Canon PowerShot SD800 IS

Pros: Speed and quality at what it is designed to do plus a little more

Cons: Canon has created the missing link in digital photo ... it packs everything you want in a point and shoot, short of the nice to have option of manual adjustment.

Summary: Alright, by now you've probably already read the "Editor's Take" from CNet. So you're wondering, are you going to miss the manual controls? Are you going to be disappointed by the noise at higher ISOs?

Let's get jiggy with it! The SD800 rocks my world. "I see things" ... that most people don't think are there (not dead people). I was however hard pressed to see the noise that CNet's editors identified. In a wide variety of shooting environments, I have yet to be disappointed by the quality. Yes, if you ramp up the ISO, whether on the SD800 or any camera, digital or film, you're gonna see 'noise' or 'graininess'. Have we forgotten?

The SD800 packs all the speed and quality that we have come to expect from Canon in this very tiny unit. A little too tiny? Maybe.

The wide angle 28mm, you can't beat that. It really makes this investment worthwhile.

Alright, now for the missing features ... we don't have raw image formats, but really, how many have turned that on? And, we don't have aperture and shutter priority modes. I do miss them, but as far as this story goes, I can live with it and not think twice or be saddened! I wanted a point and shoot; I wanted it small; I wanted amazing quality; I wanted it packed with as much as I can get (I'm not sure why). I got pretty well all I can ask for.

Bottom line: if you're looking for a point and shoot that you can take anywhere, and rely on it to give you good shots (you compose), then this is the unit to go with! Nikon and Panasonic don't offer anything quite the same size or close to any of the features or performance.

Keep it up Canon! Don't slip like Nikon did.