Just got a new camera the other day. I’ve had a Canon Powershot S5 IS for about a year now, but because of its bulky footprint, I never really felt like carrying it around with me unless I knew I wanted to take pictures of something. And even then, I’d still barely take advantage of it because I’d usually just keep it on the “Auto” function.

I figured I should get a small point & shoot no bigger than a deck of cards. After bugging my photographer friends and conducting tireless research on my own, I decided on [another] Canon camera. I figured this would work for me in two ways: 1) Now I’ll always have a camera on me and 2) I’ll feel more inclined to learn the Manual settings on the more involved Canon I have.

I’ve had the Canon SD1200 IS for about a week now. Released in March of this year, it’s the updated version of the everpopular 1100 (which I almost purchased based on the rave reviews it got.)

From an average consumer to another, here are my initial impressions:

- Smart Auto: Apparently, the constant focusing makes a sound that bothers some people. Frankly, I don’t think that should bother anyone unless it’s not supposed to be making sounds. It’s basically point and shoot for the blind (if that makes sense). It optimizes settings for you, so if you have no idea what setting to use (Portrait, Landscape, Indoor, Fireworks, Macro, White Balance, etc.), you don’t have to know. I think it’s a nice feature to have.

- Program: If the constant focusing sound bothers you, switch it to program and choose your settings manually. Settings are limited compared to that of an advanced point and shoot and SLR (obviously), but there are still some customizable features you might want to consider using for a specific picture.

- Buttons: I have averaged size female hands and I found the buttons extremely easy to navigate. They’re flush with the camera (except the capture button), but you don’t need to use your nail to push them.

- LCD: Very bright, clear, crisp. I like it. Plus, the camera also comes with a small viewfinder (a feature a lot of compact point and shoots are doing away with for the sake of space). If you’re battery’s dying, turn off the LCD and buy yourself some time.

- Battery: Rather than constantly buying double-A batteries or even a set of rechargables, this camera comes with Canon’s own NB-6l battery and charger. The battery slides in next to your SD card.

- Size: It’s SMALL. It’s very sleek looking with a matte finish (various colors available) and no protruding objects other than the capture button. I recommend a wrist strap, as its size can make it easy to lose handle of. Perfect for a pocket, too. (Be careful not to sit on it!)

- Optical Zoom: Yeah, it’s only a 3x optical zoom, but it serves its purpose. Many reviews I saw gave the camera a negative rating because of that – Um, if you wanted a camera with more zoom, then you should have gotten one. It’s not like Canon claimed it would zoom like a telescope and it didn’t perform. Buyer’s fault, not the camera’s. I disable the Digital Zoom because it’s pointless – pictures lose quality if used.

You can read the camera’s specifications here, and pretty much anywhere else, so I won’t bore you with that. I haven’t found any real cons with the camera yet. If I do, I’ll definitely post an update. For examples of pictures taken with this camera, head over to my Flickr. (Make sure to click on a picture and check the Additional Information to see which camera was used.) I’ll be uploading many more in the near future as well.