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...and it comes in red, ladies!

I was tasked with shopping for a go-anywhere compact digital camera.  I'm still lusting over a big, clunky DSLR with HD video, but in the meantime the fam' needs something small and user-friendly, as we've been finding we miss a lot of good photos because we don't want to haul around our big ol' dinosaur "pro-sumer" digicam.  So I went to work.  I read a ton of reviews, consulted experts, compared specifications, examined photo samples, played with the user interface, and even shopped on price a little bit.  This camera had to meet the following criteria:

• Small with no painful protrusions for the pocket
• Photo quality that rivals big clunkers
• HD widescreen video at 30fps
• Reliable and well reviewed
• Brand I can be proud of
• Slick appearance is a bonus
• Affordability is a bonus

I compared many models from manufacturers like Canon, Nikon, Olympus, Sony, Pentax, Fuji, Kodac, Casio, and Panasonic.  There was a clear winner—the Canon Powershot SD780 IS .  It had exactly what I was looking for, including:

• Small and sleek—smaller than some mobile phones
• Despite small size, it still manages to include 3X optical zoom and image stabilization
• Test photos were plenty sharp, and I could not discern a quality difference compared to the best rivals in the same category.  Are you going to take your teen's senior photos with this camera?  No.  So don't even start with me, camera snobs.  But this is not a phone-quality camera; it's capable of taking some shockingly good photos that one might expect came from a large, clunky DSLR.
• The HD video is exactly what I was looking for.  It shoots high quality video at 1280x720 (720p) and 30fps.  It even has HDMI output so you can connect it directly to your HDTV or projector!  The only way this little guy could do better is if it did full 1080p HD, but that is an extremely rare feature in this class, and I'm not willing to sacrifice other features just to go from 720p to 1080p.
• Reviews at Amazon and Steve's Digicam's were strong.  The Powershot beat all competitors in its class at Amazon with a 4.5 star rating out of 5 stars.  As for Steve, only one camera was recommended more highly for this class, and it was a Fuji.  I'm not buying a Fuji.  But it was a close call, and I'm still baffled as to why Steve gave the Fuji the edge for first place in its category when his remarks seemed to favor this Powershot.  But rest assured the Powershot beat all other rivals from makers like Olympus, Nikon, Pentax, Casio, Panasonic, and more.
• It's a Canon.  'Nuff said.
• This camera looks HOT!!!  ...especially in red.  There is nothing offensive about the look and feel, and it's visually stunning.  "Fit and finish" are very tight.  In your hand, it feels like a very high quality device.
• I'm very comfortable with the price.  As soon as I saw $179.99 with FREE Super Saver Shipping at Amazon, price was no longer an issue.  Nevertheless, I compared the price with other models.  Suffice to say, the most I could possibly save if I wanted these features is $50, and I would be buying a piece of crap.  So penny-pinchers, put away your coupon caddies and your coin purses, go to Amazon.com, and pay the Man!

I'm giving the Canon Powershot SD780 IS an 8.5 on the Sasquatch scale.  The only reason it misses a perfect 10 is because a compact camera can never match the processor and lenses of a full-size DSLR, which makes it hard to ever consider a compact camera "perfect."  Also, although the proprietary Canon rechargeable battery used in this model is small, field replaceable, and inexpensive, it would be nice if Canon could find a way to allow this camera to use standard AA batteries without adding bulk.  And improving video even more to full 1080p HD would give this camera "legend" status.

So there you have it.  For this genre of camera, you can't go wrong with the Canon Powershot SD780 IS.  I personally stand behind this recommendation.  ...which means, if you buy this camera and don't like it, I will personally tell you you're nuts. 

Verdict: 8.5 out of 10 on the Sasquatch Scale