Canon PowerShot SD780 IS

"For its size, it's an impressive camera," says Joshua Goldman, of CNET. As the tiniest Elph model, the SD780 IS has a depth of 0.72 inches and barely tips the scale at 4.06 ounces, rivaling the ultra-thin, 0.66-inch deep Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 (*Est. $320). Yet despite the SD780 IS's diminutive package, it's loaded with amenities. There's a generous 12.4-megapixel sensor plus Canon's DIGIC 4 image processor, which has motion and face detection, blink detection, intelligent contrast and red-eye correction. The SD780 IS also has Smart Auto, which uses 18 pre-defined shooting situations to choose the best settings.

HD video (1280 by 720 pixels) is the icing on the cake, with an HMDI cable that connects directly to an HDTV for surfing photos and videos. Only two other Canon Elph models offer this feature: the pricier and bulkier Canon PowerShot SD960 IS (*Est. $260) and Canon PowerShot SD970 IS (*Est. $320), which receives higher ratings for video quality, all-around performance and value. The pocket-friendly SD780 IS also comes in four stylish colors: red, black, silver and gold.

The downside to the smaller chassis is smaller hardware, and smaller buttons, which get a lot of complaints. The buttons "appear to have been designed for people with fingers as wide as toothpicks," Tim Barribeau at DigitalCameraInfo.com says. In addition, the LCD screen is 2.5 inches compared to the 3-inch size found on many compacts. Performance-wise, the camera holds its own among many larger class rivals. Video quality rates well, even without optical zoom capabilities. Barribeau says the HD video is generally sharp with good color, although the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900 edges out. Photo quality is excellent but with some softness. In Barribeau's tests, sharpness was best at the center of the lens and softer at the edges, as is common with compact cameras. Shooting speeds garner mixed reviews. Test results show a respectable 1.5 second power-to-first-shot time, while flash recycle balloons to five seconds.