Canon A540 vs. A620

[Jamdiver]

Hi,

I too am looking into purchasing a Canon camera and have narrowed it down between the SD-550 and A620. Both are 7.1 MP but the SD-550 is a little more compact and has a larger LCD display. Any opinions between the A620 and SD-550 ????

Bob

From what i'm reading here Bob I wouldn't recommend it.
The SD-550 is more along the lines of a nice pocketable camera for candid situations rather than one that you can grow with creatively.

SD-550 doesn't seem to have any manual controls such as controlling shutter speed or aperture, without those controls you're very limited when it comes to underwater photography.
You need manual controls underwater as the camera's auto settings just won't produce good quality pictures underwater.

It's difficult night impossible for most cameras to figure out what's going on u/w in terms of the filtering effects of water and compensate for it.

 

[trigfunctions]

A friend has the A620, and with the 4 batteries it lasts for quite a few dives. The camera with 2 batteries might not last as long.

 

[tankboygreg]

Don't forget sensor size. The sensor in the A620 (1/1.8") is larger than the sensor in the A540 (1/2.5"). The bigger the sensor the better. A bigger sensor means bigger pixels which results in less noise and greater dynamic range.

Another advantage of the A620 over the A540 is the macro function. The A620 macro focus range is 1 cm versus 5 cm for the A540.

I own the A620 with the Canon housing. I used it on a recent trip to Hawaii. It still has it's limitations but you can't beat the price and functionality.

 

[Jamdiver]

I probably should have been a bit clearer, the comparison between the SD550 and A620 is a no brainer Bob.

The A620 beats the SD550 on many levels, but really the bottom line is that the SD550 has no manual controls and is essentially just a point & shoot camera.

 

[av8er23]

I own a sd-550 and love it. Why would you want to purchase a bigger camera than nessary. the 550 is nice out of the water because it is very compact and slips into you pocket easily. talk a look at my photo gallery to see the results of the sd-550. And the 550 does have all the manual controls. Also it has an underwater mode that does a better job than any manual setting i hve used.

 

[Jamdiver]

I own a sd-550 and love it. Why would you want to purchase a bigger camera than nessary. the 550 is nice out of the water because it is very compact and slips into you pocket easily. talk a look at my photo gallery to see the results of the sd-550. And the 550 does have all the manual controls. Also it has an underwater mode that does a better job than any manual setting i hve used.

Av8er, you can control shutter speed, aperture and set manual white balance with it??
I ask, because I don't remember those mentioned in the review that I read of it..

 

[bluesbro1982]

Don't forget sensor size. The sensor in the A620 (1/1.8") is larger than the sensor in the A540 (1/2.5"). The bigger the sensor the better. A bigger sensor means bigger pixels which results in less noise and greater dynamic range.

Another advantage of the A620 over the A540 is the macro function. The A620 macro focus range is 1 cm versus 5 cm for the A540.

I own the A620 with the Canon housing. I used it on a recent trip to Hawaii. It still has it's limitations but you can't beat the price and functionality.

^^ What he said. The sensor size is probably the most underrated spec in buying a camera. Everyone talks megapixels, and to a point it is a good spec, but the reason the Nikon SLR's are so high quality is because they have a full 4:3 1" sensor that reduces noise to a minimum (that and a raw image function...). I have an A620 and it takes very nice pictures. The big knob on top is a pretty good size, and the LCD is a decent size for framing things. The one complaint i have is that in low light its kind of a PITA to get to focus, but that was when i was doing a cruise ship gig and trying to shoot fireworks from the deck of a docked ship. Can't get around the ol' laws of physics...

I'd say go with the 620. Also, check out DPreview. It is an excellent source of comparison information.

 

[CompuDude]

Av8er, you can control shutter speed, aperture and set manual white balance with it??
I ask, because I don't remember those mentioned in the review that I read of it..

No, he's wrong. There are no manual controls on an SD550. I used to have one before it got stolen in March.

Mind you, it's possible to take some GREAT pictures underwater with it. I got a lot of really nice shots... see my gallery, or search out some of my posts from early this year. But you have to work within the limitations of the automatic settings, because there aren't any manual controls.

FWIW: A custom white balance and an exposure (brightness) control is NOT manual controls. Manual control (in this context) means the ability to independently set the shutter speed and the aperature (at a minimum).

If you're the type who is happy taking snapshots in full auto mode (or the full auto underwater mode that sets an intermediate white balance for you), and getting occasional great shots if you're talented enough, you may be VERY happy with an SD550. It's a GREAT little camera. But if you want to grow as a photographer and really learn the craft it takes to capture exactly the image you want, you're going to want something with manual controls along the lines of the A series camera being discussed, or the S70 or S80 series, or better.

 

[av8er23]

Av8er, you can control shutter speed, aperture and set manual white balance with it??
I ask, because I don't remember those mentioned in the review that I read of it..

you can adjust the shutter speed and aperture. the white balance in the manual setting asks you to take a sample. so for example you would aim it at your white scratch pad and let it take a sample.

 

[CompuDude]

you can adjust the shutter speed and aperture. the white balance in the manual setting asks you to take a sample. so for example you would aim it at your white scratch pad and let it take a sample.

Yes, I said you can set the custom white balance.

But no, you cannot adjust shutter speed and aperature, unless they have revised the camera since I owned it less than 6 months ago.

The lack of control over those two features is what makes it a point-and-shoot camera over a manually controlled camera.

See paragraph 7: http://www.steves-digicams.com/2005_reviews/sd550_pg6.html

"The SD550's exposure system is only automatic, with Manual mode only allowing you to control exposure compensation. But the absence of shutter-priority, aperture-priority or manual exposure modes doesn't mean that the SD550 limits your creativity..."

It's a GREAT little camera. I wish I still had mine. But it does NOT have the full manual controls we are discussing, and the A540 and A620 cameras do offer full manual controls, despite costing less (although the SD550 is a LOT cheaper now than it was when it first came out), and even have the same 2.5" screen, which was a hugely luxurious size restricted to the top of the line cameras only... when the SD550 was first released.