Digital Trends

Canon PowerShot SD500

September 7th, 2005 | by David J Elrich

Performance

I've been very pleasantly surprised at how responsive newer cameras are. Of the many digicams from top-tier brands I've tested recently, startup time is about a second or two and saving hefty files to memory is film camera quick. The Canon SD500 is a fine example of this newer technology. Using the DIGIC II processor originally found in much more expensive EOS D-SLRs, this is one speedy ELPH. It works so fast, you'll have a hard time believing it's a 7-megapixel camera with a maximum file size of 3072 x 2304 pixels.

Since this camera is aimed at a more casual user, it's supplied with a Quick Start Guide, something Canon should include with all its cameras. The guide tells you how to charge the supplied—and proprietary—lithium ion battery, load it and the SD memory card then set the clock. A nice diagram explains the major features/functions and in no time, you're ready to start taking pictures. It even explains how to move images to your computer. Canon is to be commended for this and so should every other company that makes digital imaging as easy as it should be.     

As with most new Canons, the SD500 delivered good photos with little sign of purple fringing even when shooting lovely New Jersey trees and skies. When the camera was good to go, I walked around the house shooting the newest blooming blue hydrangea flowers and the colors were spot on. Where I did notice some issues is with the LCD screen; it had its problems in bright sunlight even with the anti-reflective coating. When this occurred it was time to use the tiny peephole viewfinder that does an adequate job but you'll definitely go right back to the LCD when the light permits. You can adjust the intensity of the monitor if needed.

Canon states you can take 160 shots with the LCD on but it didn't last quite that long for our test which included a lot of zooming and taking video clips (you can zoom in the movie mode too, a nice plus).  Like many newer cameras, the ELPH records VGA clips at 640 x 480 pixel resolution at 30 frames per second. As we've said before, it's not Mini DV or MPEG2 quality but it's a fun feature nonetheless. Unfortunately, the built-in mic picked up some of the camera's zoom and shutter mechanism noise.

The SD500's flash tends to overpower close-up subjects, unlike the more accurate Sonys. Be aware of this in tight situations but in more normal distances, quality was good since it has an AF Assist beam, one of the key features any digicam must have, IMHO. And it's very simple to change the flash mode since there's a dedicated key for it.

Although there is a manual mode, it's limited. You can adjust the shutter speed in the Long Shutter mode but you can't adjust the aperture. That said the ELPH buyer probably doesn't want or care about such trifles. If the spirit moves you, there's adjustable exposure compensation, white balance, ISO (50-400) and a number of picture effects such as black-and-white, sepia and others. Noise didn't become an issue until hitting 200 and above.

Along with full auto, the camera has a number of Scene modes including the traditional ones such as Portrait, Landscape, Beach, Snow and so on. There are also settings for Foliage, Fireworks, Indoor, Kids & Pets and Night Snapshot. With these options the camera sets all the parameters and the results part are fine for the most. For example, Kids & Pets is basically a high-speed shutter setting to capture fast-moving subjects such as a hyperactive three-year-old. With no tyke around, the camera did an O.K. job capturing a frisky kitty. And if you're feeling creative, My Colors lets you add a blast of color to an image so you can grab snaps or videos with quite an edge to them like something out of a Rob Zombie creation.

Photos Courtesy of Canon USA