Choosing the right Canon ultracompact camera

Lori Grunin, Senior Editor October 28, 2008

No fewer than 12 of Canon's ultrapopular, ultracompact digital cameras are still widely available, and some are still going strong after more than a year--remarkable in such a fickle, high-churn market. With street prices ranging from about $150 to $400, there's not a lot of room for price differentiation, unless you're really pinching pennies. For the most part, they're all of equal quality, with extremely similar feature sets. The PowerShot SD430, which is more than two years old now, stands out as the only model with Wi-Fi support--no hard decisions there. So if you've set your heart on one of these other sleek little snapshooters, how do you choose among them? Let a salesperson steer you toward the one that happens to be in stock? Perish the thought! Make your own decisions. Here are some guidelines that should help--we hope.

• If you're on a budget, the SD750 is the least expensive of the lot--not because it's a budget model, but because it's well over a year old. It's still a great camera, though, with a big 3-inch LCD, it delivers a lot of value. Unlike all the newer models, however, it lacks image stabilization. (Sorry, no room for it in the chart anymore.)
• If you want the smallest model with image stabilization, your choice is the SD770 IS. You might want to consider going a little cheaper with the very similar SD1100 IS or pay a little more for better photo quality with the admittedly larger SD790 IS.
• If you want the cheapest model with image stabilization, your choice is the SD1100 IS. Plus, it's the most colorful of the Elphs.
• If you want a wide-angle lens, the SD880 IS' 28-112mm-equivalent lens delivers a slightly longer reach than the SD870 IS, the two only relatively wide-angle models of the bunch (sorry, no room in the chart for the SD870 IS). The SD870 IS remains a slightly better overall performer than the SD880 IS, however, making it the fastest model overall and an attractive buy at its lower price.
• For the best overall photo quality, buy the SD790 IS.
• For the most feature-packed model, which includes a 4x zoom lens and optical viewfinder, buy the SD850 IS. It's also significantly cheaper and better than its successor, the SD890 IS.
• If you want to print really large photos or crop them, the 12-megapixel SD950 has the resolution you'll need, though the 10-megapixel SD790 IS may suffice as well as deliver better photos.

That's our advice. If you're still undecided, you might as well let the salesperson steer you toward a camera.

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