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Digital Camera Reviews and Ratings By manufacturer:
Canon | Casio | Fuji | HP | Kodak | Minolta | Nikon | Olympus | Panasonic | Pentax | Samsung | Sony | Misc. | Accessories | Lenses
The Canon Powershot A550 is a 7.1 megapixel compact camera (CCD) from Canon which comes complete with a 4x optical zoom lens, DIGIC II, iSAPs and 9 point AF system.
The Canon Powershot A550 shoots video at up to 30 frames per second (VGA) and has a 2.0 inch LCD screen.
It's ISO rating is from 80 to 800 and has a shutter speed range of 15-1/2000 second.
There is currently no release date for the Canon Powershot A550.
No images of the A550 yet from Canon but we'll add them here as they become available.
Get a price on the Canon PowerShot A550
PowerShot A550 available February 2007
PowerShot A460 available February 2007
PowerShot A450 availability TBC (varies dependent on region)
Features at a glance:
PowerShot A460/PowerShot A450
* 5.0 Megapixels
* 4x optical zoom (3.2x PowerShot A450)
* DIGIC II, iSAPS and 5-point AiAF
* Wide range of shooting modes
* 2.0” LCD
PowerShot A550
* 7.1 Megapixels
* 4x optical zoom
* DIGIC II, iSAPS and 9-point AiAF
* Redesigned Shooting Mode dial
* 30fps VGA movies with sound
* 2.0” LCD with dedicated Playback button
With the appeal of digital expanding beyond the traditional age bracket, the three new PowerShot models are positioned to meet an increasing demand for no-fuss cameras that every member of the family can pick up and use – from kids to grandparents.
“For novice photographers and first time digital camera buyers, simplicity of use is a crucial factor,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. “These new additions to the PowerShot range illustrate that affordable, snapshot photography need not mean a compromise on quality.”
Ease of Use
The three cameras have been designed with ease of use firmly in mind. Key controls and buttons are intuitively positioned for fast, fingertip access. A selectable Grid Line Display on the LCDs helps with shot composition, while the 2.0” screen size makes it easy for family members to view photos together without connecting to a PC. Conveniently powered by AA batteries, the cameras offer impressive battery life with up to 11 hours playback on a single charge (with Canon NB-3AH batteries).
A wide range of shooting modes cover most family and social situations, allowing users to shoot without having to worry about camera settings. The PowerShot A550 simplifies shooting even further by bringing the most commonly used Special Scene modes – such as Night Snapshot and Kids & Pets – out of the menu system and onto the camera’s Shooting Mode dial. My Colors allows users to apply photo effects direct from the camera while shooting, with options including Sepia and Black & White.
All three cameras feature a Movie mode for VGA quality clips with audio of up to 60 minutes in length or 1GB file size (whichever is reached first)*. Movies and photos can be viewed on a TV via the AV out connection.
Direct printing
All cameras are PictBridge compliant for instant direct printing to compatible printers. Users can also print ID photos and still images from movies when connected to a SELPHY CP series printer. The handy Print/Share button on each camera allows one-touch printing and hassle-free uploads to Windows or Macintosh systems. The cameras’ menu systems now feature support for Ukrainian and Romanian, bringing the total number of supported languages to 25.
*Depending on memory card speed and capacity
CNET has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550> and writes, "Photos looked pretty good, though they're marred by overprocessing and fringing in spots. Colors reproduce well, though indoor photos shot with automatic white balance come out very yellow, a common problem for most snapshot cameras. Noise is low up to ISO 400 sensitivity, where a fine grain starts to appear. Images are predictably noisy at ISO 800 sensitivity, with speckling damaging fine details and softening colors. ... With quick performance and decent photos, the Canon PowerShot A550 is a solid budget camera. It doesn't have many special features and it's not particularly small or light, but it's a strong choice if you don't want to spend a lot for your snapshots."
Steve's Digicams has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "Canon's PowerShot A550 has a lot to offer. With robust performance, great image quality, easy to use exposure modes, 7-megapixels of resolution, a 4x optical zoom lens, and great ergonomics, the A550 is sure to be a very popular model for 2007. The A550 won't hurt the pocket book either, with a "sweet" price tag of US$199 or less! If you don't need 7-megapixels, but like many of the features of this model, be sure to check out our review of its "little brother" the 5-megapixel PowerShot A460."
Ken Rockwell has reviewed the Canon A550 and writes, "It works great! Cameras have come a long way in 2007. It's a pleasure to use and gives great images. Images are super sharp. ... As of February 2007, if you want a great camera for a low price, get one! You can pay less and get the A460, but if you're a heavy user like me who uses all the features, I find the A550 much easier to use because it has more buttons. If you can afford double the price, the more expensive cameras are nicer, but picture quality is the same."
Photography Press has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "the focusing foibles aside, metering is pretty good overall, however it did struggle on some back lit subjects and while it id its best it erred on the side of underexposure most of the time. The upside is bright parts of a scene retain detail (white clouds for example) but shadows deepen too quickly and loose detail. Noise at ISO 80 and ISO 100 is there but well controlled but over that and it becomes more obvious in shadows, until at ISO 400 and over it is very noticeable. Image noise processing also impacts on detail at that level as well. ... the combination of the camera’s top, Superfine JPEG setting (you have Fine and Normal too), lower ISO settings and the rather nice lens all mean you can get some very nice images indeed."
PCMag has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "The A550 did very well on my resolution test, averaging 1,750 lines, excellent for a 7.1MP camera. It also had a decent bootup time, 2.8 seconds, but the recycle time was, at 4.8 seconds, too long in my book. As I mentioned before, I was very impressed with the camera's lack of shutter lag. There was very little lens distortion too—just a bit of the barrel distortion I usually see, and virtually no pincushion effects. Overall, for an inexpensive digital camera, the Canon PowerShot A550 is a solid choice, although the Kodak EasyShare C875 edges it out with an inventive "smart" auto mode and speedier performance."
DCResource has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "Camera performance was very good. The A550 is ready to start taking pictures in a little over a second after you turn it on. Focus speeds were snappy (though not class-leading by any means), and shutter lag was minimal. You will wait about one second between shots. ... Battery life was also impressive, with the best numbers in its class (and using just two batteries). Photo quality was also good. The PowerShot A550 took well-exposed photos (most of the time) with accurate and saturated colors, pleasing sharpness, and minimal purple fringing. Noise levels are low through ISO 400 in good light, though I'd stop at ISO 200 in low light conditions. You may experience some blurring in the corners of the frame of your photos, though, especially at wide-angle. And finally, the A550 has the same redeye problem that plagues all of Canon's A-series cameras. ... f you want a compact, easy to use camera with a little more zoom than usual, then I'd definitely recommend that you take a look at the PowerShot A550."
Cameras.co.uk has a review of the Canon Powershot A550 and writes, "On the whole I was extremely impressed with the set of test shots produced by the Powershot A550. Although a little more expensive than some of the very cheapest models this camera can still be bought for a very reasonable price. Compared to other cameras in and around this price range I felt the pictures taken had a clear edge on all the rival cameras I have tested. ... As prices fall and you can pick up digital cameras by named brands for around £70 this is one of the more expensive cameras towards the lower end of the market. In my opinion though the Canon Powershot A550 underlines the fact that if you are prepared to pay a bit more for your digital camera you will be well rewarded when it comes to picture quality. Recommended."
Imaging Resource has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "High ISO isn't as high as some other similar cameras, but the results are very good. You can get away with printing an 11x14 from the A550, and it looks darn good. You can see some color noise at that size, but contrast and vibrance are very good still. Print at 8x10, and you won't notice that it's an ISO 800 shot ... The Canon PowerShot A550 is a great basic digital camera whose images will make you feel like a pro. Canon's interface has evolved to a point of excellence, as well, with most of the features you'll find on Canon's more expensive digicams. The A550 is still a little slow, but in most measures it's faster than last year's A520 and A530. We love the 7.1 megapixel sensor, which delivers amazing images for the money; you might think they're amazing for even more money. We'd have to agree with you."
IT Reviews has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "Leaving everything on automatic produces very respectable shots. The nine-point auto-focus works well, as does the camera's macro mode which will focus down to 50mm. If you need more control you can switch to manual to set your own exposure compensation, white balance and ISO speed. The optical zoom gives a good range and is backed up by a further 4x digital zoom. The camera's ability to shoot at up to 800 ISO means it's good in lower light conditions indoors, as well. ... It's easy to use as a first-time digital compact, but has the specification to stay with you until you reach enthusiast level. It's crying out for a higher-capacity memory card, though, and still needs work on its control buttons."
DigiCamReview has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "The sensor, electronics and optics used by Canon can produce good images. However, best results are achieved by tweaking the exposure compensation and white balance in manual mode. Exposure compensation is also available in the scene modes, but not in auto mode (which tends to produce overexposed images). Colours are rich and in a very wide range of situations the camera will take sharp, detailed pictures. Having some manual options does enable a certain amount of creativity. AiAF is a useful feature for portraits and macro shots, but on landscape setting, it tended to focus on close by objects, and was better disabled. This camera is reasonably good in low light situations as long as it is firmly supported. There is a good range of image quality settings to choose from. The camera was generally competent and fast at focusing and in low light, the focus assist lamp did the trick."
Digital Camera Info has a review of the Canon PowerShot A550 and writes, "With a $199 price tag, amazing performance can’t be expected from the A550. It does, however, meet the basic requirements of an adequate digital camera: it can take a picture when you want, where you want, and how you want. It doesn’t have much shutter lag, has a 4x optical zoom lens to get closer to subjects, a decent burst mode for action sequences, and is small enough to be toted around. Sure, the A550 has its drawbacks – but most seem to be connected to the price tag. ... With that in mind, the PowerShot A550’s pictures aren’t going to blow anyone away, but it will serve basic point-and-shooters just fine."
Get a price on the Canon PowerShot A550
Posted by Darren in our Canon category on January 18, 2007