Canon PowerShot SD450 Digital ELPH / Digital IXUS 55 Review

February 2006 | Simon Joinson

Review based on a production Canon Digital IXUS 55

Announced in August 2005, the SD450 (which goes by the name of Digital IXUS 55 in Europe) is the latest in a long line of ultra-compact 'ELPH' or 'IXUS' cameras stretching back to early 2000 (and a lot farther back than that in the film camera world). Essentially a fairly minor upgrade to the popular SD400 (Ixus 50), the SD450 incorporates two UA (Ultra-high Refractive Index Glass Molded (GMo) Aspherical lens) elements which has allowed Canon to produced its smallest cameras yet to feature a 3x zoom. New features include a larger 'wide viewing angle' 2.5-inch monitor, a direct access ISO button, a nifty orientation sensor that rotates the display of images as you turn the camera round in playback mode and some fancy playback effects. It may be smaller than a credit card, but Canon has still managed to cram a fairly comprehensive range of features into the SD450;

5.0 megapixel CCD
2.5-inch color TFT monitor
35-105mm (equiv.) F2.8 - 4.9, 3x optical zoom
640 x 480 movies at 30fps
Print/Share button
Fast Frame Rate movies (320x240 pixels @ 60fps)
'My Colors' feature
Seven special scene modes
Custom white balance
Spot, center-weighted and evaluative metering
DIGIC II processor & iSAPS
9-point AiAF

Canon PowerShot SD450/Ixus 55 Key specifications

Street price	• US: $320 • UK: £225
Body Material	Metal
Sensor	• 1/2.5" CCD, 5.3 million total pixels • 5.0 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 2592 x 1944 • 2048 x 1536 • 1600 x 1200 • 640 x 480
Movie clips	• 640 x 480 pixels @ 30fps or 15fps (clip length limited by card capacity) • 320 x 240 pixels @ 30fps or 15fps (clip length limited by card capacity) • 320 x 240 pixels @ 60fps (max clip 1 minute) • 160 x 120 pixels @ 15fps (max clip 3 minutes) • Motion JPEG (.avi) • Mono sound (.wav)
Lens	• 35 - 105mm equiv. (3x optical zoom) • F2.8 - F4.9 • 4x digital zoom
Focus	• TTL autofocus • 9-point AiAF • 1-point AF (fixed to center) • 3cm macro mode (Wide), 30cm (Tele)
Shooting mode	• Auto • Manual • Digital Macro • Portrait • Night Snapshot • Scene mode (Kids & Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater) • My Color (9 Settings) • Stitch assist • Movie • AE compensation -2.0EV to +2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps
Sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 50,100,200,400
Shutter speed	• 15 - 1/1500 sec • Slow shutter speeds of 1.3 seconds or slower operate with noise reduction
White Balance	• Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Tungsten • Fluorescent • Fluorescent H • Custom
Image parameters	• Vivid • Neutral • Low Sharpening • Sepia • Black & White • My Colors (9 settings)
Continuous	2.1 fps approx
Flash	• Built-in flash • Auto, on, off, slow-synchro, Red-eye reduction: on/off • Range (normal, ISO auto): W: 0.5m - 3.5m (1.6 - 11.5 ft) T:0.5m - 2.0m (1.6 - 6.6 ft). • Range (macro, ISO auto): 30 - 50cm (1.0 - 1.6 ft)
Storage	• SD Memory Card • 16MB SD supplied*
Viewfinder	Real Image Optical
LCD monitor	• 2.5" TFT LCD • 115,000 pixels
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 High Speed • A/V out • DC-in
Power	• Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery (NB-4L) • (Optional AC adapter)
In the box*	• Canon PowerShot SD450 Digital ELPH (IXUS 55) • NB-4L battery • Battery charger • Wrist strap • AV cable • Interface cable • 16MB SD card • Software CD ROM (ZoomBrowser, PhotoStitch, PhotoRecord, ArcSoft PhotoSutdio)
Other features	• Spot (center), Center-weighted & Evaluative metering • 2/10 sec self-timer + custom self-timer • PictBridge, Canon Direct Print and Bubble Jet Direct-compatible • Playback Histogram • Optional Slave Flash (HF-DC1) • Optional 3m All-Weather case (AW-DC50)
Weight (inc batt)	157 g (5.5 oz)
Dimensions	86.0 x 53.5 x 21.6 mm (3.4 x 2.1 x 0.9 in) Excluding protrusions

* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area

If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this article (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Conclusion / Recommendation / Ratings are based on the opinion of the reviewer, you should read the ENTIRE review before coming to your own conclusions.

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