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So, I’ve come to a decision. It wasn’t a very hard one either. I’m sure most of you can guess which one it is, but I’m going to divulge some details before announcing my final decision.

Price

SD1100 - $150 after a $50 discount

m1033 - $150 after a $30 dollar discount

Verdict - Canon is the winner here, since the discount is bigger

Screen

SD1100 - 2.5″ screen, nice and bright, 230k pixels

m1033 - 3″ screen, 230k pixels

Verdict - Surprisingly, Canon wins this as well. I figured I would like the screen of the Kodak better since it has a bigger screen, but when taking both of the cameras outside into the light, I could hardly see the Kodak in bright natural light, while the Canon was clear as day.

Speed

Verdict: Canon. It had a faster startup time, and it saved pictures to the camera much faster, so I don’t have to wait very long to capture the next moment.

Build Quality

SD1100 - Silver, thin, basic look. Feels very sturdy

Kodak - Black, think, and also feels very sturdy

Verdict: Kodak. They were very similar in terms of how the felt, but the Kodak edged out the Canon in terms of looks. The Canon does have a viewfinder though, which could be a deciding factor for some, but on a basic point and shoot, I know I will almost never use it.

Picture Quality

SD1100 - Canon image stabilization, 2.8 Aperture, up to 1600 ISO

m1033 - 3.1 Aperture, up to 3200 ISO (6400 with 3.1 MP selected)

Verdict: Canon. The pictures were simply better. Here are some comparisons.

Left: Canon, Right: Kodak

Video Quality

SD1100 - Up to 640 x 480

m1033 - Up to 1280 x 720

Verdict: Canon, another big surprise here. The big appeal for me was the ability to record in HD with the Kodak, but the video quality wasn’t very good, it just seemed like it was a lower resolution that was scaled up to HD. The Canon looked much nicer, while the quality of the Kodak disappointed.

Final Verdict: Canon! In my 1 day of testing, I found it to be a much better camera overall. I thought the usability was better, the quality, the images, almost everything. The Kodak was nicer, but whatever, its not a fashion show.

So, today I went to staples to print my last project of the semester, and while waiting, I was looking at cameras. I’ve been wanting to buy a camera for Europe, and I have been having some trouble when it comes to choosing what to buy. I want to buy a small camera, but something of decent quality. There were two cameras on sale that both fit my requirements better then others, and I couldn’t decide on what to get. When the Staples employee told me that you had 30 days to try cameras out, incase you don’t like them, I jumped at the idea and bought both. But, I am going to return one eventually, the question is, which one?

Canon Review

Canon Pros - Better aperture, faster startup time, and well, its a Canon

Kodak Review

Kodak Pros: Bigger Screen (3″ as opposed to 2.5″), HD video recording

Looking at both the reviews, they have both gotten solid reviews, so really, its going to come down which one I like better, usability wise. They are both about the same size, size was a big factor for choosing my next camera, but it doesn’t help my decision between these two.

My next post will go into detail, and have some side by side comparisons of the two cameras.