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Price
AU$219.00
Review Date
Wednesday, 6th of June, 2007
Features
ISO Speeds : Auto, Auto, 100, 100, 200, 200, 400, 400, 800, 800
Camera Resolution : 7.1 Megapixels
Optical Zoom : 4x
Digital Zoom : 4x
What's Hot
Great colour capture, Low price tag, 4x zoom, Fast operation, Sturdy design
What's Not
Pictures perhaps not quite as sharp as they could have been
The Final Word
Another great compact camera from Canon, the PowerShot A550 won't compare to some more high-end units, but considering the price tag and the features on offer, it's an excellent value-for-money product.
Note: This product is no longer available directly from the manufacturer. It may be available in retail channels or second hand. The price displayed is the price at review time.
View test results ...

All of our cameras are tested using Imatest, which provides standardised benchmarks that can be directly compared across models. By generating a specific score we can give you hard facts to support our reviews and make sure you make the best decision possible.

Sharpness

Sharpness is potentially the most important element of a picture. The sharper a shot, the more depth and clarity it will appear to have. Sharpness is a term used to describe the boundary between one section of colour and another. The more defined this border is, the sharper the shot. It is measured by comparing the distance it takes a pixel to change from one colour value to the other. All cameras will blur to some extent, but in good models it won't be noticeable until you really zoom in to extreme levels. The higher the value, the better the camera; anything over 1300 should be considered excellent.

Chromatic Aberration

Cameras with Chromatic Aberration are often attributed as having poor sharpness, but this is not the case at all. Chromatic Aberration is caused by light refracting at incorrect angles as it passes through the lens. It occurs around the edge of a shot and presents itself as colour fringing, which can destroy the clarity in those areas. Chromatic Aberration is measured in terms of its distance from the centre. A lower percentage is good. Anything below .05 should be considered fairly good.
Canon PowerShot A550 - SFR Test Photo
Sharpness score: 1415 LW/PH
Chromatic aberration score: 0.108 % of dist. to corner
Photo used for this test. Download original image (0.00MB).
Sharpness Graph
Canon PowerShot A550 - Sharpness Graph
Chromatic Aberration Graph
Canon PowerShot A550 - Chromatic Aberration Graph

Please see the Imatest Web site for more information on this test suite.
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CANON POWERSHOT A550 7.1MP 2" LCD DIGITAL CAMERA
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5.0
$265.95
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