Canon PowerShot SD10 Review
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Review
Date: Dec 22, 2003 |
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Handling & Feel
The
Canon PowerShot SD10 Digital ELPH is an
ultra-compact digital camera with dimensions of
90.3W x 47.0H x 18.5D mm (3.56W x 1.85H x 0.73D
in.) and weighs 100g (3.53 oz.) without the battery
and recording media card. That's smaller (though,
of course, not thinner) than a credit card! Following
the Digital ELPH tradition, it has an elegant
simplicity with clean lines and intuitive controls.
You hold the camera away from you to take a picture
because there is no viewfinder. Though ultra-compact,
you can hold it quite comfortably with the right
hand only but you would probably want to use the
fingers of the left hand to stabilize it to prevent
camera shake. The shutter release button is soft
at half-press (to lock focus and exposure) and
does not require undue force to be fully depressed.
There is no optical zoom (only a 5.7x digital
zoom), so you need foot power to get your subject
closer. The PowerShot SD10 is a quick and easy
point-and-shoot digital camera to use, with no
appreciable shutter lag.
The
battery/memory card door is at the right (when
facing the back of the camera) side, and the battery
is of a proprietary rechargeable Li-Ion type and
smaller than usual. A battery charger comes standard
and it plugs directly into the wall outlet. It
takes approximately 95 minutes to recharge the
battery when fully depleted. Even though you do
not need to wait until it is fully depleted to
recharge the battery, it might be a good idea
to do so because the battery life is 300 charge
cycles, before you need to purchase a new battery.
Canon also do not recommend that you leave the
battery charging in the charger for 24 hours continuously.
The rubber terminal cover housing the USB and
A/V connectors rotates out of the way to permit
easy access to the connectors.
The
SD10's 1.5 in. LCD is 78,000 pixels resolution,
and is quite adequate, even outdoors. For those
who rely on the histogram for an indication of
exposure correctness, in Detailed Review mode,
a histogram displays.
Santa's
Castle
6.4mm, Auto, Evaluative, 1/60 sec., F2.8 and ISO
Auto with Flash
You
can set the review time a picture displays on
screen after you have taken it anywhere from 2
to 10 sec., and a half-press of the shutter release
button will instanly revert the camera back to
Shooting mode. There's a convenient separate SET
button to confirm menu choices and all controls
are precise.
The
PowerShot SD10 easily fits in a jeans pocket or
even shirt pocket. My evaluation camera had a
sticker on the box that read, "Includes
FREE Case", so there was a soft case
included. Not sure if this is standard or whether
you have a choice of colour (mine was dark grey;
I would have preferred a black one). Even in its
case, you'll fit it comfortably in your jeans
pocket. The soft case also has a tab with velcro
to hang it from your belt. There's no side pocket
for an extra battery or SD card.
Overall,
the Canon PowerShot SD10 Digital ELPH is elegantly
designed with a choice of four different colours:
Silver, Iridescent White, Bronze and Piano Black.
I find that its slightly elongated shape makes
it easier to hold steady than if it had a more
squarish shape. Its finish and construction feel
high quality.
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