cannon digital cameras.which series to choose?

Question

plz dont tell me to read reviews .i had read many.now plz tell me which series is the best..eg-therer a series, ixus,sd and many other.which is best among them..one offer slim and compact design,and the other ofers flip lcd panel. m not into any of fancy stuff..i want quality.i kno all will give good quality but there have to a best in digi cam range in terms of piture quality.price is not to be discussed here..but the series a ,sd ,xius etc etc

Answer 1

The major difference in the A line and the SD line is the size of the camera. The next thing to consider is the option of more user control with the A cameras. An easily overlooked difference is the size of the sensor and I think this is significant. The bigger the sensor, generally speaking, the better the image quality will be.

The A530, A540, SD600, SD630, SD700 and SD800 have a smaller sensor called a 1/2.5" size, which is about 20 sq.mm.

The A630, A640 and SD900 have a sensor that is about twice as big called a 1/1.8" size, which is about 38 sq.mm.

Other than that, as Henry said, the major difference comes down to how much you are able to control yourself. Both series can be used in fully automatic modes. The A series offers a lot more manual control to help in difficult lighting situations, for instance. You can find your way around some of this with the SD cameras, but in the A cameras, you just say, "I want to set the shutter speed," and you do it by choosing either shutter or aperture priority mode.

Two SD models - SD700-IS and SD800-IS - include image stabilization and this is not available in any A models. This is helpful when using longer telephoto (more zoom) shots.

The flip and twist LCD on the A series actually is helpful sometimes, as you can hold the camera in angles you could not otherwise do. Consider being in a crowd and being able to hold the camera up over your head while taking the picture by looking into the downward-tilted monitor. Or, consider flipping the monitor out sideways and sneaking a picture of the good looking girl or guy to your left...

The A series use "AA" batteries which can be an advantage if your batteries die while you are out somewhere. You can buy new "AA" alkaline batteries to finish out your day and the A cameras are about the best there is when it comes to long battery life.

Answer 2

It depends on how much you want to spend.

I like the SD series which uses a Li-ion battery (long life, recharge over and over). They are slightly more than the "A" series. You can get an SD600 for around $215, SD630~$250, SD800IS~$350. I have the SD600. If I wanted to spend the extra cash, the 800IS is really nice.

The "A" series is cheaper but uses AA batteries which don't last long. You will need to buy a set of rechargeable AA batteries if you buy an "A" series camera. You can get the A540 for around $175. The A530 for around $150.

If you want to get serious into photography, jump up to a dSLR. The XTi is a great entry level dSLR. I have the 300D and will upgrade eventually.

Answer 3

My past two cameras have been from the SD digital Elph series. I've been nothing but pleased. They are sturdy (to a point obviously), usually quite small (for the generation they come out), and the picture quality given the size of them is great. and as for price value, they are awesome as well. Again it's hard to say because the second you buy your camera it's probably obsolete and something cheaper, smaller, better has come out. But I'll say with my past Digital Elphs they've always been good in regards to value, picture quality, movie quality, options, and size. I very much like the new standard of image stabilizing on the canon cameras.
BTW it's hard to tell you what it is best..because it depends who you are. if PQ is most important over size and etc..and you're an amateur photographer you might want the beefier more expensive cameras. I'm more a point and shoot person, just like to take pictures on trips, with friends, in the club, like the ability to take movies for random moments with my friends and/or of my dog doing something cute...then throwing it on myspace. and the digital elph works great for that purpose.

~Gavin

Answer 4

If its you first camera you might want to get the powershot "A "series. They are inexpensive and have auto and manual settings as well as many other functions. The SD's of course are smaller but I prefer the A's since they fit in my shirt pocket but are a little easier for my fat fingers to hold steady.

Answer 5

There are two ways of taking picture: automatic and manual.
If you don't want to learn how to take picture, then SD serires.
If you want to learn photography and creativity, then choose other series: they have both auto and manual.

If you like to take picture manually (aperture and shutter speed), than don't choose SD series. They don't have those functions.

Answer 6

SD...because it has kick butt cameras like the SD600 and the SD630