Canon SD750 Performance

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Canon SD750 Performance

Timing and Performance

Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	0.8 second	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.
Shutdown	1.0 second	How long it takes to retract lens and stow in your pocket.
Buffer clearing time	1.5 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, first shot	2.5 seconds	Time until first shot is captured
Record to play	0.8 second	Time to display a large/superfine file immediately after capture
Display recorded image	0.7 second	Time to display a large/superfine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time)
Full Autofocus Wide	0.38 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.47 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.081 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large SuperFine JPEG	1.52 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.
Single Shot mode 640x480 Normal JPEG	1.42 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	0.62 second (1.63 frames per second); 1.5 seconds to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Continuous mode 640x480 Normal JPEG	0.62 second (1.63 frames per second); 1 second to clear	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.
Flash recycling	8.9 seconds	Flash at maximum output.
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	2,533 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 SD750's performance ranges from quite fast to just average, beginning with its quick start-up time. The slowest time is in switching modes from play to record, at 2.5 seconds. Shutter lag at wide angle and telephoto zoom settings is quite good, and "prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) are also fast, with a shutter delay of only 0.081 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are a little better than average these days, at about 1.52 seconds for large/superfine JPEGs, and the camera captures frames continuously at this rate. Continuous-mode speed is about average for this class, at 1.6 frames/second, and the camera captures frames continuously at this rate too. The flash is below average at recycling, at 8.9 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 SD750 is responsive enough for most family photo opportunities, but its standard continuous shooting mode may prove a bit slow for sports or wiggly kids. That issue aside, overall performance is pretty good.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Fair battery life with the included rechargeable battery.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
LiIon rechargeable battery	210

The Canon Powershot SD750 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery pack for power, and both a battery and a charger are included with the camera. 210 shots is a little below average for this category, so we 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 SD750 accepts SD, SDHC, and MMC memory cards, and comes with a 32MB MMC card.

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	6.1 MB	4.3 MB	1.9 MB
2,592 x 1,944	Images	11	21	41
2,592 x 1,944	File Size	4.1 MB	2.4 MB	1.2 MB
2,048 x 1,536	Images	18	33	64
2,048 x 1,536	File Size	1.1 MB	593 KB	311 KB
1,600 x 1,200	Images	29	52	99
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	1.4 MB	981 KB	498 KB
640 x 480	Images	110	171	276
640 x 480	File Size	257 KB	177 KB	112 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SD/SDHC memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 2-4GB 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.)