Canon PowerShot SD1000

Specs

What it is and why it mattered

Canon released the PowerShot SD1000 Digital ELPH in March 2007. Outside North America it was the Digital IXUS 70, and in Japan the IXY Digital 10 (Canon Camera Museum). It launched at $299.99 (Imaging Resource).

It was a mainstream camera, not a flagship. It took the boxy metal look of the original ELPH line, squeezed a 3x zoom and a 2.5-inch screen into a body 19 mm thick, and kept a small optical viewfinder. Reviewers at the time liked it more than they expected to. Engadget's review roundup collected an 8/10 from DigiCamReview and 4.1 out of 5 from PhotographyBLOG, with the shared view that it was more than a fashion camera but that image quality could be better.

Nearly 20 years later it has a second life. KEH's July 2026 guide to Y2K digicams calls it "a true Y2K-era icon" and "one of the most recognizable digicam looks online," and recommends it for warm indoor people shots.

The digicam revival

The SD1000 is riding a broader wave. Digital Camera World reported in July 2026 that searches for "digicam" hit a ten-year high in 2026. YPulse cites Canon saying its point-and-shoot sales rose nearly sevenfold between 2022 and 2025.

Canon has even reissued an old model. The 2016 ELPH 360 HS is back as the ELPH 360 HS A, priced at $379 at B&H. That's the closest thing to a new Canon ELPH you can buy today.

Specs in context

On paper, the SD1000 is modest. The 7.1MP, 1/2.5-inch CCD is small even by compact standards, and the lens starts at a fairly narrow 35 mm equivalent. Video tops out at 640 × 480.

What matters to buyers now is the CCD. Retailers that sell these cameras describe the files as warm, with flattering skin tones (KEH) and "a distinctive CCD texture" (Dutch Thrift). That is the look the revival is chasing.

The trade-offs are real:

• No image stabilization. Canon's SD1100 IS, a year later, added it. Without it, slow shutter speeds indoors mean blur.
• Noise climbs fast. PhotographyBLOG's review found images noisy and slightly soft at ISO 400 and said ISO 800 and 1600 are best avoided. Imaging Resource called ISO 1600 barely usable beyond small prints.
• Little manual control. There is no aperture or shutter priority. Imaging Resource also found the four-way controller fiddly and the auto white balance warm under incandescent light.
• Battery life. Canon rated the NB-4L battery at about 210 shots per charge, so a spare is a good idea.

On the plus side, Imaging Resource praised its fast startup, short shutter lag, accurate face detection and a screen bright enough to use in sunlight.

What it sells for now

The SD1000 is one of the most expensive 2000s digicams we track. Across 88 eBay sales of used, working units from August 13 to October 13, 2026, the middle half went for $120 to $155, with a median of $143. Lots, parts-only units, accessories and new or open-box listings were excluded.

That's almost half its $299.99 launch price, and well above the $53 median for a used TI-84 Plus CE. For comparison, Canon's own SD750 (same era, same 7.1MP class, larger 3-inch screen) has a median of $99, and the SD1100 IS sells for about $130. See all of them in the Price Index.

Listings that include a working NB-4L battery and charger are worth paying a little more for. A camera sold "untested" or "as-is" often has a lens fault.

What owners say

• Sized and built right. A Backpacking Light member who used it as an everyday and trail camera praised the metal build, the controls and the optical viewfinder, but wished the lens went wider than 35 mm (thread).
• Good for a pocket camera, not for low light. Owners on the empeg BBS in 2007 found the image quality acceptable and the video surprisingly good, but flagged noise and the lack of stabilization. One chose a Fujifilm F31fd instead for low light (thread).
• The lens error is the big risk. When one owner's SD1000 died with "Lens error, restart camera" in 2007, his blog post drew more than 130 comments, most describing the same failure on Canon compacts. Commenters reported repair quotes of roughly $90 to $150.
• Sometimes fixable at home. On iFixit, several owners fixed a stuck SD1000 lens by pressing gently on the high side of an uneven barrel until it clicked. Others found the fault didn't clear. Canon's older "E18" lens error has the same causes: grit, a drop with the lens out, or a battery dying mid-zoom (overview).
• Tinkerers still use it. The free CHDK firmware add-on runs on the IXUS 70 and adds RAW (DNG) capture and a live histogram (write-up).

Before buying, used-camera retailer Dutch Thrift's checklist is a good guide: check the zoom extends and retracts smoothly, look for haze or scratches on the lens, test every button, and confirm the battery door latches.

Our take

The SD1000 is worth buying for one reason: you want that specific 2000s Canon CCD look in a camera that slips into a jeans pocket. It does that well in daylight and with flash.

It is not good value. You are paying a trend premium for a seven-megapixel camera with no stabilization and a known lens weakness. Buy from a seller who shows the lens extending, or who offers returns, and keep the price near the $143 median. Going much above $155 means paying for hype rather than condition.

Alternatives

• Canon SD1100 IS (median ~$130): the 2008 follow-up, with image stabilization.
• Canon SD750 (median ~$99): same era and look, bigger screen, lower price.
• Canon PowerShot A590 IS (median ~$60): bulkier and runs on AA batteries, but stabilized and cheap.
• Fujifilm FinePix F31fd (median ~$159): the low-light pick of its era, if you can stomach the price.
• Canon ELPH 360 HS A ($379 new): a modern CMOS camera with 12x zoom and 1080p video. It won't look like a CCD, but it comes with a warranty.

Where to buy

Prices change often. Check the current price before buying. Some links are affiliate links, which never change our verdicts.

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