Canon PowerShot SD500

Reviewed September 2005

Characteristics

This new Digital Elph/IXUS harbours a 1/1.8 inch, 7.4 megapixel CCD, of which 7.1 million pixels are effective when capturing a maximum size image of 3072 x 2304 pixels.

CCD sensitivity starts at 50 ISO and can be manually increased to 100, 200 and 400 ISO if the camera is set to the Manual Shooting mode. An Auto ISO mode is also available, used by the Auto Shooting mode and the Scene modes, which allows the camera to increase the sensitivity as necessary based on the lighting conditions.

The SD500 is equipped with a 3X zoom with a focal length of 7.7 to 23.1 mm, the equivalent of a 37 to 111 mm with a 35 mm camera. Its apertures — totally under the control of the camera — start at f2.8 at the wide angle end and f4.9 at the telephoto end, closing down to f7.1 and f13 respectively.

A 4X digital zoom can also be activated in the menu, which starts where the optical zoom ends. The digital zoom crops a progressively smaller central section of the image as it is used more and more, and interpolates the cropped section to the image size currently in use.

Working in tandem with the lens apertures, the SD500 has a shutter speed range that covers from 1/2000 second down to 1 second in most modes. But, when set to the Fireworks Scene mode, the shutter speed drops to 2 seconds, while when the Manual shooting mode is used and the Long Shutter option in the menu is active, the camera is able to capture exposures from 1 to 15 seconds. Moreover, with all exposures longer than 1.3 seconds, the SD500 automatically processes the image for noise reduction.

The PowerShot SD500/IXUS 700 is able to capture images at any one of five sizes:

• Large = 3072 x 2304 pixels
• Medium 1 = 2592 x 1944 pixels
• Medium 2 = 2048 x 1536 pixels
• Medium 3 = 1600 x 1200 pixels
• Small = 640 x 480 pixels

Similarly, any one of three JPEG compression levels are available at all image sizes: Super Fine, which offers the highest image quality, Fine, an average compression level, and Normal which has the highest compression and lowest image quality but which allows storing more images in a given memory space.

An additional format called Postcard is also offered. It records images at the Medium 3 size (1600 x 1200) using the average compression (Fine), and if desired, allows the time and date to be superimposed permanently on the image.

While the camera is set to one of the capture modes (, , or ) pressing the button displays the Function Menu on the monitor. This menu not only serves to select certain commonly needed shooting parameters, it also serves to access the capture modes. But, only when the camera is set to the Manual shooting mode, or the Digital Macro mode are all of its options accessible:

• The first position of the menu selects the capture mode: with the camera set to the Manual Mode, the option offers a choice of using the Digital Macro Mode or the My colours Mode (see the Ergonomics section of the review for more details). With the camera set to the Scene Mode, the option serves to select the type of Scene mode Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater, Indoor, Kids and Pets, or Night Snapshot). And in the Movie Mode, the option serves to select the type of movie to record (Standard, Fast Frame Rate, Compact, or My Colours).

• Exposure Compensation: providing a compensation range of ± 2 EV in 1/3 EV increments. And, in the Manual Mode only, pressing the MENU button replaces the Exposure Compensation option by the Long Exposure option, which offers a selectable exposure time from 1 to 15 seconds.
• White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten (incandescent), Fluorescent (warm white or cool white), Fluorescent H (daylight) and Custom (user set for the ambient light conditions).
• ISO: Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400 ISO.

• Effect: Off, Vivid (increases contrast and saturation), Neutral (decreases contrast and saturation), Low Sharpening (softens sharpness), Sepia, or Black and White. When the My Colour Mode is active, then this option serves to choose the specific colour mode (Positive Film, Lighter Skin, Darker Skin, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Colour Accent, Colour Swap or Custom Colour).
• Compression: serves to select the JPEG compression level for still images (Superfine, Fine, Normal). And when the camera is set to the Movie Mode, serves to select the Frame Rate (30 or 15 fps).
• Resolution with the still image modes the options are: Large, Medium 1, Medium 2, Medium 3, Small and Postcard (see above). When the camera is set to the Movie Mode the options presented are: 640 (640 x 480 pixels) and 320 (320 x 240 pixels).

• AiAF: decides whether the camera selects the focus point automatically from one of its 9 AF points, or focuses exclusively at the centre of the frame.
• Self-timer: serves to set the self-timer delay for either 2 or 10 seconds, or to customize it which allows selecting a delay time between 1 and 10 seconds, or delays of 15, 20 or 30 seconds with the possibility of capturing between 1 and 10 images in a sequence.
• AF-assist Beam: allows turning Off the AF-assist lamp in case it is bothering.

• Digital Zoom: On or Off, controls the 4X digital zoom (see above).
• Display: decides whether or not an image is displayed immediately post-capture, and for how long (Off, 2 to 10 seconds, or Hold which leaves the image on screen until a button is pressed).
• Date Stamp: This option is only available when the image size is set to Postcard, the only time when the date and time can be selected to be permanently superimposed on the image.

• Long Shutter: only available in the Manual Mode, allows selecting a long exposure time from 1 to 15 seconds.
• Stitch Assist: serves to create panoramic images. Series of images can be captured from right to left or left to right, and assembled later using the software included with the SD500.

The other two parts of the menu are common to all modes: still image, movie, and Playback. The second section, identified by an icon depicting a hammer and wrench contains the Setup options for the SD500, covered in the Interface and Software section of the review.

The third section labelled with an icon representing a person and a camera is the My Camera menu, a menu that is commonly found on most Canon digital cameras.

Theme, the first of the six options presented in this section, controls all the sounds produced by the camera and the image it displays on the monitor during start-up, while the options that follow make it possible to select each sound and the start-up image independently.

Right out of the box, three themes come pre-programmed into the camera. However, using the software included with the SD500, it is possible to overwrite these using some of the over 40 themes that are part of the software. Moreover, personally captured photos can also be used if desired.

In Playback the menu has the same presentation, but the playback icon is presented on a blue background, and occupies the first section while the other two sections are identical to those found in the Recording menu:

• Protect: serves to mark images so that they cannot be erased accidentally. Images can be protected one at a time, or using the index view to speed the process.
• Rotate: makes it possible to change the image orientation by 90° or 270°.
• Sound Memo: allows adding a voice annotation to an image up to 60 seconds long.

• Erase All: erases all images on the memory card.
• Slide Show: serves to see a slide show of pre-selected images, or all images. Up to 3 different slide shows can be created based on DPOF tags.
• Print Order: serves to select images that will be printed (DPOF). Index pages can be selected for printing, or single images can be chosen for printing one at a time. In addition one or more copies of an image can be made and the date can be superimposed on the photo. The PowerShot SD500 is PictBridge compatible and can be used to print directly to PictBridge compatible printers via USB, as well as Canon printers that are Bubble Jet compatible.

• Transfer Order: provides a way to select images for direct and automatic transfer to a computer once the camera is connected to a computer that has the included software installed.

The PowerShot SD500 is compatible with SD (Secure Digital) memory cards and in North America the camera is retailed with a 32MB SD card. The SD card slot is contained in the same compartment as the battery slot, but the battery is kept in place by a brownish spring-loaded latch that prevents it from falling out. The memory card is ejected by pressing on its edge.

The 32MB card supplied with the PowerShot SD500 makes it possible to capture a few images, but the purchase of a greater capacity should be very seriously contemplated when the camera is purchased. As a guide, capacities for both the included memory card and an inexpensive 256MB SD card are indicated below:

A rechargeable Lithium Ion (NB-3L) battery powers the SD500. A charger (CB-2LU) is included with the camera and it is able to recharge the battery in approximately 95 minutes when it is fully depleted.

A small opening closed by a plastic flap within the battery compartment cover is designed to allow the power cable of an optional AC-DC transformer to go through. The adapter (CA-PS500) allows the camera to run off of regular household current, ideal for extended operation.