Low-to-medium ISO sensitivity noise

What a difference a sensor makes. Though the A550 is the same 14.2-megapixel resolution as the cheaper A380, the A550's Exmor CMOS sensor delivers much cleaner images at all ISO sensitivities than the CCD used by its sibling does. They're sharp and relatively clean at least through ISO 400. ISO 800 looks very good on my high-end, color calibrated monitor, but slightly noisy on my cheapo standard-issue display. At ISO 1,600, image detail starts to mush up a bit, but for the most part, detailed photos can remain usable up through ISO 3,200.