Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital ELPH (Digital IXUS 750) Review

Announced August 2005 (only 6 months after its predecessor), the SD550 (which goes by the names of Digital Ixus 750 in Europe and IXY DIGITAL 700 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 SD550 is a fairly minor upgrade to the SD500 (Ixus 700) it replaces; aside from a larger screen (2.5 inch as opposed to 2.0 inch) and a slight redesign of the body and controls, the majority of the changes consist of tweaks to the user interface. Let's take a look at some of the SD550's key features to whet your appetite;
- 7.1 megapixel CCD
- 2.5-inch color wide viewing angle TFT monitor
- 37-111mm (equiv.) F2.8 - 4.9, 3x optical zoom
- 640 x 480 movies at 30fps
- Fast frame rate movies (320x240 pixels @ 60fps)
- Print/Share button
- Custom white balance
- Spot, center-weighted and evaluative metering
- DIGIC II and iSAPS
- 9-point AiAF
- Nine scene modes
Canon PowerShot SD550 Key specifications
| Street price |
US: $480
UK: £300 |
| Body Material |
Metal |
| Also known as |
European name: Canon IXUS 750
Japanese name: Canon IXY Digital 700 |
| Sensor |
1/1.8" CCD, 7.4 million total pixels
7.1 million effective pixels |
| Image sizes |
• 3072 x 2304
• 2592 x 1944
• 2048 x 1536
• 1600 x 1200
• 640 x 480
|
| Movie clips |
• 640 x 480 @ 30 / 15 fps
• 320 x 240 @ 60 / 30 / 15 fps
• 160 x 120 @ 15 fps
• Up to 1GB (640x480, 320x240, 30/15fps) (depending on memory card speed and capacity)
• Up to 3 mins (160x120) (depending on memory card speed and capacity)
• Up to 1 min (320x240, 60fps) (depending on memory card speed and capacity)
• AVI (Motion JPEG / mono soundly) |
| Lens |
• 37 - 111 mm (35 mm equiv) 3x optical zoom
• F 2.8 - 4.9 |
| 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
• Manual
• Digital Macro
• Portrait
• Foliage
• Snow
• Beach
• Fireworks
• Underwater
• Indoor
• Kids and pets
• Night snapshot
• Stitch assist
AE compensation -2.0EV to +2.0 EV in 1/3EV steps
|
| Sensitivity |
Auto
ISO50,100,200,400 |
| White Balance |
• Auto
• Daylight
• Cloudy
• Tungsten
• Fluorescent
• Fluorescent H
• Custom (manual) |
| Image parameters |
• Vivid
• Neutral
• Low sharpening
• Black and white
• My colors (9 settings)
|
| Continuous |
2 fps until memory card is full
|
| Flash |
• Built in
• Modes: Auto, on, off, red-eye reduction, slow sync, flash exposure lock
• Range: 0.5 m - 5.0 m (W) / 3.0 m (T) |
| Storage |
SD Memory Card
32MB SD supplied* |
| Viewfinder |
Real Image Optical |
| LCD monitor |
2.5" TFT LCD
115,000 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 SD550 Digital ELPH (IXUS 750, IXY DIGITAL 700)
Wrist strap
Lithium Ion battery
AV cable
USB cable
32MB SD card
Software CD ROM (Canon Digital Camera Solutions & ArcSoft PhotoStudio)
|
| Other features |
Spot (center), Center-weighted & Evaluative metering
PictBridge, Exif Print and DPOF compatible
Playback Histogram
Orientation Sensor
Autofocus Illuminator
Optional High Power Flash HF-DC1 (slave)
Optional Waterproof Case |
| Weight (inc batt) |
192 g (6.8 oz) |
| Dimensions |
90 x 57 x 27 mm (3.5 x 2.2 x 1.1in) Excluding protrusions |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
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Oct 12, 2005
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Aug 22, 2005
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Oct 7, 2008
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Sep 29, 2008
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