Customer Reviews
Wonderful Camera!
This is definatly NOT just a point and shoot camera. So if you are considering this camera for your 1st it might not be the best choice. For those who are a little more advanced or just have used a DC before then GO FOR IT! It has tons of features and the autofocus is awesome. From the, oh, 16 or so, instruction booklets you get it may seem complicated but all you REALLY need to do it try it. It's mostly self expainitory and I only use the manuals for questions about certain features or tasks.
Pros:
- 2.5" LCD Screen
- 14 scene modes!
- Optional all-weather case turns the camera into Underwater Camera, which is too cool. >:D
- Software to print and edit photos and make movies onto DVDs which is awesome for sharing and having fun w/ your photos and movies.
- .5 a second Shutter speed. Totally fast and catches those action moments.
- Timed Portrait Option
- the night mode is fantastic! all of my photos came out like I had taken them during the day.
- The battery lasts FOREVER!
- It's so small it can fit ANYWHERE!
Cons:
- No battery indicator so if it does run out it surprises you.
- Video Files are very large so if your comp can't hold much they clog it up.
- Flash can be over-powering at times but its fixable
-The Memory chip hold 9 photos. 9! So I URGE you to invest in a larger chip.
Other than that I am in love with it. If you have the chunk to spend I think it is completely worth it. Though you may want to look into getting these accessories:
- The waterproof case, it is a little expensive though
- Memory Cards
- A carry case
3 nessecary, well sort of, things.
Hope I helped!
size/imaging/price optimized
the only knock i'd give it is that without the flash things can come out blurry, and occasionally even with the flash. but maybe that's because i tend to take pitures hanging out of my car window on the highway. for the price it is optimized. my girlfriend has the an A-series powershot -- about the same price as this one but presumably trades compactness and portability for better optics. anyway, the A-series certainly is bigger and it eats batteries like kobayashi eats cow-brains, but i haven't noticed a difference in image quality compared to this little guy.
the rechargeable battery is extremely convenient and recharges like a champ in about an hour and lasts me about a week with sporadic use. the user interface is simple and intuitive.
the software that comes with it is crap from what i can tell, but to be honest i haven't really given it much of a chance (i use the free imageJ for picture editing). i do know that it took nearly twenty minutes to install the five distinct packaged apps that came with it, and every time i try and open one my computer churns with indigestion. whatever you decide, 5megapixels ensures that you will need to do something, because even at the MEDIUM setting the images are 1500x2000pix and consume about 2mb of disk. resolution shrunk by 50% with interpolation will reduce disk usage by 10times (i.e., they end up 200kb).
anyway, it's great. it's tiny, it's cute, it's extremely well endowed (the LCD literally takes up 80% of its anterior surface) and with the right protection will live long and strong. so far i really love this thing.
Simple compact camera great for point and shoot
I owned the SD200 first and now this one. Love them both, but I don't think I realized how much I like the SD200 until I got this one. The increased megapixels are not noticeable on the 4x6 prints of the snapshots that I take of the kids. Quality is great for that either way. The big screen is a blessing and a hindrance. The controls on the SD200 were larger and easier to navigate. Now, I don't need bi-focals, yet that is, but the controls on the back of the SD450 were so tiny I no longer felt that they were as easy to navigate even though they are essentially identical to the SD200. The bigger screen is nice, but not really necessary and I'm noticing more frequent battery recharges are needed. Used to be able to fill and empy the 512MB card in the SD200 and I can't get this one to go as long yet. Plus that bigger screen has made the controls tinier. One good control innovation was changing the mode selector to vertical instead of horizontal. That has eliminated the accidental switching modes when pulling in and out of the case. The video mode is even smoother than the old one, but still not at the level of a dedicated video camera. All cameras have limitations, but this camera is very portable, quick, accurate and easy to use.
