Reviews for Canon PowerShot SD550 Compact Camera

Sharp little pocket rocket

Strengths: Fast, very compact, excellent photo quality, solidly built, good controls and menus, uses industry standard memory, external charger

Weakness: Flash photos a little hot, no "full manual" mode

I was looking for a shirt pocket replacement for the Canon S30 I've had for years. I settled on the SD550 after many hours of research based on specifications, user and expert reviews and the fact that Canon uses industry standard SD memory. A couple cameras from other makers were tempting, but they either used xD or Memory Stick which have a price compatibility issues with third party photo storage units like the X-drive. My final decision actually came down to the SD400, SD500 and SD550. I chose the SD550 for its higher resolution over the SD400 and features over the SD500.

The speed of this camera is amazing. It ready to shot before I've got it up to frame the shot. It focuses fast, especially if you turn off multipoint focusing and stick to center focus, and shutter lag is next to nonexistant. Recycle times are very good, especially without flash. In continuous mode, I've seen a speed difference between Hi-speed and economy memory.

Speaking of flash, I've seen less red eye than with other compact cameras I'm familiar with. On the downside, close-up flash photos in dark places tend to be a bit overexposed. I've learned to use the exposure compensation to correct for that. The Indoor scene mode seems to help as well.

The camera doesn't have a fully manual modes, but beyond playing with them on my S30 when I first got it, I never used them. I would just pick the appropriate scene mode and exposure compensation to get what I wanted. I do miss having separate flash exposure correction, but that's about it.

I do like the controls. One of the things I like about Canon's cameras is the user interface. Just about everything I want to do to take a shot is no more than one level deep without creating button overload. One of the selling points on the SD550 was that a few more common settings are more readily accessible than the SD500. I need more play with the many scene modes under different conditions to get a really good feel for what works best for a given condition.

Image quality is everything I expected based on reviews and my experience with Canon cameras. Detail is very good without being over sharp. Colors and tone are natural. Nothing to complain about here.

A 512MB card holds ~156 photos at the highest quality and resolution. I found that I can shoot that many shots in a day on vacation, so I decided that two 512MB cards are ideal for me. The cost is close to the price of a single 1GB card without the risk of a single point of failure. When I found a package online that included a name brand 512MB card bundled with the camera for $445 delivered, I just picked up a hi-speed card to use as a primary card.

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Great camera!

Strengths: Huge resolution (7.1MP), small size, shoots great pictures and movies, large LCD screen (2.5")

Weakness: Expensive, movies take up too much space

I've always used Canon digital cameras, and I've had an S400 for the past few years. It's been good to me, except that it takes too long to start up, and the movies are really crap. After looking around, I decided that the new SD550 was the way to go for me. Bigger LCD, higher resolution, better movies, fast startup time, it was all an improvement. It's slightly larger than my old S400, but it's also hard to hold a camera that's too small. I also like the My Colors functionality which lets me play with the colors in the picture. Lots of features for such a small package!
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If you're going to get this, make sure you get a 1GB memory card. It gets used up really quickly, especially with the movies! Oh, and make sure it's a high-speed card!
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A hard case is also a must-buy for this, since you want to protect your purchase from scratches and this is especially important because of the size of the LCD.

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powershot elph sd550 digital camera

Strengths: compact size of camera, large bright LCD, ease of menu, hi resolution movies and pictures. slideshow feature to view pics and to share with others.

Weakness: none

this camera is awesome. it takes high resolution movies and great pictures. the large display is great for framing the pictures. it is easy to use, and user friendly. i really like the ease of the trash for unwanted pictures. also the manual mode which can be user specific for settings. the camera is small, and light, and easy to stow in the backpack or purse, i always have it with me, so i never miss a picture. i bought a second battery, and keep on in the charger ready to go. i also bought some LCD protectors to put over the display. got them at office max, originally used for palm pilots i think. i love the camera. i also bought a 1 gig card, because i always take the highest resolution possible on pictures, and i like to take a lot of pictures before i send them off for processing.

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Fantastic camera!

Strengths: 2.5" LCD, great image quality, 7 megapixels

Weakness: Slightly larger than the SD400 series

I picked up this camera from Dell to replace my old S230. Again, I have not been disappointed by Canon's smaller cameras. While it does not produce SLR quality pictures, this camera does very well in all lighting situations and is small and light, so that it's a pleasure to bring on vacation. The buttons are easy to use and the large LCD is a definite "must-have". I bought a hard case for the camera since some people have reported breakage of these large LCDs.

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What a great camera

Strengths: user friendly, great picture quality, numerous features

Weakness: redeye might be a problem, short battery life time

I did a lot of shopping around and found that this camera was the best for the price asked.
Images are sharp, with accurate color. The large LCD display (2.5") is a great feature and works well in low light situations. Having a viewfinder is also a very useful thing if you want to save on battery power. The camera starts up very quickly and shoots and plays back your photos almost instantly.
Overall, it is a jewel that I can't stop using for snapshots on an every day basis.

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Top of the line!

Strengths: Huge screen, fast startup and picture taking

Weakness: Little larger than S450, but a better package

This camera is a little larger than would be ideal, but with DIGIC II and 7.1MP, I can't complain..

The wonderful screen makes life and picture-taking so much easier..

I love the fact that it comes on almost immediately, and it does not have that digital camera problem of capturing action items just after the action has passed; especially useful at soccer games..

I would say go get this camera, it is definitely worth the money and extra size

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Canon SD550 Review

Strengths: Good Pic Quality, Compact Design, Big Screen

Weakness: Manual Mode Navigation difficult

This is a great little camera. Huge screen, awesome picture quality, and compact design. I paid around 400 from DELL, but it is worth every penny. I used to have Nikon 4 mega pixl camera, and there is no comparison between the two. I highly recommend this camera for those looking for compact, high resolution camera

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Canon PowerShot SD550 Compact Camera

Strengths: small, good flash, easy to understand menus

Weakness: battery must be removed from camera to charge and there is no battery remaining charge meter on camera until it is almost depleted

Great camera. If you want to shoot video at 640x480x30f/s you will need to purchase a "high speed" SD memory card. The standard one that comes with the camera cannot transfer data as fast as the video can be recorded.

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Cannon SD 550 is sharp

Strengths: easy to use..quiet telezoom in movie mode

Weakness: only record 8 + mins of movie with 1G SD card

Lowepro digital camera bag is perfect fit. This is a multi versatile camera. Small enough to fit into most women's purse. Color looks great. Great resolution on LCD. It's so easy to use that I don't even need to read manual to figure out most of the stuff

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Small but spectacular!

Strengths: 2.5" LCD, Speedy power on, great picture quality, ease of use (point-n-shoot, menu navigation, picture review).

Weakness: Flash is typical point-n-shoot: nothing spectacular; date imprint (in any mode) would be nice;

Great quality camera with big features yet in a shirt-pocket sized package! While this is a bit bigger than the SD400, it is still a camera I can toss in a pocket.

I've been very pleased with battery life, although it is always nice to have a spare battery (buy one). It very easily swaps out. It is also very small, and easy to carry in pant or jacket pocket.

With the great prices on 1GB memory cards (watch for rebates/sales), get one! This seems to provide as much storage as I need so far.

The LCD is great! Huge and sharp. This and the camera's size were the big selling features for me. Glad I made the purchase (A little under $400 at my local Best Buy, after instant rebate & 10% discount coupon). This is a camera I can carry with and actually use (my old 2GB camera was too clunky - didn't even want to carry it, and all the AA batteries, chargers, etc.!)

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BUBBLES....RED EYES.....PICTURES

Strengths: COMPACT...VERY EASY TO USE

Weakness: RED EYE

SOME WHAT ENJOYING THE CAMERA....ALOT OF RED EYE PICS SOME WHITE BUBBLES ON PICTURES WHEN SHOOTING WIDE ANGLE PICS. GREAT PROGRAM THAT WORKS GREAT WITH MAC POWER BOOK.ALL IN ALL GREAT CAMERA

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Canon PowerShot ELPH SD550 Digital Camera

Strengths: big lcd, manual white balance available, good menus

Weakness: None

Great camera, some improvements over the SD500 with more shotting modes, larger screen, better battery management, quiter operation, and Improved software. So it is really SD500 with a bigger screen and a few new features. It is great full featured point and shot pocket camera

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TOP OF THE LINE, BEST IN ITS CLASS, DISTINGUISHED,...

Strengths: EXCELLENT PICTURES, VERY FAST

Weakness: DO NOT IMPRINT DATE ON PICTURES WHILE LOOK IT IN THE COMPUTER.

I ALSO HAVE A NIKON COOLPIX 8800 AND THIS LITTLE CAMERA CAN EVEN COMPETE WITH MY 8 MEGAPIXEL.I AM VERY HAPPY WITH THIS LITTLE CAMERA. THE QUALITY OF THE PICTURE IS EXCELLENT. VERY GOOD CAMERA TO TRAVEL WITH THE FAMILY.

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Sweet Camera

Strengths: Produces stunning photos. The many manual options are incredible. Small enough to fit in your pocket. Huge LCD! Excellent movie mode. Menus are intuitive, quick and easy to navigate.

Weakness: Can't think of any.

I wanted a small pocket camera for mostly point and shoot everyday pictures. I got an incredible camera that makes me want to read the instructions! I can't believe the options this thing has(black and white, color swap, color accent....)! It's so cool. Takes incredible pictures even just in auto mode! It works really well in low light, my last camera would blur all my images indoors even with the flash! This camera is definately a keeper! I'm so glad I bought it. It comes with only 32MB of memory, which equals about 16 photos. I'm glad they don't include a larger memory card, it would just make the camera more expensive. You should get a 1 Gig card on your own, so you can get a high performance card. Anyways, this camera is perfect for a wide range of people, from the beginner who only wants a small camera that takes great photos to the expert who wants something compact and quick to use. The larger LCD of this model certainly makes picture taking much easier. I also decided on this camera because I want to get the waterproof case for scuba diving, when it becomes available! As always PG found me the lowest price available on this camera!

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Great little camera

Strengths: Size, picture quality, speed, etc...

Weakness: none I can find so far.

I've had this camera over a month now and I had 3 other digital cameras in the past, Casio (crap), Nikon coolpix 800 (good), Nikon Coolpix 995 (very good) and this (great).
When I find a red eye in on of my shots, I use Photo paint to remove it with very little problem!
I love this little camera! For the price... You can't go wrong!!
I would strongly recommend this!

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Canon SD550

Strengths: This is a essentially a SD500 with a few tweaks Interface is excellent - see my SD500 review for details, the 550 just tweaks it for the better, no major changes. Picture quality, movie mode etc.

Weakness: AiAF is worthless - manually select focus point. Again, Canon has not included any true (Av/Tv) manual mode - I don't get this on a $500 camera, even if it is a point and shoot.

Little has changed in this since the SD500. The interface has a few tweaks like the tilt sensor being used for image review (previously it was just for image capture). There are now a few "pretty" things in the user interface like transistions between pictures (a fast fade) and menus.

Picture quality is great, but maybe not at $500. Problems plauging the SD500 (which I also owned) seem to be for the most part resolved like purple fringing.

The LCD is huge, but it lacks resolution for its size (it's actually bigger than the SD500's, but has a slightly lower resolution).

All in all, it remains arguably the best P&S out there, but also the most expensive. A great vacation camera - portable and good pictures at 7MP leaves lots of room for cropping. However, don't expect much in the way of manual features other than exposure (+/- 2EV) and ISO.

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Nice small cute little camera w/quality spec

Strengths: 7.1 Meg Pixels, 2.5" LCD, Compact Design, manual white balance available, good menus.......

Weakness: No built-in battery charger and Only 32 MB SD card

This camera rocks. It worths every penny you spend. Ultra Compact (Not as small as SD400) with a greap picture quality and tons of options. 2.5" LCD makes it unique. Flash light range is OK, but could be put far from the lens. Overall its a great camera, but a bit expensive, but you pay for what you get!

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Terrible flash Red Eye problem

Strengths: Excellent features, size.

Weakness: Terrible red-eye problem

I replaced my earlier non-canon 5MP camera with this Canon SD550 and got some very good daylight shots and pleased with the way this camera felt.

However, all flash photos had a red-eye problem unless your subject is staring at the camera even in red-eye reduction mode. Apparently this is a known drawback with this camera (look at the sample night pictures at "Steves Digicam" site).

I had to return this camera- its useless if i cannot get any flash pictures with it. Now i cannot find a camera which feels as good but does not have this red-eye problem :(

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Disappointing camera

Strengths: ?

Weakness: Zoom pictures produce poor quality, iphoto does not always recognize the usb connection,

This is the first Canon product that I have been disappointed with. the picture qualitiy was poor. The photos taken with full zoom were fuzzy, even when taken on a tripod. They were fuzzy both in manual and autofocus modes. There was an increased horizontal aspect on zoom as well, giving a slight funhouse effect to the subjects in the picture. The picture quality is not nearly as crisp as our old 4 MP Kodak.

My iphoto does not always recognize that the camera is attached. Sometimes it recognizes the camera, but not that there are photos to capture. sometimes it works fine.

Maybe there is just something wrong with this particular camera, but why in so many ways? We are returning it today after fooling with it for 4 days.

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Best in class

Strengths: Look, all metal body, size, amazing photo quality.

Weakness: Red eye reduction fails some times

Amzing photos any time any place, even in auto mode. Very easy to use, and have some great functions like my color mode and programable elapsed time. For me, another quality is the exclusiveness, in my country (Brazil), is a very rare product, because the Canon d'ont produce this camera here.

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GREAT CAMERA

Strengths: GREAT QUALITY PICTURES, SMALL SIZE

Weakness: on 32 mb memory card

I have had this camera for a few days and have taken hundreds of quality pictures. Camera is easy to use. Much better than my old Olympus digital camera. I bought with it a gig memery card (a must have if you are going to buy a camera that takes 7 mpix)

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Canon PowerShot ELPH SD550 Digital Camera

Strengths: Very Very very very Sweet camera, It looks too good U go MAD. I just loved it

Weakness: Nothing!!Its great one

I got this camera as a gift, actually I was looking for this camera from long time but never got any good deals on the camera.
Very slick model and wide screen which made me mad. I wanted a small pocket camera for mostly point and shoot everyday pictures. I got an incredible camera that makes me want to read the instructions! I can't believe the options this thing has(black and white, color swap, color accent....)! It's so cool. Takes incredible pictures even just in auto mode! It works really well in low light, my last camera would blur all my images indoors even with the flash!
Very nice purchase.

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Sorry

Strengths: Nice in daylight

Weakness: Flash WAY too hot/ Horrible red ey

Sorry I hate this camera. I wish I could return it. Pictures indoors are almost unusable. The flash is SO HOT. Indoors you need to switch to Macro to pull back on the flash. There is ALWAYS terrible red eye. Worst camera I've ever had.

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LOVE LOVE LOVE MY CAMERA

Strengths: TAKES GREAT PHOTOS.

Weakness: RED-EYE SOMETIMES. Comes with a 32MB card. That's a joke.

I am not some camera guru. I am just your basic consumer who wanted a camera that will give me great shots that I can print without any graininess (sp?) and that will literally freeze the moment. Considering what I use this camera for, it has a lot of bells and whistles I need to learn how to use. My previous camera was a 2.0 mp Olympus. Was o.k. for me. This time I wanted a 7+ mp camera (my husband suggested a 5 mp), that was somewhat compact and that I can carry it with me when my husband and I hung out with our friends at night, or when we would visit friends and family, or attended any event we wanted to capture, this little baby does the trick and then some. I get very clear, crisp pixs and sometimes too clear ;)! My girlfriends don't want ANY flaws showing. To give you an example, it's like going from regular t.v. to high definition t.v... the movie stars' make-up artists need to find another way to apply their clients' make-up, since HD shows EVERY fine hair and wrinkle on these "hollywood" faces. As far as the red-eye...I will need to read more into the manual on how to reduce this in my photos. The camera comes with a 32MB card. I think after spending $400 plus taxes or S+H, it would be nice to get at least a 128MB or even a 64MB card to get newcomers started. Hardly anyone uses a 32MB card anymore.

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Canon PowerShot SD550 Elph Digital Camera

Strengths: Just too good Buy it and U will feel ............ITS TOO GOOD ONE.

Weakness: It just workd GREAT.

The Ultimate Digital ELPH,7.1 Megapixel, ideal for prints up to 13"x19"'3x optical/4x digital zoom,Large 2.5 inch LCD screen,accepts SD memory card,elegantly curved design in a metallic body,PictBridge direct printing,DIGIC II Image Processor for even faster processing speed, crisp vibrant colors and excellent image quality,9 Special Scene Modes and Digital Macro Mode,New My Colors feature for color customization while shooting. U will just love the camra and would really like to buy once again. Its really worth camera.

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Very Good choice

Strengths: Small, nice, reliable, and fast. Many cool features.

Weakness: Not yet.

I have a Sony DSC-P10 and wanted an upgrade. I'm Sony's lover but after shopping for all Sony 2.5" LCD screen, I figured out Canon SD550 is pretty good and contains much more features.

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Canon PowerShot ELPH SD550 Digital Camera

Strengths: A very small and slick camera

Weakness: none

It a very nice small and compact camera.It has great quality.Canon PowerShot ELPH SD550 Digital Camera takes nice pictures.If you are looking for small and slick camera with great picture quality than you should buy canon sd550.I am very much satisfied with this camera.

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PERFECT POCKETBOOK CAMERA

Strengths: size, ease of use, picture quality

Weakness: red eye reduction, short battery life

COMPACT AND EASY TO USE. THIS IS THE "DIGITAL CAMERA FOR DU7MMIES". RETRACTING AND SELF-COVERING LENS MAKES IT VERY COMPACT. PRE-SET MODES MAKE THIS A TRUE POINT AND SHOOT CAMERA.

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Compact and powerful SD550

Strengths: Compact, easy to use, large screen, optical view finder, long battery life, protected iris

Weakness: The only feature missing is anti-shake, but at this price that is probably unrealistic

We were looking for a camera with the above strengths and that my wife could slip into her pocket. The SD550 exceeds every expectation of feature while the pictures are crisp and accurate. The flash is extremely powerful (e.g. effective for campfire settings or imbalanced lighting). The simplicity can be deceiving ... it still has more features then we will use. No regrets on this purchase!

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Great Little Pocket Cam

Strengths: 7 MPs, fast response, easy to use and takes nice pix.

Weakness: It's small which is a strength and a weakness. I do find it fairly easy to hold steady though despite its small size.

This is a terrific little walking around and vacation cam. My other cam is a Nikon D200 which I love, but don't relish taking through security or having to pack it around on non-photographic vacations. The SD550 is always with me except at work where cams are no-nos.

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Canon SD 550

Strengths: Fast, easy to use, great size screen. Easy connection. Movie capability is a lot of fun.

Battery power doesn't seem to last that long. After less than three months the clip that opens and closes the battery area broke off. Had to send it out to have repaired.

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Canon PowerShot ELPH SD550 Digital Camera

Strengths: A very good camera.small and slick.

Weakness: none

Great LCD, many great features accessible thru easy to understand menu system including manual white balance for accurate color.It is an amazingly compact camera, however, for the quality of optics and image, and onboard features. Just a pocket snap shot camera, but high res and good features overall. A lot of quality pixels for the bucks

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Too GOod Camera. Very good quality too.

Strengths: This is a essentially a SD500 with a few tweaks Interface is excellent - see my SD500 review for details, the 550 just tweaks it for the better, no major changes. Picture quality, movie mode etc. VERY

Weakness: N/A

I have purchased this as a gift for my brother, my friend brought this camera and I couldn't resit to get for myself. Little has changed in this since the SD500. The interface has a few weaks like the tilt sensor being used for image review (previously it was just for image capture). There are now a few "pretty" things in the user interface like transistions between pictures (a fast fade) and menus. There many features
Picture quality is great, but maybe not at $500. Problems plauging the SD500 (which I also owned) seem to be for the most part resolved like purple fringing.

The LCD is huge, but it lacks resolution for its size (it's actually bigger than the SD500's, but has a slightly lower resolution).

All in all, it remains arguably the best P&S out there, but also the most expensive. A great vacation camera - portable and good pictures at 7MP leaves lots of room for cropping. However, don't expect much in the way of manual features other than exposure (+/- 2EV) and ISO.This camera rocks. I just loved It.

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Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital ELPH / IXUS 750

Testseek.com has collected 32 expert reviews for Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital ELPH / IXUS 750 and the average expert rating is 80 of 100. The average score reflects the expert community’s view on this product. Click below and use Testseek.com to see all ratings, product awards and conclusions.

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Canon Powershot SD550

Canon Powershot SD550 receives an overall TopTenREVIEWS score of 2.75 out of 4.00. It is ranked the #126 Compact digital camera of all time. The overall rating represents an intelligent balance of features, value as a function of price to features, and a summary of reviews from a variety of sources. The TopTen REVIEWS' formula gives a picture of important consumer features, market value, and a...

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Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital ELPH

Canon's ELPH line of digital cameras have consistently offered good image quality, user-friendly design, and excellent build quality, and the new Canon PowerShot SD550 is no exception. While it's not actually that much smaller than the previous CompactFlash-based SD500 model, it feels a lot smaller, thanks no doubt to its sleek, curving body design. When it comes to picture taking, while actual...

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DCRP Review: Canon PowerShot SD550 Digital ELPH

With the PowerShot SD550 Digital ELPH, Canon has taken a great camera and made it even better. While current SD500 owners need not rush out and buy it, those of you looking for a compact and very capable point-and-shoot camera should take a close look at the SD550.

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