| Likes |
|
- Good handling
- 4x optical zoom lens
- Excellent color reproduction
- $199 price tag
- Easy to use
|
| Dislikes |
|
- Poor resolution on small LCD
- Boring design
- No optical zoom in movies
- Noisy zoom lens
- Barrel distortion
|
Conclusion
With a $199 price tag, amazing performance can’t be expected from the A550. It does, however, meet the basic requirements of an adequate digital camera. It can take a picture when you want, where you want, and how you want. It doesn’t have much shutter lag, has a 4x optical zoom lens to get closer to subjects, a decent burst mode for action sequences, and is small enough to be toted around.
Sure, the A550 has its drawbacks – but most seem to be connected to the price tag. The poor LCD resolution and boring design are shortcuts Canon took to be able to provide a standard digital camera for $199. With that in mind, the PowerShot A550’s pictures aren’t going to blow anyone away, but it will serve basic point-and-shooters just fine.
