sd700is Whats the difference between iso800 and HI iso?

Question

Also, how do I use that setting- consider light levels?

Thanks ponies, I try to keep iso at 80 (the minimum)
I was considering the Rebel but the elf 700 is a good camera and, it's difficult to walk around with a full size camera and lens when I'm not looking too hip.

Sorry Gina, I'm not shopping. I got a great deal on the camera I got and it was shipped to me through DHL. It was fun, I bought from Dell.

Answer 1

With HI ISO, the camera will automatically crank up the ISO to 800 max, if and when needed. So will ISO Auto, but HI ISO is quicker to jump to the next ISO level, always trying to minimize the shutter time. With ISO800, the ISO setting remains fixed at that level until you change it manually.
The lower the ISO setting, the better the image quality. The only reason to increase the ISO setting is in low light situations, when the shutter time becomes too slow for hand held shots (even with image stabilization) or to freeze the action. Because image quality suffers, never use a higher ISO setting than absolutely necessary. In fact, try to limit the ISO setting to 400 max and consider ISO 800 an escape to get the shot if nothing else will do.
If you find yourself shooting at ISO 800 regularly, you should consider a camera that's better suited for the job. The Fuji F30 and F31 are the best point & shoots for high ISO, and most dSLR cameras are fabulous. If you were to buy a Canon Rebel XT or a Nikon D50 (pretty inexpensive models) and slap on a 50mm f/1.4 lens, you'd gain one stop from the camera and another two stops from the lens, resulting in an 8x faster shutter speed vs. the SD700.