Review based on a production Canon Digital IXUS 700
Announced just before PMA in February 2005, the SD500 (which goes by the names of Digital Ixus 700 in Europe and IXY DIGITAL 600 in Japan) 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). The 7 megapixel SD500 is curvier and slightly wider than previous models, and replaces the S500 (IXUS 500) as the flagship of the range (it's around 8% lighter than that model). Other changes (many also seen in the new SD400) include a new mode dial, faster USB 2.0 connectivity, improved performance thanks to the DIGIC II processor and upgraded movie capabilities. Like its predecessors, the SD500 lacks much in the way of manual controls, but it does manage to cram a lot of high end features into its diminutive all-metal casing;
| Street price | • US: $480 • UK: £300 |
|---|---|
| Body Material | Metal |
| Also known as | • European name: Canon IXUS 700 • Japanese name: Canon IXY Digital 600 |
| Sensor | • 1/1.8" CCD, 7.4 million total pixels • 7.1 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes | • 3072 x 2304 |
| Movie clips | • 640 x 480 @ 30 / 15 fps |
| Lens | • 37 - 111 mm (35 mm equiv) 3x optical zoom |
| Shutter speeds | 15 - 1/2000 sec |
| Focus | • TTL autofocus • 9 point AiAF • 1-point AF (fixed to center) • 5cm macro mode (Wide), 30cm (Tele) |
| Shooting mode | • Auto |
| Sensitivity | • Auto • ISO50,100,200,400 |
| White Balance | • Auto |
| Image parameters | • Vivid |
| Continuous | 2 fps until memory card is full |
| Flash | • Built in |
| Storage | • SD Memory Card • 32MB SD supplied* |
| Viewfinder | Real Image Optical |
| LCD monitor | • 2.0" TFT LCD • 118,000 pixels |
| Connectivity | • USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • A/V out |
| Power | • Rechargeable lithium ion NB-3L battery • Charger included • (Optional AC adapter KIT ACK900) |
| In the box* | • Canon PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH (IXUS 700, IXY DIGITAL 600) |
| Other features | • Spot (center), Center-weighted & Evaluative metering |
| Weight (inc batt) | 192 g (6.8 oz) |
| Dimensions | 89.5 x 57 x 26.5 mm (3.52 x 2.24 x 1.04in) 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. Images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (typically VGA) image in a new window. To navigate the review simply use the next / previous page buttons, to jump to a particular section either pick the section from the drop down or select it from the navigation bar at the top. DPReview calibrate their monitors using Color Vision OptiCal at the (fairly well accepted) PC normal gamma 2.2, this means that on our monitors we can make out the difference between all of the (computer generated) grayscale blocks below. We recommend to make the most of this review you should be able to see the difference (at least) between X,Y and Z and ideally A,B and C. |
 |
This article is Copyright 2004 and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author.
Canon Powershot SD500 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom | $499.99 |
Canon Powershot SD500 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom | $499.99 |
Canon PowerShot SX510 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 30x Optical Zoom and 1080p Full-HD Video | $249.00 |
Canon PowerShot SX500 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 30x Wide-Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black) | $224.96 |
Canon PowerShot ELPH 520 HS 10.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 12x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom 28mm Wide-Angle Lens and 1080p Full HD Video Recording (Silver) | $109.95 |
Canon PowerShot ELPH 100 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 4X Optical Zoom (Blue) | $112.00 |
Canon PowerShot SX500 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 30x Wide-Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 3.0-Inch LCD (Black) Premiere Bundle With 16GB Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Memory Card, Digpro Compact Camera Deluxe Carrying Case | Too low to display |
Canon PowerShot SX50 HS 12MP Digital Camera with 2.8-Inch LCD (Black) | Too low to display |
Canon Powershot SD550 7.1MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (Beige) | $499.99 |
Canon PowerShot SX280 HS 12.1 MP CMOS Digital Camera with 20x Image Stabilized Zoom 25mm Wide-Angle Lens and 1080p Full-HD Video (Black) | Too low to display |
Canon PowerShot A2300 IS 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 5x Optical Zoom (Black) | $84.99 |
   |
|
Connect with dpreview
|
Comments