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Top Canon Powershot SD550 Camera Reviews
DP Review
reviews the
Canon Powershot SD550
and said: "In most respects this is good news; the SD500 was a little gem
of a camera (and the best IXUS / ELPH yet), and the SD550 is just that little
bit better. Image quality is excellent (for a camera in this class), it's fast,
responsive and reliable, and it is one of the few cameras on the market today
that has a true 'luxury' feel to it, such is the quality of its build and
materials."
DC
Views wrote a review on the
Canon
Powershot SD550 and said: "Apart
from our minor qualms about the tiny optical viewfinder, which
is a bit awkward to use and only shows about 80% of the image
area, the Canon SD550 is a welcome addition to the range of
Digital Elphs. Its ultra compact size ensures you can take it
with you wherever you go. Canon's famed durability and
robustness will guarantee years of picture taking pleasure and
its stylish appearance and good performance make it an excellent
choice for the photographer who wants an easy to use
point-and-shoot camera."
DC Resource reviewed the
Canon Powershot SD550 and said: "Camera performance is
excellent in almost all areas. The camera starts up quickly and
shoots and plays back your photos almost instantly. Autofocus
speeds aren't as fast as, say, the Panasonic FX9, but it's still
good. The SD550 supports the USB 2.0 High Speed standard, for
fast transferring of photos to your Mac or PC. One area in which
the camera falls short is in terms of battery life: while it's
not terrible, the SD550 is quickly being passed by the
competition."
Canon SD550 News Release Summary:
LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y., Aug. 22, 2005 — Canon
continues to address and appeal to the style conscious consumer
with the addition of three new design-oriented digital cameras.
The 7.1 and 5.0 megapixel PowerShot SD550 and SD450 Digital ELPH
models pump up the viewing screen, while maintaining their
petite packages. Combining function with fashion, the stylish
new 5.0 megapixel PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH series focuses on
fall colors and optical zoom lenses.
"Whether on vacation with the family or
just enjoying a day at the beach, Canon offers end-to-end photo
solutions from capture to output in the Digital ELPH series and
throughout the PowerShot camera line," said Yukiaki Hashimoto,
senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer
Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A., Inc. "The new cameras offer a
comfortable, compact, and ergonomic design while maintaining the
sophistication and function of their predecessors; they are
must-have accessories this fall."
Bigger Than Ever... In The Same Petite
Package
Bigger but still petite is Canon's mantra with the introduction
of the 7.1 Megapixel PowerShot SD550 Digital ELPH and 5.0
Megapixel PowerShot SD450 Digital ELPH cameras, which join
Canon's line-up between the SD500 and SD400 models which will
continue to be available. The new PowerShot SD550 and 450
Digital ELPH cameras offer consumers a big 2.5-inch LCD screen,
while retaining Canon's famed functionality and optical
viewfinder. Additionally, the new cameras feature a new UI
display designed to capitalize on the larger screen size.
"The PowerShot SD550 and SD450 Digital ELPH
cameras have essentially the same body sizes and specifications
as the PowerShot SD500 and SD400 Digital ELPHs, but offer
consumers a wider range of options when choosing the right
camera for their lifestyle," said Hashimoto. "By providing users
with the ability to choose, Canon will always have something
that fits each user's individual tastes. Furthermore, by keeping
the optical viewfinder, we still provide the user the ability to
use these cameras in all types of lighting conditions."
Additional features on the new SD550 and
SD450 Digital ELPH models include 3.0x optical zoom lenses, four
new scene modes (Foliage, Snow, Beach and Fireworks),
compositional grid lines, 30 fps VGA/60 fps QVGA movie recording
with sound, movie playback at varying speeds, slide show
transition effects, menu shortcuts and many more.
"Strike a Pose"
Metallics are back! Designed with the fashion conscious
trendsetter in mind, the PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH camera
comes in four new attractive colors designed to coordinate with
other fashion accessories for a night on the town. Replacing
Canon's previous line of fashion-focused cameras, the PowerShot
SD20 Digital ELPH series, the new models keep in line with fall
2005 fashion's "must have colors" for the season. The PowerShot
SD30 Digital ELPH cameras will be available in the metallic
finishes of Tuxedo Black, Rockstar Red, Glamour Gold and
Vivacious Violet. These cameras also come with color coordinated
cases for each camera color.
Fashion meets Function Once Again...
The PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH cameras incorporate a great
measure of functional beauty and sense of lightness, thanks to
the adoption of the latest design techniques and new color
variations. The PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH cameras incorporate
a full range of high-performance features, including a 5.0
Megapixel CCD, a retractable 2.4x optical zoom lens (35mm film
equivalent: 38-90mm) and 4.0x digital zoom. The cameras also
feature Canon's exclusive DIGIC II image processor, Hi-Speed USB
2.0 connectivity, and an easy-to-read 1.8-inch LCD screen, which
is larger than their predecessors.
The PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH cameras
feature an impressive 16 shooting modes, including Auto, Camera
M (manual), Macro, Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, My
Colors, seven Special Scene modes (Kids and Pets, Indoor,
Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks and Underwater1), Stitch Assist
and Movie. While in movie mode, the PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH
offers three movie modes: Standard, My Colors and Compact.
Need A Rest? Dock it Here
Canon's new PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH models will be supplied
with a new Camera Station, the CS-DC1, which lets consumers
easily charge their camera. It also enables video output, image
transfer to a PC and direct printing, via the supplied wireless
remote control.
DIGIC® II Image Processing Technology-
Hi-Speed USB 2.0
True to the PowerShot tradition, these three new PowerShot
digital cameras have many of the latest advances in Canon
technology including the proprietary DIGIC II imaging processor.
The processor enhances picture definition, vibrancy and quality,
while helping increase the speed of the cameras' startup,
autofocus, shutter response, playback and image processing speed
and reducing power consumption by 35 percent compared to the
original DIGIC chip. Image transfer speed is accelerated (when
used with a USB 2.0 compatible computer, printer or other
peripheral), thanks to the inclusion of a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port.
The USB 2.0 port is backwards compatible (at no increased speed)
with computers featuring standard USB 1.1 connections.
Print Photos in Seconds
Like all PowerShot digital cameras, the cameras work seamlessly
with Canon's petite SELPHY Compact Photo Printers — an essential
PowerShot accessory. Consumers simply connect their PowerShot
digital camera to a SELPHY printer — such as the new SELPHY
CP510, CP710 and CP600 models — press the lighted Print/Share
button, and within 58 seconds2, images emerge. Presto! It's that
simple. Canon's SELPHY Compact Photo Printers are PictBridge
compatible. They work with PictBridge enabled digital cameras
and offer excellent image quality and ease-of-use, especially
when paired with a Canon digital camera. At 28 cents-per-print3,
printing photos directly from a digital camera is both easy and
affordable.
Pricing and Availability
The PowerShot SD550 and SD450 Digital ELPH cameras will be
supplied with a Battery Pack NB-3L (SD550) / NB-4L (SD450).
Battery Charger CB-2LU (SD550) / CB-2LV (SD450), Wrist Strap and
AV Cable AVC-DC300, Interface Cable IFC-400PCU, as well as a
32MB or 16MB SD memory card respectively, software, and user
manuals. The PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH camera will be supplied
with Camera Station CS-DC1, Wireless Controller WL-DC200,
Compact Power Adapter CA-DC20, Battery Pack NB-4L, AV Cable
AVC-DC300, Interface Cable IFC-400PCU, Wrist Strap,
MultiMediaCard MMC-16M, software and user manuals and a matching
case (case color depends on camera color). Optional accessories
include All Weather Case AW-DC40 (waterproof up to 3 meters/9.8
feet), Battery Charger CB-2LV, and High Power Flash HF-DC1.
The PowerShot SD550, SD450 and SD30 Digital
ELPH cameras will be available in September for estimated street
prices of $499.994, $399.993, and $399.993, respectively.
About Canon U.S.A., Inc.
Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and
industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of
Fortune's Most Admired Companies in America, and is ranked #35
on the BusinessWeek list of "Top 100 Brands." Its parent company
Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent-holder of technology,
ranking third overall in the U.S. in 2004. Canon Inc. achieved
global revenues of $33.3 billion in 2004; $10.6 billion of which
came from Canon Americas. For more information, visit
www.usa.canon.com.
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