Canon PowerShot SD1000 / Digital IXUS 70 Digital Camera

I've had the Canon SD1000 for about four months now, and I carry it with me almost all the time. The camera is tiny, smaller than a deck of cards, and the case is matte finished metal that stands up well to wear. The small size makes it easy to stash in a shirt pocket for quick use. Despite the small size, the buttons are reasonably easy to use, and the menus are not too difficult to navigate. Unlike many digital cameras, the Canon SD1000 also has an optical viewfinder. When you're in a very bright setting, the optical viewfinder can be much easier to use than the LCD display.

I use the SD1000 in automatic mode most of the time, and the pictures are generally very good. The camera powers up quickly and the shutter usually responds with very little delay. The camera has a 3X optical zoom which is pretty standard in modern digital cameras, and also has automatic face detection so that the camera will normally select the proper focus to emphasize the faces of your subjects.

The Canon's movie mode is very good, and is probably adequate for most impromptu recording situations, but one shortcoming is that the zoom lens doesn't zoom in the movie mode. You can zoom the lens before you start recording, but once started, you can't change the zoom. Movies record with sound, and the sound is better than I expected. I would think that many users would find the SD1000's video mode a good substitute for video camera.

There are two features that I really like about the Canon SD1000. I love the macro mode. You can take shots as close as an inch or so from the lense, and the results are good. I also like the movie mode's ability to take time lapse movies. The camera will add a frame to a movie at intervals of one or two seconds without sound. Admittedly, it's a bit of a gimmick, but I think many users will find uses for the feature.