-
"Great, but not perfect." on by tedjohnston
Pros: Large, brilliant screen; Great picture quality; Good features; Compact.
Cons: No battery meter; No USB bus power; No EOS Utility support; Lacks a few advanced features; 3x zoom a bit whimpy.
Summary: Well, Canon has done it again! Canon's new line of cameras is probably the best combination of aesthetics and functionality on the camera market today. It's like they put together Sony (who only focuses on looks and doesn't care if the pictures it takes are crap) and their older Canon models (which were the fattest, ugliest things ever, but took great pictures) into one slick product line.
This camera is great, but it's not perfect like many make it out to be.
Pros: This thing looks sexy! Large 2.5" screen that you have to see to believe. Bright and brilliant, it makes you wish they implimented this kind of LCD technology in everything digital. It boots up in about a second, which is great for those who like to turn it on just to snap a picture, and then keep it off to conserve battery. The pictures it takes are great, and there are a myriad of different features, which include several different kinds of presets for point-and-shoot photography in all sorts of situations. There are also manual features which can be tweaked to liking, such as white balance, color, exposure (contrast), ISO speed, etc. There is also a High-ISO mode for 800+ISO pictures, which can be handy for many situations. Also one neat feature is time and date input and time zones. Basically when you first boot the camera for the first time, you enter in the date and time and your time zone. Then, if you go traveling, you can set the camera into travel mode and select the time zone of your travel locale for instant time switching.
Cons: No battery meter! Is it just me, or do NO digital cameras these days have battery meters!? Sheesh, at least make it a menu item where you can check the battery levels! The camera also lacks some advanced manual features like aperture and shutter speed. On top of this, the camera requires battery power to operate USB transfers and does not draw USB bus power. The software bundle comes with Canon's EOS Utility (which allows some nifty features like remote capturing of pictures straight to the PC), but there's no support for the SD600! It kind of gets your hopes up when they bundle that software in there, and then it doesn't even work with your camera model. Also, the 3x optical zoom leaves much to be desired.
Conclusion: This camera is great, and if you can get over its few shortcomings, then it's for you. If not, then you can try checking out the Canon A-Series which I imagine would have a few more features, but slightly poorer picture quality. Overall, great camera, and another success for Canon. -
"Great camera but with a major design flaw" on by lexthor
Pros: Takes great pictures, fits easily in your pocket
Cons: connection problems with Windows XP
Summary: Hate to give this camera such a low rating other than to draw attention to a major compatibility problem with Windows XP.
First the PROS: Great small size, sturdy casing, takes great pictures even on Auto which is easy to set, has more features than anyone should need in what for most will be a carry-in-ur-pocket point-n-shoot camera, great LCD (this is the first camera that I actually prefer to take photos via LCD but the viewfinder is a great backup for those sunny outdoor shots where all LCD’s get washed out). And has a neat color adjustment feature, that u can alter/correct a photo, save it as a duplicate rather than overwrite the original so when you download you can choose which is better, the original or the altered one. Can save you time by not having to use Photoshop later.
CONS: And this is a major one. Impossible to download to Windows XP if you have another camera, scanner or multi-function printer/scanner connected to your computer without first disconnecting all those other imaging devices & rebooting your computer. And I don’t mean WHILE you’re using those other devices, just if they’re connected to your computer is enough to prevent this camera from downloading. And this is a pain if all you want to do is download a few pictures & get back to work. This is because Canon wants to “hog” that device manager and won’t share with other imaging devices. I have multiple cameras, scanners, printers & a multi-function machine and they all co-exist happily except the Canons which won’t share. Canon tech support knows of this defect and even mentions it in a small paragraph buried in the manual but since this is a known problem with all Canon imaging products, it should be noted in bold print on the box so you see it before you walk out the store.
However it’s an easy fix: buy a memory card reader for $40 but that means you’ll never use all the download features of this camera.
And while I’m at it: no battery meter. All you get is a warning icon when the battery is low which only gives you a few minutes to change batteries. And since you can’t leave the battery in the charger more than 24 hrs, this means if you don’t use the camera regularly, and you don’t have 90 mins advance notice to charge the battery before you walk out the door, you always need a backup battery. Another $40.
So, this means you’ll constantly be opening & closing the cover protecting the battery & memory card to remove & change them and the cover/hinge are not that sturdy. I fully expect that to break one day so make sure you buy this camera from someone like Costco that has a no questions return policy.
And a final minor point – comes with a pitiful 16mb memory card which only holds 10-12 photos so count on buying more memory before walking out the store. Another $40. Most will do this anyway with any camera. But come-on, for Canon it would only cost a few dollars more to include a 256 or at least a 64mb card. How cheap can they get.
In short, be prepared to spend another $100 to overcome this camera’s shortcomings. But unlike other cameras, at least this camera’s problems can be fixed with more money. And if you can afford it & can work around these problems, it's a great camera. -
"if there's a better one, I can't find it" on by rmundell
Pros: portability, picture quality, optical viewfinder, easy controls, fast.
Cons: some advanced options on digital menus buried a bit deep
Summary: The key to great pictures is having the camera with you when opportunities arise. How many times do you not have the DSLR when a great shot is available. For those of us who don't have time to go looking for photo ops, the key is to have a camera thats always with you.
This one takes great shots in every kind of light (has ISO 800, is every bit as versatile as anyone but a pro could possibly need, and is one of the few in this size range to keep an optical viewfinder. That means that a single battery can last through an entire vacation if you use the optical viewfinder for daytime shots. I carry one spare battery, a 1 gig SD card, and can travel anywhere, taking hundreds of perfect shots, because the camera is always in a shirt pocket or on my belt, and I can go days without the need to recharge a battery.
Replaced a canon S400 which was also a great little camera. I never touch the DSLR. -
"Small and good quality, but not much difference from the past..." on by Brandon Liddell
Pros: Size, quality and functions galore
Cons: Poor manual picture quality
Summary: So I lost my Canon Elph S230 and had to buy a new one. It was a no brainer to pick up another elph, because I loved my last one so much. Low and behold my lost camera showed up on my doorstep and gave me a chance to compare the two. This new model is substantially thinner and a bit shorter (~1/8"). The shot isn't that much better though. I thought 6 megapixel would blow away a 3.2 megapixel camera, but when you zoom in on photoshop, the quality is hard to discern. Nice video options and I like the high ISO800 feature. If you don't have a camera yet, this is a sweet deal. If your looking to upgrade, I would hold off.
-
"Surprisingly Good!" on by ggliddy
Pros: Compact yet solid. Intuitive controls. Great image capture.
Cons: Weak flash. No visible battery monitor.
Summary: I wasn't sure what to expect with the Canon SD600. I had been using an Olympus 3030z purchased in the year 2001. I used to carry around the big case full of spare batteries, extra memory cards and RCA cords. I was ready for a compact. I bought the Canon based on the size, specs and its popularity. It has not disappointed.
The most surpising feature of the SD600 is the video. Amazing. I'm not sure if the technology has improved that much since I last shopped for a camera (admittedly 5 years ago), or if Canon does an exceptional job, but it is a joy to use. I almost use the video more than the stills.
My only complaint after two months of use involves the flash. It seems I wish it would fire more often in the automatic program mode. I know, the high ISO is supposed to compensate, and does. This will take some getting used to. And even when the flash does fire, I end up wishing it was a little stronger. Again, I realize that the compact form factor does not lend itself to a monster flash, so this will take some getting used to.
Lastly, I enjoy the software included with SD600 and recommend you get at least a 1GB SD memory card. (I bought a 2GB and love it.)
Write a Review
Online Stores
| Store | Promotions | In Stock | Price | Total Cost | Initial Sort Order |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | No | Yes | Tax: TBD Ship: TBD | $499.99 Shop Now | |
| See all prices | |||||
Compare to other digital cameras
Compare Selected
