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Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Performance
Timing and Performance
Good to average speed for a consumer camera, though markedly slow continuous shooting cycle times.
| Startup/Shutdown | ||
|---|---|---|
|
Power on |
1.2 seconds
|
Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy. |
|
Shutdown |
1.3 seconds
|
How long it takes to retract lens and stow in your pocket. |
|
Buffer clearing time |
2 seconds
(large/superfine JPEG) |
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. |
| Mode switching | ||
|
Play to Record, |
3.1 seconds
|
Time until first shot is captured |
|
Record to play |
0.9 seconds
|
Time to display a large/superfine file immediately after capture |
|
Display |
1.4 second
|
Time to display a large/superfine file already on the memory card. |
| Shutter response (Lag Time) | ||
|
Full Autofocus Wide |
0.58 second
|
Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position. |
|
Full Autofocus Tele |
0.51 second
|
Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position. |
|
Prefocused |
0.08 second
|
Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button. |
| Cycle time (shot to shot) | ||
|
Single Shot mode
Large SuperFine JPEG |
2.22 seconds
|
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots. |
|
Single Shot mode |
2.19 seconds
|
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots. |
|
Early shutter |
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 |
1.47 second (0.68 frames per second);
1.5 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. |
|
Continuous mode |
1.47 second (0.68 frames per second);
1.5 seconds to clear |
Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first. |
|
Flash recycling |
7.5 seconds
|
Flash at maximum output. |
| Download speed | ||
| Windows Computer, USB 2.0 |
3,107 KBytes/sec | Typical Values: |
| *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 SD850 IS's performance here is pretty good overall, though the camera has very slow continuous shooting speeds of only 0.68 frames per second, regardless of resolution and quality settings. Shutter lag at wide angle and telephoto zoom settings is very good, and "prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are blazingly fast, with a shutter delay of only 0.08 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are on the slower side of average these days, at about 2.22 seconds for large/superfine JPEGs, though the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. Flash recycle time is about average, at 7.5 seconds after a full-power shot. Connected to a computer, download speeds are quite fast, so you won't feel a need for a separate card reader. Bottom line, the PowerShot SD850 IS is a good camera for average shooting conditions, though you'll need something a little zippier for wriggling children or sporting events.
Battery and Storage Capacity
Battery
Short battery life with the LCD enabled, much better life without it.
| Operating Mode | Number of Shots |
|---|---|
| Lithium-ion rechargeable battery Rear-panel LCD (CIPA standard) |
230 |
| Lithium-ion rechargeable battery Eye-level viewfinder |
700 |
The Canon PowerShot SD850 IS uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and a battery and charger are included with the camera. Though runtimes are increased by switching off the LCD monitor, I strongly recommend picking up a spare battery and keeping it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.
The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on a fully-charged rechargeable battery), 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 PowerShot SD850 IS accepts SD/SDHC/MMC memory cards, and comes with a 32MB starter card.
| Image Capacity with 32MB Memory Card |
SuperFine | Fine | Normal | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3,264 x 2,448 |
Images
|
8 | 14 | 29 |
|
File Size
|
3.6 MB | 2.2 MB | 1.0 MB | |
| 2,592 x 1,944 |
Images
|
11 | 21 | 41 |
|
File Size
|
2.6 MB | 1.5 MB | 762 KB | |
| 2,048 x 1,536 |
Images
|
18 | 33 | 65 |
|
File Size
|
1.7 MB | 966 KB | 491 KB | |
| 1,600 x 1,200 |
Images
|
29 | 52 | 99 |
|
File Size
|
1.1 MB | 610 KB | 322 KB | |
| 640 x 480 |
Images
|
111 | 171 | 269 |
|
File Size
|
288 KB | 186 KB | 119 KB | |
We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SD/SDHC memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 4GB 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.)
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Note: For details, test results, and analysis of the many tests done with this camera, please click on the tabs at the beginning of the review or below.
Also Consider...
Click below for similar cameras from our Dave's Picks section.
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Canon PowerShot SD950 IS Digital ELPH 12.1 megapixels, 3.70x zoom |
$363.43 Check Prices! |
|
A versatile take-anywhere camera with excellent print quality
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Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W170 10.1 megapixels, 5.00x zoom |
$291.83 Check Prices! |
|
Good looks and good shots combine with great features to make a smart choice
|
||
 |
Canon PowerShot SD870 IS Digital ELPH 8.0 megapixels, 3.80x zoom |
$268.97 Check Prices! |
|
With its 28mm lens, the Canon SD870 IS would be a dream camera even without all its other impressive features
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||
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All Around | Long Zoom | Budget | Professional SLR | Consumer SLR | Mid-size | Macro
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