Any Canon Powershot SD 750 series+ is great. Review on Canon PowerShot SD 800 IS

To anyone(especially women) looking for a compact purse camera, the Canons are a surefire winner. For guys - just drop them in your shirt pocket. Here's a non-technical run-down.

In India these series of cameras are called Canon Digital IXUS 75, 80, 860 etc.(not SD800 powershot in the heading of this review which is an US model designation). These are under the Canon India warranty so support is assured.

True - there are cheaper cameras than Canon and some are just as nice-looking.

But as far as well-exposed and blur-free'shaadi' and family pictures are concerned, these are very appropriate to the task because of the powerful flashes included. In the daytime they're even better and conserve battery because flash is not required. The amount of good shots from these cameras consistently rate higher than others.

In the Canon pecking order of cheaper to better point-n-shoot cameras,

-'A'series are low-performance budget cameras using AA batteries,

-'IXUS'series is the high-performance'chhota' pocket camera using lithium batteries and

- 'G' series(with G-9 powershot) is the highest level point-n-shoot with professional features.

I believe the IXUS 75 and 80 are still available at suggested retail of Rs. 14, 000 which means you can get one for say Rs. 12, 500 or thereabouts. This is what I have and what I recommend for people to buy unless budget is a problem.

Beware though that the IXUS 85 and 90 are even smaller at a similar pricepoint but the reviews have not been as good for them. So  IXUS 75, 80 or 860 is what you need :). The IXUS 80 by the way comes in very nice jewel-tone colors for people who want to individualize their purchase. The IXUSseries use special Lithium batteries only available from Canon. Some aftermarket batteries are also available in developed countries. Make sure that the lithium batteries are charged before that special occasion to avoid disappointment.

If budget is an issue then the cheaper A series can be chosen but these are a lot bigger/bulkier.A series suggested retail can be Rs. 7000 to Rs. 9000 for some of the lower-end models(A470, 570 etc.). They'll work just fine but(for you ladies) you can't exactly hide them in a beaded wedding purse.

The G-series(e.g. G9 model) retails at Rs. 30, 000 and contains professional features. It is a bit of an overkill and is meant for diehard photo-nuts. It is superquick, processes RAW files but IMHO most people will do fine with an IXUS 75, 80 or 860 instead.

The secret of the great pictures from a Canon IXUS model is the processing circuit(DIGIC-III) and the excellent image sensor, which though small, does a very good job. The lenses though small are also distortion and aberration free. If you want to get technical - all Geometric distortions, even in wide angle shots, have been minimized.

Canon unlike other companies doesn't cut corners in technical areas to make a cheaper compact camera. Canon's smaller'IXUS' series cameras are typically US$50 more than other Nikon, Pentax and Sony cameras of the same type - but they're worth the extra money. You don't buy a camera everyday - buy a good one.

Your memories are definitely worth it:)

P.S. Some have mentioned red-eye as a challenge. Avoiding red-eye is simply achieved by choosing the relevant flash-mode. The following are all the flash modes for the Canon IXUS 860.

Auto, Auto w/ Red-Eye Reduction, Auto w/ Slow Synchro, Flash On, Flash-On w/ Red-Eye Reduction, Flash On w/ Slow Synchro, Flash Off

Now any mode from above that says'Red-eye reduction' should work(e.g. two modes above

'Auto w/ Red-Eye Reduction' &

'Flash-On w/ Red-Eye Reduction'

which essentially give out a few small bursts of pre-flash before the major flash burst so that peoples' pupils are closed down and red-eye is minimized). With point-n-shoot cameras like these with on-board flash - red-eye is a little hard to avoid but the above modes will help minimize red-eye.

I don't want to get too technical with the other flash modes but this is one feature-packed camera which allows you to use the flash during daytime as well for filling in shadows, read-up on the manual and you'll see that you can do fill-flash(by using the'Flash On' mode)so you can bring out people's faces when shooting against the sun etc.:) Just use the lightning bolt symbol on the right hand edge of the four-way dial(to the right of'function set button' in the middle) and cycle through all the flash modes and find the mode that is the same as the lighting bolt symbol which means'Flash On'mode.

As mentioned above you can also turn off the flash completely with the'Flash Off' mode(i.e lightning bolt with a circle-dash).

Now a few more things about choosing the'right' Canon.

My best choices(again) among the current Canon India point-n-shoot cameras are IXUS 75, IXUS 80 (US market SD-750, SD-800 Digital ELPH) and IXUS 860 IS(US market SD-870 IS Digital ELPH). I own the IXUS 75(among 15 other cameras) and my cousin owns the IXUS 860 IS - so I have first-hand experience with both.

So far I prefer the following features in the latest IXUS models,

1. Wide angle lens(28mm is good for scenic pictures which the IXUS 860 has)

   
   




2. Separate'push' playback button(IXUS 75, 80 and IXUS 860all have them - playback button on a dial wears out the dial as you switch back and forth)

   
   




3. Face-detection(I believe the latest cameras all have this feature - great for focus accuracy)

   
   




4. Large LCD screen(3" or better)

   
   

Please don't be misled by Megapixel claims - higher megapixels don't make for better shots. Trust me. Anything above six megapixel is plenty. Save your money and don't go for the marketing gimmicks for the latest twelve megapixel wonder!  ;)

Hope that helps.

-Manobendra