4-megapixel effective recording * DIGIC II processor * UA lens for improved color accuracy and small size * 2" color LCD viewscreen * optical viewfinder * 3X optical/3.6X digital/11X total zoom *
1 Nice feel, average camera
I recently purchased the SD300 and have not been overly pleased with it. I am a confessed shutter bug so my quality standards are somewhat higher than most. Here are the things I like about the camera:
1) Nice look and feel - metal outside and nice weight
2) Compact size - one of the smallest with zoom and the feature set
3) Separate battery charger is very small and easy to take with you.
4) Uses standard USB cable to transfer directly from camera to computer
Things I don't like:
1) Pictures are definitely on the soft side
2) Very hard to get a decent picture in moderately low light without the flash. I suppose it is using a very slow shuttle speed.
3) I would like a battery meter instead of indication your battery is almost dead
and last but not least and the reason I returned it
4) the LCD is basically unprotected and since it is very large, I felt I would break it like many other reviewer's have. I frankly do not believe the LCD breaks by itself, but since there is no protection on it, simply grabbing it a little hard seems like it could damage the display.
I want to thank all the previous reviewers that made me aware of this issue. There are many other cameras that have unprotected LCD's too, not just Cannon's. However, there are also many that protect them with a plastic or glass cover.
I'm trading the SD300 in for the Casio Z55 which is the same size, lighter in weight, 5 Megapixels and equivalent functionality. The jury is still out the picture quality of the Z55.
2 No excuse not to bring camera
I am pleasantly surprised by how small it is. It is about the size of a deck of cards. But the best of all is that it does everything I want and more.
Great
- Very Sharp and rich pictures as well as video
- Great real time video in a small package - I don't bring my camcorder anymore!
- Fast focusing - no delay
- Fast processing and saving to memory
Not so great
- Metal body is slippery - use wrist strap at all times
- Software menu to adjust manual setting
- Battery life is short (about 100 shots) especailly when using flash and shooting video
This camera is for my wife and she loves it. I can't wait for a prosumer version for myself!
3 LCD display is big but fragile
Think twice before buying the Canon SD 200, SD 300 or any SD series camera. The LCD displays are large but extremely fragile. Mine was cracked on the second day. It was NOT dropped or abused.
I also have a Canon S110 and have taken just over 5,000 photos with it since Christmas 2001 without any problems. Apparently, in an attempt to make the new models light and the displays large, Canon sacrificed durability.
In some cases Canon will "waive" the LCD repair cost. In others they demand $165 for the repair.
4 better upgrade
i upgraded my sd110 to this camera...im happy with my choice..
i chose this camera for its better optical zoom and more MPs..and when i received it i was happy to see that it was a thinner and smaller camera than the sd110..which i thought to be small enough
the sd300 also offers a 2" viewing screen which makes it very cool.
its a well built and designed camera in my opinion...it was a bit pricey...but all in all..worth it i guess...it was more of a buy than splurging on the sd400 in my opinion...which didnt offer enough to make me spend that extra money..
5 Which of the SDxxx Series is right for you?
Let me begin by saying that Canon makes exceptional digital cameras; the best in the market right now. This is because they have always used high quality components since they began manufacturing digital cameras. This one is no exception.
Now that I've sold you on a Canon, which one should you choose?
First off, let's see if you really need an SDxxx camera, or would be better suited with a cheaper non ultraportable camera.
The SDxxx Series offers several key advantages over less portable models:
-Beautiful, sleek design and metallic body will wow anyone who sees it.
-Gorgeous 2 inch LCD screens
-The excellent Dig!c 2 processor (other Canons only have dig!c 1)
-Much better movie mode than previous Canons
-Small light, easy pocketability
On the other hand, there are some significant drawbacks due to the components Canon had to use to get the camera so small:
-Few manual controls.
-Pictures are not as sharp as those of similar non ultraportable cameras.
-The flash is very close to the lens (lots of redeye problems)
-More purple fringing issues than other Canons
-Proprietary batteries that are expensive to replace
-The LCD is very fragile. Read the SD200 and SD300 reviews to see lots of unhappy people whose LCDs broke. Canon's warranty does NOT cover this either. My suggestion? Buy using a credit card that offers a warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. If your lcd breaks, many CC companies will replace the camera no questions asked!
If you don't need the ultra portability and flashy looks of the SD cameras, a slightly larger camera with more features might be right for you. I would highly suggest Canon's A510 or A520 if you don't need an SD model.
If you still want an SD model, which one should you choose? The SD200 with 3.2mp, the SD300 with 4mp, the SD400 with 5mp, or the SD500 at a whopping 7.1mp?
Your first instinct may be that more megapixels is better. Today, however megapixel ratings are similar to Ghz ratings in the computer world: They used to mean a lot, but they don't mean as much anymore. More megapixels do NOT mean a better image. They mean a larger printable image. Unless you have to have huge prints, you simply do not more megapixels. In fact, the 3.2mp of the SD200 is enough for anyone who doesn't plan on printing pictures larger than a standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper.
That having been said, there are some differences between each SDxxx model. In order to get the larger 7.1mp sensor in the SD500, Canon had to make the camera larger. Thus, it is around a quarter inch thicker and 30% heavier than the other 3 models. The larger size did enable Canon to pack more features into it, however:
Features unique to the SD500:
-1/4 inch thicker
-30% heavier
-50% longer flash range
-14% more battery life
The SD400 and SD500 also share these benefits over the SD200/SD300:
-New "Night Display" feature which brightens the LCD in low light
-My Colors feature lets you highlight or swap colors right on the camera
-USB 2.0 High Speed support
The following are shared by all the SDxxx Cameras:
Pros:
-Beautiful, eye catching design
-Great image quality, though not as good as non ultraportable models
-New Dig!c 2 image processor
-Excellent Movie Mode
-3x optical zoom is adequate for most people
-Excellent, intuitive manual controls
-Huge 2.0 inch lcd that looks great under various lighting conditions
-Uses widely available and cheap SD cards
Cons (most of these are minor quirks):
-Some purple fringing problems
-Proprietary batteries are expensive to replace and inconvenient at times
-Lots of issues with fragile LCDs
-No RAW support
-Few manual controls
If you do choose this product, the first thing you should buy is a larger SD memory card. The camera comes with a 16mb card (32 in the SD500), which is pretty much useless.
You should also immediately purchase a case and some screen protectors to protect the LCD.
6 Great in So Many Ways, but Keep in Mind
I love this camera. The big LCD screen is great to work with. As long as you have a reasonably fast SD card you can record video up to the full length of the card (although as with all still cameras recording video, the image is a bit jumpy & shaky, and you can't change focus while recording). It writes pictures extremely quickly -- little or no delay (especially compared to my previous, 5-year-old digital camera). And it's absolutely tiny!
Be warned, though. The flash is very weak. And it's easy to get your finger in the way of the flash. This means a fairly high percentage of my indoor shots are a little disappointing. My SD300 also seems to have more trouble with contrast than my old Kodak DC280. It seems to get that "washed out" white more often.
You'll be making some tradeoffs with the SD300, but I love it and strongly recommend it.
7 CANON - SD300 - LCD broke within 3 weeks of purchase
I bought a Canon SD300 and my girlfriend a SD200. My LCD cracked for no apparent reason 3 weeks after purchase. I took the camera out of it's case to take a picture and the LCD was white with a purple blob in the center. The LCD was dead.
My girl friend's SD200 broke 3 days after mine, 1 month after she got it.
Canon agreed to repair the LCDs for FREE "as a favour to me" even if the LCD is not covered under the Canon warantee according to them.
I translate this Canon Favour to me into : "We at Canon KNOW there is a defect in the SD200/300 units, but we won't admit it. However, we will make the repair"
I've seen numerous people saying that they had to pay $200 for the repair. Refuse to pay anything and take Canon to small claims court if required.
If you have not yet bought the SD200 / SD 300, look for a different kind of camera. The LCD on these Cameras is PURE GARBAGE ! CRAP !
IF AFTER READING THE 1 STAR REVIEW SHOWING NUMEROUS BROKEN LCD ISSUES YOU STILL WANT TO BUY A SD300....DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AN GO TO GOOGLE AND DO A SEACH ON: SD300 + BROKEN + LCD....AFTER READING HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR CASES YOU MIGHT JUST CHANGE YOUR MIND...IF YOU DON'T...I HOPE YOU'LL HAVE BETTER LUCK THE US...
PS. If you are wondering...I did not sit on hit, I did not hit it or drop it at any moment.
8 Fun, easy little camera
This camera is great for packing in your bag/pocket and always having it when you need it. I was always kicking myself for missing great shots when we were out somewhere, and I was getting annoyed at carrying our bulky Olympus whenever we were on vacation. This camera is the perfect size to tuck in the diaper bag or in my pocket, and I've been able to get some great shots because of that. The camera is easy to operate-- my friend's mom was impressed because she is intimidated by digital cameras, but had no problem with this one.
Like several of the reviewers have said, this isn't SLR quality. It's on par with digital cameras in this range, and I have gotten great pictures for our website and when printed in 4x6" size got great quality. We printed a few pictures in 8x10" and did have some graininess. The camera is great for what I bought it for-- getting good, spontaneous photos.
If you buy this camera, I would recommend buying a bigger memory card-- the one that comes with it is too small. Also, buy an extra battery-- otherwise, you will have to wait several hours while yours charges. I always have a spare charged battery in my bag, and that way I won't have to miss any shots.
9 Great Camera
I wanted a small camera, and boy, is this small. I am no camera geek so I am happy with the functionality of this thing. I read the negative reviews on this site and was a bit skeptical but went ahead with it anyway because it has everything I wanted. Let me share my experience with the things people have complained about:
1) Pictures are clear, not blurry
2) No fringing or purple outlines on the picture
3) No soft edges
4) LCD is fine. I dont see how it will break by itself. I think people tend to sit down while this is in their back pocket
5) Battery life is decent. Love the fact that I do not need to buy batteries for this
6) size is great if you want to use this all the time
10 EXCELLENT CAMERA- NO COMPETITION!
Coming from a Casio EX-Z40, I can definatley say I prefer the sd300. This camera is actually smaller than the Z40 which is hard to believe. The picture quality is ASTONASHING! The battery life, although, is subpar compared to the Z40. This is one of the only cameras to support high spead SD cards for lightning fast recording and playback. For those who are claiming the screen "just cracked", my response to that is take care of the damn thing. If you are going to spend hundreds of dollars on it you treat it like gold. Whenever it is in my pocket, it is alone, no keys, no cell phone... nothing! If anyone has any questions about this camera feel free to e-mail me at hhersch9000@gmail.com.
11 my best mini cam
I really love my Canon sd300, I love the big lcd, the fast response and the great photos it produce, I always carry it with me in my bag, never a day it's not in my bag, except if my kids wants to borrow it. This is my 5th digital cam and this is my favorite because of its small size.
I really recommend this, in fact my friend got one because of me and she brings it with her all the time. We usually get confused which one is hers and which one is mine :) So far I've been using it since November 2004 and no cracked lcd whatsoever.
12 SD300 broke within days and Canon wants $167 for fix.
This camera is junk. The LCD screen cracked within days under normal use. No abusive use, no drops, screen is just too flimsy. What's the point of having a small camera if you have to carry it around in a vault to keep it from breaking? I can not recommend this camera.
13 Fragile LCD spoils a wonderful camera
I loved this camera, for the first two weeks. The, after a day in the moderate cold (above freezing), the LCD cracked -- which some quick web searching reveals is a common problem with this model. I'll be sending mine back to Canon for repair (at their expense, I hope, though LCD cracks are in the words of the warranty a sign of "abuse"), and I look forward to its return. It's a wonderfully tiny, very fast camera that takes good snapshots and movies. I'd give it five stars were it not for its fragility.
14 Great!
This is my first digital camera and I love it so far! I have only taken pictures and downloaded them onto my computer, but they look good. The zoomed pictures have been fuzzy, but I think it's because I didn't use the digital zoom. The camera was also really easy to figure out by reading the manual. I've heard Sony's are more complicated. The only downside is that the battery runs low fast. Don't leave it in the camera when not in use. OVerall, it's awesome and small :-)
15 Great Buy
After doing endless research I settled on this great purchase. I had read numerous reviews discussing picture quality, easy of use and sleek compact styling. I am happy to report that I have found everything to be true! So far it's perfect!
16 Great camera
Purchased this camera two weeks ago and am delighted. Great quality pictures and video. It is true that you really do need to read the instructions, but even playing with the knobs and dials on this little wonder is educational and it is not difficult to figure out most things. In addition, the camera comes with a zillion cheat sheets and instruction books in multiple languages. I bought a Sandisk Extreme III SD card so as not to have to worry about memory capacity, and the accessory pack including the leather case. I keep it on my belt and I have been taking pictures of the kids, etc. easily where I would never have done so before. And the movie mode--just fantastic. Wish the viewfinder were off center a little but it is not that big a deal. Other than that, if you are a professional photographer this might not be your ideal camera, but I have already used it much more than I was using my old Kodak DC290 and I would buy it again in a minute.
17 Canon SD300 - Cracked LCD, Red-eye
I am very happy with this camera due to it's small size and several different shooting modes. However I noticed that in low light conditions if you do not use the flash the pictures are somewhat blurry, even if you change the settings around. It appears that the camera needs the flash to focus properly. Red-eye is a major problem with this camera even with the red-eye reduction shooting mode. So be prepared to fix a lot of red-eyes out of your pictures.
Also my LCD cracked for no apparent reason. I took the camera out of it's case to take a picture and the LCD was white with a purple blob in the center. I was unable to view anything on the LCD or even change the settings. I mailed the camera back to Canon for repairs, which takes about 3 weeks and as you can imagine it is not covered under warranty. The cost for the repair is close to $200. I did some research on the internet and found that this is a common problem. I really like the SD300 but am rather unhappy with the LCD repair costs and problems.
18 LCD Cracks when menu button is pressed
I bought the SD300 for the holidays, but the LCD broke when I pressed the menu button on the back. This happened three weeks after purchasing the camera, and Canon's warranty won't cover the problem. To fix the camera, the cost is a whopping $155.00! I consider this a defective design and I certainly do not recommend this camera to anyone.
19 GOOD! GOOD! OH.........Hmm....
I have owned and tried out 5 digicams within 5 years ranging from :
1. Nikon Coolpix 800 - First camera, good pix but simply too big, sold on ebay
2. Canon S200 - Small, 2megpixels only but good backup camera
3. Canon S45 - not small at all but good features, sold on ebay
4. Nikon Coolpix 5400 - returned within 1days from Costco because of too complex manual and old technology (introduced 2 years ago)
5. Canon SD300 - Smallish and good image and excellent video
Whoever want to be professional, please go get digital SLR. Any so called prosumer digital camera ($400+) is not going to solve your problem. Please ask yourself if you are taking pictures in auto or semi-auto mode 90% of the time or not. If so, any so called features is a joke.
This one offers simply but enough features to satisfy you needs. Good picture and excellent video. However, please do not abuse the use of video mode unless you have multi-GB SD card. The video is good but the file size is way tooooooo big.
20 The Dreaded E18 strikes again
This is a pretty good camera with some drawbacks, but apparently CANON has a lens problem that I wish I had known about before I got to Cancun. The Lens jams in the open position and then all you get is a small "E18" message before the camera shuts down. Resetting the camera has not worked. Apparently this is a continuing problem from other models so do your research. Hopefully Amazon will credit me, since I bought this as a Christmas gift for my wife. I should be okay till January 31st, otherwise it would be off to the repair shop...and that is as good as buying a reconditioned item for full price. Wait and see if others report this problem.
21 The LCD screen on my SD300 broke within a week
I bought a Canon SD 300 (Ixus 40) and within two weeks had broken the LCD screen. (Without particularly abusing it.) Searching the web, I found that loads of people had the same problem. The screen of the SD 200 / Ixus 30 also appears to be readily broken. I assume that the SD 400 / Ixus 50 is also susceptible to this problem.
In addition to just being fragile, the LCD appears to be quite temperature sensitive. According to web reports, the screens appear to spontaneously break at temperatures just below freezing: don't take it skiing!
I'd be wary of purchasing these cameras. Consider the Canon's one size up: the S400 was built like a tank!
If you do break your LCD screen, this web page gives advice on replacing it yourself (if you are brave enough and willing to void the warranty):
http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/users/jo262/broken_lcd_cracked_screen_canon_sd-300_sd-200_ixus-40_ixus-30.html
22 Best Deal - All the way around - AWESOME!
OK...
I was a little nervous based on some of the reviews here - so here goes ( I Have had this for a couple days now)
Size:
Absolutely tiny - unbelievable how small these things have gotten. I am convinced that the role of SLRs and regular film cameras are dead. I did not use my SLR because it was big and bulky - this thing will sit in your pocket and not even be noticed. Still functional easy to press buttons and use the camera. Very happy.
Camera Usability:
I came from a previous Canon S45 - so I was familar the interface which really hasnt changed much in the last three years. It has a 2 inch lcd which is very bright and nice to look at. If you know canon - no need to read the book. If you are new to canon - it is pretty intuitive - so again Very Happy.
Camera Picture Quality:
It is a 4MP camera and appears to take pictures every bit as good as my old canon s45. Zoom is 3x and it comes with all the standard manual settings - including an underwater setting - which is pretty exciting - since I will be taking my camera to Hawaii in a couple of days and am interested to see how that works (apparently takes some of the blue out of the water to show the real colors of the aquatic life) - and yes I ordered the optional waterproof case. (Pretty expensive - but makes this very functional for beach, pool, snorkling and raining - NOT for scuba.) - Very happy
Camera Speed:
Shutter is pretty darn quick - easily as fast as my old Canon EOS Elan II - especially with the flash off - wow - very fast - and I am using standard Sandisk memory (Not the ULTRA stuff - which may even make it faster) - Unbelievably happy
Video Quality
OK - This is what sold me on this guy - you can now take 640 x 480 resolution video on this little guy - pretty hard to believe. AND you can take unlimited up to the size of the memory card (so for a 1GB card that is about 9 minutes at the highest resolution). This was one of my biggest wants on the s45 - you were limited to about 3 minutes and half the quality. I have personally maxed out a 1GB standard Sandisk card with no problems - pretty cool! Unlike another reviewer I was able to not only play the video on my computer - I could do it from my hard drive or the card sitting in my card reader. Video looked pretty good for something this small. The other cool option was a 60 frame / second video option. If you wanted to record sporting events (swing of the bat) this is pretty cool - you get 60 individual frames for each second of action - you capture everything. - Happy - and very cool.
Battery / Charging
Not much to say here - have yet to put the camera through its paces - but the battery seems to do pretty well - and the charger is tiny to match the camera - nice for traveling.
Overall - very cool - very fun and excited to have it! My wife loves it - and she hates technology - she called it cute - and something she could shove in her purse - so it was a winner for her as well. Only downsides might be their is no compression for video - so it burns through memory extremely quick -
I will be back in a week after a hard week of taking pictures of water and waves and can update how she did when I get back!!
*************UPDATE*****************
OK - little slow to write my update - but have to say this thing is a champ.
I took two SD cards on my trip - 1 1GB and 1 512MB. I filled them both with pictures and video. The battery was great - every time I used the camera - the battery lasted all day no problems. Quality of the pictures was as expected. Underwater case - worked great. Underwater pictures were outstanding using the "underwater" mode on the camera (Takes out some of the blue).
The video was great - I used all three modes (high quality, regular quality and internet quality). We ended up using this more than our camcorder - (because it is so convenient).
Have to say - after a month now - love this thing - and use it all the time because of the size!
23 Small Size and Great Video can't offset quality/blurry photo
I have owned an S400 Canon and have been very happy until it recently died. So, I sent it to Canon for repair and decided to go ahead an upgrade to the latest/smallest version of the Canon compact camera.
The size, feel, weight and video on this camera are incredible. I wouldn't want it any smaller and the video far exceeds the quality and duration of the S400. However, I had over a third of the photos come across as blurry and the image wasn't quite as clear as this camera's predecessor.
I am not a pro photographer and use this strictly for fun/recreational use. I don't have the "serious" camera but only one everyday camera.
I think Canon is close to a perfect product but needs more work.
With the success of the S400 and S410 versus the number of negative comments against the SD300 (and quite a few positive), it is clear the Canon gave up a little too much to compress the footprint of this camera.
24 Video won't run on computers
As a camera, this is a fine camera. My review relates to the video function only. The video runs fine on the camera, but it does not work on computers with even 3 times the system requirements listed in the manual. (The file transfers and runs, but it just jumps and stops when played.)
I called Canon Technical support and talked to two PSR1 reps (1st level reps) and one PSR2 rep (2nd and highest level). All the reps recreated the same problem on their systems that I experienced, and yet I was told "to call Microsoft" to see if they could figure it out.
What was rather remarkable was that even though Canon said they recreated the same problem on their end, they said that there was no malfunction. I said I could not understand this since their own literature and instruction manual states that you can play the videos on a computer with basic system requirements (both my system and the tech's systems well exceeded the minimum requirements listed in the Canon manual).
Now sure, someone can look at this and say its just a matter a awful technical support, but this happened three times with three different reps. All recreated the same problem and all said that "it was not a problem." Two of the reps said that Canon is only responsible for the video running on the camera and that users should not expect the video OR THE IMAGES to necessarily work on a computer even if it exceeds the system requirements!
BTW, I had a Canon G5 before this and the video ran fine.
So in the end, if you want to use the video function on your computer it may very well not work. If it does not work, Canon offers no support to correct the problem.
_________________________
Since writing the above I have talked to two more support representatives at Canon. Both have given me identical answers: videos shot in standard video mode WILL NOT RUN PROPERLY ON A COMPUTER, REGARDLESS OF PROCESSOR OR MEMORY.
IF THE ABILITY TO VIEW AND SHARE VIDEOS IS AN IMPORTANT FEATURE IN YOUR CAMERA PURCHASE, STAY AWAY FROM THIS CAMERA.
25 Research What You Want Well
Moving up from my Minolta Dimage x20, I wanted a smaller camera with greater megapixels and better video. The SD 300 gives you that and more. My challenge is what I took for granted. You can not zoom while taking video with the Canon as you can with the x20. The was a big downer. Also you can only date stamp a photo in the postcard mode (1600 x1200). Again I could date stamp all photos at any quality level with the X20. Since I store and view all of my pictures on computer, visible dates are important.
The SD300 is good little camera. Just know what you like and make sure you get it when looking to upgrade.
26 Great
No matter how good a camera is, it won't take a good picture if it is sitting in a desk somewhere, which is where my high end SLR sat occasion after occasion due to its size. The SD300 takes incredibly good pictures for its size. If you are going to the Grand Canyon or an indoor wedding where you need a powerful flash, take your SLR. Take the SD300 with you for nearly everthing else.
27 Great point and shoot
I have had the camera 3 days...taking great pics and video at least what I can fit on the ridiculously small 16mb SD card that it comes with. I am no professional photographer but to me it's great. Tiny not much bigger than a deck of cards, well placed controls, easy to use. Lots of options/functionality! Big LCD very sharp disply. Works great in the auto mode! As for the review of the burry pics, purple fringing, red eye...it is non exsistant for me.
28 WoooW
I bought this camera and Iam very happy
Pros:
Excellent Pictures and Video Same miniDV quality
very small and stylish
Great Flash better than s500 & sony p150
sharp 2" lcd screen
Cons:
The little purple and little soft edges
I highly recommended this camera for advanced and novice users
29 The reviews below are clearly written by vendors...
Unlike the otehr colorful reviews, this is anything but a paid-for advertisement. I bought this camera in December and was hugely disappointed in its performance. I am aware this is not a high-end camera meant for professional photography, but I tell you the truth a disposable camera would have been better. I have experience with many digital cameras (many of the Sonys are my favorites) and I can tell you from that experience that this one is haggard.
A month ago I attended a holiday party at the White House only to regret not testing this new camera before I got there. It has one fundamental and unmistakable flaw: it takes horribly blurry pictures. 1 in 10 of the pictures I took turned out OK. The rest were so badly marred that I would have been MUCH better off with a disposable $3 camera than this one.
Do yourself a favor and research a little bit more before settling with this one. I highly recommend looking at any sony that comes equipped with a carl zeiss lens - those are usually most reliable.
Good luck.
30 Incredibly Small
I simply don't think you can find a better camera when you compare the size, construction quality, capability and price. It is so small, I have difficulty holding it. I guess that's why Panasonic came out with a ultra-compact camera with image stabilization. The image quality is good but definitely not great. The lens is only so big so the image can only be so good. The best part is that you can buy a weather-proof case from Canon designed specifically for the SD300 and SD200. Even with the case, the camera is still smaller than my Leica Digilux. Both camera and water proof case were made in Japan. I noticed that a number of Pentax Optios are now made in China. Nothing wrong with that but I think the Japanese made product still maintains a slight edge over its Chinese made equivalent. All in all, if you are looking for a super small camera to throw in a purse or pocket, I would highly recommend the SD300.
31 Wonderful camera!!
The reason I obtained this camera was as replacement to the S410.
At first glance I was ecstatic because of the size, but playing with it, I soon came to realize I mised the easy functionality of the S410. The abilty to change different modes from a click of the button.
A mode that I had to hae with the new camera was photo stich. I thought that the SD300 didn't provide this, but after toying a bit I found it, and now I must say I am completely in love with the camera! It's wonderful for these reasons.
1) The quickness of ho everything works. I.e. - menus, shooting, uploading.
2) The easy menu access. I like it that there are no buttons to push other than the func. and/or menu. (A problem that I had with the S410 was if I put it in my pocket, a different mode came out each time)...so to continue
3) Size/portability. The camera is just about the size of my cell phone. I can carry it in my pocket anywhere I go.
4) The quality of the photos. Pristine.
This is truely a wonderful portable camera for anyone who is a point and shoot fanatic!
The macro mode is a great new addition to give those wonderful close up shots.
If you love to shoot, you will love the SD300.
32 Perfect small user-friendly camera.
This is the perfect camera for folks who are not professional photographers.
* The controls are very simple and are easy to master.
* The camera is FAST, both for start up and for focus/exposure. * The focus is excellent and is very clever--the camera seems to have a relatively smart algorithm for identifying the subject(s) of the shot.
* It takes fairly high quality movies at a fast frame rate (30 fps). You cannot store your daughter's recital, but you can capture several minutes of high-quality video on a 512 MB memory card.
* The camera senses orientation: if you turn the camera on end to take a "portrait" orientation shot, the picture is automatically rotated in the camera memory.
* The pictures are fabulous.
* The software is particularly easy to use. Instead of managing your camera like a disk, you can set up the software to automatically download all of the images on the camera to "My Pictures" (or any other folder) when the camera is plugged into the computer.
* The camera is VERY small.
On the downside:
* The default memory card (16 MB) is ridiculously small--you will want to order a much larger card (256 MB+) immediately.
Great camera!!!
33 Perfect
This camera is everything I was looking for in a camera. It is SMALL, easy to use (I never even had to read the user's manual to figure the bad boy out), the pictures and video are beautiful!
The screen is a great size too. Everyone I know is jealous.
34 Amazing size but the red eye function doesn't work
Great size, great features, fantastic movie mode. The image quality is okay - not great, and the red eye function doesn't work. If the red eye function worked, then I would rate it a 5 star.
35 Great Camera, but suffers from terrible red eye problem
I actually waited for Canon SD300 to come out for about 3 months. I got it as soon as it was out. The feature set is great. I like taking pictures in the manual mode. That way I have control over ISO settings, exposure, white balance etc.
The picture quality is fine. Not over the edge but decent. The biggest complaint I have with this camera is the red eye problem. The problem persists even when you turn on the red eye reduction. If your subject is looking right into the camera, you will get those devil eyes almost every time. I've had other digital cameras where I never had to turn on red eye. And with this camera even when red eye reduction is on. The results are terrible. I am truely disappointed at this. Canon!! You're better than this...you could've done a better job!!
36 Finally, significant improvements to the Point-and-Shoot.
I've owned several digital cameras in the past, including Olympus, Canon, and Pentax. I took a chance on buying the Pentax this year, becuase I didn't know much about the quality of the photos of this brand. The Pentax S4i is fantastic for it's size, weight, and large LCD screen. BUT, for picture quality Pentax S4i is only good when you take pictures outside or have a lot of light in the room. If there is even the slightest lack of light, the grain is easily apparent. It's like looking at a picture with sand on it.
With Canon, it doesn't grain as easily as Pentax. When it does have grain, it's smoother - less noticable (not sandy like Pentax). The picture quality is better than before. The flash is noticably more powerful. And no more long lag times in snapping a photo, which was a problem from previous Elphs. Previous Elphs every now and then took it's sweet time trying to focus in-and-out before it feels ready to take the picture.
The size is slightly smaller than the Pentax S4i, which is amazing to me. It's not as light as Pentax, but I don't mind it a bit (whatever makes the photo better). Lastly another significant change is that Canon finally uses the SD Memory Card instead of the Compact Flash (which processes faster than the usual Compact Flash).
Overall, it is the best point-and-shoot digital camera I found that's out there. If you want to protect this camera, buy a very padded case (you'll be glad you did). When I had the Pentax at first, I was lucky to find this light blue/gray Samsonite case that I found at Target that fits the camera perfectly and is very padded (without being huge). I don't know if they sell it anymore, but I've accidently dropped my Pentax down the stairs before and it was perfectly fine.
37 Latest in the Elph series
SD300 is the latest Elph from Canon. It is slimmer and loaded with more features than ever before.
Pro's,
1. Good picture quality for a super-compact camera.
2. Priced right.
3. Excellent feature set.
4. Large LCD screen.
5. Cool metallic body.
6. Excellent package including a smart world charger.
7. Uses industry standard SD cards, not propreitary memory sticks or xD.
8. 3x is the right zoom for most people.
9. Intuitive interface and solid build quality.
Con's,
1. No manual controls yet on Elph.
2. Awkward to hold compared to older Elph's (No place put your right thumb when taking pics).
3. Battery life is below average.
4. Another costly & propreitary battery from Canon.
5. 4MP is a waste of money for most people, 3MP is the right number.
Its hard to get very exicted about the latest Elph if you already own one, there isn't much new. However if you are looking for your first, the SD200/SD300 are an excellent choice.
38 Great portable camera!
I had this camera for a few weeks now. Absolutely love it. The sleekest thing about this camera is the size. I can put it in my pocket and bring it anywhere I want. It's a great point-and-shoot camera. Quality of pictures are as good as my S30. The high resolution movie is also amazing. If you are planning to get this camera, I would recommend 2 accessories:
1. Canon Digital Elph Accessories kit for SD300 and SD200. This kit includes a spare battery, a sturdy case (just fits the camera, has a belt clip and handstrap, plus a steel neck strap).
2. Sandisk 1GB SD card. Even though this is not the Ultra II highspeed card, I can still use it to shoot videos with the camera.
39 Simply amazing.
This camera is simply amazing. I suggest you buy this over any other camera on the ultracompact market.
I really did my research to find this camera. I looked in about every place on the net that sells cameras, and I chose this one.
Pros
-ULTRACOMPACT
-Huge LCD
-Spectacular "set-up" photos, like portraits and closeups.
-Great spontaneous photos, like quickies
-Read/Write time (with the included sd) is AMAZING
-Startup time is under 1 second (excellent)
-Canon's photo manual is very helpful and nice
-Included software is pretty darn good. (I'm sure you could find better, but I use it because of it's simplicity.)
-Manual settings is very good for an ultracompact
-Battery life is good, and it charges in 90 minutes
-Switching from Photo to Review (and vice versa) is VERY fast
-Excellent video mode for a camera of this caliber
Cons
-No battery life meter (that I can tell)
-Sort of flimsy av-out flap
The Pro's heavily outweigh the cons, no doubt.
Overall, I would seriously recommend this camera to anyone who wants:
1. A small, lightweight camera they can take everywhere
2. Nice, big prints from an ultracompact
3. Enough funtions to get the job done.
Buy this.
40 3 weeks so far and loving it!
My priorities when shopping for a camera were:
Small size, large screen, movie mode with sound, at least 3X optical zoom, good image quality.
The SD 300 delivered on all counts. It is really small- I know that Casio makes a thinner camera, but I have found the SD300 to be a great size when you don't want to lug something big around.
The screen is large, (2") for its size and has good resolution.
I have recorded a couple of movie clips, and at low res I could conceivably record for almost an hour on the 512 meg SD card I got at Costco for $54. The included 16 meg card really doesn't hold enough shots to be useful.
The optical zoom is the standard 3X. Like most people I shut off the digital zoom because I like my pictures to look good, not like garbage. Don't digitally zoom, just optically zoom and crop the picture with photo editing software.
I have loved the pics I've taken with this camera. The colors and resolution looked great. I find I often shoot using the "children and pets" mode for the high speed shutter, and turn off the flash. Not that the flash is too much, except way up close when ANY camera would give blown out pics- I just prefer using natural light when I can, and the good low-light capabilities of the camera allow for it.
As others have mentioned, a battery charge indicator to give advance notice the battery is going to poop out would be nice. A camera this small can't have a large battery, so you have to be conservative. I turn off the imaging beam, and that seems to make a big difference in extending battery life. Another feature that I miss compared to my Olympus is a button that takes you directly to viewing mode. I find that I blast back and forth between shooting mode and play mode to make sure I got the shot I wanted, and that slide switch isn't going to last forever.
Overall I recommend this camera to anyone who wants a lot of features and quality in a small package.
41 Tiny and Perfect
This is my fourth camera from the Canon Powershot line, I use the high end SLR Canons professionally but carry a small camera with me for that once-in-a-life time shot that might appear; typically I use one of the Canon Powershot line as the software is familiar to me and they're rugged. I used the S40 for a year, the S50 for a month or so, and then the Powershot Pro1, all excellent cameras for their intentions.
However, the SD300 will run rings around all of them, pointedly it has the instant on and instant auto-focus and immediate shooting that pros demand, but get only with the high-end SLR cameras, features that are sorely missing from the Powershot line. The digital lag problem, typical in low end cameras, culminated in the Powershot Pro1 wherein the camera is un-useable for motion shots or in poor light (it's still-life capabilities are excellent though). Now Canon has stuck their high end DIGIC processor and software in this cellphone-tiny Elph, since it has the same processor as the 20D, it feels closer to it in performance than it does to the rest of the Powershot line; indeed this is the first Powershot to have such a processor: It shoots sport-photo fast, ie 5 frames at full resolution every two seconds with enough of a buffer to get a dozen or so shots before it slows down, each shot appears immediately on its large screen, another first. It has an onscreen 9 point focusing (with green squares) that is user modifiable for the person-in-the-corner shot. The flash is so good it should be an attachment: shoots six different ways depending upon light conditions. My large hands had no trouble at all with the buttons, biggest problem I anticipate is forgetting its in my pocket and sending it through the laundry, its that thin!
Now for the feature that none of the high end Canons have, including the multi-thousand dollar digital SLR line, and the other Powershots can only approximate: a 60 fps movie mode, Holy Cow! Shooting good quality slow motion movies with this credit-card-with-a-lens, what a hoot, it also shoots normal speed 30 fps for a 640x480 movies of surprising liquid-like evenness, there is no jerking even with rapidly moving objects. So not only is it a stand by still camera, if you are a film maker who needs a light weight movie camera around for that once-in-a-lifetime scene stick this one in your wallet. Home run for Canon.
42 It actually does everything it said it would
So the reviews usually hype up things that end up not being that important afterall, but I just got this camera and it really does do all those things they said it would.
The movie mode is amazing. I got a 1GB card and this doubles as my videocam.
It can take really close up photos, which makes it very useful for work.
Photo quality and color is great, as with all Canons I've used in the past.
The burst mode really does work. I can take 10 photos in a few seconds while moving. I tested in this in the shop and got clear photos of the entire showroom.
My other top choices were the CasioZ55 (gorgeous, but movie mode not as good), and the Pentax Option S5 (strange coloring, didn't like the last optio I bought for fathers day). In the end this Canon was the best choice by a slight margin and I got it for an amazing price.
43 Consider Overall Travel Package/Size
If you are looking for a 4 megapixel camera that can do it all and also be super portable, the Canon SD300 is it. My comments go double if you are considering the SD300 because of its very compact size. When looking at its competitors, be sure to take into account the overall travel package including the battery charger, much like you would when deciding on portability of a laptop computer. For example, the Pentax Optio 4si and 5si cameras are about the same size and a touch lighter in weight, but they only come with bulky charging cradles that also need a bulky A/C cord. The SD300's charger, by contrast, is very compact; no bigger than the camera itself, and its plug swings out so you don't need any cord. The overally travel package of camera and charger is like carrying two tins of Altoids mints. In fact, they will probably fit inside the tins. Very portable. The camera's performance is great. I considered, besides the Pentaxes, the Lumix FX7, the Sony T1 and Casio Z55, but I bought the Canon and am very satisfied with it, even though other cameras come in 5 mpxls whereas this one is 4 mpxls. Do I wish it had 5? Of course. But I find 4 mpxls is more than adequate for my needs and rarely if ever do I wish I had more. You can easily go to 8x10 prints with 4 megapixels.
44 For what it is, it's perfect!
First of all, for anyone looking for a camera this tiny, you'd better understand that there will be compromises. Battery life, image quality, etc. This camera does not take pictures nearly as nice as my Powershot G5. I never expected it to.
But for a super compact camera, it's absolutely amazing. Things that I really love:
1) This camera is FAST. It starts up, and is ready to shoot, in about 1 second. My G5 takes about 3. In between pictures, you hardly have to wait at all. The new Digic 2 operating system is very snappy.
2) The image quality, especially outside, is wonderful. There is some purple fringing that is common to a small lens, but you'll only see it where a bright edge meets a dark edge. And most of the time, it'll never appear.
3) The movie mode ROCKS. Imagine, shooting 640x480 at 30fps with NO TIME LIMIT! I bought a 1 gig 66x SD card, and can shoot until the card is full. At full res, 1 gig will hold 8.5 minutes, which is actually pretty amazing considering this is a tiny compact camera. You can also shoot 60fps, for slow motion FX, but that is limited to 360x240.
4) it's SMALL. Finally a camera that I can carry with me. It's about 30% thinner I think than the S400 S500 series cameras.
5) Simplicity. Few buttons, and a very well laid out menu system. I never even cracked open the manual, no need. It's so easy to use.
All in all, I'm very pleased with this camera, and would highly recommend it for anyone looking for a super-small camera that takes great pictures.
Don't expect it to get great battery life, especially if you're shooting with the LCD and Flash all the time.
This thing is SOOO cool.
45 TOP PERFORMER: 4 megapixel camera
This is one of the best point-and-shoot 4 megapixel cameras currently being produced. As with all Canon PowerShot SD series cameras, the SD300 is very easy to use. Canon also makes a 3 megapixel version of this camera (PowerShot SD200) which is about $100 cheaper.
What makes this camera DESIRABLE:
(1) Takes Great Pictures. This is the most important part of a digital camera, no? The SD300 is quick to focus, is quick to take pictures (very low lag time), takes crisp pictures, and is very easy to use. The SD300 even focuses in the dark thanks to its focus-assist lamp (you can turn this feature on/off). The picture quality is excellent compared to other cameras similar in size. The ease of use is much better than other 4 megapixel point-and-shoot cameras. Many have complained about the flash, but that's almost a non-issue for most snapshots. Most people take snapshots of their friends & family when they are about 5-7 feet away from them. The flash is PLENTY strong for that. If you have a huge group and they're like 10-15 feet away, then the flash will be a problem. But seriously, when's the last time you tried to take a picture of a big group of people forcing you to stand 15 feet away to get everybody in the picture?
(2) 4 megapixels with 3x zoom. Having 3 megapixels is the new minimum when it comes to digital cameras. Canon was very generous giving us 4 megapixels in such a small camera. The general rule of thumb for megapixels is: the more the better. Not only will more megapixels allow you to print bigger & better pictures, having more megapixels gives you the flexibility to crop: you can take a small portion of the picture and blow it up to full screen and still get good detail. The SD300 also features 3x zoom. While this is generally not something to get all excited about, the only other SD series camera until now (the SD110) only featured 2x zoom.
(3) Size. The SD300 is noticeably smaller than the S410 or the S500, and even smaller than the SD110. The SD300 will fit nicely in your pocket or your purse. Plus the stainless steel finish is so handsome/pretty that you will want to take this with you everywhere. After all, if you don't carry your camera with you, then what's the use of owning a camera?
(4) Movie with Sound. With its built-in microphone and speaker, the SD300 can capture and replay movies with sound. The 640x480 resolution is awesome. You can replay on your 19" monitor at full screen and the video will look great. Under the 640x480 mode, you can capture video at 30 frames per second (fps) or 15 fps, and there is no limit per clip as your only limitation is the amount of space you have left on your memory card. Under the 320x480 mode, you have the Fast Frame Rate option giving you 60 fps, up to 60 seconds per clip, which is great for capturing action shots such as your golf swing. While the main function of the camera is to take still pictures, the high quality video feature is so much fun that you will be using this a lot.
(5) Battery & External Charger. The battery life is average. You can take about 140 pictures on a full charge with the LCD screen on and about 400 pictures with the LCD screen off. Since Canon includes an external charger with all their SD series cameras, I recommend getting a second battery. This way, one battery can be charging while you are using one battery, so that you will never run out of batteries.
Downside. The only downside is the access to manual mode. On the SD110, S410, and the S500, you can switch to the manual mode by turning a knob. On this camera, you need to press function and switch to manual mode using a soft menu. There are few features only available in the manual mode such as turning off AiAF, long shutter, panorama mode, etc. Unless you use those features a lot, this will not be an issue for you.
Recommended Accessories. A must-have accessories are the already mentioned extra battery and a bigger SD memory card. Get at least a 256MB card (a 512MB card would be nicer) since the included 16MB card will not be sufficient for most people.
If you can get by with 3 megapixles and want to save about $100, check out the 3 megapixel version of this camera: Canon PowerShot SD200.
46 Good camera in a tough competition
Handling: The interface is similar to that in other Canon digital compacts, which helps your learning curve. The case is in metal, except the USB and the battery cover. They are both made of plastic and feel very fragile. The metal tripod mount is located closely below the lens. The LCD screen is reasonably viewable under daylight conditions.
Canon celebrated that SD300 is the first compact that uses the DIGIC II processing, and with my experience so far, the camera does respond faster when compared with DIGIC based ones. It however appears to be on par with recent Sony and Olympics models. I did not measured the various response times scientifically however.
Picture quality: Contrary to other comments, I was not "blown away" by quality of the pictures. The lens produces not serious, but significant purple edges in bright sunlight, and shows problems with dark corners like other compacts. Color production is rich with high contrast, a big plus. Sadly I find the pictures appear noisy when taking under low light conditions. I suspect either I have a faulty unit, or there are some design issues?
Complaints:
* can't review picture histogram easily (two to three steps)
* noisy operations
* no battery level indicator
So far I find the SD300 a good and decent pocket camera. However in the same market (similar specs and price) there are many other choices, and the SD300 does not excel specifically in any area.
-- UPDATE --
I used this camera frequently between October 2004 and January 2005, taking more than a thousand pictures for my trips around. I report more experiences I have with this fun camera:
* The lithium battery is surprisingly resilient in cold conditions. I bought a spare battery for my ski trips, thinking that batteries die early in cold weather. It was negative teens and I had no trouble taking more than 50 pictures during the day with one battery. Very good indeed. The auto white balance worked fairly well - some blue casts. Make sure you increase the exposure compensation when taking pictures with snow backgrounds. (I use +2/3 to +1)
* The purple fringe symptom has been widely reported and I guess users have to live with it. Else the camera proved to be good at determining exposure and delivering pictures with good color contrast.
* As a compact camera it served my purpose well: taking pictures of interesting things I see everyday in my life. Small and quick. I find it difficult however to use SD300 with my gloves. This is no criticism as small cameras all have small buttons, but I still remember how painful my hands were when I needed to take off my gloves to shoot pictures in the mountains.
47 Great on Features But Image Quality is Lacking
This seems to be the perfect point and shoot from a feature standpoint (finally.. good movies too!). However, early pictures from sites like dcresource.com show noticable blurring at the edge of pictures.
Hopefully Canon will come out with an S-series equivalent that has a better lens.
48 Finally!!!!
Thank you Canon for finally making the camera I've been waiting for. I have the Powershot S300 and anyone who owns a Canon camera knows the great quality of pictures their cameras take. Even with just 2.1 mexapixels, I was able to take some really incredible photos. My only complaints were that the screen size was too small, you could only record for like 10 secs. of video at high quality no matter how big your CF card was, and I was in the need for a camera with some more megapixels cause I want to get the new Canon i9900 printer that can make up to 13X19 borderless prints. I was thinking about maybe getting the Sony Cybershot DSCW1 cause it has the features I was looking for but I read some bad reviews about the fuzzy and dark pictures that it takes, and I really didn't want to stray from Canon cause of how happy I've been with their products. So now they came up with the Powershot SD300. It has 4.0 megapixels, a huge 2" LCD screen, and high quality video that can record at 640X480 at 30fps or 320X240 at 60fps for up to 3min. which is plenty of time for me. And amazingly, this camera is even more compact than my S300. So you can be sure that this camera will be on my Xmas list for myself this year and I would recommend to anyone looking to but a point and shoot digital camera to wait for this bad boy to come out.
