Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH (Black)
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 1861B001
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- Small size, excellent image quality, and a solid, though not extensive, feature set make the SD1000 a great choice for a compact camera.
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Where to buy
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| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 11/07/2009 |
CNET editors' review
Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH (Black) price range: $366.45
- Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
- Reviewed on: 03/14/2007
The good: Excellent image quality; solid build quality; speedy performance; optical viewfinder; face detection.
The bad: No manual exposure controls.
The bottom line: Small size, excellent image quality, and a solid, though not extensive, feature set make the SD1000 a great choice for a compact camera.
Last year marked the 10th anniversary of Canon's Elph cameras. The line started with a film camera, though the company's SD line of digital compacts still carries the Digital Elph moniker. Despite its four-digit number, Canon positions the PowerShot SD1000 as a replacement for last year's SD600, which also puts it below the new SD750 in the company's line. Resolution has been bumped up to 7.1 megapixels from the SD600's 6MP, but despite an almost identical controls layout (though different cosmetic design), Canon made a few changes on the inside.
The most noticeable internal change is the switch to the new Digic III processor. Canon says it enables longer battery life, faster startup, autofocus, and shutter response (we call this shutter lag). Plus, the processor adds enough number-crunching power to add face detection, red-eye reduction (in playback mode), and lets the SD1000 reach further heights of sensitivity--in this case ISO 1600. To Canon's credit, we did see some performance improvements over the SD600 (see our performance paragraph below for more).
While cosmetic differences abound, the SD600 and SD1000 actually have very similar control layouts. Canon places all buttons on the right half of the body. A slider lets you switch between still image capture, video recording, and playback. Other than three dedicated buttons, for Menu, Display, and Direct Printing, the only other control is the circular four-way rocker with a Function/Set button in the middle. We found the four-way rocker somewhat difficult to use. Since it's recessed and the rocker's ring isn't all that wide, on a number of occasions we hit the Function/Set button when we meant to hit the rocker.
The SD1000's new cosmetic look harkens back to the original Elph with the big black circle around its lens, but drew mixed reactions from the people to whom we showed our sample. Some were turned off by the overall boxy shape, though just as many admired the tiny, simple shape. Likewise, about half felt the look was too retro, while the other half admired the throwback design. If you don't like the black-on-silver design, Canon also offers a silver-on-silver version.
To date, Canon hasn't seen fit to include manual exposure controls in any of the cameras in the Digital Elph line, and the SD1000 continues this trend. On one level, it makes sense, since the target audience for these compacts is snapshooters who often don't know an f-stop from a shutter speed. While we can't hold this against Canon (its competitors do the same thing), with more and more pros and advanced shooters looking for pocketable back-up cameras, it might be time to broaden the scope of these models. Fourteen scene modes help you tackle specific situations, such as portraits, fireworks, and snowy scenes. Some of these appear in the main function menu, but Canon makes you press the menu button again to see them all. In addition to scene modes, there's also a full auto mode, as well as a mode marked manual, which lets you choose certain options, such as exposure compensation, white balance, and metering mode (evaluative, center weighted, or spot).
Covering an equivalent range of 35mm to 105mm, with a maximum aperture range of f/2.8 to f/4.9, this camera's 3X optical zoom lens is on par with the competition. However, we saw very little colored fringing in our test images, which leads us to believe it probably has higher quality glass than some compacts. The 2.5-inch LCD screen has a special coating intended to prevent glare, scratches, and fingerprints. We saw very little glare, but plenty of fingerprints. Thankfully, these were easily wiped away, though you'll probably want to carry a small microfiber cloth with you if smudges bother you. We were pleased to see that Canon still includes an optical viewfinder. Even if it is tiny and tunnel-like, it'll still come in handy in those situations when you've got your back to the wall, or you don't want the light from the LCD to bother others.
Performance was relatively speedy in our tests. The PowerShot SD1000 took 0.98 second to start up and capture its first JPEG. Subsequent JPEGs took 1.48 seconds between shots with the flash turned off and 2.44 seconds with the flash enabled. Shutter lag measured 0.45 second in our high-contrast test, which mimics bright shooting conditions, and 0.9 second in our low-contrast test, which mimics dim shooting conditions. Continuous shooting wasn't quite as fast as its 6MP predecessor. We measured approximately 1.7 frames per second regardless of image size. Canon's face detection system quickly and accurately detected most of the faces we tried. It seems to rely largely on eyes, as it got slightly confused when one of our lovely models closed hers.
Image quality from the PowerShot SD1000 was excellent in our tests, with accurate colors and plenty of sharpness. The camera's automatic white balance yielded slightly yellowish images with our test lab's Tungsten lights, though the Tungsten white balance preset compensated, producing very neutral colors. Canon keeps noise well under control from ISO 80 through ISO 200, though the company's noise reduction algorithms seem to pull out a minute amount of sharpness at ISO 200. At ISO 400 noise becomes more apparent, manifesting as a light covering of mostly bluish, off-color speckles. ISO 800 brings significantly more noise, though images may be usable for smaller prints (4x6 inch). However, a large amount of sharpness, along with a hefty amount of shadow detail is lost at this setting. ISO 1600 looks like shooting in a snow storm. At this top setting, sharpness becomes a distant fantasy and shadow detail rescinds into another inaccessible dimension. We suggest staying below ISO 800 whenever possible and don't suggest using ISO 1600 at all. Of course, that still puts this camera on par, or better, compared with its competition in terms of ISO noise.
Despite our minor gripes, the PowerShot SD1000 is a top-notch compact camera for its price range. Most users will be pleased with its excellent image quality and the useful, if not extensive, feature set. The most significant feature you won't find here is optical image stabilization, though at this price, you'd be hard pressed to find it elsewhere while maintaining a decent level of image quality at the same time.
(Shorter bars indicate better performance.)
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Typical shot-to-shot time | |
Time to first shot | |
Shutter lag (typical) |
(Longer bars indicate better performance.)
User reviews
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Great little camera - one weakness...
by pattyboy2121 on July 10, 2007
Pros: Photo Quality, Speed, Screen Size
Cons: digital zoom is not great
Summary: Purchased this cam for an Alaskan Cruise - Pics came out really great... as long as I didn't use the digital zoom. Better to just use reg zoom and ...
Summary: Purchased this cam for an Alaskan Cruise - Pics came out really great... as long as I didn't use the digital zoom. Better to just use reg zoom and crop since the pixels are pretty high. Bummer is I didn't try the digital zoom til the trip so a handful of pics of really cool spots were total losses.
13 out of 17 users found this user opinion helpful.
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for me, the best of its class
by hopeyfix on March 26, 2007
Pros: excelent image quality; great screen; firm focus
Cons: few manual settings
Summary: still getting acquaited with it, but since i wanted something that fitted in my pocket and looked stylish when out of it for the days i don't wanna carry ...
Summary: still getting acquaited with it, but since i wanted something that fitted in my pocket and looked stylish when out of it for the days i don't wanna carry my dslr around, but still delivered a good performance, and more important, great images, this one fits my expectations. made me very happy after a very frustrating weekend with a sony dsc-w70.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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The perfect little camera
by natezire71 on June 12, 2007
Pros: Everything...right down to the processer
Cons: None I cant think of!
Summary: I love this camera! Its perfect, it takes great pictures, very compact, and looks cool. Everyone should get this one-of a kind camera!Its the best thing since toilet paper! ...
Summary: I love this camera! Its perfect, it takes great pictures, very compact, and looks cool. Everyone should get this one-of a kind camera!Its the best thing since toilet paper! I gave it a 10 because it is outstanding. The one thing I found out is that, if you tilt the camera while previewing them, the picture rotates as does the camera! Very cool! It has a total of 12 different modes. Great picture, hardly any blur. Another thing, there is a continous mode, which shoots very very fast, almost as fast as my Digital SLR!! And the battery life is great, it lasted me a week...only using the viewfinder. You got to get this camera to believe it!
2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
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good buy...
by faithremix on May 27, 2007
Pros: price, cute compact
Cons: square design, kind of odd but unique, image quality
Summary: pictures of the lcd screen look amazing but when you actually upload them and view it, it can be disappointing... movie quality is good on it, much better than previous ...
Summary: pictures of the lcd screen look amazing but when you actually upload them and view it, it can be disappointing... movie quality is good on it, much better than previous powershot models
2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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you get what you paid for
by lizardxtrme on March 10, 2008
Pros: Size, battery life, view finder
Cons: features, sluggish
Summary: This camera has great size but lacks in performance. For being a fairly cheap, it was worth every penny. It was what I expected. Good size, but the shutter speed ...
Summary: This camera has great size but lacks in performance. For being a fairly cheap, it was worth every penny. It was what I expected. Good size, but the shutter speed is sluggish and pictures become blurry during any action movement. You will have to play with ISO in manual to fix this problem. Also, night shots are saturated.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Nice package in a small compact size
by hangdawg on January 12, 2008
Pros: Small size, good features
Cons: no image stabilizer
Summary: This is a nice little camera with a good feature set in a compact size. Great for point and shoot, take anywhere, use anytime situations. Would like to see image ...
Summary: This is a nice little camera with a good feature set in a compact size. Great for point and shoot, take anywhere, use anytime situations. Would like to see image stabilization feature like on the 800IS. Start up time is fast, pictures are sharp with good color reproduction and battery life is good.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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For what it does it is perfect
by Iwantone on December 3, 2007
Pros: Small, great pictures and movie mode, doesn't overload the pixels
Cons: No Image stability, want this camera in phone!!!
Summary: Any camera purchase really is based on what you need the camera for. In my case I need a relaible, LIGHTWEIGHT point and shoot that I can take in my ...
Summary: Any camera purchase really is based on what you need the camera for. In my case I need a relaible, LIGHTWEIGHT point and shoot that I can take in my already overloaded laptop bag and take pictures of our installations and our competitors- and this camera is PERFECT for that. It has the same shortcomings as ALL cameas in this small point and shoot form factor range- no manual controls, red eye (but can be corrected in camera) and limited optical zoom and of course the artifacting starting at ISO400 (bad in low light)
But this camera is just perfect for that take anywhere point and shoot- and the street price in the $170's just cant be beat, even by the other Canons in this range the SD800 series.
I got the black ringed version looks WAYY cool in a retro kind of way. The LCD is really perfect and the movie mode takes it 30 fps and is surprisingly smooth.
Also this camera has two useful accessories- I have the external flash reduce red eye and increase flash range and underwater case.
Maybe my favorite thing about this camera is it tops at 7 Mpixels. The "cool" factor is always the maxed out Mpixel count at the expense of making the cameras pictures free from distortion,and give perfect color accuracy. Kudos to Canon for making the pictures great and not overloading the sensor.
Unless you need a bigger zoom (I ALWAYS want more zoom) or must have optical image stability (havent shot a blurry picture yet though) this is the point and shoot you should buy hands down. My 5th Canon they were all good- own a Nikon for higher end that I really like too.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent quality camera
by danielkwood on July 21, 2007
Pros: Great quality pics, very fast, face detection, well constructed
Cons: Not very attractive design
Summary: This is an awesome camera, really great value! The photo quality is very good, the face detection actually works very well, it is well constructed - quite solid, yet light (...
Summary: This is an awesome camera, really great value! The photo quality is very good, the face detection actually works very well, it is well constructed - quite solid, yet light (although not the most attractive design but this doesn't really matter much). The camera works really fast (takes photos, processes and starts up fast). The screen size is good and it is easy to use. I love the camera!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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LOVE This Camera!
by Jeepgyrl25 on May 6, 2007
Pros: Powers on, takes great pictures quickly!
Cons: None that I've found thus far.
Summary: My husband and I wanted a backup camera that we could fit in our pocket when it wasn't convenient to carry around our primary (and much larger) camera. We ...
Summary: My husband and I wanted a backup camera that we could fit in our pocket when it wasn't convenient to carry around our primary (and much larger) camera. We originally bought a cheap, relatively unknown brand for about $120, and quickly found out that YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! Needless to say, we returned that camera this weekend and picked up the SD1000. It powers on quickly, requires minimal time between shots, and takes phenomenal pictures. We've taken pictures inside and out, day and night, and they've all come out great. And it's very small and very convenient to take with you. Worth every penny!
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Another Great Canon Camera!!
by indiansensatn07 on August 9, 2009
Pros: fast, takes great pictures and crisp images. bright and vivid without overexposing.
Cons: few manual controls
could use a more natural feel like the SD700
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 1861B001
- Description: Canon looked to the very first ELPH for inspiration when designing the PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH, and came up with a quintessential iteration of the icon: slim, clean-lined and fully flat. Inside, the SD1000 Digital ELPH looks only to the future: 7.1 megapixels, a 3x optical zoom and advanced DIGIC III ensure top-quality images, while focus is fast and sharp and red-eye is automatically corrected. The large and more colorful LCD screen now has a tough, anti-reflective coating that makes it as durable as it is beautiful.
General
- Product Type Digital camera - Compact
- Width 3.4 in
- Depth 0.7 in
- Height 2.1 in
- Weight 4.4 oz
- Enclosure Color Black
Main Features
- Resolution 7.1 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 7,400,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 7,100,000 pixels
- Light Sensitivity ISO 80, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO auto
- Digital Zoom 4 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Indoor, Foliage, Aquarium, Fireworks, Color swap, Underwater, Kids & pets, Color accent, Digital macro, Portrait mode, Stitch assist, Night snapshot
- Special Effects Sepia, Vivid, Neutral, Vivid Red, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Black & White, Custom Effect, Positive Film, Darker Skin Tone, Lighter Skin Tone
- Max Shutter Speed 1/1500 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Evaluative, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Manual, Program, Automatic
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- Face Detection Yes
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (daylight)
- Digital Video Format AVI
- Still Image Format JPEG
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 640 x 480 - 14 sec - With 32MB card, AVI - 640 x 480 - 20 sec - With 32MB card, AVI - 320 x 240 - 38 sec - With 32MB card, AVI - 320 x 240 - 67 sec - With 32MB card, AVI - 160 x 120 - 189 sec - With 32MB card
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 32 MB Flash
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage Super-fine JPEG 3072 x 1728 : 12 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 3072 x 1728 : 20 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 3072 x 1728 : 42 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 9 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 15 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 32 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 11 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 20 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 41 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 18 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 32 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 64 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 29 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 52 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 99 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 111 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 171 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 640 x 480 : 270 - With 32MB card
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 1 ft - 11.5 ft
- Features AF illuminator
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 5.8 mm - 17.4 mm - F/2.8-4.9
- Focal Length 5.8 mm - 17.4 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 35 - 105 mm
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
- Min Focus Range 11.8 in
- Macro Focus Range 3-50cm
- Lens Aperture F/2.8-4.9
- Optical Zoom 3 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Features Aspherical lens, Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features AE lock, AF lock, Blur warning, DPOF support, Direct print, Auto ISO shift, Face detection, Audio recording, Auto power save, PictBridge support, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction, In-camera red-eye removal, Display brightness control, Camera orientation detection
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type Optical - Real-image zoom
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.5 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- Display Format 230,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x Composite video/audio output, 1 x USB
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
- Software Canon ImageBrowser, Drivers & Utilities, Canon ZoomBrowser EX
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows ME, MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows Vista, Apple Mac OS X 10.2 or later
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Microsoft Certifications Certified for Windows Vista
- Included Accessories Wrist strap
- Cables Included A/V cable, USB cable
Power
- Power Device Battery charger - External
Battery
- Supported Battery Canon NB-4L
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery ( Included )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Product series
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Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH (Silver)
Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: Ultracompact, 7.1 megapixels, 3 x, 2.5 in LCD display, - SD Memory Card
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Canon PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH (Black)
Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: Ultracompact, 7.1 megapixels, 3 x, 2.5 in LCD display, 32 MB
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Canon USA
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon USA products on Shopper.com
-
- Website: http://estore.usa.canon.com/
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
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