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 Click to take a QTVR tour of the SD550
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. In addition to a large color LCD display, The SD550 and SD450 offers an optical viewfinder so these cameras can be used in all types of lighting conditions. The SD550 is packed with a high resolution 7.1-megapixel CCD image sensor, a retractable 3x optical zoom lens with macro capabilities as close as four inches, shutter speeds from 15 to 1/2000th of second, a fast 9-point AiAF “Smart” autofocus system, a new and more powerful built-in flash, rechargeable battery and a large 2.5-inch color LCD monitor, all driven by the exclusive DIGIC II processor. To make sure that everybody gets the picture they want, the SD550 features a wide variety of shooting modes that includes: Auto, Manual, Digital Macro, My Colors, Stitch Assist, Special Scene, and Movie. The Special Scene mode allows users to achieve optimum results in popular picture-taking situations including Underwater, Indoor, Kids and Pets, and Night Snapshot. The SD550 also includes individual settings for Foliage, Snow, Beach, and Fireworks. Optional accessories include a Waterproof Case and the high power flash HF-DC1 that doubles the range of the camera's builtin flash. The SD550 lets you capture full motion video with sound at 640 x 480 resolution with a 30fps framerate. It also offers a “Fast Frame Rate” of 60 frames per second for a maximum of one-minute (at a resolution of up to 320 x 240 pixels), ideal for analyzing a golf swing or a tennis stroke using one of the supplied slow- motion playback settings. The compact movie mode – designed with e-mail attachments in mind – captures a maximum of three minutes of recording at 15 fps and a resolution of 160 x 120 pixels. The new Night Display Function automatically brightens the subject in order to make framing a shot in dusk, night or other lowlight situations easier while the cameras’ large 2.5-inch LCD monitor features a backlight that combines lower power consumption with high brightness that improves the visibility of the LCD monitor even in bright surroundings. The monitor also incorporates a “quick bright LCD” function that temporarily boosts the brightness to its maximum level with nothing more than a one- second touch of the display button. Press the button a second time for one second and the monitor returns to its original brightness level.
The proprietary DIGIC II Imaging processor enhances picture definition, vibrancy and
quality, while helping increase the speed of the cameras’ startup, autofocus, shutter
response and playback as well as the image processing speed. The pace of image
transfer is accelerated (when used with a USB 2.0 compatible computer, printer or
other peripheral) thanks to its Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port.
The SD550 supports direct printing
to any PictBridge compliant printer regardless of brand.
Powershot SD550 Features:
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The SD550 compared to a standard CD disc.
The Sony Cyber-shot T7 and the Powershot SD550
UK visitors PowerShot A550 Digital Camera (7.1MP, 3072x2304, 4x Opt, 16MB SD Card, SDHC/MMC Slot)
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| Camera Effective Pixels | Approx. 7.1 million |
| Image Sensor | 1/1.8-inch CCD (Total number of pixels: Approx. 7.4 million) |
| Lens | 7.7 (W) - 23.1 (T) mm (35mm film equivalent: 37 (W) - 111 (T) mm) f/2.8 (W) - f/4.9 (T) |
| Digital Zoom | Approx. 4.0x (Up to approx. 12x in combination with the optical zoom) |
| Optical Viewfinder | Real-image zoom viewfinder |
| LCD Monitor | 2.5-inch, low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD, approx. 115,000 pixels (Picture coverage 100%) |
| AF System | TTL autofocus Focusing frame: 9-point AiAF/1-point AF (fixed to center) |
| Shooting Distance (From the front of the lens) |
Normal: 50 cm (1.6 ft.) - infinity Macro: 5 - 50 cm (W)/30 - 50 cm (T) (2.0 in. - 1.6 ft. (W)/1.0 - 1.6 ft. (T)) Infinity: 3 m (9.8 ft.) - infinity |
| Shutter | Mechanical shutter + electronic shutter |
| Shutter Speeds | 15 - 1/2000 sec. The shutter speed varies according to the shooting mode. Slow shutter speeds of 1.3 sec. or slower operate with noise reduction. |
| Metering System | Evaluative, Center-weighted average or Spot (fixed to center) |
| Exposure Compensation | ± 2 stops in 1/3-stop increments |
| Sensitivity | Auto (camera automatically sets the optimal speed.), ISO 50/100/200/400 equivalent |
| White Balance | TTL auto, pre-set (available settings: Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent or Fluorescent H) or custom |
| Built-in Flash | Auto, auto with red-eye reduction, flash on with red-eye reduction, flash on, flash off, slow synchro |
| Flash Range | Normal: 50 cm - 5.0 m (1.6 - 16.4 ft.) (W), 50 cm - 3.0 m (1.6 - 9.8 ft.) (T) Macro: 30 cm - 50 cm (1.0 - 1.6 ft.) (W/T) (When sensitivity is set to AUTO.) |
| Shooting Modes |
Still Image : Auto, Manual, Digital macro, My Colors, Stitch assist, Special Scene
Movie Long shutter mode available Selectable in Manual mode. Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids&Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater |
| Continuous Shooting | Approx. 2.0 shots/sec. (Large/Fine mode) |
| Self-timer | Activates shutter after an approx. 10-sec./approx. 2-sec. delay, Custom Timer |
| Recording Media | SD memory card/MultiMediaCard This camera has been tested with SD memory cards through 2GB. All memory card functions cannot be guaranteed. |
| File Format | Design rule for camera file system and DPOF compliant |
| Data Type |
Still images: Exif 2.2 (JPEG)
Movie: AVI (Image data: Motion JPEG; Audio data: WAVE (monaural)) This digital camera supports Exif 2.2 (also called “Exif Print”). Exif Print is a standard for enhancing the communication between digital cameras and printers. By connecting to an Exif Print-compliant printer, the camera's image data at the time of shooting is used and optimized, yielding extremely high quality prints. |
| Compression | Superfine, Fine, Normal |
| Number of Recording Pixels (Still Images) | Large: 3072×2304 pixels Medium 1: 2592×1944 pixels Medium 2: 2048×1536 pixels Medium 3: 1600×1200 pixels Small: 640×480 pixels Postcard Date Imprint Mode:1600×1200 pixels |
| Number of Recording Pixels (Movies) |
Standard, My Colors: 640×480 pixels (30 frames/sec., 15 frames/sec.) 320×240 pixels (30 frames/sec., 15 frames/sec.) Recording can continue until the memory card is full (can record up to a maximum of 1 GB at one time). Fast Frame Rate: (can record for 1 min.) 320×240 pixels (60 frames/sec.) Compact: (can record for 3 min.) 160×120 pixels (15 frames/sec.) Using super high-speed SD cards (SDC-512MSH recommended). |
| Playback Modes | Single (histogram displayable), Index (9 thumbnail images), Magnified (approx. 10x (max.) in LCD monitor, advance or reverse through magnified images possible), Jump (jumps to every tenth or hundredth image, to the first image of those sharing a certain shooting date, to movies, or to the first image in a folder. In index playback mode, it displays 9 images at once.), Sound memos (up to 60 sec.), Slide show or Movie (edit/slow motion play back possible). |
| Direct Print | PictBridge compliant, and Canon Direct Print and Bubble Jet Direct compatible |
| My Camera Settings | Start-up image, start-up sound, operation sound, Self-timer sound, and shutter sound. |
| Interface | USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (mini-B), PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) Audio/Video output (NTSC or PAL selectable, monaural audio) |
| Power Source | Battery Pack NB-3L (Lithium-ion Rechargeable battery) AC Adapter Kit ACK900 |
| Operating Temperature | 0 - 40°C (32 - 104°F) |
| Operating Humidity | 10 - 90 % |
| Dimensions | 89.5× 57.0×27.4 mm (3.52×2.24×1.08 in.) |
| Weight | Approx. 170 g (6.00 oz.) (camera body only) |
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