The PowerShot SD30 is the latest ultra-compact "SD" series model from Canon this year (as of 10/2005.) This little pocket-rocket is the upgrade of last year's SD20 and includes many of its features, but adds a larger 1.8-inch LCD as well as a 2.4x optical zoom lens (compared to the SD20's 39mm fixed lens.) It offers fully automatic operation with its Auto and pre-programmed scene modes, while the Manual mode allows more control with options for ISO, White balance, EV compensation, etc.

Overall I was satisfied with the ergonomics of this model. All of the controls are well placed and easy to use, with the exception of the Zoom controls. I found the Up and Down motion a bit awkward. The one feature I especially liked was the Func./Set button doubling as a second shutter release (Vert. Shutter option in the Record menu.) This was very helpful when the camera is in the vertical position, where it is difficult to reach the Shutter release. The menu system is easy to use, and as with most all of Canon's cameras, we love the Function menu. It allows you to quickly change the settings for image size/quality, white balance, ISO, etc. Another "cool" feature we found in Playback mode was the auto orientation sensor. When you rotate the camera, the display automatically rotates the image being displayed. This was very handy when showing your subjects the photo you just took of them. The SD30 features a 1.8-inch LCD that actually looks "big" due to the compact size of this camera. It is the only viewfinder and thankfully it's a high-quality display that works great outdoors in bright sunlight. However when shooting in low ambient lighting the display does not "gain up", so framing in these conditions will be difficult at times.

The SD30 is a robust performer thanks to its Digic II processor. Power up to first image captured measured approx. 2.6 seconds. Shutter lag, the delay between pressing the shutter release and capturing the image, measured 1/10 of a second when pre- focused and 2/10 second including autofocus. When shooting rapid sequences in single exposure mode, the shot to shot delay averaged about 1.5 seconds without using the flash and just 3 to 5 seconds with the flash, depending on subject distance. The SD30 does offer a continuous or "burst" mode, using this I was able to capture 10 frames in only 4.7 seconds! Note, you can only use the burst function when in either Manual or one of the scene modes. Our tests were done using a Sandisk Ultra II 512MB SD card, using Manual mode, quality set at Large Superfine, preview off, flash off, and all other settings at default (unless noted otherwise.) Times may vary depending on lighting conditions, camera settings, media, etc.

Image quality when using Large SuperFine mode was pleasing for a camera in this class, with a large majority of our images showing good overall expose and color balance. Its exposure and white balance systems did an excellent job in almost any lighting condition with the color temperature being very true. We noticed very little noise in both high and low contrast areas with virtually no signs of purple fringing (aka Chromatic Aberrations.) There's a scene mode for just about every shooting situation you can imagine. You have the typical Portrait, Landscape and Night shot modes, along with Kids&Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, and Underwater (when used with the optional underwater housing, this is Not a water-resistant model.) The Canon 2.4x optical zoom lens is a big improvement over last year's model, giving much more versatility in composing your shots. It covers a 35mm equivalent range of about 38-90mm. I noticed moderate barrel distortion present at its wide angle extreme, but virtually no pincushioning at full telephoto. This lens is aided by a fast and accurate 9-point autofocus system, which helped produce sharp images outdoors and thanks to the inclusion of an AF-assist lamp, focusing in dim light to almost complete darkness is not a problem.

Indoors it also performed well. The flash has an anemic range of about 6 feet at wide angle and only 4 feet at telephoto (when using ISO Auto.) Overall, I found it worked well for most up-close portraits of individuals. We achieved the best results shooting about 3 to 4 feet from the subject. When wanting to capture large group shots, you'll have to move outside where there is plenty of ambient lighting. Our portrait shots showed good overall exposure and skin tones were pleasing. However, we did notice above average amounts of redeye in a majority of our flash portraits, even when using its red eye reduction flash mode; this is due to the flash being so close to the lens. But, this is a common trait on such small cameras and is easy to remedy with just a few seconds in an image editor. Like many of its siblings, the SD30 excelled at Macro photography. This mode provided sharp focus on objects as close as one inch and the camera does an excellent job of controlling the flash to insure you don't overexpose the subject. Movie mode allows you to capture video at either 640x480 (10fps) or 320x240 (20fps) with audio. I was a little disappointed with the quality of our sample clips. While there was very little compression noise and our samples were nice and sharp, the slower than normal frame rate of its 640x480 mode makes the movies seem a bit "choppy". I actually preferred the 320x240 samples even though they are small. You can see what I mean by looking at our examples on the samples page.

The SD30 is powered by a tiny NB-4L 3.7v 760mAh Li-ion battery pack. Canon claims you can capture about 160 shots with a fully charged pack. We had no problems shooting our samples images (about 135 shots) and concluding our other test before the camera posted a low battery warning. This is a proprietary battery, so you won't be able to stop by your local electronics store and pick one up. As always, we suggest that you purchase at least one spare pack and keep it charged at all times, you never know when it might come in handy.

Bottom line - if you're in the market for a stylish little point-n-shoot that can be tucked away just about anywhere, the Canon PowerShot SD30 Digital Elph might be the camera for you. It offers great image quality and performance, all with the features and quality we have come to expect from Canon. The only negatives I found were the awkwardness of the Zoom controls and the slow frame rate of the VGA movie mode. With 5-megapixels there's enough resolution to create up to 13x19-inch size prints or cropped prints of a smaller size. The SD30 has an MSRP of around $399, which nowadays is rather expensive for a consumer digicam.