Saturday, February 20, 2010

SD1300 - Ongoing review

A few posts ago I wrote that Canon had released a new camera, the Canon PowerShot SD1300IS. Although it is not quite the same camera, it is likely the "replacement" camera to the SD1200 that I have and have written about so many times. Since I like that one, and use it as my camera I always carry around, I decided to try out the new SD1300IS. So over the next week or so, I will post raw photos and videos from both.


So what's different? A brief comparison would be:

SD1200
SD1300
10Mpixels
12Mpixels
35-105mm(3x)
28-112mm(4x)
Optical viewfinder
Only LCD

I know there is more differences, but these are the basic ones, and for some losing the optical viewfinder is enough reason for not looking at the new camera (even if we are gaining a slightly larger LCD at 2.7" instead of 2.5"). But for me, I do not use the optical viewfinder on these small cameras, so I do not care about that one. What I really like is the 28mm (wide angle) lens. And since they bumped up the zoom to 4x, you are not losing out in the long range anyway.



The cameras are really the same size and weight (give or take a little). And with the exception of the redesigned power button, they buttons and so are all in the same place. And to no surprise, almost all menu options are the same....


As you can see, the screen is really not that different. My bet is that the viewfinder is removed to save cost for Canon and not really for anything else. So, in operation I directly noticed that the SD1300 is more likely to chose one step higher ISO to compensate for camera shake. This is likely going to produce more keepers, but maybe at the cost of more noise? I will compare that another day.



Here are some shots with links to the direct JPEG from the camera first. All shots shown here is from SD1300.

SD1200 JPEG SD1300 JPEG


SD1200 JPEG SD1300 JPEG

SD1200 JPEG SD1300 JPEG


SD1200 JPEG SD1300 JPEG

SD1200 JPEG SD1300 JPEG - "auto mode"


SD1200 JPEG SD1300 JPEG - "program mode, -1 exp comp"

SD1200 JPEG SD1300 JPEG

SD1200 JPEG SD1300 JPEG

If you decide to buy (or try) the new camera, and you like to shop over at Amazon, please consider going through this link below: If you got something special you want me to try (or compare) please post it in a comment to this blog and I will (try to) do it. :)

13 comments:

Jay said...

It looks like the 1300 images are darker than the 1200?

Mats said...

I think it is more that the saturation is slightly higher. In non-auto mode, you can change this in the "custom colors".

Jay said...

It might be little early to determine but do you think its worth getting instead of the 1200?

wv said...

What about the 1200 compared to the 1100... I keep reading that the 1100 is better than the 1200... since I broke my beloved 1100 (after having it for over about 3 years - let it fall into water) I am 'upgrading' to the 1300. I hope its a good choice.

Unknown said...

Based on the fact that you've indicated that the SD1200 and S90 have comparable image quality, do you feel that the SD1300 and S90 are even more closely matched? I' looking at one or the other (as well as the 940) and can't decide which to get for my every day, take everywhere, always camera.

Mats said...

Anne: Just keep in mind, the S90 is much more powerful if you want to experiment and take control. The image quality in auto is what I compared.

I have been very busy at work, so I have not tested the SD1300 more yet. Thee SD1200 and SD1300 seems very similar so far. The 28mm vs 35mm lens start is the biggest change.

Unknown said...

Thanks for your quick response. I love your blog!

Unknown said...

Of the three (SD1300, SD940, S90), which would you pick for an all around family/vacation camera? I don't know how to shoot in manual, so to start out it would be all auto. But I think I would play around and try to learn (maybe)

Mats said...

Anne: Until I have seen more of what the SD1300 does, I would go for a SD1200. But keep in mind, part of what I like with SD1200 is the price also. $150 means that it is not the end of the world if the camera gets lost/stolen/dropped. That's part of the game, unfortunately, when you always carry it around...

Mats said...

wv: Please see http://matspointofview.blogspot.com/2009/07/canon-sd1100-vs-sd1200.html where I have a SD1200/1100 comp.

Stephanie said...

Have you had the chance to explore the dim light setting at all? I'm trying to figure out if I should get the 1200 or the 1300. My older camera (A620) always had trouble with dim lighting and so I am trying to find a camera with which I could take pictures in that kind of setting. I'm also trying to see if there are any downsides(apart from the optical view finder) to getting the 1300 over the 1200...sometimes with the upgrade, some qualities of the older camera are lost.

Alex said...

Hi Mats,
I just found your blog and find it extremely useful. I'm pleasantly surprised that someone will dedicate so much time to share all this info. So Thanks!
Now the question...
Which camera would be the best value today to take everyday point and shoot pictures, the sd1200 at $150 or the sd1300 at $180?
Thanks again.
Alex

Mats said...

Alex: To me it is a wash - I think I mentioned in a post, that I give SD1200 a little edge, but just because my preference is a little longer lens at the fastest aperture. That said, the SD1300 is "better" indoors due to the 28mm lens... YMMV.