"Picky Details" for the Canon PowerShot SD450 Digital Camera
(Timing, Power, and Storage Info)

Timing

When you press the shutter release on a camera, there's usually a lag time or delay before the shutter actually fires. This corresponds to the time required for the autofocus and autoexposure mechanisms time to do their work, and can amount to a fairly long delay in some situations. Since this number is rarely reported on (and even more rarely reported accurately), and can significantly affect the picture taking experience, I routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras I test, using a test system I designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers I collected for the Canon PowerShot SD450:

Power

The Canon SD450 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power.

The PowerShot SD550 uses a custom rechargeable 790mAh Lithium Ion battery for power, so we weren't able to conduct our usual direct measurements of power consumption. The table above shows maximum number of photos and playback time, based on the CIPA standard. Battery life is quite good with the LCD turned off, but given the poor accuracy of the optical viewfinder, you'll probably find yourself using the LCD most of the time. In light of this, our usual recommendation to purchase a second battery at the same time as the camera applies doubly.

Storage Capacity

The Canon PowerShot SD450 stores its photos on SD / MMC memory cards, and a 16 MB card is included with the camera. (I strongly recommend buying at least a 64 MB card, preferably a 128 MB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.) The chart below shows how many images can be stored on the included 16 MB card at each size/quality setting.