canon a610 v. canon sd550 or sd450

[clarkcrew]

I have been searching for a new digital camera and have narrowed it down to the canon a610, sd550, or sd450. I was wondering if anyone had any opinions on which one might be the best out of the three.

thanks!

[TampaJim]

Depends on what you are looking for. The SD series has a limited set of manual controls/overrides, fixed display and a proprietary battery. The A series has an almost full set of manual controls, movable display and AA batteries. You should decide these things and go from there.

Both cameras come with a great suite of software plus stellar Canon performance and support. Any of them can be purchased with confidence.

[duanegossett]

I had the SD400 (same optics as the SD450), and I have sold it and bought the SD550. I was a little disappointed in the image quality of the SD400, as compared to the S400 which I had earlier. The SD400-450s are great little cameras and the small size is nice, but the SD550 does have better image quality, and it's not much bigger. I have never used the A610.

[clarkcrew]

Depends on what you are looking for. The SD series has a limited set of manual controls/overrides, fixed display and a proprietary battery. The A series has an almost full set of manual controls, movable display and AA batteries. You should decide these things and go from there.

Both cameras come with a great suite of software plus stellar Canon performance and support. Any of them can be purchased with confidence.


Thanks for your reply. I have looked at all the differences and can't really decide. I like different things about both series. My main concern is the picture quality. Any comments? Do you think that one camera is better than the other?

[TampaJim]

I personally would prefer the A610 over the SD550 - it takes AA batteries, more manual controls and $100 cheaper. The quality is very good and you can preview some photos on this forum, both in the reviews and in the photo forum.

[clarkcrew]

I personally would prefer the A610 over the SD550 - it takes AA batteries, more manual controls and $100 cheaper. The quality is very good and you can preview some photos on this forum, both in the reviews and in the photo forum.

So, you think more manual controls would be better than more megapixels? Picture quality, indoor and out, is the most important factor to me. If the picture quality is the same, which I don't know for sure, then would more megapixels and smaller camera be better or more manual controls? I am not weighing the price in at this time.

[TampaJim]

If you just have to have megapixels ... go for the A620. Also you can't beat the twist and flip LCD screens - much more protected than the SD series.

You can even buy a wide angle and/or telephoto conversion lens later on.

[clarkcrew]

If you just have to have megapixels ... go for the A620. Also you can't beat the twist and flip LCD screens - much more protected than the SD series.

You can even buy a wide angle and/or telephoto conversion lens later on.

Thanks for all your advice, TampaJim. I really appreciate your input. I have just one more question for you. I know that you reccomend the 610 over the 550, but how much image quality would I be sacrificing if I went with the smaller camera. I have been looking for reviews that compared the two, but obviously they are in different classes of cameras. I like them both, but the smaller size of the 550 does appeal to me. But as I said before, the image quality is the most important factor. I don't think that I would use the manual controls very often. So do you think that the 610' auto mode vs. the 550's is that much better. I know that it's lense and flash are bigger. Does that make much of a difference? Thanks again for all your input.

[Skylark]

...snip... Thanks for all your advice, TampaJim. I really appreciate your input. I have just one more question for you. I know that you reccomend the 610 over the 550, but how much image quality would I be sacrificing if I went with the smaller camera.
I'm not TampaJim but the A620 and SD550 are both 7 MP cameras and they both use the highly regarded Sony 7MP sensor while the lower resolution A610 does not. (Not to say that the A610 is bad.) The Sony 7MP sensor has a low noise rating when shooting at higer ISOs like 200 or 400. In bright light I suspect the difference would not be apparent when printing up to 8x10 photos but in dim lighting I suspect that the less noise of the 7MP canon cameras would become apparent.

I bought the SD550 for this reason along with its small form factor which would allow my wife to stick it in her small purse while night clubbing or casino hopping in Las Vegas...:) I know she would not carry the A620 around while doing those types of things.

[TampaJim]

The Canon Digital Elph series (S and SD) are great cameras - I own one. I also own a Canon S2 and a SLR camera. Here's what I found, the middle of the road (S2) is the most comfortable for me - plenty of power and options, but I don't need a wheelbarrow to get it there. That being said, the choice should be based on what YOU are comfortable with. If size is an issue, look at some of the Panasonic Lumix and Sony Cybershot cameras, too. They both offer some nice models with extremely thin profiles.

I like Canon products - both the A series and SD series are well designed. I prefer the A series over the SD series - flip screens, AA batteries, longer battery life, more manual controls. I don't think you would be giving up much in the "image quality" of the lens itself, but you could be giving up image quality if you can't control the shot (i.e. manual controls). Manual controls are ONLY useful if you know how to use them, or care to use them, however.

I have an issue with digital P&S cameras with high megapixel count (over 5-6) - the images tend to become more noisy and they aren't a very good value for the dollar. This is my personal opinion, period.

In the end, here's what matters - what feels good in YOUR hands, what works for your wallet and what will you actually USE.