sd870is lcd panel for sale

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 SD870 IS Digital ELPH features a compact, stylish case with rounded horizontal edges, and a retracting lens to make it pocket-friendly. With an an 8-megapixel 1/2.5" imager and 3.8x optical zoom lens, the Canon SD870 covers a range of 28-105mm equivalent, a useful wide angle to a moderate telephoto. Exposure is fully automatic, but the user can tweak it with 2.0EV of exposure compensation and four metering modes to handle difficult lighting, while a generous twelve Scene modes keep the camera approachable for beginners. A long-exposure mode in the Canon SD870 IS ELPH also lets you manually set exposure times as long as 15 seconds, and a large 3-inch LCD is the sole method of framing and reviewing images, since the Canon 870 IS has no optical viewfinder.

The Canon SD870 improves upon the SD800, the previous wide-angle model in the ELPH line, with an upgrade from 7.1 to 8.0 megapixels, and an LCD boost from 2.5 inches to 3.0 inches. They"ve also upgraded the screen from 207,000 to 230,000 pixels. Optically the cameras use the same basic lens structure, a 28-105mm (35mm equivalent) lens with a minimum aperture of f/2.8 at the wide end and f/5.8 at the telephoto end. Canon overhauled the SD870"s design, as well, making for a heavier, though smaller camera. Finally, the most obvious design change is the lack of an optical viewfinder, made necessary by the SD870"s large LCD.

Look and Feel. The PowerShot SD870 is, legitimately, about the size of a pack of playing cards. At 180 grams (6.3 oz), there is a good heft to the camera, giving it enough weight to keep steady while shooting. It has a solid feel, and when not in use can easily fit in your hand or pocket for easy access. That said, this is not a unit you want to toss around casually. The casing is a hard plastic with a matte finish; around the lens, our review model has a handsome chrome finish that will show off fingerprints and scratches mercilessly. Also available is a model with a black matte finished ring surrounding the lens. I worry about the LCD screen, but Canon assures me that it has an anti-scratch, anti-glare coating; all the same, sticking this camera in your pocket with your car keys is probably not a good idea for the long term. A small carrying case will go a long way to protect this investment, and I don"t think I"d be overly paranoid to suggest you keep the wrist strap on at all times. The lens extends about an inch out from the front of the camera while in use; when retracted, a sliding lens cover protects it.

The controls for the camera adorn the top and rear of the body. On the top you find the power button, operation mode selector, shutter button, and zoom dial; on the back, next to the dominating LCD screen, you have four buttons for playback, direct print, menu, and LCD display modes, divided into two groups of two by a circular four-way selector wheel and a selector button. A wrist strap attaches to the right side, the left side is blank, and there"s not much to speak of on the bottom other than a tripod mount (aligned with the lens) and a single door allowing access to the battery and the SD memory card. This design, in addition to the Canon SD870"s small size would make it impossible to change memory cards or a battery if the camera were mounted on a tripod.

As with most Canon digital cameras, there are two types of menu. Technical items, like date and time settings, LCD brightness, and language are available with a press of the Menu button. Shooting settings, such as changing exposure control or the shooting mode, are accessible through the function key embedded in the four-way selector. Remembering where the relevant options are takes a little practice, but given the relatively few buttons and clear labels, you quickly get the hang of it. What I would like to see is the inclusion of an in-camera "help" system. Ideally, on any setting, you press a button and a screen full of text explains what this option will let you do. Few people keep their manual handy, and there are many menu items.

The bad news concerns the SD870"s optical viewfinder. It doesn"t have one. It"s been removed from this model, ostensibly to make room for the large 3.0-inch, 230,000 pixel LCD screen. An optical viewfinder becomes useful in at least two scenarios: when you want to conserve power, and when lighting conditions make it difficult to frame a shot with the LCD. The larger the LCD screen, the more power it draws, so turning off the LCD and using an optical viewfinder instead typically gives the user much greater battery life. So the challenge to the camera designer is to produce an LCD that"s both power-efficient and sun-resistant. In the case of the PowerShot 870 IS, Canon has put a lot of effort into the LCD screen, no doubt aware that without a backup system, a lot is riding on the LCD. The battery is rated to produce 270 shots, a respectable amount for a camera this size, and in practice, I found the screen to be quite easily viewable in all but the most extreme of lighting conditions. Coupled with the fact that the optical viewfinder on the SD800 IS wasn"t that great (it only showed about 80% of the frame and was slightly distorted), removing it entirely isn"t that great a loss. Of course, if using, or having the option to use an optical viewfinder is important in your photography, then this is definitely a factor you may need to weigh. Canon"s betting that most folks want a 3-inch screen on a small camera more than an inaccurate optical viewfinder, especially since an optical viewfinder so badly shows what the SD870 IS"s 28mm lens can do.

Appraisal. There"s a lot to like about the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS. Perhaps the best selling feature is the large and lovely 3-inch LCD screen, which makes an excellent playback device. Moms who want to carry around their own "brag book" of weddings and newborns have an excellent choice here, although I found the slideshow options a bit wanting. This is not a camera for someone new to digital photography, but rather for someone who knows their way around a digital camera: there are no in-camera help settings, the button text is concise and uses terms and an iconography that, while standard in the industry, could be confusing to new users. For people comfortable with a digital camera however, they will find themselves quickly at home with the Canon SD870. The layout of buttons and menus is intuitive, and the camera"s operation is quick and responsive. As a shooting-priority camera, you can always take a photo by just pressing the shutter-release button (although the lack of a optical viewfinder may make quick framing difficult). On automatic, the camera does a good job of capturing respectable images. For photos of people, as long as the camera can see both the subject"s eyes, there should be no problems at all getting a pleasing picture.

The Canon SD870 continues with the features that made the PowerShot SD800 a great camera: an excellent 28mm wide-angle lens, Face-detection autofocus, optical image stabilization, plenty of scene modes, and a few important tweaks to the overall operation of the camera. Even movie mode benefits from the wide-angle view, making personal up-close family videos quite easy and fun. The SD870"s 8-megapixel sensor delivers resolution capable of delivering good quality 11x14-inch prints up to ISO 400, an impressive feat indeed. Canon has increased the size of the LCD but removed the optical viewfinder; optical viewfinders being something of a joke on most digital cameras with extraordinary optics, most users won"t miss it. The 3-inch LCD more than makes up for the lack of a viewfinder, and works well in bright sunlight. At 180 grams (6.3 oz), the Canon SD870 IS can fit in almost any pocket, and uses a battery that can take a pretty decent number of photos. It"s a lot of camera fit into a small package, and I think it"s a great fit for the experienced digital camera user who needs a reliable, take-anywhere shooter that shows off its photos well. And I can"t emphasize enough how great it is to have a 28mm wide angle lens in such a small package, making the Canon PowerShot SD870 IS a clear Dave"s Pick.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Canon"s PowerShot SD870 (also known as the IXUS 860 IS in some parts of the world) isn"t exactly the sort of camera that offers a lot of surprises, but the folks at PhotographyBLOG decided to check it out nonetheless, and they apparently found quite a bit to like about it. Calling it the "best IXUS model that we"ve reviewed," they found the camera delivered consistently solid images, although as is often the case, they recommend staying away form the highest ISO settings. They were also especially impressed by the cameras small size and larger than usual 3-inch LCD, as well as its 28mm wide-angle lens. On the downside, that small size and big screen comes at the expense of an optical viewfinder, and they found that the camera dragged a bit in the continuous shooting mode. Those factors seem to have been far from deal-breakers, however, with PhotographyBLOG bestowing an impressive 4.5 out of 5 rating on the camera.

When looking at the front, one of the biggest differences is the missing viewfinder port on the SD870 IS. This new digicam only has a 3-inch LCD rated 230K pixels to view and review your shots instead of the SD850’s 2.5-incher and a tiny viewfinder to help out if the screen wipes out. I held the SD870’s screen to a bright lamp and in direct sunlight and did not have a major problem so I didn’t miss it a bit. In direct sunshine, it was a bit difficult to see the subjects but I could still see most of my target–unlike other screens that completely obliterate. Another major difference is the lens—and it’s a big one in my view. This model has a 3.8x optical zoom that starts at a much wider 28mm and reaches 105mm in 35mm terms. Although the SD850 has a 4x zoom, its range is 35-140mm. I much prefer the wider angle for shooting portraits and landscapes but that’s my preference. You might like the extra telephoto range—this is why camera makers sell dozens of different models, to satisfy a variety of needs. The SD870 satisfied me. Also found on the front is the flash, AF Assist lamp and a few inoffensive decals and an embossed logo.

One of my biggest gripes with the SD850 was its poorly placed on/off switch located on the back next to the LCD screen. Here Canon goes with the traditional placement on the top next to the shutter button. It’s tiny but raised so it’s easy to feel. Surrounding the shutter is the wide/tele control, a speaker and the main mode switch. Here you change between Auto, Scene and Movie modes. On the right-hand side you’ll find a compartment for USB and A/V out and the bottom has the slot for the battery and SD card. There’s a tripod mount as well.

The rear of the camera is dominated by the 3-inch LCD rated at 230K pixels. Although it smears as you move quickly between subjects, once it settles down, colors are quite accurate and I love the extra viewing area compared to the 2.5. The main controls are to the right of the screen and they’re the usual, found on almost every digicam—playback, menu to adjust the main functions and display to clear the screen of icons and numbers. There’s also a four-way controller with center Function/Set button. The four points let you change ISO (up to 1600), the flash, macro, and burst or self-timer. The camera is rated 1.3 frames per second, which isn’t too bad, and it worked pretty close to that rate, even with the flash firing off.

As mentioned the camera does not have a viewfinder—just the 3-inch LCD screen. I did not find this to be a handicap—nor should I say a physical challenge? Yes, in direct sunshine I couldn’t distinguish the colors (even adjusting brightness) but I definitely could see what I was shooting. For me the tradeoff is worth it but you should try it out before you buy. The camera has grid lines which are especially helpful with the large screen for capturing level horizons.

Since this is a fairly new camera, the SD870 IS is selling for just slightly less than $399 USD list, while the SD850 IS costs under $350 USD. For this reviewer, the 28mm lens makes it worth the difference; the larger LCD screen is just icing on a yummy cake. As I said with the SD850 IS, I will heartily recommend this camera to anyone looking for a solid aim-and-forget digicam. The photos are very accurate and the vast majority of shooters will be more than thrilled with the results. And that 28mm lens definitely brings out the Diane Arbus in all of us.