The Canon PowerShot SD780IS was introduced to the US market in early March 2009 and has many great features. It’s the slimmest digital ELPH Canon has ever produced, but its small body packs a punch. The term ‘ELPH’, before you ask, is a combination of the word ‘elf’ (for a camera that is small and magical) and the word ‘photography’. As well as being memorable marketing, the use of a non-standard spelling of ‘elf’ makes for a defensible trademark.
The camera comes in four colors, black, silver, gold, and deep red. It is a 12.1 MP digital camera with a 2.5-inch LCD screen and 3x image stabilized optical zoom. As already stated, it is the thinnest ELPH Canon has ever produced at 0.7 inches wide. Combined with a width and height of just 3.4 and 2.1 inches and a weight of 4.2 ounces, it’s really small.
Looking briefly at some of the highlights of this camera, we can see that it has: HD movie recording capability and HDMI output. This allows you to record videos in beautiful high definition (1280 x 720 pixels). You can then enjoy your movie, as well as photos, on your HDTV using the mini-HDMI connector without image degradation.
When you set the Canon Powershot SD780 IS to Intelligent Auto, the camera automatically selects an appropriate setting from 18 specially defined settings. You just have to concentrate on taking the photo, Canon technology will take care of the rest.
A face detection self-timer automatically detects an increase in the number of faces and makes appropriate adjustments. So if you’re taking a group photo and want to include yourself, simply place the camera on a tripod and select Face Detection Self-timer. The camera will now wait for your face to move within the frame before taking the perfectly focused photo.
This is made possible by the advanced DIGIC 4 image processor built into the camera. This offers evolved face detection technology that keeps every face in every photo looking its best. The technology finds and tracks the faces of moving subjects until you’re ready to shoot, then delivers perfect focus.
Reference eye correction isn’t new, but the Canon Powershot SD780IS offers three options for removing red eye from your flash photography. First, red eye is detected and corrected during shooting; second, the camera can be set to automatically detect and correct red-eye during image playback. Finally, you can manually locate red-eye in a scene during image playback on the LCD screen and command the camera to remove it.
Another piece of technology on board the PowerShot SD780IS is iSAPS. This is an original scene recognition technology developed by Canon for digital cameras. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the advanced DIGIC 4 Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.
This camera has other great features besides the ones mentioned here. Overall, Canon is doing everything they can with this camera to make it as easy as possible for you to take great photos and videos every time. It easily fits in a purse or shirt pocket and is ready to shoot video and capture images in seconds.
