I bought this camera mainly due to its size and ability to shoot HD video. I upgraded from a Sony DSC-P8, which took pretty good daytime pictures but horrible low light shots and the shutter lag was ridiculously long. Also, I couldn't fit the camera in my pocket because it was so thick. This camera is an improvement in all of those categories. Of course I understand the Sony DSC-P8 is an older camera and most new cameras would be better.
This is the smallest, slimmest camera I have ever owned. I also have a Canon XSi DSLR which allows for more flexibility and takes professional looking shots but its by no means compact. When going out with friends or on a short trip, I'd much rather take the Canon SD780 IS which I can fit in my pocket. I also purchased the Canon PSC-1050 camera case from Amazon which is made specifically for this camera, as stated on the packaging. If you buy this camera, you should also get this case. Why buy a small camera only to buy a bulky third party case?
To me, the low light shots are acceptable for a point and shoot camera. The pictures still have a little bit of noise to them if you zoom in on your PC, but no where near the shots I took with my Sony. However, even though the noise is much improved, the sharpness of the pictures suffer a slight bit. The older Sony was better in this department. Overall, the low light shots taken with the Canon look much better than the Sony. I have no complaints with the daytime shots.
The shutter lag is also much better than the Sony. You can forget taking pictures of moving objects with the Sony. It sometimes took 3-4 seconds for the camera to take the picture from the point of pressing the shutter. The SD780 IS still has a shutter lag of about a second or less depending on the shooting conditions. For shots of moving objects like children and pets, I have my Canon XSi.
The buttons and on screen menus are easy to use and understand. Due to the small size of the camera, the buttons are small. I sometimes have trouble pressing the correct button. It's not a major problem though. I would rather have small button and a large LCD than the other way around.
Overall, I am very pleased with the camera. I never expected it to be perfect since its a rather inexpensive and compact point & shoot camera, but it exceeded the expectations that I did have and serves its purpose well.Get more detail about Canon PowerShot SD780IS12.1 MP Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD (Black).