Canon PowerShot A550 Compact Camera

Canon PowerShot A550

Strengths: Picture quality, ergonomics, easy to use, 4X optical zoom, takes AA batteries

Weakness: No image stabilization, low-resolution screen, flimsy door

I bought the Canon PowerShot A550 to replace my old HP digital camera that was lost after too many drops. Overall it is a significant improvement. Pictures are typical of Canon quality, which is excellent. The design is well thought out as almost all functions can be reached with one hand, although one hand shooting can result in blurry pictures because of the lack of image stabilization. The...
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I bought the Canon PowerShot A550 to replace my old HP digital camera that was lost after too many drops. Overall it is a significant improvement. Pictures are typical of Canon quality, which is excellent. The design is well thought out as almost all functions can be reached with one hand, although one hand shooting can result in blurry pictures because of the lack of image stabilization. The buttons are nicely labelled and the camera is simply very easy to use, as any point-and-shoot camera should be. The 4X optical zoom gives a little better range than others in the same price range, and is relatively quick. Under brightly lit conditions, autofocus is speedy and shutter lag is minimal. It takes a little long for the flash to charge though. The fact that the camera takes two AA batteries may have something to do with the flash charge time, but it is also more convenient as one can just grab cheap alkaline AA on the go. The camera is well constructed except for the door of the battery/memory card compartment. The screen is on the small end and has only 86,000 pixels, but the image shown is not bad at all. The refresh rate is good too. The viewfinder is useful when the intensity of the sun overwhelms the screen.

By aramidus44 - Sep 20, 2007

A550 camera

Strengths: Great picture, highly recommended

Weakness: None

This is excellent camera specially with the recent price drop. Although it is bulkier than the new SD line of camera from Canon. This does not have optical image stablization, so keep your hands steady when taking pictures.

By nkgarg02 - Sep 4, 2007

Better features than comparably priced cameras

Strengths: A 4x zoom, 7.1 megapixel camera that can take 16:9 pictures...all for under $200. And it's from Canon. The pictures themselves do not disappoint.

Weakness: Batteries drain a bit fast (AA, but that's typical of most digital cameras). In order to shoot photos in burst mode, you have to use Canon's branded SD cards (which raises the price point).

It takes nice pictures, is relatively quick, and is inexpensive.

If you want to show off your photos on an HDTV, the 16:9 aspect ratio means you won't have to deal with black bars down the left and right-hand sides of the screen.

It's been a few months since I did my research...but I would still recommend the Canon A550.

By bjkrautk - Jun 30, 2007

Canon Powershot A550

Strengths: Great pictures, fast lens, not a bulky camera, takes AA batteies, a quailty product all around.

Weakness: Might take getting used to if you have large hands.

I was able to get this camera to replace an older canon camera I had, and couldn't have been happier. It has a quick lens, takes clear and sharp pictures, and offers plenty of different controls and seetings. My only warning is for those of you with large hands, I lent it to friend and he stated that it took some getting used to since it is a relatively small camera. All things considered I...
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I was able to get this camera to replace an older canon camera I had, and couldn't have been happier. It has a quick lens, takes clear and sharp pictures, and offers plenty of different controls and seetings. My only warning is for those of you with large hands, I lent it to friend and he stated that it took some getting used to since it is a relatively small camera. All things considered I couldn't have made a better choice.

By rpppp1 - May 19, 2007

canon a550 review

Strengths: 1. Very small and lightweight. 2. Focuses very fast. 3. Refresh time between photos is very fast. 4. Batteries last forever. 5. Simple to use. 6. Zero shutter lag.

Weakness: 1. Redeye. 2. Optics could be better.

We use this camera at work and it seemed pretty nice, so I bought one for personal use. Outdoor photos are always perfect. Flash photos indoor are pretty good, but redeye is common. It's awfully fast and shutter lag is non-existent, very nice for a lower end 7mp camera. I'd consider stepping up to a model with pop-up flash if most of your photos will be of people (to minimize red eye), otherwise,...
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We use this camera at work and it seemed pretty nice, so I bought one for personal use. Outdoor photos are always perfect. Flash photos indoor are pretty good, but redeye is common.

It's awfully fast and shutter lag is non-existent, very nice for a lower end 7mp camera.

I'd consider stepping up to a model with pop-up flash if most of your photos will be of people (to minimize red eye), otherwise, it's a great unit especially given the entry price.

By e129822 - Apr 3, 2007