Canon PowerShot SD700 IS

Reviewed June 2006

Interface & Software

Interface

The interface of the PowerShot SD700 IS is clear and well designed and takes full advantage of the 2.5-inch LCD monitor. All the information superimposed on the monitor remains legible, irrespective of the colour of the underlying image coming from the monitor, thanks to the use of white characters and icons with black trims. However, it is regrettable that there is no indication of either the aperture, or the shutter speed selected by the camera; and that it is only when the shutter speed is so low that the stabilizer will be ineffective that it is displayed.

As with all compact Canon cameras, the use of the camera is facilitated by the Function menu that regroups all the most commonly needed parameters, displaying them over the image on the left side of the monitor, which still allows the subject to be seen, and does not prevent the use of the shutter release while the menu is on-screen.

The other menus of the camera, those displayed by pressing the MENU button, are also very legible. Options and settings are presented on a uniformly coloured background, making them legible at all times. Moreover, whatever the mode, the Setup menu, containing the most basic camera settings is always available. The Setup menu controls the following settings:

• Mute: On or Off, serves to mute all except warning sounds produced by the camera.
• Volume serves to adjust independently the volume for the sounds produced by the camera (from 1 to 5, or Off) for Start-up, Operation, Self-timer, Shutter Release, or Playback.

• LCD Brightness: allows adjusting the brightness of the LCD monitor over a range of ±7 steps.
• Power Saving has two settings, On or Off for Auto Power Down; and to set the delay after which the monitor turns off when there is no activity (10, 20, 30 seconds, or 1, 2, 3 minutes).
• Time Zone: allows setting both a local time (Home) and a World time, useful while travelling with the camera.
• Date/Time: serves to set the internal clock and calendar of the SD700 IS.

• Clock Display: serves to set the duration display time for the clock that is shown on the monitor when the FUNC. SET button is pressed for more than 1 second (adjustable from 1 second to 3 minutes).
• Format: to format a memory card, deleting all the images and movies on it, including those that have been protected. In addition an option is offered to perform a Low-level format on the card, which can allow it to return to its maximum read/write speed.

• File Numbering: decides whether images will be numbered consecutively, or if numbering will restart from 1 when a blank card is inserted, or the memory card is formatted.
• Create Folder serves to Create a New Folder into which images will be stored every time a new recording session is started (On or Off). Or Auto Create a new folder based on the day of the week, the month, or daily.

• Auto Rotate: On or Off. Automatically rotates images captured vertically so they appear with the correct orientation in Playback.
• Lens Retract: to select whether the camera retracts the lens instantly when it is in the Playback mode, or after a 1 minute delay.
• Language: English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Korean or Japanese.
• Video System serves to set the video out signal: NTSC or PAL.
• Print Method: this setting serves to set the camera to operate correctly when it is connected to a Canon Selphy CP710 or CP510 printer equipped with a paper roll so as to print border less widescreen images (16:9).
• Reset All: returns the camera to its original settings with the exception of the time and date, the interface language, video system, white balance, and colour mode.

The SD700 IS is accompanied by printed manuals that cover all the operations and functions of the camera. These manuals consist of a Basic Camera User Guide that provides a quick overview of the camera, and of its modes without going into much detail; and of an Advanced Camera User Guide, which covers the camera in detail. In addition, a card is supplied showing the complete camera system, all the accessories available, and how they relate or connect to the SD700 IS. Moreover a printed guide to printing is also offered, detailing how the camera functions with PictBridge, Exif Print, DPOF, Direct Print or Bubble Jet Direct printers; as well as a printed guide for the software.

Software

The North American version of the SD700 IS/IXUS 800 reviewed here is bundled with a single CD-ROM called Canon Digital Camera Solution Disk (version 28.2). The disc contains the following programs:

ZoomBrowser/Image Browser serves to organize photos and print them. It can also be used to make an image a monitor background, or a screen saver.

The main program window provides image tools on the left, and presents the folders on the computer underneath. While the images contained in the currently selected folder, either on a hard disk or on the camera’s memory card, or are shown on the right side of the window, in a thumbnail (index) view. If desired, once an image is selected the detailed shooting parameters can be shown in a separate window, including a histogram that reveals the distribution of brightness in the image.

Regrettably, however, if an image has been shot using the Auto ISO or High ISO setting, the precise ISO setting used by the camera is not shown.

Some image correction is possible with ZoomBrowser once an image has been selected. The image to be corrected is opened in a new window where overall corrections can be made for colour, brightness, sharpness, saturation and contrast, using sliders.

In addition it is possible to correct red-eye automatically, or the image can be cropped and text superimposed on it.

ArcSoft's PhotoStudio is a more advanced image editor that offers some tools that are reminiscent of tools available in Photoshop, such as a lasso that can be used to select specific sections of an image, or the possibility of working in layers.

QuickTime is supplied to see the movies captured with the SD700 IS.

And EOS Utility, also included on the disc, is designed for use with Canon's Digital single lens reflex cameras, and is part of the disc as it is bundled with all Canon cameras, compact or DSLR.