Digital Camera: Canon SD600

[ZeratulsAvenger]

I recently purchased my first digital camera, the Canon SD600, and can consider it a great camera for the cost. I purchased it for $249, but I had a Radio Shack gift card for $100, so it was only $149 out of pocket—this seems like a great deal from what I could find on the internet. I didn’t really look for prices on the internet until after my impulsive buy, so I consider myself lucky. As a comparison, the only other cameras I have used are my Moms 8mm film camera and also my Dads Fujifilm FinePix S9000 (and one of its predecessor models).

The Canon ELPH series of cameras has an incredible reputation on places like Amazon or Steve’s Digicams (www.steves-digicams.com), so I was pretty sure of the quality of the camera when I bought it. I can’t say I was let down.

Looks: 10/10
Being a college student I really was looking for something compact and well manufactured, while also aesthetically pleasing. The camera is tiny, about the size of my wallet (3.39 x 2.11 x 0.85 in), with a nice stainless steel case. It feels extremely compact and sturdy, so I really am not at all concerned about just throwing it in my backpack for when I head out to class or on a trip.

Features: 7/10
The Canon SD600 doesn’t have an overly expansive feature-set, which is just as well for me as I am a novice when it comes to cameras. It has the normal features of red-eye reduction, digital and optical zoom, 6 megapixels, and a bunch of settings that can be changed for portraits, night shots, and even “Kids&Pets”. What really caught my eye though was the impressive 2.5” LCD. Sadly, it seems almost as if Canon assumed the user would rely solely on the LCD, as they didn’t make the viewfinder all that easy to use. I have glasses, but even without them I would have a hard time getting close enough to frame a good shot. The LCD is perfect for me, but my dad prefers a viewfinder, so he would find himself in trouble when using my camera. The camera can also take advantage of up to a 2GB SD memory card, making room for over 700 pictures on the largest and most fine picture setting. On a medium setting my 1GB card can hold about 500 photos or 8 minutes of video (640x480). The battery is also rather cheap, so if you need a backup you can buy one for about $40. This brings me to one of the major pitfalls in my mind, though: the batteries aren’t AA, or AAA, or any standard batteries. I’ve heard the battery lasts reasonably long, but if it were to fail, then I would have to charge with the wall charger which can be a bit of a hindrance.

A random feature that I just have to note is that when you take a photo with the camera in some orientation (say you have it sitting normally) and then go into the viewer, if you turn the camera on its side the photo will also turn so that it is in the same orientation as when it was taken. You can turn it off, but it just seems like a cool little thing I would never have thought to put on a camera.

Photo Quality: 8/10
The photo quality of the SD600 is top notch (for my novice eye). The red-eye reduction feature works as advertised and the photos it takes on the superfine setting are extremely clear for wherever the camera has focused. One gripe I have is that occasionally I will be taking a photo of some object at 15 feet or so but an object will be closer (say 5 feet), so the camera focuses on the closer object, illuminating it with the flash, while the background is darker and not as clear. This is probably my fault, and I feel as though I saw a setting that set the focus in the center of the framed photo, but I can’t remember where that is anymore. When the camera focuses on what I want, though, the picture is bright and clear.

Overall Rating: 8.5/10

[Force Flow]

I ordered the SD650 for someone and got a chance to play around with it a little bit, and for a point-and-shoot camera, it was pretty good. That model had a 3" LCD, which is great for older people with not the greatest eyesight.

As for the focusing problem, push the shutter button in half way to let the camera focus, then push it in all the way when you actually want the picture taken.

[Zelpo]

I had the SD450, but sadly it was stolen recently. That camera was so good I was thinking about another ELPH to replace it. Thanks for the review!

[Mac Medic]

i have the SD-100 (very old) and the SD-550, i like them both very much, although strangely the sd-100 focuses faster in low light than the sd-550. you got a great deal on your 600, nice going.

[Zelpo]

Wow, came home today from work & was informed that the Easter Bunny left a SD600 for me

Anyone know if you can put a 4GB SD card in it? Searched the net a bit & couldn't get much info beyond the supported 2GB.