cannon camera questions

[hdansjr]

I've got a question and i've searched this forum and didn't really find the answer. I'm stuck between the cannon SD790 and the sd880. I've got two children and usually am photographing sports. which one would be a better fit! any input is greatly appreciated.
thanks,

[EOSThree]

I would say that both of those cameras are very similar to each other and you'd be hard pressed to see a whole bunch of difference between them. Neither one is suited very well for sports, they are both relatively slow at the telephoto end, and neither one is very long at the telephoto end. They are both far more suited to family snapshots. Of the two if I were to pick, I'd look to the SD 880 because of it's greater zoom range.

To be really serious about sports photography an SLR is the best, but you can probably get away with a super zoom compact camera such as the Canon SX10 or S5. Most of the major manufacturers make one of these super zoom cameras. They usually have a decent telephoto length which makes sports easier by getting you close to the action.

[hdansjr]

i see that you think the 880 would be the better option. However i'm just stuck because i'm seeing a few reviews stating that there's a blurriness issue with the pictures. The only reason i'm really looking at the 88 is because it's got 4X optical zoom, versus the 3 with the 790. How much of a difference is the lack of 1 time optical zoom? I'm just a dad who needs a decent camera to take pictures of the family and some sports moments, and i dont' know much, ok anything, about cameras!

[EOSThree]

I am looking strictly at specs. without reading any reviews or actual hands on about the cameras you mention. The x's on the zoom refer to the widest field of view versus the narrowest field of view. So on a 4x zoom 1x is 1/4 of the total zoom. One of the main reasons to go with the 880 was because it starts out at 28mm which is decent wide angle and it goes to a short telephoto which will bring you a little closer to your subject. It's not 4x closer to your subject, but four times the focal length of the widest focal length of your lens.

The main advantage of both of the cameras you list is their compact size. The SD series from Canon are all near the size of a deck of cards and can fit in a pocket fairly easily. The size compromises their functionality as a photographic tool, but enhances their ability to be everywhere you are because of their size. Sports camera they're not, but general snapshot tool that you can carry everywhere they are.

Sports wise you'll have to be pretty close (probably less than 20 feet) from the action to be able to fill the frame with your subject. On the other end the 880 will be able to be closer to the subject and still get all of the subject in the frame because of the wider focal length. Both of the cameras you suggest are simple point shoot cameras with little artistic leeway. The camera does it all for you, you just point and shoot.