Canon SD500 Review

Canon SD500 Review

The entire Canon's Elph line of digital cameras has consistently offered quality, user-friendly design, and excellent build quality. The new Canon PowerShot SD500 is no exception.

I really like the Canon PowerShot SD500's external design; it's small without being unwieldy and feels solid and small enough to fit in your pocket.

The 2 inch LCD screen is also a good characteristic.

If you are after a digital camera with manual features then look for a different model, the SD 500 doesn’t offer manual features such as shutter and aperture-priority modes.

I purchased this camera for my wife as a birthday present. She really enjoys it. Because it fits easily in her handbag, she always has her SD500 handy.

Canon SD500 review - Pros

• Compact, sleek case design
• Very good resolution and sharp image

• Very good low light capability
• Excellent movie performance

Canon SD500 review - Cons

• Battery life is only average
• Few manual controls
• Heavier than predecessor

Canon SD500 Review - Final Word

I really like the Canon PowerShot SD500's external design; it's small without being unwieldy and feels solid and small enough to fit in your pocket. The 2 inch LCD screen is also a good characteristic.

If you are after a digital camera with manual features then look for a different model, the SD 500 doesn’t offer manual features such as shutter- and aperture-priority modes.

I purchased this camera for my wife as a birthday present. She really enjoys it.

Because it fits easily in her handbag, she always has her SD500 handy. As she doesn’t use manual features, this digital was perfect for her to always get quality pictures and the 7 megapixel is great for large prints.

Canon SD500 Review - Memory

As usual a small memory card is included when you buy a Canon SD500. With the 32 megabytes (MB) provided by Canon, you will take approximately 10 pictures if you set the camera on high resolution before having to empty your memory card!

There is no fixed rule for the number of photos you can put on one card because different image file types, different amounts of compression, and image content all affect the size of each file.

As a general rule, I'd recommend at least 256 megabytes or two 128 megabyte cards if you're buying a 3-5 megapixel compact digital camera.

However, the SD500 has 7 megapixel meaning the pictures you will be taking will take more space on the memory card so I recommend a 512 MB memory card.

This is what I purchased for my wife’s SD500 and she can take about 160 pictures without any problems.

Keep in mind that sometimes memory cards can be get corrupted or lost. I always carry with me a 256 MB just in case something goes wrong with the memory card.

The memory type for the Canon SD500 is SD Memory (Secure Digital)

Canon SD500 Review - Product Specifications

Model name: PowerShot SD500 Digital ELPH

Date announced: 2005-02-17

MSRP: $699

Average retail price: $555 Click here for current best price online

Official site: Canon PowerShot SD Home Page

Type: 7.1 megapixel, 1/1.8 inch type. Charge coupled device (CCD)

Total pixels: Approximately 7.4 megapixels; 7.1 effective

Focal length: 7.7 to 23.1 millimeters F2.8 to F4.9 (35mm film equivalent: 37 to 111mm)

Digital zoom: 4x

Optical zoom: 3x

Focusing range: Normal: 1.6 feet / 50 centimeters to infinity. Macro: 2.0 inches to 1.6 feet / 5 to 50 centimeters (W), 1.0 to 1.6 feet / 30 to 50 centimeters (T). Digital

macro: 2.0 to 3.9 inches / 5 to 10 centimeters (W)

Autofocus system: 9 point AiAF / 1 point AF fixed to center (Intelligent Orientation Sensor), AF lock, AF-assist beam on/off

Optical viewfinder: Real-image optical zoom viewfinder

LCD monitor: 2.0 inch low temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD

LCD pixels: Approximately 118,000 pixels

LCD coverage: 100 percent

Maximum aperture: F2.8 to F7.1 (W), F4.9 to 13.0 (T)

Shutter speed: 15 to 1/2000 seconds

Sensitivity: Auto, ISO 50/100/200/400 equivalent

Light metering method: Evaluative, center-weighted average, spot (center fixed)

Exposure control method: Program AE, AE lock is available

Exposure compensation: plus or minus 2 stops in 1/3-stop increments

ND filter: Not available

White balance control: Auto, pre-set (daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, fluorescent H), custom

Built-in flash: Operation modes: Auto, flash on, flash off, slow synchro red-eye reduction is available

Flash range: Normal: 1.6 to 15.8 feet / 50 centimeters to 4.8 meters (W), 1.6 to 9.2 feet / 50 centimeters to 2.8 meters (T). Macro: 1.0 to 1.6 feet / 30 to 50 centimeters (W/T) (when sensitivity is set to auto)

Recycling time: Approximately 10 seconds or less (battery voltage = 3.7V)

Flash exposure compensation: Not Available

Shooting modes: Still images: auto, manual, scene modes (digital macro, portrait, night snapshot, kids & pets, indoor, underwater), my colors, stitch assist; movies: standard, fast frame rate, compact, my colors.

Photo effects: Off, vivid, neutral, low sharpening, sepia, black and white

Self-timer: Activates shutter after approximately 2 seconds or 10 second delay, custom

Wireless control: Not available

Continuous shooting: Approximately 2.0 shots per second

Storage media: SD memory card

Print order format: Design rule for camera file system JPEG and DPOF compliant

Image Recording Format: Still: JPEG. Movies: AVI: image data: motion JPEG; audio data: WAVE (Monaural)

JPEG compression mode: Normal, fine, SuperFine

Number of Recording Pixels: Still image: 3072 x 2304 large, 2592 x 1944 medium, 2048 x 1536 medium, 1600 x 1200 medium, 640 x 480 small, 1600 x 1200 postcard date imprint mode. Movie: 640 x 480, 320 x 240, 160 x 120

Playback modes: Single, index (9 thumb images), normal playback, special playback, slow motion, movie editing

Erase modes: Still images: single images, all images. Movies: part of movie, all of movie

Computer interface: USB 2.0 hi-speed (mini-B/PTP

Video out: NTSC, PAL

Audio out: Monaural Other: SD memory card slot. Direct connection to Canon CP Printers and select BJ Printers (no computer required)

Power source: One rechargeable lithium-ion battery NB-3L, AC adapter kit (ACK-900)

Shooting capacity: LCD On - Approx. 160 shots (CIPA Test Standard); LCD Off - Approx. 550 shots

Operating temperature: 32 to 104 degrees F/0 to 40 degrees C

Operating humidity: 10 to 90 percent

Dimensions (W x H x D): 3.37 x 2.24 x 1.04 inches / 85.6 x 57.0 x 26.5 millimeters (excluding protrusions)

Weight: Approximately 6.0 ounces / 170 grams (camera body only)

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