First Impressions: Canon Powershot SD780 IS

As I remove the tiny device from its ecologically friendly packaging, the first thing I notice is its heft; It’s solid and substantial. If feels like a real camera, and yet it seems too small to be a real camera.

The design of the all-metal case is, in a word, elegant. It looks like a serious camera, not like consumer bling. The layout of the controls is simple and ergonomic. There’s no mode dial, just a single, three position slide switch to select from Auto, Program and Video modes. The remainder of the buttons are flush-mounted and conform to the rounded shape of the camera’s edges. They do take a little getting used to, but nothing that gets in the way of operation. This camera is about portability, and to that end, they are as they should be.

This camera was designed from the ground up to slip comfortably in a pocket, which is exactly how I plan to use it. A jacket pocket, a shirt pocket; that little pocket in your jeans that you’re not quite sure what to do with. The primary factor was portability, with image quality a close second. But the compromise is not nearly as great as I had first imagined. This camera takes great pictures.

I charge the battery, slip in an SD card, and summarily ignore the user manual. That’s my first usability test. It’s a camera; I get cameras. I shouldn’t have to read a manual to operate it. And I don’t.

The shooting experience is heightened by the availability of image review, an important feature missing from the Nikon P5100. At first, I had my doubts about the optical viewfinder, which seems an impossibility in a camera this small. But it works very well, especially when the image review kicks in to reinforce your confidence level. The experience is more like shooting with the D90 than the P5100. Plus, you can use the auto mode with the LCD display off, not an option on the P5100.

The quieter, tinnier simulated shutter sound seems more metallic, and as such, more precise. The camera seems faster, more responsive. If you really want to, you can just press the shutter and take the picture without waiting to focus, and the shutter lag is much more tolerable than the Nikon P5100. This is quite liberating, and makes it feel more like a real camera.

There’s an impressive array of features and manual control. The program mode gives you full control over the camera, except for depth of field due to the missing A or S modes. The many “Scene” modes, sub-categories of the P menu, tailor the cameras settings to specific shooting conditions, relinquishing control over white balance, ISO, etc. to the camera. Learning these modes will be essential to getting the most out of this camera.

As she holds up a bamboo rolling pin, my wife says to me, “The right tool speaks to you”, which was the whole premise of purchasing this camera. Seeing it in a store window, it spoke to me, and after a little research, I answered. I’ve been on the fence about purchasing a compact digital camera, but finding the right tool at the right time has made the choice clear.