Digital Camera's Item ID: #277Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Blue)Product Information:
Item DescriptionItem Reviews5 Responses to “Canon PowerShot SD1200IS 10 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Blue)” |
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This is my first digital camera so I’m clearly a novice. BUT, I love the size and look of the camera, and I find taking pictures with it really easy. Haven’t yet tried to get them
onto the computer but directions make it look simple. So far it’s all great.
My husband and I love photography, and a few years ago we purchased a prosumer level SLR (Canon). Since it was quite cumbersome, we found we weren’t really bringing it with us anywhere (other than to weddings), and because of this, we weren’t taking as many pictures as we wanted. So, we decided to look for a really good quality, compact point-and-shoot for everyday use, at an affordable price (under $200 incl. a second battery, a memory stick, and a case). We wanted something we could have with us at all times, in case inspiration struck. And I can’t tell you how pleased we are with our purchase of the Canon SD1200IS.
SIZE: The first thing you’ll notice is how small and light it is. It fits easily into even my smallest purse. And even with its small size, it still boasts a 2.5″ LCD screen.
NO SHUTTERLAG: One of my favorite features of this camera is that you can take several pictures in a succession, without shutterlag, and without having to put it on a designated “continual shoot” setting. The other point-and-shoot digital cameras I’ve owned or have used in the past, have had quite a substantial lag time, and if you’re photographing children, pets, sporting events and even weddings, you’d be lucky to get the shot you want. This camera is so fast, I often take 2 photos by accident.
SMART AUTO: The (smart) AUTO mode, which I would normally advise against, actually works like you would expect it to, by choosing the proper settings for your conditions, automatically. Definitely a plus for those who want good-looking photos with minimal tinkering and effort. (Which is everyone, I’m guessing!)
MACRO: The Macro setting is also pretty incredible. Don’t quote me on this, but I’m fairly certain that while in AUTO mode, if you’re close enough to your subject that it would warrant the Macro “lens”, it will automatically switch to that setting so that your focus, and depth of field is spot-on. I took photos of some flowers on the macro setting and friends could not believe the incredible quality.
DEPTH OF FIELD: I’m also highly impressed with the depth of field. Not until this camera had I thought this level of detail would be available on a consumer point-and-shoot, rather than a pro/prosumer SLR.
LOW-LIGHT: And perhaps the best thing about this camera is it’s ability to shoot effectively in low-light conditions. In most instances, I try to avoid using the flash. If you’ve ever tried to capture that warm, magical glow of your Christmas tree at night, you’ll know that, without a tripod, it’s virtually impossible. Not so, with this camera. On the “Indoors” setting with the flash turned off, I got some stunning, tripod-less photos of my home during the holidays and you would never have guessed that I used this camera and not my SLR.
EASE OF USE: Having been so pleased with it ourselves, I recommended this camera to my girlfriend who is not even remotely technically saavy (and, therefore, did not read the helpful manual with which it comes). Basically, she had some trouble with the menu navigation (if you’re at all familiar with Canon, you know they have their own way of doing things), but, after I gave her a quick 3 min. lesson on how to take basic, but good photos, and how to record and play-back video, she was off and running.
We recently purchased a second SD1200IS as a gift for my father-in-law. His current 5+-year-old camera is terrible in low-light (he too hates to use the flash, but his photos look terrible) and it goes through batteries like there’s no tomorrow. And that reminds me of another great thing about this camera…..
BATTERY LIFE: I don’t have any stats for you, but I’ll just say that I did not expect a) the battery to last as long as it did – it exceeded my expectations based on previous experience by at least 100%, and b) these batteries charge fully (from empty) in about 30 min. As with any camera, I recommend purchasing a second battery so you never have to be without your camera. (I just got one on Amazon for $6.)
But don’t take my word for it. As with most any major purchase, I recommend testing it out before you buy it. Go to your local Best Buy (or equivalent) and try one on for size. Press all the buttons, try all the settings and see for yourself.
** Note: This camera does not come with a memory card. You will need to purchase this separately before you can take any photos.
Nice campact camera with lots of features. Easy to use in “auto” mode. Movie feature is very useful (I’ve got grand daughters). I would have liked a printed user manual. The on-line version is hard to reference when away from computer and there are too many pages to print.
One of the few small “point and shoot” cameras around with a view finder. This is useful when trying to coserve power because the display can be turned off. Software to download from camera to computer works fine.
I had an opportunity to see the images from this little camera and get some first hand comments from some professional photographers so I had to buy it for my wife. I use a Canon T1i and she had a 4 year old Sony Cybershot. This is a fantastic camera for twice the price. I am amazed at the ease of use and the quality of the images. I shot a couple of pictures at a ball field last night using the ambient light and they turned out really nice on fully automatic. If it has one downfall it is the 3x zoom. A bit longer range would be nice but for convenience and price and quality of images, it is hard to beat.
I purchased this product for several reasons:
1. My wife wanted another digital camera that did better at charging up between pictures – faster. This one does.
2. It had to be small so she can carry it in her purse. This one is very easy to tuck into a purse.
3. My wife also wanted increased picture quality. The 10MP is over double what we already had, and is great.
4. My wife likes the color (blue), but for some reason picking any other color cost more.Still, it meets her needs.
5. She has not had it long enough to see, but so far battery life seems to be okay. Still on the first charge.
6. We wanted an easier picture transfer approach, but this one still uses that little docking station – not so good. My old camera just uses a simple USB cable to the PC. Much better when traveling because you don’t have to carry all that other stuff.
7. It sure would be great to get a camera that charges by plugging into the USB port on a PC, but I haven’t found one yet (including this camera). It requires taking the battery out and putting in a charge station (also extra stuff to carry when you travel).
Overall, I am happy with this purchase becaue my wife is happy – sort of the point on this one!