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"Great camera but with a major design flaw"
1.5 starson by lexthorPros: 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.
- 21 replies to this review
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Thsi is a great camera. I've never used anything but a card reader for my devices, the one i have now takes 4 types of cards and cost about 20 bux in the US. Its probably a microsoft issue that you are experiencing. For everyone that says oh just get a mac, thats not the only option for avoiding microsoft products. There are numerous Unix based programs available with much more tweakable options than either microsoft or mac. All in all this camera did not deserve such a low rating because of such minor issues. As far as breaking the parts that open, I've had this camera for prob 4-5 years now, and no issues with weakened hinges or anything. Its a solid little camera.
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Well, just to comment, this camera and software works perfect with OSX, and iPhoto for all you Mac users....
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lexthor, i am a computer expert. To solve your problem, get an sd memory card reader.
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I run Windows XP and have numerous other imaging devices hooked up and have no problems with downloading from the camera to the computer.
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First off...I'm having hard time believing what you said about the camera hogging the device manager...theres obviously something wrong with your computer <br><br>Second the SD600 comes with a lithium-ion battery not just a regular AA rechargeable...the difference? lithium-ion has no memory so it can and should be charged<br>at anytime you don't use the camera...there is no reason to wait till you see the low battery sign...charge it as frequently as you can...even for a half hr dont wait till its fully charged because often you might overcharge the battery that way hence overheating the battery...
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I don't understand what you mean about Canon being a power hog.<br>I have a printer, scanner, mulitfunction machine, PDA, 2 routers and a mic on my pc and never have a problem with downloading my pic from my camera.<br>However, there is one complaint I would like to make about the software that Canon uses when downloading.<br>I will take a lot of picture in the portrait position. When I download the pictures, there is no option in the software to turn the picture. So I have to turn the pictures in Windows if I want to see a series of pictures in a slideshow. Other than that, I really like my Canon PowerShot SD600.
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Your rating should be for your computer/operating system, not this camera.
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How is this a design flaw??? Its Windows system messed up system you should blame. Ive hated Windows ever since my computer kept crashing. I went Mac and havent gone back.
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I find it highly, highly unlikely that this is the camera's fault, nor do I believe it would occur for the vast majority of Windows users. Try the Microsoft solution (reinstall Windows and all applications), and if that doesn't fix it, buy a Mac.
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Im sorry, but I don't agree with you at all. I don't have any problems connecting it to my computer while my All-in-One printer is plugged in, and other items. I don't have a single problems. You seriously need to get your pricing correct, because it doesn't cost $40 for a media card reader. You can find one at Wal-Mart for $13 dollars, that would work fine, and then if you ever decided to get a different camera that supported a different type of memory card, then you would be all set. I also don't have any problem with my battery and leaving it in my camera. You seriously need to send the one that you bought back to canon and get another new one, that is correct and right. You have a major problem, I don't have one at all. Check other cameras before you give your opinion on something, because maybe its just yours that has that problem. And, if only a couple have that problem, then oh well, Im sure other cameras by other companies do too. Check your stuff. I don't agree with you.
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What are you talking about?! I have this camera hooked up along with a Samsung and a Nikon digital camera, and an Epson scanner on top of that.. No issues at all...
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I'm not sure why you have such a problem, but I have none at all.
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As someone else stated. If it does well in its main functions then you should have rated it at least a 6. You yourself called it a great camera! so that should be a 9 and then you can subtract 2 or 3 pts for the flaws. When you under rate as you did. You affect the overall rating and make it hard for the rest of us to compare.
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Why would you call that Canon's folly? Its clearly a Windows incompatibility, not a camera problem, and it certainly isn't the first windows problem ....<br><br>Sheesh, go rate XP if you wanna give a bad review, they are the ones that deserve it
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The "flaws" so emphasized here seem no big deal in a camera with so many fetures for so little money. What did this guy expect to get for under $250?
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I have an all in on printer, a mp3 player a wireless mouse, my palm Treo, and an external hard drive all plugged into my laptop and I could still download pictures from my camera. Also you can go online and buy a 1 GB SD card for $40.<br><br>So $299 for the camera + $40 for memory and your set.
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Come on man. This camera deserves a better rating than that. It takes great pictures and is easy to use, which is what we want a camera for in the first place.
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I have had two Canon cameras, and I've never heard of such a problem. I think that your computer just does not have enough system resources to handle it. I have two Sony camcorders plugged into my computer, an all-in-one printer, a MP3 player and a Canon power-shot S70, and I've never had a problem downloading anything with this computer. However, with my old computer that had the Celeron processor in it; I couldn't even boot up with my all-in-one printer on. I think you are blaming the problem on the camera and not the computer.
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I had my multifunction printer, and web camera connected at the time that I installed the camera and am currently running windows XP and I had no problems installing...?<br><br>And the hinge is actually quite sturdy - so long as you're not in a hurry when changing the camera <img border="0" src="http://www.cnet.com/i/mb/emoticons/wink.gif" alt=";)"><br><br>I agree about the battery meter though! Thanks for the review!
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this is a flaw in the way the OS shares the drivers, not a flaw in the camera. Blaming the camera for this is like blaming your car because you ran into road construction while driving. I'm sure if I thought about it I could come up with a better analogy but the fact is the flaw is with windows driver sharing.
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Do these "flaws" that you mentioned give the camera a 3 out of 10 rating? It's a point and shoot camera. Does it does it behave in it's PRIMARY function? Primary function should be scaled at least 6 or 7 of 10 point. The remaining "quirks" that you've mentioned should then be out of 4 or 3 of 10. They weigh them together to give a final answer. <br><br>But it seems that for you, those "quirks" are be all and end all. For me (and the rest of the world), all we care for are quality pictures. Period. The reset is something that we can adapt.
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