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#252197 - 21/03/2005 15:28 Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700?
CrackersMcCheese
pooh-bah

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
Part of me thinks the 7million pixels is overkill but part of me likes the 6x optical zoom in the Ixus 700. But then again, the Ixus 500 is tried and tested and looks like a fantastic camera whereas the 700 isn't as tested.

I've also read there can be problems fitting a 6x zoom into such a small camera and it can compromise the image quality even if not utilised. Any truth?

(Pixmania have the Ixus 500 for £240 and the Ixus 700 at £298)

What to do?

Edit: Price isn't really an issue since I have plenty of SD cards that the 700 uses. If I got the 500 I'd have to get a memory card so it kind of offsets the price.



Edited by Philip O'Hare (21/03/2005 15:58)

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#252198 - 21/03/2005 16:01 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Well I've got a 500 and I'm very pleased with it. The 3x optical is very useful and the 12x digital zoom isn't as bad as you'd think.

I can imagine getting chromatic abberations with a lense like that, but really I suppose you need to go to somewhere like Jessops to have a go and see what the pictures look like.

The 60FPS movie capture mode is probably the only thing that would make me want a 700 over a 500.
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Andy M

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#252199 - 21/03/2005 16:15 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
andy
carpal tunnel

Registered: 10/06/1999
Posts: 5916
Loc: Wivenhoe, Essex, UK
Quote:
Part of me thinks the 7million pixels is overkill but part of me likes the 6x optical zoom in the Ixus 700. But then again, the Ixus 500 is tried and tested and looks like a fantastic camera whereas the 700 isn't as tested.

I've also read there can be problems fitting a 6x zoom into such a small camera and it can compromise the image quality even if not utilised. Any truth?



Is the 700 really a 6x zoom ? DPreview lists it as:

"37 mm - 111 mm (3x) zoom lens"

which is about the same as the 500 at:

"36 mm - 108 mm (3x) zoom lens"

There is a review of the 700 here:

http://www.dcresource.com/reviews/canon/powershot_sd500-review/index.shtml

(the problem with DCResource reviews is that the guys lifes in California, meaning all his shots are taken in brillian sunshine at the lowest ISO setting, which isn't exactly representative on my camera usage)


Edited by andy (21/03/2005 16:24)
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#252200 - 21/03/2005 17:49 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: andy]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Other places seem to think it's a 3x optical as well.

One advantage of the 700 is that it does continuous movie capture unlike the 500 which stops when you fill the internal memory buffer.

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#252201 - 21/03/2005 18:04 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: tman]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
How big is the buffer? I've captured a 90 second movie on my 500. Which seemed to nearly fill the paltry 32MB card it had in it at the time.
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Andy M

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#252202 - 21/03/2005 18:45 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: andym]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Quote:
How big is the buffer? I've captured a 90 second movie on my 500. Which seemed to nearly fill the paltry 32MB card it had in it at the time.

Depends on the resolution. I think the maximum amount of time is about 3 minutes at the lowest resolution and about 30 seconds at VGA.

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#252203 - 22/03/2005 11:50 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: andy]
CrackersMcCheese
pooh-bah

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
Yeah looks like I made a mistake - its only 3x. I'm just going to get the 500 as it gets great write ups plus i'd never require 7MP for the photos I'll be taking.

Cheers!

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#252204 - 22/03/2005 16:05 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
I've got the 500 awhile ago and it works fine. The only issue is that the casing is very easily "scratched" which leaves black marks.

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#252205 - 22/03/2005 18:49 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
Yeah, save the money and buy a case (mine didn't come with one) and a nice big CF card. I've been careful to keep it in the case so the casing is in a good state.
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Andy M

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#252206 - 22/03/2005 19:56 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: andym]
CrackersMcCheese
pooh-bah

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
What case did you get Andy?

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#252207 - 07/04/2005 00:52 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
burdell1
old hand

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 931
Loc: Minnetonka, MN
so did anyone get the Ixus 700 (SD500) or the SD400 Canon? If so, how well does the flash work indoors? My camera's flash seems to really suck indoors, but it doesn't really seem to adjust the white balance very well (it is a Sony DSC-P10.)

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#252208 - 07/04/2005 04:14 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: burdell1]
tfabris
carpal tunnel

Registered: 20/12/1999
Posts: 31600
Loc: Seattle, WA
Quote:
how well does the flash work indoors? My camera's flash seems to really suck indoors


AOL
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Tony Fabris

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#252209 - 07/04/2005 12:52 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
andym
carpal tunnel

Registered: 17/01/2002
Posts: 3996
Loc: Manchester UK
It's a LowePro D-Res 8M, nothing too fancy, room for the camera and a couple of CF cards. I really liked the one I had for my old 300. It came in two parts, one for the camera and the other for two spare batteries and a several cards. They were detachable to save on space and weight. Shame it got nicked.
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Andy M

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#252210 - 07/04/2005 12:57 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: andym]
CrackersMcCheese
pooh-bah

Registered: 14/01/2002
Posts: 2489
Its ok, I got my Canon leather case this morning - very nice it is too

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#252211 - 19/04/2005 15:10 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: CrackersMcCheese]
ShadowMan
addict

Registered: 09/06/1999
Posts: 559
Loc: Newfoundland, Canada
I just received my SD500 here in Canada and I am truly impressed with the first 30 or so shots I have taken. The biggest thing that I didn't expect was the quality of the macro mode. I have attached a 50% resize of a shot I took that blew me away totally.


Attachments
254181-IMG_0035-2.jpg (130 downloads)

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12 gig empeg Mark II, SN: 080000101
30 gig RioCar SN: 30103114
My blog

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#252212 - 19/04/2005 15:22 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: ShadowMan]
ShadowMan
addict

Registered: 09/06/1999
Posts: 559
Loc: Newfoundland, Canada
Another Macro shot of a Sharpie Fine Point stamp of certification.


Attachments
254183-IMG_0039-2.jpg (135 downloads)

_________________________
12 gig empeg Mark II, SN: 080000101
30 gig RioCar SN: 30103114
My blog

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#252213 - 19/04/2005 15:24 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: ShadowMan]
ShadowMan
addict

Registered: 09/06/1999
Posts: 559
Loc: Newfoundland, Canada
And finally... the color swap feature... on our dog.


Attachments
254184-IMG_0021-2.jpg (167 downloads)

_________________________
12 gig empeg Mark II, SN: 080000101
30 gig RioCar SN: 30103114
My blog

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#252214 - 19/04/2005 15:36 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: ShadowMan]
wfaulk
carpal tunnel

Registered: 25/12/2000
Posts: 16706
Loc: Raleigh, NC US
I think I've seen that dog somewhere before.
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Bitt Faulk

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#252215 - 19/04/2005 15:55 Re: Should I go for the Canon Ixus 500 or 700? [Re: ShadowMan]
tman
carpal tunnel

Registered: 24/12/2001
Posts: 5528
Admit it. You gave your dog a blue rinse

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