iPhone 3GS from AT&T. Free ShippingCanon PowerShot SD550
Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 0797B001
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- The Canon PowerShot SD550 is a very well-designed, 7-megapixel snapshot camera. Just don't look for advanced controls.
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CNET editors' review
Canon PowerShot SD550 price range: $599.99
- Reviewed by: Lori Grunin and Robert Dubbin
- Reviewed on: 09/30/2005
- Updated on:04/13/2005
- Released on: 08/30/2005
The good: Very well designed; the best start-up time in its class; quick shot-to-shot performance; novel fast frame-rate movie mode.
The bad: More frequent than usual purple fringing; longish flash shot-to-shot times.
The bottom line: The Canon PowerShot SD550 is a very well-designed, 7-megapixel snapshot camera. Just don't look for advanced controls.
User reviews
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big res in small package, nice pocket camera, some annoyances
by xrayzebra on September 5, 2005
Pros: big lcd, manual white balance available, good menus
Cons: no battery charge in camera, external power separate purchase
Summary: Great LCD, many great features accessible thru easy to understand menu system including manual white balance for accurate color (my first requirement beyond high res.) But, you have to charge ...
Summary: Great LCD, many great features accessible thru easy to understand menu system including manual white balance for accurate color (my first requirement beyond high res.) But, you have to charge the battery OUTSIDE the camera and the optional external power supply kit requires replacement of the battery with what could only be called a "battery puck." The external power supplyplugs into this "puck" thru a hoel in the battery door - you can't just plug in the power supply to a port on the camera. Kind of annoying and awkward. At nearly $500, you'd think they could have included an external power receptacle on the body. It is an amazingly compact camera, however, for the quality of optics and image, and onboard features. Just a pocket snap shot camera, but high res and good features overall. A lot of quality pixels for the bucks. Includes only a 32 meg SD card, but I also got a full gig of SD for well under $100.
Updated
After using the camera some more, I like it even better. The manual white balance funciton doesn't seem all that great, but I'm very pleased with the color rendition, even using the white balance presets. The other controls are the best I have used for simplicity and quick access. Once you take time to understand fully them, they are quick and fairly intuitive - ingeniously simple. First digital I've had where I can use manual settings quickly enough to not miss my shot, nearly as quick as automatic, but better control. Also check out the auto modes though. If you have the metering set to evaluative, when you to press shutter button slightly, it displays a box that shows what part of the picture it is basing the metering on. Let off and press again, and it will re-evaluate and often choose a different spot. This allows you to re-meter quickly. I should have given it a 9.54 out of 54 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A great little camera!
by davda on September 5, 2005
Pros: A small "pocket" camera with a big LCD, high res, and many other nice features.
Cons: Only a 32meg SD card and will need a protector for the LCD screen.
Summary: I wanted a small "pocket" camera that was simple (Auto) to use but still with some features of a better (Manual) camera. After spending a lot of time checking out ...
Summary: I wanted a small "pocket" camera that was simple (Auto) to use but still with some features of a better (Manual) camera. After spending a lot of time checking out the ultra compact cameras available, here at CNET and other sites, I decided on the SD550. Do I think I made the right decision and do I like the SD550 - YES. It is everything I wanted and more. I will probably use it as a "point and shoot" camera on "auto" most of the time, but can still use its many other features if I want.
14 out of 16 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Powerful, Small, Yet Lacking - Returned to Ritz
by dcolem01 on October 15, 2005
Pros: Fits in shirt pocket - Great Battery Life - Lots of Megapixels
Cons: No lighting control - terrible auto settings - jitter light always on
Summary: I bought this camera last week wanting a camera that is small yet does everything; I clearly made a mistake. I tested this camera in all types of lighting, yet ...
Summary: I bought this camera last week wanting a camera that is small yet does everything; I clearly made a mistake. I tested this camera in all types of lighting, yet it rarely took outstanding pictures. It doesn't let you adjust the apperture settings, and it always tends to make terrible automatic lighting choices. In a situations where it should widen the apperture, it never does. It tends to favor longer exposure times. Being a person who likes natural light better than a flash, I always turned it off. And, thus, I wound up with blurry or dark pictures. After hundreds of pictures and a week of giving it every chance to prove itself, I gave up. Back to Ritz it went.
Even in relatively good lighting conditions, it chose horrifying exposure times like 1/6 of a second. ??? In room lighting it even chose 1 second exposures! It lets you adjust exposure + or -2, but the pics look terrible! I'm sorry, but somebody with a pocket camera is NOT going to be carrying around a tripod to make sure their pics aren't blurry.
I can't use a camera that not only doesn't let me control something as simple as the apperture, but it makes bad choices about the lighting. Even in bright daylight, in the shadow of a pine tree, the jitter light was on because it was choosing horrible exposure times! BTW- the jitter light is on about 90% of the time with this camera. I guess you just have to live with it.
Now, even so, this is a good camera.
1. The colors are natural and accurate.
2. The pictures are amazingly clear.
3. The auto-focus is next-to-perfect.
4. The battery life is impressive. I would take in excess of 100 (more even) shots without a recharge fully using the lcd screen.
5. The screen size is a pleasure.
6. It's fast!
Okay, my conclusion is this: this camera is a beautifully engineered piece of camera. It's amazing. Unfortunately, it takes terrible pictures because of something that would have been so easy for Canon to fix. My pictures did NOT live up to ANY of my expectations.
A good analogy for this camera is this: This camera is like an expensive new Mercades that automatically chooses the brake and acceleration settings for you and doesn't do a good job of it. Thus, you're always cursing about how you'd prefer to apply your own pressure to the brake.
Sorry Canon. Maybe the next Elph will be better and I'll buy that one.12 out of 14 users found this user opinion helpful.
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this is simply the best ultra compact digital
by shmyr on September 10, 2005
Pros: excellent pics, quick focus ,telephoto and awesome screen
Cons: not much , maybe a little more bulky ,heavy than my liking, but not too much more
Summary: i wanted to get a different ultra compact than the canon, because i have always had canons and wanted something different...for a change, you know?...so i went out ...
Summary: i wanted to get a different ultra compact than the canon, because i have always had canons and wanted something different...for a change, you know?...so i went out and got the minolta dimage x1, then the nikon s2, and after a day with each separately and after returning them to my camera store(thank god i am a good customer)..i went back to the canon sd 550 ..thats right, i went back , because i had actually bought it first and figured maybe there was something better..well there wasnt!..the overall quality of the shell, the clearness of the lcd , even at night, the quick focusing, the quick telephoto, the easy shutter release,the viewfinder as well as the great lcd size!and finally the choice of auto or manual or scene modes all are superior to the nikon and minolta..the grid feature in the lcd is very handy for composing, and one featue that i experimented with today is "my color" , which allows you to enhance color temperature in various hues, and also allows you to switch colors in your pics ...i really cannot think of anything that i would want more except having it a little lighter and perhaps slightly less bulky..slightly..one thing i will note: if you want to take occasional low light telephoto pics, this is the one for you mainly becasue of the extending lens which picks up more light vs those of the internal lens in the other choices of nikon and minolta...all in all this is going to be a fun shooter for me and it will be for you ..dont waste your time on the others ..seriously!
8 out of 8 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Fast, Clear, Big screen and SUPER PICTURE Quality
by adkeyser on September 7, 2005
Pros: Big screen, compact design and loaded with features
Cons: heavy for it's size & expensive
Summary: Great camera, some improvements over the SD500 with more shotting modes, larger screen, better battery management, quiter operation, and Improved software. So it is really SD500 with a bigger screen ...
Summary: Great camera, some improvements over the SD500 with more shotting modes, larger screen, better battery management, quiter operation, and Improved software. So it is really SD500 with a bigger screen and a few new features. It is great full featured point and shot pocket camera. Definatly worth the money and great value for a high quality pocket size camera. Only thing you give up with this camera is the bulk you can do without. Only thing it is missing is a shutter prioity shooting mode.
6 out of 6 users found this user opinion helpful.
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One heck of a camera!
by Twiz on September 17, 2005
Pros: Picture quality is fantastic
Cons: nothing at all
Summary: I've had the SD550 for a week and just think it's great. My old camera, Canon's S500 was terrific but the SD550 is fantastic. I've taken ...
Summary: I've had the SD550 for a week and just think it's great. My old camera, Canon's S500 was terrific but the SD550 is fantastic. I've taken well over 300 pictures with all kinds of lighting conditions in auto and manual mode... just perfect. Redeye was a problem at times with the S500 but not with the SD550. The 2.5" LCD is super big and really is an advantage to framing great shots. The camera workmanship is a work of art and picture quality is sharp as a tack and very colorful. Canon, thanks ... a great upgrade.
5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Nice camera, have some problems
by vankula on November 4, 2005
Pros: Great pictures, nice size - good video
Cons: LCD breaks easily,
Summary: I bought this camera after having owned 2 other Canon digital cameras and have great experiences with both (S100 and G2). I read a lot of other reviews where the ...
Summary: I bought this camera after having owned 2 other Canon digital cameras and have great experiences with both (S100 and G2). I read a lot of other reviews where the LCD spontaneously cracks (inside, not the screen) and basically just shows you a blue blob. Canon repair fixed it for free and did it in under 10 days, but now that I have it back - the flash isnt working properly every time and its seems that the battery isnt fully charged and it has shut down a few times even though I fully recharged the battery twice (and it is brand new).
So I need to send it back in and have them look at it again.
Good camera, but doesnt seem like it is as reliable as Canon has been in the past.
Do a Google search for SD500 or SD550 LCD and see all the people having the same LCD issue.4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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BIG red-eye problem
by avikas on October 1, 2005
Pros: Excellent features, large LCD display.
Cons: BIG red-eye problem
Summary: Great features, but very big red-eye problem. If your subject is not looking at the camera, they get a red-eye.
If you are a casual photographer and think you will ...Summary: Great features, but very big red-eye problem. If your subject is not looking at the camera, they get a red-eye.
If you are a casual photographer and think you will be using the flash (almost everyone), do some quick tests before settling in with this camera for good. Just ask your subject to NOT look at the camera and take a few night shots to see if you see a red-eye.4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent design, weight, size, video, blurry pictures, camera broke
by khym54 on October 24, 2005
Pros: great design, compact weight and size, great videos
Cons: pictures often blurry and fuzzy, broke after 6 months, warranty repairs are taking time.
Summary: My business owns 5 Canon Digital Elph cameras. Since we travel internationally a lot, we need cameras that are small, light-weight, easy to use and take quality pictures. My previous ...
Summary: My business owns 5 Canon Digital Elph cameras. Since we travel internationally a lot, we need cameras that are small, light-weight, easy to use and take quality pictures. My previous 4 Elphs (SD 230, 100, 110 400) all did that. The SD 500 can take great pictures. I have literally taken thousands of pictures with the other 4 cameras. With this camera I find that any movement at all by me or the subject will result in blurry pictures. Very frustrating. The videos and sound are great. On my recent trip to Kenya and Malawi the camera worked, then I shut it off, and when I powered it back up, it was broken. The lense does not retract, the power goes on and then off, and pictures cannot be taken. We have contacted Canon warranty services and they are slow. Hopefully we will get the camera repaired for free under warranty. However, if I was to buy another 7 megapixel camera I would probably opt for the Casio Exilim EX-Z750. A friend of mine has one, and I used it for about 300 pictures in London recently, and it was excellent.
3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
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This is the One
by iNTTv1 on October 4, 2005
Pros: Great feel in your hand, compact, great pictures, quality build
Cons: No battery strength indicator, no aperature and shutter priority mode
Summary: I surveyed the internet for information and reviews on compact digital p/s cameras. I then visited stores to handle the cameras on my short list (Nikon 7900, Canon SD550 ...
Summary: I surveyed the internet for information and reviews on compact digital p/s cameras. I then visited stores to handle the cameras on my short list (Nikon 7900, Canon SD550 and SD450, and 2 Casio's) to get first hand experience of the plusses and minusses mentioned online. Bottom line: This (Canon SD550) is the One for me.
How a camera feels in my hand is very important and on that factor alone I was nearly ready to buy the SD500. It is very smooth without any noticeable hard edges. Somehow, I could feel "quality" just by handling this compact camera. When I learned about the SD550 and its larger screen (meaning: easier to compose shots, to navigate menus, and to view shots taken) I could wait no longer.
For what it's worth (Warning: at best this may be heresay), a Best Buy sales person told me that the new 2.5" screen was made with thicker glass than the earlier 2" version. Also, I don't remember where I heard this but the flash unit on the SD550 was supposed to have been improved. Fact or not, it was icing on the cake for me.
I've had the camera for a week and find that it fulfills just about all of my expectations. I always use the wrist strap and have the camera set on "manual" most of the time. I'm still experimenting with the many features (lots of fun). And umm, did I mention that I haven't read the manual yet? I think some of the "con's" mentioned by other reviewers are fixable if you learn the tricks of the hobby (e.g., handshake warning: try increasing the ISO? use forced flash? use a tripod or makeshift support or table top with timer switch? switch to wide-angle?).
Perhaps my rating was unfair for this very good compact, digital p/s. For sure, I'd have rated this camera a "10" if it had aperature and/or shutter priority mode, a battery strength indicator, or a "sports" scene setting.
Pictures (4 x 6) on a Canon iP5000 are bragging good.
I felt that some reviews perpetrated an injustice to this camera and I was compelled to give my 2 cents worth of opinion. I realize that one camera can't possibly please everyone but this one does please me alot.
Other cameras I own: Nikon F3HP, Nikon FE, Canon Elph (APS), Olympus UZ-7503 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Canon USA
- Part number: 0797B001
- Description: From its elegantly curved profile to its superb functionality, the ultra-compact PowerShot SD550 Digital ELPH rightfully owns the top spot in the Digital ELPH line. The camera's significant design achievement is matched by advanced imaging technology, for photography that makes as big an impact as the camera itself. Now equipped with an eye-opening 2.5 inch LCD screen.
General
- Product Type Digital camera
- Point-and-shoot highlights Video capture ability makes this camera ideal for social functions or vacation shots.
- Width 3.5 in
- Depth 1.1 in
- Height 2.2 in
- Weight 0.4 lbs
- Body Material Metal
Main Features
- Resolution 7.1 megapixels
- Color Support Color
- Optical Sensor Type CCD
- Total Pixels 7,400,000 pixels
- Effective Sensor Resolution 7,100,000 pixels
- Optical Sensor Size 1/1.8 in
- Light Sensitivity ISO 50, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO auto
- Analog Video Format NTSC, PAL
- Digital Zoom 4 x
- Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
- Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Indoor, Foliage, Fireworks, Underwater, Kids & pets, Digital macro, Portrait mode, Stitch assist, Night snapshot
- Special Effects Sepia, Vivid, Neutral, Black & White, Low Sharpening
- Max Shutter Speed 1/2000 sec
- Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
- Exposure Metering Spot, Evaluative, Center-weighted
- Exposure Modes Manual, Program, Automatic
- Exposure Compensation ±2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
- White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
- White Balance Presets Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten light, Fluorescent light (daylight)
- Digital Video Format AVI
- Still Image Format JPEG
- Continuous Shooting Speed 2.0 frames per second
- Remote Control None
- TV Tuner None
- Video Capture AVI - 320 x 240 - 60 sec - Max clip duration, AVI - 160 x 120 - 180 sec - Max clip duration, AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 320 x 240, AVI - 320 x 240, AVI - 160 x 120
Memory / Storage
- Flash Memory 32 MB Flash - SD Memory Card
- Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
- Floppy Drive None
- Image Storage Super-fine JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 9 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 15 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 3072 x 2304 : 31 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 11 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 20 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 2592 x 1944 : 40 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 17 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 32 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 2048 x 1536 : 63 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 28 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 51 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 1600 x 1200 : 97 - With 32MB card, Super-fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 109 - With 32MB card, Fine JPEG 640 x 480 : 168 - With 32MB card, Normal JPEG 640 x 480 : 265 - With 32MB card
Camera Flash
- Camera Flash Built-in flash
- Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
- Red Eye Reduction Yes
- Effective Flash Range 1.6 ft - 15.7 ft
- Features AF illuminator
Lens System
- Type Zoom lens - 7.7 mm - 23.1 mm - F/2.8-4.9
- Focal Length 7.7 mm - 23.1 mm
- Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 37 - 111 mm
- Focus Adjustment Automatic
- Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
- Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
- Min Focus Range 19.7 in
- Macro Focus Range 5-50cm
- Lens Aperture F/2.8-4.9
- Optical Zoom 3 x
- Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
- Lens Construction 5 group(s) / 7 element(s)
- Features Aspherical lens, Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
- Self Timer Yes
- Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
- Additional Features AE lock, AF lock, FE lock, DPOF support, Direct print, MOTION PRINT, Audio recording, Auto power save, Date/time stamp, Built-in speaker, Histogram display, PictBridge support, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction, RGB primary color filter, Display brightness control, Camera orientation detection
Viewfinder
- Viewfinder Type Optical - Real-image zoom
- Viewfinder Color Support Color
Display
- Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.5 in - Color
- Display Form Factor Built-in
- Display Format 115,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
- Type None
Microphone
- Type Microphone - Built-in
- Microphone Operation Mode Mono
Connections
- Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output
- Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
- Software Canon PhotoStitch, Canon ImageBrowser, Drivers & Utilities, Canon ZoomBrowser EX, ArcSoft PhotoImpression, ArcSoft VideoImpression
System Requirements for PC Connection
- Operating System Support MS Windows ME, MS Windows XP, MS Windows 2000, MS Windows 98 SE, Apple Mac OS X 10.1.5 - 10.3
- Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
- Carrying Case None
- Included Accessories Wrist strap
- Cables Included 1, 1 x A/V cable, USB cable
Power
- Power Device Battery charger - External
Battery
- Supported Battery Canon NB-3L
- Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery - 790 mAh ( Included )
Environmental Parameters
- Min Operating Temperature 32 °F
- Max Operating Temperature 104 °F
Product series
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PowerShot SD10 Digital Camera - Silver
Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: Ultracompact, 4 megapixels, 1.5 in LCD display, 32 MB - SD Memory Card
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Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: Ultracompact, 4 megapixels, 3 x, 2 in LCD display, 16 MB - SD Memory Card
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Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: Compact, 7.1 megapixels, 3 x, 2 in LCD display, 32 MB - SD Memory Card
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Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: Compact, 7.1 megapixels, 3 x, 2.5 in LCD display, 32 MB - SD Memory Card
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Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: Ultracompact, 5 megapixels, 3 x, 2.5 in LCD display, 16 MB - SD Memory Card
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Manufacturer: Canon USA
Specs: Ultracompact, 5 megapixels, 3 x, 2 in LCD display, 16 MB - SD Memory Card
Accessories
- Canon NB 3L - camera battery - Li-Ion x 1
- Canon NB 3L - camera battery - Li-Ion x 1
- Canon ACK 900 - power adapter
- Canon CB 2LU - battery charger
- Canon WP DC70 - marine case for digital photo camera
- Canon NB 3L - camera battery - Li-Ion x 1
- Canon NB 3L - camera battery - Li-Ion x 1
- Canon ACK 900 - power adapter
- Canon CB 2LU - battery charger
- Canon WP DC70 - marine case for digital photo camera
Manufacturer info
- Canon USA
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Canon USA products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://estore.usa.canon.com/
- Address:
One Canon Plaza, Lake Success, NY 11042 - Phone: 516-328-5000
- Email: mediacontact@cusa.canon.com
