Powershot SD550 feedback? Good? Bad?

[Brett Slater]

also, where's the best place to make an online purchase??

Best Buy is sold out and I'd like to get one for my girlfriend for her birthday in a couple weeks?

Anyone have any experience with this model? Any feedback is appreciated...

Thanks!

[David Metsky]

Did you read the Review (http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd550-review/) on this site?

It's has very high image quality, adequate (but not great) low light performance, excellent movie mode, a lot of red eye (common in small cameras) and in general is a very good ultracompact point and shoot. I have its little brother (SD300) and like it a lot.

For online purchases I've had good luck at B&H and Dell.com.

-dave-

[Brett Slater]

Dave,

Thanks for the input and thanks for the link....

[mcenut]

While I place the Canon SD series as the best compact digital cameras built, I will never own one.

My reasons as simple.

- Cost. They just are too expensive. You pay a premium for their size.
- Image quality. While the Canon DIGIC processor makes the best low noise images, all the SD models I’ve used always seem too take pictures that are too dark and flash pictures that are too harsh.

In my book, size is nothing if the picture quality isn’t what you expected. I watch people using camera phones all the time and cringe when I think of the low quality photos those silly phones produce. Give me a mid-size point and shoot any day. I will have paid less for it and get, in my opinion, better pictures.

Don't get me wrong about price being a factor. I own and Canon 20D and you don't buy one of those if price is a factor. I just believe that a more expensive digital camera should out perform models that are of lower cost. In my book, the SD series doesn't meet that criteria.

[JTL]

all the SD models I’ve used always seem too take pictures that are too dark Then you must be doing something wrong because almost every shot from my SD500 is nothing short of stunning...indoors, outdoors, flash, no-flash...

[Donato777]

I owned the SD550 for about 8 months and just sold it in favor of a Panasonic FX-01. The SD550 is an excellent, very well-built camera and it can take stunning photos, but when I compared the shots from the SD550 and the FX-01, the FX-01 won hands down in the sense that every shot was sharper and with more detail - and no noise either. But what really sealed the deal for me with the FX-01 is the wide angle lens. There are only two ultracompacts with a wide angle lens - the FX-01 or the Ricoh R4 (R3 and other Ricohs, but these are not widely available in the USA). Battery life on the Panny is also better - 340 shots per charge vs. 240 for the SD550. If you think your girl friend would like the enormous advantage of a wide angle ultracompact, then consider the FX-01. You can pick one up at beachcamera.com, 6ave.com for about $278.00 shipped. Plus the FX-01 comes in four sharp colors: black (stunning); silver, white and for the lady in your life - PINK. Prices vary according to color. Believe it or not the pink costs a little more - $299.00. Go figure!

http://www.beachcamera.com/shop/product.aspx?sku=PNDMCFX01K

[mcenut]

Then you must be doing something wrong because almost every shot from my SD500 is nothing short of stunning...indoors, outdoors, flash, no-flash...

Doubtful, I have looked at hundreds of pictures taken with Canon SD cameras over at the pbase (http://www.pbase.com/) website and they all have the same problem. I’ll admit that most people that post pictures on pbase (http://www.pbase.com/) aren’t professionals and may not take the best pictures. But since I own four digital cameras (two of them Canon) and have used three SD cameras owned by acquaintances, I do have something to compare the SD results to.

[Brett Slater]

Then you must be doing something wrong because almost every shot from my SD500 is nothing short of stunning...indoors, outdoors, flash, no-flash...

Can you tell me what settings you use to achieve these stunning photos??

I'm at a loss with mine....

Thanks!

[phoenixbebe]

this model, along with the SD700, are notorious for their LCDs cracking for little to no reason...

Broken LCD on sd700 (http://www.dcresource.com/forums/showthread.php?p=166960#post166960)

Are the LCDS on sd500-sd700 susceptible to breaking? (Answer in forum) (http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/canon-powershot-sd700_question.html?qid=2416)

user reviews for SD550
http://www.digitalcamera-hq.com/digital-cameras/canon-powershot-sd550_reviews.html#reviewsTab

make sure u keep that SD550 in a CASE and/or get a LCD protector with it if anything

[Brett Slater]

Are these models notorious for taking lousy pictures??

She's (my girlfriend) taken VERY good care of it since I gave it to her for her birthday.

She's also gone as far as (in a "nice" way) telling me this camera stinks....

[David Metsky]

No, these models generally take good photos. Have you taken a look at the photo galleries? These cameras aren't the greatest at low light, but in good light they take excellent shots.

Can you post some examples of the poor photos you are taking? The SD series is capable of excellent shots. But, like any camera, there are limits. In low light without flash they are just adequate. You can't push the ISO up very high without getting noise.

With my SD300 I generally shoot in manual mode, with ISO set to 50 or 100. The SD line doesn't have many manual controls so there's not much you can play with.

-dave-

[BowerR64]

These cameras are the best at close up. IMO they are perfect for vacations taking family pics where you are right there exchanging the camera and posing. You can get some decent shots of like landscape if the lighting is good.

Dont count on them for any indoor action, dont count on them to take to a soccer game or an indoor basketball game.

Anything you would normaly shoot with those cheap throw away cameras this is what you would do with a compact sept throw it away.

If the conditions are good the shots will be good.

The SD500 was the first i think with the 1/1.8 sensor.

[Brett Slater]

I will check with my girlfriend and see if she's saved any of the pictures she's taken recently.

She tried to take some last week (at my swearing-in/graduation) in relatively low light and the flash took FOREVER.

If she's kept those pictures, I'll post them.

As for settings, what's given you the best results??

Thanks!

[gary_hendricks]

Regardless as to what some of the other folks here have to say I still really like this camera. I believe that a lot of people are buying this camera and that it is very popular which is why they are sold out. I think that your girlfriend is going to really like this camera too when you get her one. I would suggest that you check out Dell.com for your purchase. I have bought several things from Dell.com and have been very pleased with each and every purchase that I have ever made from them. Everything that I have bought has been packaged so well that I have never had to return anything because of it having broken in transport. I have also found that their customer service is far superior to that which is offered by a lot of companies these days. I hope that your girlfriend likes your gift. You will have to get her to submit some pictures once she has had a chance to play with her new toy.

[David Metsky]

Well, the reason you might not be able to find them in stores is that the SD550 has been replaced by newer models: SD600, SD630, SD700, SD800, and SD900. They have some significant improvements over the SD550, but IIRC don't have as strong a flash or as big a sensor.

-dave-

[Brett Slater]

Gary,

As a "gift" she loved it.

As a camera, well...let's just say it's been an unpleasant experience. Her old Canon 5.0 megapix took FAR better pictures. Much more vibrant, none of that "grainy" look these photos have and the flash didn't take forever in low light.

Unfortunately, she sold her younger brother her old Canon (after I got her this one) so we're stuck with it, in a sense....

That's why I'm trying to figure out why the heck these pictures don't come out the way they should....