Canon PowerShot ELPH SD550 Digital Camera

Sharp little pocket rocket

Posted Oct 10, 2005 - I was looking for a shirt pocket replacement for the Canon S30 I've had for years. I settled on the SD550 after many hours of research based on specifications, user and expert reviews and the fact that Canon uses industry standard SD memory. A couple cameras from other makers were tempting, but they either used xD or Memory Stick which have a price compatibility issues with third party photo storage units like the X-drive. My final decision actually came down to the SD400, SD500 and SD550. I chose the SD550 for its higher resolution over the SD400 and features over the SD500. The speed of this camera is amazing. It ready to shot before I've got it up to frame the shot. It focuses fast, especially if you turn off multipoint focusing and stick to center focus, and shutter lag is next to nonexistant. Recycle times are very good, especially without flash. In continuous mode, I've seen a speed difference between Hi-speed and economy memory. Speaking of flash, I've seen less red eye than with other compact cameras I'm familiar with. On the downside, close-up flash photos in dark places tend to be a bit overexposed. I've learned to use the exposure compensation to correct for that. The Indoor scene mode seems to help as well. The camera doesn't have a fully manual modes, but beyond playing with them on my S30 when I first got it, I never used them. I would just pick the appropriate scene mode and exposure compensation to get what I wanted. I do miss having separate flash exposure correction, but that's about it. I do like the controls. One of the things I like about Canon's cameras is the user interface. Just about everything I want to do to take a shot is no more than one level deep without creating button overload. One of the selling points on the SD550 was that a few more common settings are more readily accessible than the SD500. I need more play with the many scene modes under different conditions to get a really good feel for what works best for a given condition. Image quality is everything I expected based on reviews and my experience with Canon cameras. Detail is very good without being over sharp. Colors and tone are natural. Nothing to complain about here. A 512MB card holds ~156 photos at the highest quality and resolution. I found that I can shoot that many shots in a day on vacation, so I decided that two 512MB cards are ideal for me. The cost is close to the price of a single 1GB card without the risk of a single point of failure. When I found a package online that included a name brand 512MB card bundled with the camera for $445 delivered, I just picked up a hi-speed card to use as a primary card.

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Great camera!

Posted Nov 17, 2005 - I've always used Canon digital cameras, and I've had an S400 for the past few years. It's been good to me, except that it takes too long to start up, and the movies are really crap. After looking around, I decided that the new SD550 was the way to go for me. Bigger LCD, higher resolution, better movies, fast startup time, it was all an improvement. It's slightly larger than my old S400, but it's also hard to hold a camera that's too small. I also like the My Colors functionality which lets me play with the colors in the picture. Lots of features for such a small package! . If you're going to get this, make sure you get a 1GB memory card. It gets used up really quickly, especially with the movies! Oh, and make sure it's a high-speed card! . A hard case is also a must-buy for this, since you want to protect your purchase from scratches and this is especially important because of the size of the LCD.

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powershot elph sd550 digital camera

Posted Oct 29, 2005 - this camera is awesome. it takes high resolution movies and great pictures. the large display is great for framing the pictures. it is easy to use, and user friendly. i really like the ease of the trash for unwanted pictures. also the manual mode which can be user specific for settings. the camera is small, and light, and easy to stow in the backpack or purse, i always have it with me, so i never miss a picture. i bought a second battery, and keep on in the charger ready to go. i also bought some LCD protectors to put over the display. got them at office max, originally used for palm pilots i think. i love the camera. i also bought a 1 gig card, because i always take the highest resolution possible on pictures, and i like to take a lot of pictures before i send them off for processing.

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Fantastic camera!

Posted Oct 20, 2005 - I picked up this camera from Dell to replace my old S230. Again, I have not been disappointed by Canon's smaller cameras. While it does not produce SLR quality pictures, this camera does very well in all lighting situations and is small and light, so that it's a pleasure to bring on vacation. The buttons are easy to use and the large LCD is a definite "must-have". I bought a hard case for the camera since some people have reported breakage of these large LCDs.

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What a great camera

Posted Oct 5, 2005 - I did a lot of shopping around and found that this camera was the best for the price asked. Images are sharp, with accurate color. The large LCD display (2.5") is a great feature and works well in low light situations. Having a viewfinder is also a very useful thing if you want to save on battery power. The camera starts up very quickly and shoots and plays back your photos almost instantly. Overall, it is a jewel that I can't stop using for snapshots on an every day basis.

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Top of the line!

Posted Nov 17, 2005 - This camera is a little larger than would be ideal, but with DIGIC II and 7.1MP, I can't complain.. The wonderful screen makes life and picture-taking so much easier.. I love the fact that it comes on almost immediately, and it does not have that digital camera problem of capturing action items just after the action has passed; especially useful at soccer games.. I would say go get this camera, it is definitely worth the money and extra size

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Canon SD550 Review

Posted Oct 13, 2005 - This is a great little camera. Huge screen, awesome picture quality, and compact design. I paid around 400 from DELL, but it is worth every penny. I used to have Nikon 4 mega pixl camera, and there is no comparison between the two. I highly recommend this camera for those looking for compact, high resolution camera

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Great camera. If you want to shoot video at 640x4 ...

Posted Jan 27, 2006 - Great camera. If you want to shoot video at 640x480x30f/s you will need to purchase a "high speed" SD memory card. The standard one that comes with the camera cannot transfer data as fast as the video can be recorded.

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Cannon SD 550 is sharp

Posted Sep 22, 2005 - Lowepro digital camera bag is perfect fit. This is a multi versatile camera. Small enough to fit into most women's purse. Color looks great. Great resolution on LCD. It's so easy to use that I don't even need to read manual to figure out most of the stuff

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Small but spectacular!

Posted Mar 3, 2006 - Great quality camera with big features yet in a shirt-pocket sized package! While this is a bit bigger than the SD400, it is still a camera I can toss in a pocket. I've been very pleased with battery life, although it is always nice to have a spare battery (buy one). It very easily swaps out. It is also very small, and easy to carry in pant or jacket pocket. With the great prices on 1GB memory cards (watch for rebates/sales), get one! This seems to provide as much storage as I need so far. The LCD is great! Huge and sharp. This and the camera's size were the big selling features for me. Glad I made the purchase (A little under $400 at my local Best Buy, after instant rebate & 10% discount coupon). This is a camera I can carry with and actually use (my old 2GB camera was too clunky - didn't even want to carry it, and all the AA batteries, chargers, etc.!)

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BUBBLES....RED EYES.....PICTURES

Posted Nov 4, 2005 - SOME WHAT ENJOYING THE CAMERA....ALOT OF RED EYE PICS SOME WHITE BUBBLES ON PICTURES WHEN SHOOTING WIDE ANGLE PICS. GREAT PROGRAM THAT WORKS GREAT WITH MAC POWER BOOK.ALL IN ALL GREAT CAMERA

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Canon PowerShot ELPH SD550 Digital Camera

Posted Oct 28, 2005 - 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

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Sweet Camera

Posted Sep 17, 2005 - I wanted a small pocket camera for mostly point and shoot everyday pictures. I got an incredible camera that makes me want to read the instructions! I can't believe the options this thing has(black and white, color swap, color accent....)! It's so cool. Takes incredible pictures even just in auto mode! It works really well in low light, my last camera would blur all my images indoors even with the flash! This camera is definately a keeper! I'm so glad I bought it. It comes with only 32MB of memory, which equals about 16 photos. I'm glad they don't include a larger memory card, it would just make the camera more expensive. You should get a 1 Gig card on your own, so you can get a high performance card. Anyways, this camera is perfect for a wide range of people, from the beginner who only wants a small camera that takes great photos to the expert who wants something compact and quick to use. The larger LCD of this model certainly makes picture taking much easier. I also decided on this camera because I want to get the waterproof case for scuba diving, when it becomes available! As always PG found me the lowest price available on this camera!

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TOP OF THE LINE, BEST IN ITS CLASS, DISTINGUISHED, VERY WELL CONSTRUCTED

Posted Nov 23, 2005 - I ALSO HAVE A NIKON COOLPIX 8800 AND THIS LITTLE CAMERA CAN EVEN COMPETE WITH MY 8 MEGAPIXEL.I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THIS LITTLE CAMERA. THE QUALITY OF THE PICTURE IS EXCELLENT. VERY GOOD CAMERA TO TRAVEL WITH THE FAMILY.

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Great little camera

Posted Nov 27, 2005 - I've had this camera over a month now and I had 3 other digital cameras in the past, Casio (crap), Nikon coolpix 800 (good), Nikon Coolpix 995 (very good) and this (great). When I find a red eye in on of my shots, I use Photo paint to remove it with very little problem! I love this little camera! For the price... You can't go wrong!! I would strongly recommend this!

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