts simple silver lines with bold black elements. The inward curve of the top surface allows a comfortable grip and easy access to the new square button controls. A newly developed 3.0” PureColor LCD screen provides a crisp 230,000 pixel display, with enhanced colour reproduction and a new coating for protection against knocks and scrapes. Offering an increased viewing angle, the

In addition to SD, SDHC and MMC memory cards, the camera supports the new MMCplus and HC MMCplus formats for storage of up to 32GB. The Digital IXUS 860 IS comes supplied with a 32MB memory card.

Unlike the SD800, the SD870 has no optical viewfinder and its appearance is instead dominated by the large, glossy 3.0 inch screen. The result is that the buttons have all been shuffled around the body to make room for it, but rarely to the detriment of handling (though like all similar cameras there"s not really anywhere to put your thumb if you try to shoot single-handed).

The SD870 IS is a well weighted, solid-feeling camera. Like any compact it may be a bit awkward in hands composed of large fingers. The shutter and zoom lever are easily accessed without adjusting hand position, making one-handed shooting quite straight-forward. A two-handed approach puts more of the buttons within reach, as well as providing a more confidence-inspiring grasp on the small, slippery body. Only the very small number of operations that require the shutter to be pressed simultaneously with another button tend to require hands to be readjusted.

Like the majority of its cameras in its class, the SD870 IS uses SD cards, including high capacity SDHC variants. The compartment also holds the Li-ion battery common to several Canon models. It takes just over two hours to charge the battery (using the supplied compact charger), which should give you around 270 shots (CIPA standard).

The SD870 IS inherits its lens from its predecessor. Its zoom range starts at the equivalent of 28mm (in 35mm terms), making it usefully wide for including all your friends in group shots without excessive use of elbows.

The SD870IS"s operation will feel immediately familiar to owners of Canon"s previous products and is about as close to intuitive as a control system with so many options and settings can be. Like the SD800, it features an orientation sensor that rotates the image to fit the screen if you turn the camera round in playback mode. There are also slide show transitions for displaying your images and a user-definable color, contrast and sharpness setting. There are also modes in both still and video modes to swap a selected color for another or to show only one selected color in an otherwise grayscale image.

That the SD870 IS shows focus point, aperture and shutter speed once you"ve half-pressed the shutter, and will also show the ISO chosen if you"re in Auto ISO mode. Auto ISO-shift mode will boost the sensitivity of the camera for one shot if it thinks there is the likelihood of camera shake. This can be made to happen automatically or can prompt you by illuminating the print button, which is nice.

The SD870 IS also features Canon"s nifty new focus confirmation mode that lets you zoom in on detail in the shot, while also highlighting (in white), the regions on which the camera originally focused. It is easy to shuttle between focus points but can be rather too easy to accidentally drop back to the 3x3 grid when trying to zoom in and out. You can also activate this feature for the instant review in record mode.

Well yes, Whitechapel is a 5nm chip with current performance on PVT units closer to SD870, they are not trying to match SD888. Google"s focus is on ML & so the raw AI performance is matched to that of other leading mobile chips. Plus that Mali GPU is performing good under stress.—