I recently purchased my first camera — ever. Previously, I had used either hand-me-downs (first a Pentax SLR and then an Olympus SLR) or disposable film cameras. I would have gone digital earlier, but as often happens, my expectations exceeded the marketplace.
What I've long wanted is an ultra-compact 5 megapixel camera with a 5x optical zoom that takes high-quality photos and unlimited-length movies.
I ended up settling for the Canon PowerShot SD500 (recently replaced by the nearly identical SD550), an ultra-compact 7 megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom that takes high-quality photos and unlimited-length movies.
I paid $499 at Crutchfield, and also purchased a 1GB Lexar 40x SD memory card for about $100. Tip: Crutchfield gives you a $25 gift card when you buy this digital camera so buy the camera first, and then use the gift card to buy the memory. Also, you can haggle on prices and on shipping charges if you order by phone (ask for Bo). You might find the camera for less money elsewhere, but Crutchfield provides much better service than Amazon or the big box stores.
If you plan to take still photos only, you may not need 1GB of memory, but the camera features a terrific movie mode. I recently shot some footage that will make its way into a short TechnoLawyer-related video that we plan to release soon (stay tuned). You can shoot video at 640x480 pixels 30 fps in MPEG-2 until your memory card fills up — perfect for Web video projects. My 1GB SD card holds about 8 minutes of video. The quality is terrific. However, I would advise against relying on the built-in microphone as it tends to pick up camera sounds. For our upcoming video, we plan to replace the sound that the camera captured with post-production voice-overs, music, and sound effects.
Tip: The SD500 shoots video in 640x480 AVI, but most video editing software (we use iMovie HD) requires 720x480 DV footage. After trying various conversion maneuvers, I discovered one that does not harm the quality of the video. Just open the SD500 footage in QuickTime Pro (available from Apple for $29), export to DV, and then import the DV version into your editing software.
Video aside, most people buy cameras like the SD500 for still shots. The SD500 performs as well as you could hope for such a small camera. What do I mean? As long as you work around the SD500's limitations, you'll get amazing photos. For example, I quickly learned not to use the flash for close-ups because it's too close to the lens.
Like any gadget, the SD500 has more features than you'll ever use. Thus far, I've made use of the following for my still shots: optical zoom (3x), manual mode (especially ISO settings), burst mode (for capturing a series of action shots), macro mode (for extreme close-ups), My Colors (for photos that highlight just one color with everything else in black and white), AiAF (nine-point auto-focus — criticized in some reviews, but it has worked flawlessly for me), and Scene Modes (for specific situations, such as beach, indoor, etc.).
I've had so much fun using my SD500 that I recently volunteered to take some photos for AppleInsider, a fellow independent online technology publication.
Highly recommended — and not surprising that Canon now has the largest market share among digital camera makers.
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