PowerShot SD600 6MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom (OLD MODEL)

Funny how this camera seems to be tested in Boston. I bought this camera specifically for a trip to Boston. I thought my brother's SD450 was the best digital camera I've ever used, until I got the SD600. I took TONS of pictures in different lighting and all turned out great. I shot everything from plates of food inches away to soccer games with players clear across the field. Certain settings worked better than others for different lighting situations. It really just depends on what color tones you prefer. I prefer warmer tones and the camera worked really well. For the basic point-and-shoot shots with the setting on automatic and flash, I thought the colors were very true to life. The video feature is really great as well. Playback is amazing on the large LCD screen. The newer version of this camera (SD630) has a larger display of 3inches but I actually prefer my 2.5inch screen. THis is because when I tried out the SD630, I'd get finger prints on the screen just trying to manuever the buttons. I don't have this problem w/ the SD600. I am able to avoid touching the screen while changing the settings on my camera. The best thing about this camera is that it is ready almost instantly after you turn it on. No waiting for an annoying flash to warm up. It also takes a picture right away when you press the button. Hardly a delay compared to other digital cameras. I don't have much else to add to this review that hasn't been already addressed. This camera with its numerous settings is far better than any old point-and-shoot camera. I think it's a great compromise between a professional camera and a point-and-shoot. It's quite versatile for those who like to play around with settings and effects. For the price, this camera rocks. 3 people have already been convinced into buying this camera after seeing me use it.

Even though my SD110 seemed indestructible, it couldn't match the size and nimbleness of the new generation of Elves, so it was time for a replacement. With under a hundred bucks separating the first five models, a consumer might well be in a minor dither about which to get. Currently most Amazon consumers are bucking the adage "newer is better" and going with the SD600 (which the tech people at Cnet support, giving it a rating identical to or higher than the slightly larger and heavier SD700 and recent SD800 and SD900, both with Digic III processors). Perhaps their thinking is like mine: first, its dimensions (width, depth, and height) are smaller and its weight (under 5 oz) lighter than the other six models (the 500's are the largest, and the 630, in fact, is a bit of an oxymoron: a bigger screen to accommodate failing eyes but tighter and tinier controls for those same eyes to locate and navigate); second, the 600 is the only one of the seven that maintains the original Canon Elph aesthetic of perfectly square angles at all corners of the camera (the contoured look that Canon is beginning to introduce is, I confess, a slight offense to my eye). Finally, in the category of set-up time for the first and each subsequent shot, the 600 is comparable in speed with the other models, rated a nano-second behind the 800 but better than the 900. Moreover, the price at this time is right (though don't expect this model to be around much longer). If you can live with a "mere" 6 megapixels and shoot with a sufficiently steady hand to ignore the absence of the 700's image stabilizer feature this may very well be "the one" for you. (Not for an eternity, but in our world of rapidly changing technology even an "extended honeymoon" of several years has to be considered equivalent to a lasting marriage.) If it needs a further recommendation, my botanist son-in-law, who owns an SD500, is about to order a supply of the smaller and lighter 600's to put in the hands of his students in the field. Postscript: Contrary to a later reviewer's claim, this camera does not have an "anti-shake" feature like the SD700. I've never had a problem with shaky pictures, but should you observe jittery images, try shooting through the viewfinder for a firmer grip (which is lacking, by the way on the SD630). As for a 6 megapixel lens vs. a higher number, only the sharpest eye would detect any difference in quality of resolution--and even then it would have to be an image blown up to wallpaper size. Finally, the cost of SD memory cards has come down by 50% in just the past several months, so it makes sense to go for the larger (1 GB) card. Also, I would spend the extra fifteen bucks for the faster speed of the Sandisk Ultra II card. (If you like to check the results of a shot the instant after exposure or if you transfer large numbers of shots to your computer at the same time, you'll notice a difference). If you're content with a conventional SD card and want to save a few additional bucks, go with Kingston (as good as Sandisk, in my experience, though I'd stay clear of Lexar, which has given me trouble).

Even though it states it twice, this item does not come with a charger or SD card. I reached out the the seller and was told thats just the way it is and that its amazons fault, they then gave me $15. I have purchased numerous SD cards and none work! I got a faulty camera! I think the slot where the SD card goes is oxidized, cause even when I unlock the SD card it still comes up as locked.

I bought this camera several months ago and have shot hundreds of photos with it. Photo quality is good. Ease of use is adequate, but a bit complicated. The controls are not intuitive and require considerable learning. The biggest problem is downloading to my computer, which is almost impossible. The Canon software is terrible and doesn't work worth a darn. The program constantly refuses to download, and often terminates itself with a cryptic message. It's too bad the software is so bad, because the camera is really nice in many other ways.