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General discussion

Is the Canon SD500 all that much better than the SD400?

May 31, 2005 6:48AM PDT

I just bought an SD400 and my friend got the SD500...did I make a mistake...should I have spent the extra money?!?!

Discussion is locked

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SD400/500
May 31, 2005 8:38AM PDT

If you look at photos taken of the same subject, the SD500 shows more detail when viewed at full size.

That is the effect of 2 more mexapixel.
The lens quality appears the same.

The SD500 has a stronger flash. 16.4 feet as opposed to 11.4 feet for the SD400.

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Get with your friend and do some comparisons, but I would not expect any significant difference.

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SD400/500
May 31, 2005 11:33AM PDT

The SD500 should have less noise than the SD400 because of the larger sensor. The SD400 uses the same size sensor as SD300. They just stuck one million more pixels in it which means that it has more noise. The SD500 uses a larger sensor so there is less noise.

From all the sample shots I have seen I think that the SD500 has better picture quality. I have an SD400 and I am fine with the image quality and I didn't think it was worth the extra $100 to upgrade to the SD500.

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(NT) Sd500 is a better camera
Jun 2, 2005 2:13AM PDT

It all comes down to how much you are willing to spend.

For me, the extra $100 for the SD500 was worth it. I was not so concerned with the 7.2 mega-pixels of the Sd500 as the 5.0 megapixels of the Sd400 is plenty. However, The SD500 definitely has less noise and takes better photos because of it's larger sensor. It also has a a much stronger flash and better battery life.

The SD500 is also slightly larger and in my opinion, that's is a good thing. Both are very compact cameras and are smaller than the previous generations S410 and S400, but it is very difficult to handle SD400 without shaking during shots. I prefer the design of the SD500 with it's slightly larger size and weight.

Bottom line: if you're thinking about dropping $350 for the SD400, my advice would be to splurge and spend the extra $100 for the SD500. It takes noticebaly better pictures and has better features. Money well spent.