Canon Powershot SD500 Review
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Click to take a QTVR tour of the SD500
The diminuitive SD500 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-inch color LCD monitor, all driven by the exclusive DIGIC II processor. To make sure that everybody gets the picture they want, the SD500 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 SD500 model also includes individual settings for Foliage, Snow, Beach, and Fireworks. Optional accessories for the SD500 include the Waterproof Case WP-DC70, rated to a depth of approximately 130 feet and the high power flash HF-DC1 that doubles the range of the camera's builtin flash. The PowerShot SD500 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-inch, 118,000 pixel 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 the inclusion of a Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port, the first time this feature has appeared in the PowerShot series. The SD500 supports direct printing to any PictBridge compliant printer regardless of brand. Powershot SD500 Features:
Physical Views       The SD500 compared to a standard CD disc.  The 7-megapixel Olympus C-7070 and the Powershot SD500 |
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Features & Controls
PowerShot SD500 Specifications
| Camera Effective Pixels | Approx. 7.1 megapixels |
| Image Sensor | 1/1.8-inch CCD (Total number of pixels: Approx. 7.4 megapixels) |
| Lens | 7.7 (W)--23.1 (T) mm (35 mm 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 | 2.0-inch, low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD, approx. picture coverage 100 % |
| AF System | TTL autofocus Focusing frame: 9-point AiAF/1-point AF (fixed to center) |
| Shooting Distance* | 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: 3.0 m (9.8 ft.)--infinity * From the front of the lens |
| 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. |
| Light Metering System | Evaluative, Center-weighted average or Spot (Center) |
| Exposure Control System | Program AE |
| Exposure Compensation | ± 2.0 stops in 1/3--stop increments |
| Sensitivity | Auto*, ISO 50/100/200/400 equivalent * Camera automatically sets the optimal speed. |
| 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 redeye 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--50 cm (1.0--1.6 ft.) (W/T)* * When sensitivity is set to AUTO. |
| Shooting Modes | Still images: Auto, Manual*, Digital macro**, My Colors**, Special Scene***, Stitch assist**** Movie: Standard, Fast Frame Rate, Compact, My Colors * Long shutter and Digital macro mode available.
** Selectable in Manual mode.
*** Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & pets, Night snapshot
**** Selectable from the Rec. menu |
| Continuous Shooting | Approx. 2.0 shots/sec.* * Large/Fine mode with LCD monitor off |
| Self-timer | Activates shutter after an approx. 10-sec./approx. 2-sec. delay, Custom Timer |
| Recording Media | SD memory card |
| File Format | Design rule for camera file system and DPOF compliant |
| Data Type | Still images: Exif 2.2 (JPEG)* Movies: 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 |
| Movies Standard, My Color: recording can continue until the SD card is full* (can record up to a maximum of 1 GB at one time)) 640×480 pixels, 320×240 pixels (15 fps, 30 fps) Fast Frame Rate: (can record for 1 min.)** 320×240 pixels (60 fps) Compact: (can record for 3 min.)** 160×120 pixels (15 fps) * Using high-speed SD cards (SDC-512MSH recommended).
** The data in parentheses refer to the maximum movie clip length. | |
| Playback Modes | Single (histogram displayable), Index (9 thumbnail images), Magnified (approx. 10x (max.) in LCD monitor, advance or reverse through magnified images possible), Image search (jumps over 10 or 100 images, to a movie or to the next shooting date, or 9 images at a time when in index playback), Sound memos (up to 60 sec.), Slide show or Movie (slow motion play back possible). |
| Direct Print | PictBridge compliant, and Canon Direct Print and Bubble Jet Direct compatible |
| Display Languages | 21 languages available for menus and messages (English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Russian, Portuguese, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Traditional Chinese, Korean and Japanese) |
| My Camera Settings | The start-up image, start-up sound, operation sound, self-timer sound, and shutter sound can be customized using the following methods* * Using the images and sounds recorded on a camera.
* Using the downloaded data from your computer using the supplied software. |
| Interface | USB 2.0 Hi-Speed (mini-B), PTP (Picture Transfer Protocol) Audio/Video output (NTSC or PAL selectable, monaural audio) |
| Power Source | Rechargeable lithium-ion battery (type: NB-3L) AC Adapter Kit ACK900 (Sold Separately) |
| Operating Temperature | 0--40 °C (32--104 °F) |
| Operating Humidity | 10--90 % |
| Dimensions | 89.5 (85.6)*×57.0×26.5 mm (3.5 (3.4)×2.2×1.0 in.) * Does not include the curve on the grip side. |
| Weight | Approx. 170 g (6.0 oz.)* * camera body only |
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Features & Controls
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