Canon SD600 Performance

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Canon SD600 Performance

Timing and Performance

Canon PowerShot SD600 Timing
Good speed for a consumer camera.

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, we routinely measure both shutter delay and shot to shot cycle times for all cameras we test, using a test system Dave designed and built for the purpose. (Crystal-controlled, with a resolution of 0.001 second.) Here are the numbers we collected for the Canon PowerShot SD600:

Startup/Shutdown
Power on to first shot	1.8 seconds	Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy
Shutdown	1.4 seconds	How long it takes to retract lens
Buffer clearing time	~1 second	Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Mode switching
Play to Record, first shot	1.9 seconds	Time until first shot is captured
Record to play	1.1 seconds	Time to display a large/fine file immediately after capture
Display recorded image	1.7 second	Time to display a large/fine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time):
Full Autofocus Wide	0.39 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele	0.57 second	Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.
Prefocused	0.074 second	Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode Large Fine JPEG	1.61 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Single Shot mode 640x480 JPEG	1.66 seconds	Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Early shutter penalty?	No	Some cameras won't snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer
Continuous mode Large Fine JPEG	0.47 second (2.11 frames per second); buffer clears between shots	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first
Continuous mode 640x480 JPEG	0.48 second (2.10 frames per second); buffer clears between shots	Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first
Flash recycling	5 seconds	Flash at maximum output
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0	2488 KBytes/sec	Typical Values: Less than 600=USB 1.1; 600-770=USB 2.0 Low; 771-4000=USB 2.0 High

The Canon SD600's performance here is pretty good overall, with a quick startup time and very good shutter response at both wide angle and telephoto. The flash takes about five seconds to recycle, which is about average. Though the Continuous mode captures only 2.11 frames per second, it does this continuously, without having to stop the series and clear the buffer. Connected to a computer, download speeds are quite fast as well. Bottom line, the SD600 is a responsive little camera that should do quite well in most situations, and while its Continuous mode is just a hair slow, you'll have ample opportunity to catch those wiggly kids with its long series.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Short battery life with the LCD on, very good when LCD is switched off.

Operating Mode	Number of Shots
LiIon Battery Pack LCD on	160
LiIon Battery Pack LCD off	600

The Canon PowerShot SD600 uses a custom rechargeable 4.8V, 1600 mAh LiIon battery for power. The table above shows maximum run times based on our power measurements and the rated performance of its battery using the CIPA battery standard. Given the short run time with the LCD enabled, you should definitely consider purchasing a second battery to pack along on extended outings.

Storage
The Canon SD600 accepts SD/MMC cards; a 16MB starter card is included the camera.

Image Capacity with 16MB Memory Card		Fine	Normal	Economy
2,816 x 2,112	Images	5	9	19
2,816 x 2,112	File Size	4.1 MB	2.4 MB	1.2 MB
2,272 x 1,704	Images	7	13	26
2,272 x 1,704	File Size	2.1 MB	1.2 MB	600 KB
1,600 x 1,200	Images	15	26	50
1,600 x 1,200	File Size	1.1 MB	600 KB	316 KB
640 x 480	Images	56	87	137
640 x 480	File Size	283 KB	183 KB	117 KB