Canon SD1000 Performance

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Canon PowerShot SD1000 Performance

Timing and Performance

Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

Mode switching
Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	1.1 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	1.1 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens.
Buffer clearing time	2 seconds (2 seconds buffer clearing after LSF JPEGs)	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Play to Record, first shot	1.3 seconds	Time until first shot is captured
Record to play	1.0 second	Time to display a large/superfine file immediately after capture
Display recorded image	3.1 seconds	Time to display a large/superfine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time):
Full Autofocus Wide	0.36 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.40 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.085 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large SuperFine JPEG	2.14 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 Normal JPEG	1.99 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Early shutter penalty?	No	Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.
Continuous mode Large SuperFine JPEG	1.33 second (0.75 frames per second); 2 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Continuous mode 640x480 Normal JPEG	1.26 second (0.79 frames per second); 2 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Flash recycling	8 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	3,410 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-769=USB 2.0 Low; Above 770=USB 2.0 High
*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode.

The Canon PowerShot SD1000's performance ranges from good to just average, though its 8-second flash recycle time is slow. Start-up time is reasonably fast at just over one second. Shutter lag at wide angle and telephoto zoom settings is quite fast, and "prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are fast as well, with a shutter delay of only 0.085 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are a little longer than average these days, at about 2 seconds for large/superfine JPEGs, but the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. Continuous-mode speed is on the slow side, at about 0.75 frame/second, though the camera captures frames continuously. Connected to a computer, download speeds are quite fast, so you won't feel a need for a separate card reader. Bottom line, the Canon SD1000 is responsive enough for most family photo opportunities, though its continuous shooting mode is a tad slow for active kids or sporting events.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Average battery life with LCD on, but much better life with LCD off.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
LiIon rechargeable battery, LCD on (CIPA standard)	210
LiIon rechargeable battery, LCD off	600

The Canon PowerShot SD1000 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power. Runtimes are about average for a LiIon design with the LCD on, but very good with it off. We recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep in charged and on-hand for extended outings, especially if you plan on using the LCD a lot.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Canon PowerShot SD1000 accepts SD/MMC memory cards, and a 32MB card is included with the camera.

Image Capacity with 32MB Memory Card		SuperFine	Fine	Normal
3,072 x 2,304	Images	9	15	32
3,072 x 2,304	File Size	3.3 MB	2.0 MB	984 KB
2,592 x 1,944	Images	11	21	41
2,592 x 1,944	File Size	2.7 MB	1.5 MB	762 KB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	18	33	65
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	1.7 MB	966 KB	491 KB
1,600 x 1,200	Images	29	52	99
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	1.1 MB	610 KB	322 KB
640 x 480	Images	111	171	269
640 x 480	File Size	288 KB	186 KB	119 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SD/MMC memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)