Canon Powershot SD10 4MP Digital Camera (White)
By: Canon Average Rating: 4.5 Total Reviews: 8
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 On: 2006-06-11
I have two of these cameras, the silver one and the bronze. The bronze one takes blurry photos 50% of the time. I thought it was defective. Now the silver one takes blurry photos also. Piece of crap! I guess the shutter speed is too slow. There is no way to adjust any settings on the Menu to prevent this. Skip this camera.
 On: 2005-07-21
I recently took this lil cam on a trip overseas and am extremely happy with the pictures that it took. Color and clarity are top notch, what I expect from Canon. Its very compact and easy to carry around. Just be sure its in a safe pocket or bag, you wouldnt want to leave it behind.
The SD10 does lack optical zoom, which is advantageous in some ways. Its easier to use (no zoom controls to fiddle with) so strangers can just point & shoot in those situations when you want a picture of yourself. "Zoom with your feet". Not having to fiddle with zoom controls also makes for quicker shooting. Use a paint program afterwards to crop what you want to keep in the pic.
This isnt a replacement for a full-sized digicam. But it sure gives them a run for their money. I wouldnt take any other cam on a long trip. The charger is universal 100-240v 50/60Hz, so no power converter is necessary (just a plug adapter depending on where youre going).
 On: 2005-05-05
Im not really involved in the digital photo scene so this wont be a super technical review.
I purchased this camera because of the size. Its about the size of a mobile phone, smaller than some, larger than others. It fits perfectly in the phone sized pocket of my shoulder bag.
Operation is mostly simple. Power it on with one button, focus and shoot with a different button. The location of these two buttons is pretty ergonomic - they make sense. I havent taken a single picture with part of my hand shadowing the flash or found any fingers in the shot. In the past 14 months, Ive taken over 2500 pictures with this unit and had no fingers in the pictures, so I think thats pretty ergonomic for a small camera.
The zoom is digital which makes it useless - if you zoom in, you can just see bigger pixels, so dont buy it for the zoom, ok?
Manual operation is hit and miss. Some of the settings Ive found to be superior to the default point and shoot mode but for the most part I think youre better off using it in automatic mode. For one thing, its really hard to find a setting where you can turn the flash off without leaving the shutter open forever. That means I cant use the camera in many museums because most restrict the use of a flash. Of course, a DIY fix for that would be to cover the flash securely with something like electrical tape, but I really dont like the idea of that.
Battery life is long, if you use the actual Canon batteries. I purchased a couple of aftermarket batteries and they only last for a couple hours of turn on, take a couple photos, turn off and repeat. So for vacation when you really need to rely on a spare, buy an actual Canon battery. Its worth the extra dough.
The case that comes with the unit is quite nice. You shouldnt need to spend more $ to buy another one. I dont like the velcro on the case so much because it gets stuck on the little camera strap and makes the strap look all scuzzy, but maybe you can find a better strap. Any cell phone strap could be used. Try to find one that will fit around your hand for security. Ive dropped the unit once and its okay so far but I wouldnt want to risk any damage.
The battery charger is small - no cord. On the US model it plugs into any two prong outlet. Doesnt work well on a power strip because it has a large footprint. But on a regular double outlet with a normal plug in one, this charger will fit just fine in the other outlet. On a totally dead battery it takes about 35 minutes to fully charge it.
The manual is descriptive. Keep it handy when youre getting started. Dont just use the quick start guide. Youll want to know how to use those manual settings from time to time. Take it with you on vacation.
Video mode is okay. The mic is quite sensitive - better than I had suspected. You wont get a particularly large image but you can find video editing programs that will enable you to enhance the video you record. For fun little snippets to send to friends via e-mail, which is what I wanted, its great.
Sorting through the images and videos is extra simple. Deleting unwanted images is just as simple. Be careful, or you might delete something you meant to keep.
The unit does come with a 16mb SD card but thats too small for use in reality. Go to the store and buy a 256 or a 512 MB card and youll be able to take way more pictures than your battery will allow. You should not need more than one 512 for a 10 day vacation. Seriously. I like that it uses SD cards because theyre still quite easy to find. And unlike other camera brands, you can buy any brand SD card.
I can tell you that some SD cards are faster than others, which will affect your between snapshot time more than the camera itself. Im using a PNY card and its much faster than the card that came with the camera. Unfortunately, most of those cards are made by 2 or 3 manufacturers and then rebranded by the sellers. If you feel that it takes too long to take one photo after another, try a different card. Dont blame the camera.
There is a cable included to directly connect the camera to a device. You could use that but honestly I think its easier to take the card out and insert into a card reader. Many computers have them built in. If yours doesnt, you can buy a reader at any electronics retailer for about $9-30 depending on how many types of cards it can read. All you need is SD reader.
Would I buy this camera again? Yes I think so. Its not everything I wanted but almost everything. 4MP is still nothing to sneeze at - the images are quite good. Usually the only modifications I have to make are to orient the photos 90 degrees(I take a lot of portrait shaped pictures, which default to view sideways when you look at them on your computer.)
Buy with confidence and enjoy this little thing. Every time I use it people still say "wow its such a small camera!" If thats important to you, youll really like it.
On: 2004-12-03
While its not necessarily the best camera for professional photography, it is awesome for everday shots. Being only a bit larger than a cellphone, its sleek size really does the trick to slip in your pocket, and it really impresses people to boot. The only problem is a lack of a viewfinder, but you get used to that quick.
On: 2004-12-02
While its not necessarily the best camera for professional photography, it is awesome for everday shots. Being only a bit larger than a cellphone, its sleek size really does the trick to slip in your pocket, and it really impresses people to boot. The only problem is a lack of a viewfinder, but you get used to that quick.
by: Anonymous On: 2004-07-14
I just got my camra today! Its the cutest thing ever. Its smaller than the rest of the camras on the market. The 4.0 mega pix is a plus too! WOW I love it. Its smaller than my cell phone. You should get it too!
by: Anonymous On: 2004-05-27
*OK so this bad boy is TINYYYY. You will never have to worry about carrying a bulky camera again, plus its really ultra chic and trendy looking. HUGE PLUS.*Unlike a lot of other digital cameras that take forever to take a picture, this thing is faaaaast. The time between each snap shot is fast too. VERY impressive. *Im not a professional photog but if your just about quality photos without all the technical craziness then this camera is perfect for you. Right out the box its super easy to work with without having to first read the lengthy manual(s). *The digital zoom on this thing is more than cute enough to accomodate you and I find that it doesnt distort the photos or comprimose the quality of the pic. I understand there are a lot of people that dont care for this dital zoom feature but It hasnt been a problem for me. *Its so tiny you feel like its the most fragile thing in the world. Its roughly about the size of a credit card! *Theres no optical viewfinder on this camera (for the lay person its the little hole most people look through on any other camera before taking a picture). I thought that it would be wierd having to look through the screen before flicking it up, and surprisingly its not. In fact taking pictures is easier now, * I havent used the cameras included software because my computer allows me to download my photos by inserting the memory disk directly into it so I cant comment on that particular aspect. *Im in loooove. *The ONLY bad thing about this little camera is that its so cute people want to hold it all the time and the belt clip is secured only by a leather velcro strip so it doesnt feel as secure as I would have liked. *This camera is soooooo worth the money. Click that "BUY NOW" option immediately and stop fooling around, you know you want it. = )
On: 2004-04-08
I just received my camera, my words cannot express how tiny this camera is (about the size and weight of a cell phone). I have various digital cameras and have found the tiny ones are the most useful, since they go everywhere with you. Digital zoom quality is very good. Upgraded my Minolta Dimage, which was a good camera as well, but this thing is tiny.
On: 2004-02-05
i used to own a canon powershot s300 digital elph and i loved it. i gave it to my parents so that they could get into the digital age. so i researched different cameras and i kept coming to the sd10. a lot of the reviews said that the one flaw it had was no viewfinder. i dont really care for it. i never used the viewfinder on my s300. im not a professional photographer. i love the size of this camera. its the same size as my drivers license! i love the clarity and the quick shot feature. it used to take forever to take a picture because of the shutter. now i dont miss a shot!
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