Canon SD870 IS Digital ELPH (IXUS 860 IS)
Review based on a production Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS (SD870 IS)
The SD870 IS (known in Europe as the IXUS 860 IS and in Japan as the IXY Digital 910IS), announced in August, is a replacement for the SD 800 IS (IXUS 850 IS), one of last year’s most popular ultra compacts. It retains the SD800′s optically stabilized 28-105mm (equiv.) zoom lens, making it one of the only cameras in this sector of the market with this useful wideangle capability, and throws a few new or upgraded features into the mix, including improved Face Detection AF and red-eye reduction in playback mode, and Auto ISO shift. The other changes are fairly predictable, with a larger screen and just under one million extra pixels. The highlights of the specification are as follows:
- 8.0 Megapixels and 3.8x zoom
- Wide angle 28mm lens with Optical Image Stabilizer
- DIGIC III with Advanced Noise Reduction and Face Detection AF/AE
- Safety Zoom (limits digital zoom to avoid interpolation)
- ISO 1600
- High resolution 3.0″ LCD
- 17 shooting modes including VGA movies (30 fps) with sound
- Optional accessories available, including Underwater Case
Key differences compared to SD 800 IS
The SD 870 IS is a distinctly gentle revision of the SD800 IS, launched around a year ago. It offers a larger screen than its predecessor but it loses the optical viewfinder to keep the overall body size virtually unchanged. It also gains a higher resolution sensor but loses out in terms of continuous shooting speed, with the frame rate dropping from 1.7fps to 1.3, suggesting the buffer has not been increased. Other noticeable gains include a useful user-definable function button, a touch control wheel and Auto ISO-shift function.
- More pixels (8.0 vs 7.4)
- Larger screen (3.0″ vs 2.5″)
SD870 IS / IXUS 860 IS specifications
| Street price | • $370 • £230 |
|---|---|
| Naming | • US name: Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital ELPH • European name: Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS • Japanese name: IXY Digital 910 IS |
| Body Material | Metal and plastic |
| Sensor | • 1/2.5 ” Type CCD • 8.0 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes | • 3264 x 2448 • 2592 x 1944 • 2048 x 1536 • 1600 x 1200 • 640 x 480 • 3264 x 1832 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 30fps • 640 x 480 @ 30fps (Long play) • 320 x 240 @ 30fps • 160 x 120 @ 15fps (Compact mode) |
| File formats | • JPEG Exif 2.2 • DCF • DPOF 1.1 • AVI Motion JPEG with WAVE monaural |
| Lens | • 4.6-17.3mm (28-105mm equiv) • F2.8-5.8 • 3.8x optical zoom |
| Image stabilization | Yes (lens shift-type) |
| Conversion lenses | None |
| Digital zoom | up to 4x |
| Focus | TTL |
| AF area modes | • AiAF (Face Detection / 9-point) • 1-point AF (fixed center) |
| AF assist lamp | Yes |
| Focus distance | Closest 3cm |
| Metering | • Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame) • Center-weighted average • Spot |
| ISO sensitivity | • Auto • High ISO Auto • ISO 80 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600 |
| Exposure compensation | • +/- 2EV • in 1/3 stop increments |
| Shutter speed | 15-1/1600 sec |
| Aperture | F2.8-5.8 |
| Modes | • Auto • Manual • Digital Macro • Color Accent • Color Swap • Stitch Assist • Movie • Special Scene |
| Scene modes | • Portrait • Night Snapshot • Kids & Pets • Indoor • Foliage • Snow • Beach • Fireworks • Aquarium • Underwater |
| White balance | • Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Tungsten • Fluorescent • Fluorescent H • Custom |
| Self timer | • 2 or 10secs • Custom |
| Continuous shooting | approx 1.3fps until card is full |
| Image parameters | My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color) |
| Flash | • Auto • Manual Flash on / off • Slow sync • Red-eye reduction • Range: 30cm-4.0m (wide) / 2.0m (tele) |
| Viewfinder | None |
| LCD monitor | • 3.0-inch P-Si TFT • 230,000 pixels |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • AV out |
| Print compliance | • PictBridge • Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP printers only) |
| Storage | • SD / SDHC / MMC card compatible • 32 MB card supplied |
| Power | • Rechargeable Li-ion battery NB-5L • Charger included • Optional AC adapter kit |
| Other features | • Optional High Power Flash HF-DC1 • Optional Waterproof Case (WP-DC17) |
| Weight (No batt) | 155 g (5.5 oz) |
| Dimensions | 92.6 x 58.8 x 25.9 mm (3.7 x 2.3 x 1.0 inch) |
