Canon SD780IS HD video clip movie sample performance test outdoor and low light comparison review

[1bentley4ever]

DAMN! That guy has some skillzzzz!

[6t5rush]

Help! I've had this camera for a year and a half. I've used the video feature (works very well) a few times. What has suddenly happened is my videos I've taken recently are all black and white. What did I "fat thumb" to cause this? Anybody out here tell me what I need to do to get color video back?

Thanks in advance!

Jim

[LEXPIX]

@6t5rush Sounds like you may have bumped your video settings. Select the movie mode on the dial and then make sure the video is set to Standard mode, not color swap or black and white mode.

[MonogamousMonkey]

What is the camera up from this?

[vardanology]

San Francisco?

[bestamerica]

'

i like canon SD880 is better

[Borinkenway]

watch?v=w-wo6BDPQoQ

[predoje]

what is this place...its magic.

[strickmans]

does it have autofocus ti text?

[cjx3pooh]

Does this autofocus text & whatnot?

Btw, how long does the video go on for? I know for some cameras even, if there's enough space in the memory card, it'll stop at say 3 minutes, or 10, or something.

My very old Canon Powershot camera from like 2003 does that.

[stee1face]

That's impressive video for a camera that small.

[oOjennyroseOo]

Wow, it's really pretty where you're filming this

[LEXPIX]

@oOjennyroseOo I agree. The water and bikeways make for photogenic backdrops.

[GsBBoyDan]

The buzzing is horrible, it's noticeable in every clip. Probably wont get this camera now.

[zero00tolerance]

hey just wondering can u zoom for this camera ?

[zakiechan]

Burlington, YAY!

[LEXPIX]

@zakiechan Indeed.

[MsLadyIxe]

hey great vid! just wondering if you used windows movie maker to edit? thanks a bunch in advance!

[LEXPIX]

@MsLadyIxe No I used Sony Vegas which is not free. Windows Movie Maker is a good free software that may work though.

[zoeyroseandjessica]

Did you convert this any way?

[LEXPIX]

@zoeyroseandjessica I strung the individual clips into on long take saved to Windows movie format then uploaded.

[Justin10473]

Why is everyone so impressed by the camera?

Am I the only one who saw the guy juggling knives, on a unicycle, on a rope?

xD

[LEXPIX]

@Justin10473 That was impressive indeed. 

[Silkenos]

awesome, im thinking of buying this one

[SatanKreator]

i really hate that blue line that comes out of lights, i can see it in all videos

[LEXPIX]

@SatanKreator Yup, me too. This is common in many modern digital video capture sensors. You see it in movies and TV shows that use digital "film" as well unfortunately.

[Somaupassant]

LEXPIX do you know some way of avoiding that horrible blue light that make videos worse? thanks

[AudiophileTubes]

Thank you for posting this! I am blown away! I am picking this camera up first thing tomorrow!

[knchen]

I see... so gotta make sure someone is there to restart the camera if you're recording a long sporting event or musical performance!

[knchen]

I read somewhere you can't record more than 30 minutes at a time. Is this true?

[LEXPIX]

@knchen Somewhat true, yes. Although, you can restart another clip and string them together.

[DanDFriend]

Im having trouble with my formats and stuff, please see my private message.

[ngvgnDOTcom]

Nice camera

[LEXPIX]

Thanks. I just sold it to a friend of mine and now miss having it. I'm thinking of upgrading to the the Panasonic GF1.

[MESSER8989]

No fuckin way!?! Is this real? Is it really from that camera? I have been researching this canon model but I am hesitatent to buy it because of the video recording. I read in numerous customer reviews that the video produces some sort of buzzing sound. Please tellme this isn't true. If so, I'll have to start researching all over again. By the way, how much did you pay? I see it on amazon for $180

[LEXPIX]

Buzzing sound not noticeable in regular ambient sounds, but you can hear it if you listen for it in a quiet room.

I paid around $220 about a year ago.

[iSweetShakesi]

Did you use a pc to upload this? If so, How?

[LEXPIX]

Yes, I used a PC. These are separate video clips shot in the camera then downloaded to my PC and strung together in a video editing program called Sony Vegas. (Not free.) Then I rendered (saved) it to Windows movie file and uploaded it to YouTube.

You can of course just upload your video download from the camera on your PC straight to YouTube as long as it does not exceed 10 minutes.

[iSweetShakesi]

I gotcha. I always have to use Quicktime Pro, then when I convert to ".avi" so I can use Windows Movie Maker, the quality goes way down.

So, just to clarify, the ".mov" from the canon can go straight to Vegas?

Thanks for the help.

[LEXPIX]

Yup, Vegas can import and render a lot of different file formats, which is the reason i use it.

[NUTHINBUTHITSTV]

how do yo upload videos on a pc?

[LEXPIX]

Just click on the upload video in YouTube once you have your video downloaded from the camera.

[zurwee]

What SD card do you use? I havve this camera and when I shoot there is a really bad buzzing sound in all my playbacks. Someone suggested that I need to change the SD card... Is that correct? I currently use a SanDisk 2gb SD card

[LEXPIX]

Buzzing in quiet environments seems to be the norm for this camera.

I don't think the SD card is the issue. I use the SanDisk 8 GB Extreme III.

[SheridanBryant]

can you zoom while recording? :)

[SkaVenom818]

man the video in this camera looks better then the flip!? And its cheaper?!!?!?!

[LEXPIX]

Yeah, the quality is pretty good compared to the Flip.

[beastlyandy]

does anybodys else framerate drop when playin in hd on youtube??

does this happen off youtube also?

[LEXPIX]

I notice the audio clip now and then both on and off YT.

[Ken10124]

This looks familiar. Is this in ohio?

[LEXPIX]

Nope, Vermont.

[jacquixjuicebox]

0:19

I saw him while I was visiting boston!

:D

[Drafter3]

oh man, 2:59 what a path to be ambushed on...

thanks for the video, looking at getting this camera.

[LEXPIX]

Yeah, no escape route, unless you dive in the water. That's why maintaining situational awareness is key. LOL

[runallday400j50]

looks good to me! thanks for the vid

[runallday400j50]

i just want to make sure... this is a camera right? (obviously w/ movie function) bc the vid quality is really good. i don't see why i would even ever get a camcorder now. unless i want like super quality

[LEXPIX]

Yup, it is a still camera with the 1280x720 HD movie feature. Not full HD though which is 1920x1080.

[agreen182]

Where is this? That last shot is really gorgeous

[JonasFanGabby12]

heeey this was extremely helpful but im having a little problem, maybe u can help me pretty pleas ehehe :) okay so i got the camera and i import videos into sony vegas 9.0 and the quality is great and everything but the audio is like delayed from the acutal video. like ill be talking * in the audio track* and then my lips wont be moving in the movie track, do u know why this happens? pretty please replyyy :D thank u so much

[LEXPIX]

Hmmmm.... make sure all your other programs are not running when doing video editing. Not sure why the sound is off for you though.

[webduncetv]

@JonasFanGabby12

what cpu does your pc have? how much ram? how much free hard disk space? and, do try closing all other programs as lexpix suggested.

[soysauceandgarlic]

nice comparison videos. thank you.

[LEXPIX]

You're welcome.

[mbraase]

WOW!!  The quality for the night video is amazing for a camera.

[LEXPIX]

For what it is, it isn't bad at all.

[professorxox]

Thanks for the sample vids. I'm planning on getting mine tomorrow. I cannot wait.

[LEXPIX]

Not a problem.

[haroof]

This camera is incredible.

[LEXPIX]

Agreed.

[runswithcoyote17]

this or the nikon coolpix s70?

[LEXPIX]

I'm not familiar with the Nikon s70. Specs look good on it though.

[RejectedHypothesis]

I just got this camera... love it so far... but when it is in picture mode it makes a loud clicking noise when turned to different lightings... for exmaple changing from the light window to a dark room... is this supposed to happen? the loud noise?

[LEXPIX]

I'm not familiar with a loud clicking sound. Can you post a vid showing this?

[curleycute]

how long of a video can it take?

[Dorisequador]

Hey bought one for my chickita for Xmas.. a Nice silver one... it's sweet..

[LEXPIX]

A dedicated camcorder will generally have better quality.

[Dorisequador]

Exellent video man i keep coming back to yours,... everybody elses sucks ass.

[LEXPIX]

Appreciate it.

[lit26]

cool great scenes

[LEXPIX]

Thanks.

[QWERTYUIOPASDFG666]

Can you zoom in and out while filming please respond

[LEXPIX]

No, zooming during video recording does not seem to be a function of this camera.

[ResistanceAlpha]

Yes you can I got it for christmas. The zoom is the ring around the silver button. There is a groove on it that faces the front of the cam. Push it left or right to zoom and yes it still records also. It is NOT optical zoom, it is digital zoom.

[LEXPIX]

True, the digital zoom is the sensor cropping. I disabled it on mine long ago and totally forgot about it.

[rachelwolf128x]

the water looks so cool at the end

[LEXPIX]

Thanks, it's the moon reflected in the lake.

[zman8656]

i swear ive seen that magician in boston

[LEXPIX]

You may very well have. Lot of them travel around the region.

[Sleepyz7z]

Great video quality but can't believe you showed all that video and never zoomed.

[LEXPIX]

There is no optical zooming during recording. I could use digital zoom, but the results are not that great.

[msangapu]

man where do you live? i like the scenery - esp the water area towards the end

[LEXPIX]

This was shot in northern Vermont.

[malcolmcox]

can anybody tell me if this would be a good camera for recording myself doing guitar covers and singing? if not this, then can someone refer a better camera to me? i think this might be the best quality i have seen so far.

[LEXPIX]

Video quality is good, the audio is not that great.

[romodrummerjz]

What's the maximum minutes if video you can film with this camera?

[darkangelglue500]

i have the same camera and it depends on the memery card i have one to were i can record for like an hour and a half on vid

[fellwurst]

how do you convert, from MTS to wich format, and with wich programm ??

voltaic takes me 20 hours

[igorg003]

I got to say, the sound on this is great.

[pudentane777]

This video clip caused me to run right out and buy one, I am really happy, but the MOV file is a pain to convert, just extra steps is all.

[jonsoto]

How do you put it in WM format

[LEXPIX]

I use Sony Vegas to convert it.

[00famug]

tight ima get this camera

[CyclerJim]

Excellent demo video. This is the first time I've seen a demo show the camera's capability under so many conditions. I'm a cyclist, and was especially happy to see you riding a bike and taking video. I do it all the time.

Thanks.

[avu0]

I heard that SD780IS has 29 min 59 seconds HD video recording limit. If i have a 16 gb sd card, i can record four 30min clips on the same memory card? Are there any compact camera (currently or will be availabe) that has unlimited recording time and optical zoom in HD ?

[Dave51262]

Great sample shots! Thanks for sharing. Your videos of the SD 780 are very clear. Other people's videos of this camera are not as good. Probably because of Sony Vegas WM9?

[LEXPIX]

yeah, maybe. Although camera handling has a lot to do with it as well. I try not to move it around as much while recording. That helps.

[justbiteme3]

WOW!!! Those It Really Take Clear Videos Like This ( Hd Quality)??

[LEXPIX]

It does.

[MackAndCheeez]

can someone help? my birthdays coming up soon and i want to ask for money to buy a camera... i would mostly be used to make youtube videos (like the ones on my channel). some cameras i had in mind are the Panasonic Lumix zs3, the canon 780 is, and the flip ultra hd... i just need something that takes good video and pictures and fits in my pocket

[LEXPIX]

This camera will serve you well.

[Alexismyname2]

You say this is better then a flip ultra HD? The video does look nice but it stutters like it's dropping frames.

[LEXPIX]

I've seen video from the flip. I think YouTube compression maybe causing it, although i do notice the sound hiccup now and then though. This video is not straight from the camera. I downloaded to Sony Vegas and converted and saved to WM9 which then gets uploaded, then YT converts it to a flash file.

[Alexismyname2]

So the raw video file doesn't stutter? How much video can the camera hold does it depend on SD card size I'm guessing?

[martydukes]

Do you think that I faster sd card makes for smoother video?

I've been using a "2" and it can sometimes be quite jerky.

[LEXPIX]

Often times jerky video is due to camera movement. The 2 should be fine. Doesn't hurt to use 3.

[andrewhoward87]

Looks like the video quality is pretty good if I had to say myself. Been thinkin of gettin one and with the video quality that good I do believe I will have to get one now.

[LEXPIX]

Videos isn't too bad for a portable, ultracompact camera.

[anibal15]

The audio is mono or stereo ?like sony t500..nice video..

[LEXPIX]

Mono.

[markirish37]

Thats the review I was looking for, its exellent. I went wow when I saw how good it is,, very crystal clear. Can you zoom on video mode? On the sony w290 you cant. Are you happy with this camera overall? Im doing a lot of research before I make a purchase. Thanks,, great video.

[LEXPIX]

You can zoom digitally, but not optically. I would not recommend doing it since the image is very pixelated, like any other camera that uses digital sensor cropping to zoom.

The camera is good. The compact size is what prompted me to get one.

[Skylineownage]

hey bud, i got a question. i got this camera and took a quick HD vid at night. When i uploaded it and watched it on quicktime, it came out very jerky. I dont know why, can you tell me how i can fix it? or did you ever get a similar problem?

[LEXPIX]

Yeah, I notice that too. I think some codec needs to be downloaded or something to play back smoothly on QT. I notice the colors get a little wacked out too when playing clips back as well. I just render it Windows Movie format and upload to YouTube that way. Clear as a bell.

[bsilver887]

thanks for mentioning that!

[LakshanW]

wow, where do u live? that trail looks awesome

[LEXPIX]

Northern Vermont.

[Lanceisabeach]

Wow! I just got this Camera last week and haven't used the Video at all, but I will! This looks better than my Flip Ultra HD!

[LEXPIX]

I think it does pretty good for its size.

[LEXPIX]

It is a lot better than the Flip.

[Dorisequador]

me like your video...

wow...

I had to watch it again...

[LEXPIX]

Thanks.

[TheMonkeyFilmStudio]

Do you know if the videos work fine when editing with Adobe Premiere Pro 7.0?

[LEXPIX]

It should.

[sshah1230]

Boston?

[LEXPIX]

Vermont.

[LEXPIX]

Sony Vegas.

[igorg003]

2:28 looks so nice, and the video on this is great.

[LEXPIX]

Agreed, thanks.

[PlaidStairs]

Do you use Windows Movie Maker?

[LEXPIX]

Sometimes, but I use Sony Vegas as of late.

[stg2lgcy00]

Hey can I just posted a video response of I clip I filmed with this camera. Can you send me a message with what export settings you're using? I've been editing my stuff from this camera in Final Cut Pro just FYI.

[LEXPIX]

Unless there is another Canon PowerShot SD780IS I'm not aware of, the current model only has a 3x optical and 4x digital zoom.

[absolutmeliss]

this is GREAT video, the only thing I don't like about the SD780 is that it only has 3X optical zoom. The night video is much better than the SD1000, which is what I have. Although, I noticed that you still get those light lines whenever you're filming a light against a dark background; doesn't show as badly as with my camera. Thanks.

[LEXPIX]

Thanks. Agreed, the low zoom range is a downer, but then if they made it any higher, the overal size fo the camera would be comprimized. 

Those light lines are common characteristic of the digital sensors found in many cameras unfortunately.

[Dorisequador]

I LOVE THE END! gorgeous  just gorgeous!

[LEXPIX]

Thanks.

[britlovr5490]

ooo thank u so if this is not good for the noise what other camera would you recommend me for 200$-300$ that has a very good video quality and good sound system?

[LEXPIX]

In the 300 dollar range I'd go with a standard camcorder rather than a digital camera with video capabilities. Can't really recommend particular one, but generally you'd need to spend at least $700 for a good camcorder.

[britlovr5490]

do u think this camera would be good for making a movie? like i know the quality of the video is great, i am just worried about the quality of audio!!!

[LEXPIX]

The audio is very thin due to the tiny pinhole mic. I wouldn't say you cant make a movie with this little camera, but a more dedicated video camera with manual controls and microphone outputs would be very beneficial.

[frysdog93]

thank you very much!

[LEXPIX]

No problem. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.

[liveandletdie86]

yea looks peaceful i liked it even tho i like skyscrapers and all lol thanks for the videos mate im tryin to get this camera for concerts :D mine isnt bad but i didnt put better quality but with this will look amazin :D

just wondering wats an average size of a 10 min video on hd??

[LEXPIX]

I'd say about just under 1 GB at HD resolution. You can fit more at standard definition as well.

[ammo1985]

great qual video

[LEXPIX]

Thanks, the camera really does pretty good for a pocket digital.

[TimeSplittersChimp]

you live near such nice places

[LEXPIX]

Thanks.