The Canon SD600 is an excellent ultra-compact camera; the owners of these cameras have lots of positive things to say about it, except for a couple who complain that the LCD didn't function - but it's hard to say that's a trend - it could be a very small percentage of owners have this issue. It's a good price, it has a 3x optical zoom, and 6 megapixel format - this makes for an excellent cameras. See the Digital Camera HQ page here:
digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... 

I don't know what the Sony DSCH-12 is. Perhaps you mean a different camera?

DParker

I wouldn't recommend buying another S45, that model has been eclipsed by many since. How about the Canon SD600:
digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  small and packs a great package of megapixels and zoom. Your SD card will still work. And it's not too expensive either.
DParker

If you can't directly access the memory card via a computer's memory card reader, you should use the USB cable included with the camera to connect the camera itself to the computer. If you've installed the camera software (from the included CD), you should be able to get it to work that way.

I don't know the answer, that's why I'm asking you.

Hi Martha,
The main differences between the Canon SD550 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) and the Canon SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) (aside from the megapixels) are as follows:

-The SD600 is lighter and has a thinner body than the SD550.
-The SD600 offers a higher ISO- 800 instead of the 550's 400. ISO800 can be convenient in marginal light situations but does result in somewhat noisy pictures.
-The SD600 has a higher resolution LCD screen, with about 50% more pixels per area resulting in more clarity on-screen.
-The 550 uses a 1/1.8 sensor, while the 600 uses a more advanced 1/2.5 sensor. This really makes such a marginal difference that most users will not notice it but it is considered a slight improvement.

I'd say that unless you're planning on printing large pictures (where the extra mp in the 550 will matter), the difference between these cameras is negligible. Some people prefer the 600 because of the better quality LCD screen and the fact that it's lighter weight and easier to hold.
Hope that helps!

Yes; according to <a href="bestbuy.com">BestBu...  you are good to go. =)

I haven't personally used it, but have heard very good things. In the US it is called the Powershot SD600; Here's ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) our review page for it.

Patrick,

The Lithium Ion battery comes with the Canon SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ). After reviewing the product on the Canon site, it does not seem you can use anything else for power supply options outside of an AC adapter kit found on the product's accessory page ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...  ).

Andrew

Bob,

The main differences (over the megapixels) on the Canon SD450 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) and the Canon SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) are listed below (note, the Canon SD450 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) is always listed first).

- ISO Range: 50-400 vs 80-800
- Shooting Modes: The Canon SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) offers night snapshots, color accenting, and color swapping.
- Light Metering: The Canon SD450 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) offers metering based on the AF target.
- The Canon SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) has a mini-B jack to connect it to your computer.

You can see a side by side comparison of the two cameras on Canon's site ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...  ).

Personally, for even money, I would go for the SD600 because it will have more ability for lower lighted shots because of the higher ISO settings.

Andrew

Fuji F30 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) gets my vote. Super easy to use and takes wonderful pictures on a point-and-shoot basis... simple and effective in almost all lighting situations, light or dark.

SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) takes great pics but is known for a fragile LCD... not so great for traveling purposes. It also has a worse battery life than the Fuji.

The only disadvantage to the Fuji is that it's somewhat larger than the Canon. Still I think it's a better choice.

It is really up to you... they are pretty much the same camera. The SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) having the viewfinder might be a bonus because 1. some people really like the viewfinder, it makes it easier sometimes to take more accurate photos, and 2. using viewfinder instead of LCD conserves battery life (these Canons don't have a battery indicator until you're almost out of juice, so it can be nice to not have to worry as much by turning off the LCD altogether). On the other hand, the SD630 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) has a 3-inch LCD instead of the 2.5 on the SD600, and if you like using the LCD that is a pretty substantial difference in size. My advice is to try out each one in the store and see what feels better to you- viewfinder or larger LCD- and make your decision based on that.

Which one is better SD600 or SD700?

SD630 IS WAY BETTEEEEEER

Since, the SD600 LCD screen has the same number of pixels as the somewhat larger LCD on the SD630, the SD600 produces a slightly sharper looking picture. Then there's the all plastic back side around the LCD on the SD630. By all means, you should check them out side by side.

I lean towards the FX 01 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ). While the SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) isn't the most fragile LCD out there (there are worse), and the LCD itself is really neat, it does have more, um, breaking potential than the Panasonic. Plus the Panasonic is a neat little camera and has gotten great reviews- also it probably takes better low light shots than the Canon, from the samples I've seen.

Any SD / MMC memory cards will work. SanDisk is one brand that is very reliable. I would recommend at least a 512mb card. It is the most for the price range.

These cameras have almost identical characteristics.

Since it is difficult to find tech. specifications for Fuji cameras I am copying an appropriate link for F20 here:
fujifilm.com/products/digit... 
For Canon: usa.canon.com/consumer 
According to the specifications the Fuji seems to have longer battery life.

Please read also customer reviews on our website:
digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... 
digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... 

I hope these reviews will help you to make good decision!

That would be the Powershot SD600 Elph ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ). Great little camera. Click on that link and there are some links at the top right of the page that you can click on and order this camera online. The lowest price listed is 198.00.

No camera has that capability as that's done in software like Adobe Photoshop. There are several cameras that have b/w capability, but that can be altered in software as well. Software has really come along to the point where the recording medium is only the starting point. The real work comes with manipulating the image via software.

Wow. I didn't know that. Nice one, Victoria.

Len --

The SD600 uses a proprietary lithium ion battery. Very few really small cameras use AA ... because they are bigger :-). Lithium Ion is the best battery technology out there for this purpose, so they last pretty well. A spare is a good idea.

As to being small, yeah, this is a problem with any small camera. They are hard to hold steady, and image stabilization can really help ... but it costs more. But only a little. Let me try to sell you on the Canon SD700 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) which is about $40 more. It's about the same camera, but people love it. It has image stabilization and a 4x zoom, instead of the 3x. These two things alone are why this camera is well liked by users and the SD600 is just "so so". I think the SD700 is a much better option and still in your stated price range.

hmm both excellent cameras. The amazing part about the SD600 is its size. I have used this camera it really is tiny. So if you want a pocket sized camera this one is propbaby smaller than you wallet. The Sony is good but I feel it is a bit dated and sony's w100 is a more a better choice if you want to go Sony.

thank you very much... i'll check out the W100
charlie

Thanks for all your feedback. I've purchased the W100. I'm not sure how to un-post this request now???

thank you all very much,

charlie

Thanks so much. I chose Brenda P as the most helpful, but all of you were great!

Hi Sophia,

Of these I'd recommend the SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ). It's got the best LCD, for one thing. For another, it's the smallest of the three (though they're all pretty similar in size). Finally, it has a better flash range than either of the other two, which is important when you're shooting in the dark or just in low-light situations (parties). Most importantly, though, Canon image quality is, in my experience, unmatched.

You should be aware that no ultracompact is going to be entirely blur-free, especially in low-light situations (unless you use flash all the time). Just a sad fact of the way digital cameras work.

Good luck!

Hi Kristen,

The camera you have listed above says Samsung SD600, but the link goes to our Canon SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) page. Furthermore, I can't find any info about a Samsung SD600 anywhere on the net, so I'm going to assume you're talking about the Canon.

The SD600 has a 3x zoom, which is greater than the S230's 2x, so I'm not sure why you're getting this problem. All I can think is that maybe you used to use the S230's digital zoom, which would give you the illusion of greater zoom power on the older camera. Digital zoom is kind of a marketing gimmick, and one that lures in many, many users. All it does is blow up the image in-camera, kind of like zooming in on the image once it's on your computer. Doing this degrades the quality of the image, so I really don't recommend using it.

If you really want to turn on the digital zoom in your camera, though, here's how:

1. While in shooting mode, hit the MENU button.
2. Scroll down to "Digitial Zoom"
3. Change the setting from "off" to "on"

Hope this helps!

This camera has been tested with memory cards all the way up to 2GB in size, so I wouldn't go larger than 2GB. I'd think that a 512mb or a 1GB card would be plenty. It will depend on what you're shooting- for example, very high rez photos or lots of video will take up more room- but I use a 256mb card in my Canon and I've never once run out of space. And I shoot a lot. So, I advise 512 or 1GB, whichever fits your budget.

My general advice if you want lots of storage is to buy multiple smaller cards rather than one huge one- for example, I would buy two 1GB cards rather than one 2GB card, because if something goes wrong with the card (memory card error, loss of data), you don't lose all of your photos, and you still have a back-up card to use. Just a tip.

In terms of high speed cards, if you want to buy one go for it. The SD600 can take advantage of it, and it will speed up the time it takes for the camera to refresh itself between photos; it will also help avoid breaks in recording if you are doing video. Transfer/ download times will be improved too.

Hope that helps.

Hi Albert,
There are a few different speeds for memory cards- what you'll be looking for is a number followed by an x, which stands for the camera's write speed (how fast it 'writes' and saves data). 1X=150KB-per-second
sustained write speed.

Memory cards aren't always clearly labeled with their speed, but they typically range from 32x all the way up to 80x. Sometimes it is also labeled as mb per second, in which case 9 mb per second is usually the minimum speed for a card to be called high speed. For the SD600, I think you will be perfectly happy with anything from 40x to 60x, or else anything around 9mb per second; you can buy something faster than that, but you probably won't notice a significant difference with the super-fast cards (which are also more expensive), since the camera is 6 megapixels and it doesn't need a SUPER fast card in order to write that amount of data quickly.

In terms of brands, my opinion is that it doesn't matter a whole lot, but I have always used SanDisk with my Canon digital, and it's never once failed on me. The SanDisk high speed is called an Ultra/ Ultra II. With all of this advice here's a link to a good card that would work for you: <a href="amazon.com/Sandisk-Secure-D...  Ultra II 512 mb</a> (you can also, of course, find the same card in other sizes).
Hope that helps!

Hi Dave,
It's possible that it's the card that's causing the problem- or rather, the speed of the card. Let me ask you this, what exactly happens when you try to use the continuous mode? What goes wrong?

Dave, I looked into this further and it sounds like your hunch may be correct. Everyone is recommending a high speed card in order to 'get the most out of' the continuous shooting. I didn't find info anywhere, however, that said that WITHOUT the high speed card you wouldn't even be able to access continuous shooting. That sort of surprises me, as I thought you'd be able to use it but you would just have slow buffer times and it wouldn't work very well. But it's very possible that a high speed card is required.

Before you purchase one, let's make double sure that you're doing the right thing to access continuous shooting. According to the manual of this camera, continuous shooting can't be used in Auto, Stitch or Movie Modes. If you have the camera in Auto, this may be why you're not being allowed to access it. I own a different Canon (the A85) and when I set it to Auto and hit the button for timer/ continuous, it just gives me the timer. But when I switch to another mode like Manual, P, Scene, etc., it lets me access Continuous.

Give this a try and let me know if it fixes the problem. Note, if you are going to use the continuous, you should get a high speed card just to make it work better. But do let me know if you're able to access it by changing modes.

Yes, Brenda, you are right, I was in auto mode. I changed to manual, bingo, continuous mode became available. I will be buying a "high speed" SD card tonight anyway. I read the Canon manual ( more carefully this time), and it recommended a "super high speed" card. Other digging on the net has led me to believe this is a bit overkill for my usage.

I'll test the high speed card tonight and report back on how well it went.

Thanks Brenda!

Finally got my 80x 1 GB Transcend SD card. In continuous mode, with flash turned off, 2 frames per second.

If you recorded the movie on a memory card, you can get recovery utilities like "F-Recovery" ( shareup.com/F-Recovery_for_...  ) that can help. Google is your friend.

F Recovery is pretty easy to use. I had to download it just recently for a corrupted flash card. And it's got a free 30 day.

The effect you are talking about can be quite striking but it isn't an in-camera feature. There are a number of ways to make a B&W image with one color popping out.

In the days before color film people would make B&W prints and then hand color them by hand. There are a number of different paints and pencils available to do this.

With digital photography hand coloring has become easier than ever and there are many different ways to achieve the same effect in a fraction of the time.
The easiest way to do this digitally is to pick a photo editing program that allows you to work in layers such as GIMP (which is free) or Photoshop (which is not). Once you open the image in the photo program you can make a duplicate layer that is identical to the image. Then you take the layer that is on top and convert it to B&W. Finally, using the erase tool you can reveal the color from the original print by erasing areas of the top layer.

This can be a lot of fun to play with. Some programs allow you to convert an image to B&W and digitally apply color to specified areas.

Have fun playing with your images.

Depending on the camera you own, this feature can be done in camera. All of the newer Canon ELPH product line posses this feature. I believe Canon calls it MyColor. If you are using a point and shoot camera, the advantage is HUGE to doing it in the camera. The reason being, point and shoots save images as JPEGS which is a "lossy" compression format. This means that every time you "Photoshop" the image, you will lose quality if it is altered. Doing it in-camera saves the image with the color option BEFORE compression. Hope this helps.

Hi Pam,

You've covered the differences pretty well yourself. The A630 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) is definitely a superior camera to the SD600 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ), and yes, it has faster flash recharge, lower shutter lag, and is an all-around better performer. Furthermore, it has a lot more options when it comes to settings, so if you want to get creative somewhere down the line (messing with manual settings like aperture, shutter speed, white balance, etc) you'll be able to. The SD600 lacks full manual control, which many people would find very limiting. Personally, I wouldn't recommend the SD600 over the A630 to anyone who isn't specifically looking for a camera that'll fit in a tight pocket. The A630 isn't that much bigger, and the jump in performance is substantial.

Hope this helps!

Hi Paul,
I'm a little confused, but basically it sounds like you are wondering if there's a way to get images from your computer or CD, and drag them back onto a memory chip? Am I right? If so, the answer is yes, you can drag photos back onto a memory card, but you'll need to use a computer to do it. You simply do the reverse of downloading, and open up the folder with the images + the folder for the mem chip and drag and drop them back onto the mem chip. Does that help? If not, can you explain the situation a little further and I'll try to give you more advice?

yes, that's my question, thanks Brenda. That was my first thought; I reattached a camera (NOT the same camera, but a dig w/ a memchip),
and right-click / "Send to" an image to what appeared on "MY COMPUTER" as a G-file.
The transfer icon appeared and did the right thing on my PC, but that image was NOT then found on the camera's memory chip.
You're saying drag and drop - are you using a Mac???

Thanks for your help, Brenda, this is a pretty sensitive situation for me.
I've gone to a camera shop and they told me it couldn't be done, so just let me say seeing your positive answer is wonderful.

Hi Paul,
Indeed, as Bukit said, moving photos back onto the memory chip can make them unreadable by the camera. It depends apparently on what type of camera you have, and whether or not the photo was edited in any way while it was on the computer, among other things. If it was, and with certain types of cameras, you will not be able to view the photo on your camera's LCD as the file may become unreadable. In other words, it IS being moved onto the memory chip, but your camera can't see it. If you were to hook the mem chip back up to the computer, theoretically the photos should be there and available to you. When you say that the photos weren't found on the memory chip after you transferred them- were you looking on the camera's LCD or in the folder while the camera was hooked up to the computer?

This could also be complicated by using a different camera to do the transferring... that's where a universal card reader might come in handy. The file may just be becoming confused.

(Re: drag and drop: on Windows you can just press the mouse button and highlight the icon, then drag it over to an open folder. It's just a shortcut to doing a transfer/ send to. But according to Bukit, that can complicate the process by making files unreadable, so let's try something else).

Two things to try:
-If you haven't already, hook the camera up to the computer with the memory chip in the camera; open the camera's folder on the computer. Do you see the photos/ can you access them with your photo software?

-Hook the camera up to the computer just as you did; right-click on the photo and choose copy. Then open the memory chip's folder and right-click in it and choose Paste.

If this still isn't working a card reader may help you. I'm not sure why they told you it couldn't be done, because I'm almost sure there's a way to get this to work. Let me know and I'll keep researching it.

First of all, yay, I'm glad at least they're on there! You are right on- the photos are on the mem chip, they just aren't viewable in the camera. Now here's the deal: a card reader might help her, or her camera might read the pictures, it depends on what is changing in the file that is making it unreadable in the camera you're using.

Let me ask you this: what camera were the photos taken with, what camera are you using to view/ transfer, and what camera does she have? If you can answer those three questions for me I bet I can tell you what is going to happen/ whether she'll need a card reader. (Note, if she does, they are super easy and run from 10 to 30 dollars. You can even find them at Walmart).

Card readers are meant to make the download process easier; they hook up to the computer with a USB, and have different sized slots for different types of memory cards. They're easier to use for downloading and printing because they save on camera batteries and b/c if you have more than one camera, you don't need to install all different drivers on your computer- just install the memory card reader drivers and you can download any photos. The reason it might help in this situation is because, depending on what happened to those files that makes them unreadable, the card reader may be able to read them (universal reading capabilities) while a particular camera cannot.

Edited to add: if worse comes to worst, someplace like Walgreens or something may be able to print her photos for her. So they're definitely not lost.

Hi Paul
Regardless of how this shakes down, the important thing is that she does have her photos. I did some further reading on this, and it seems that the main reason people seem to suggest a card reader is because it creates another 'removable' drive on the computer, facilitating the file moving process. Well, your camera is creating another drive already (G, or whatever drive pops up when you plug it in) so I'm not sure if that would help you. It might eliminate the problem of Canon vs. Nikon as it's designed to universally read the cards. I'm not sure; I've never tried it.

Here are a couple of possible ways to conclude this, hopefully one of them will be an acceptable solution:

-She can buy a card reader. I suggest this if you're desperate since as I said I'm not sure if it would work. But it may read the files and allow her to view them, while her camera won't. I honestly don't know.

-You could buy a card reader and use it to transfer files rather than using your Nikon. Again, I don't know if this will help, but if there's an issue with the file format this may eliminate it. Just a speculation but worth it if you're really desperate.

-She can go to Walgreens or someplace similar, and use the self-serve kiosk. When she pops the memory chip into the kiosk it should show her the photos and she won't have to print them all, she can pick and choose. This isn't as convenient as doing it at home, but she should at least be able to view the photos.

** (this one is worth a try!!) -One more thing for you to try during the transfer to make it so the pictures are visible on the camera: Plug in the camera, and open the folder for the camera on your computer. Look for the folder called DCIM (Digital Camera Images). Open up that folder, and you should see another folder inside that is probably named after the camera (probably the Canon SD600 since that's what they were taken with). Open up THAT folder, and then paste the copied images back into this second folder rather than just onto the card in general. This may make them visible on HER camera (possibly not on yours yet, as yours is a different model).

Just for interest's sake, I also found out that the reason you can't view them on the camera may be because the camera creates a 'management file' of the image, which is designed to be edited in the compatible software. It's no longer just a straight image file, it has some new formatting automatically done to it. So when it goes back into the camera the camera can't view it as it's been touched by computer formatting without you even realizing it.

Good luck!

First of all, agh! Don't worry about being a pest and don't worry about having marked a best answer. We can keep going on this until she gets her darned photos printed. =)

What I suppose I need to know on this is, how is she specifically hooking up? I.e. what kind of printer does she have, and how is she connecting to it? I am assuming she is using a PictBridge printer and is connecting the camera to it with the USB (and that is what you did, too, right)? Once we know that, I'll be better equipped to find out if a card reader will help her, or if not what else will.

Let me know as soon as you find out more info, and I will keep looking into this and will post whatever I find out in the meantime. I'm not sure if she needs to be sending the memory card back to you, as it will probably be something she has to do (get a card reader, or whatever we figure out is wrong here), and you may just have to mail it right back to her. But that's OK.

Like I said, let me know how she's set up as soon as you find out and I'm going to do some serious research on this too, and keep you posted.

Brenda P!!! sooo good to read your voice!!!!
She is returning the memchip to me. I am 98% sure her printer has slots to insert the mem chip, she does not go through her camera. I have asked her for the specific printer model, although I wasn't sure that would make a difference.
SO. I will buy a memory card reader (ASAP); is there a SPECIFIC type/model that I need?? Do I need a reader that "reads" Canon SD600 images, said another way, could I buy a card reader that is incompatible with a Canon SD600 or my computer??? Have looked at different models and am not sure what makes them different.
Do I need to reformat the memchip somehow? or, can I just copy the images from computer via card reader to memchip right away?? Only ~ 60 images, it won't fill the memchip even if prior images are left on.

She uses a Sandisk, PNY; sorry, I don't know if the PNY is even relevant; 256mB. I might HAVE to just buy the card reader, esp if it's really only ~$20, because she's running out of patience with me. She says she is unable to xfer images from the CD I sent down to her computer, as well as this memdisc problem. I'm in MA, she's in FL; I don't know exactly what she's doing (ie, right or wrong) to attempt transfers.
I've asked her for her printer model, no answer yet.
yes, the Nikon vs computer xfer problem is understood.
If I xfer the images from my computer via a card reader TO the Sandisc, and send BOTH the reader and the sandisc down, is there any reason THAT shouldn't work??? Unknown w/o her printer model?
Man, I don't go through this much trouble for my wife......as ALWAYS, thanks!
you can't get other tech problems that are this simple but complicated?????

Crazy; good word. New development:
I think she might actually be able to see and print pics off the memchip now, but has been toying with me and my frustrated inability to get her the pics. I honestly don't know when or how she was able to see them, maybe she bought her own card reader, but it must be the memchip that I xferred computer to the DCIM folder? She might be having this same conversation with someone sitting behind you. OR, she's fed up with my
constant questions and inability to get this straightened out, and just wants this to GO AWAY; not sure which. I am not sure about the CD thing; I offered to step through it with her, but she hasn't / won't call. sigh.....maybe she's yanking me (well, now, US, actually) around there, too. I have burned another CD, different brand, to see if that works. I know it shouldn't make a difference, but I'm desperate. I'll press her about whether she can see them/print them or not. However, it turns out, how can I thank you???? Can I get more "points" to pass on?????
You've been great!! even though I have had to read your musings 3,4 times to understand what you're telling me....haaaaa!!!!!
I'll be back in touch with a follow-up!! God Bless!!! - paul

The SD card that your Canon SD600 is using has a miniature switch for the protection of the data from accidental erasure.

Hold the card against the light and you will see a tiny switch, about 1mm thick, in the small cut-out on one side. Now that your card is locked, sliding the switch to the opposite direction will unlock it.

How about trying another brand sd card?

the switch is on the memory card itself: not by the insert. Thanks bukit97!

Alli--

The switch may have fallen out, leaving it permanently locked. This just happened to one of my SD cards. Very frustrating. Try to get the data off and replace the card.

I read somewhere that one fellow just glued the switches on all of his new cards. Not a bad idea, frankly.

My sympathies!

JAM

I am having the same problem right now. However, i do have the switch and it is in the unlocked position. i was just using my camera 5 minutes ago and turned it off. i then turned it on about 3 minutes ago and it said the card locked thing (same as the person up there). i don't understand why it is doing that, and i have tried switching the lock to locked and unlocked. nothing works.

i'm afraid to put my other card in in case it locks those images too.

Hi there. I had the problem with several SD cards I put in my Canon camera though all cards worked otherwise in different cameras and card readers, so I figured the problem is with the camera. I put a thin stripe of Scotch tape around the lock-slider on one of the cards and -surprise, surprise- the error message is gone and the camera works as it alway did. So the switch that is activated by the lock-slider had a bad contact and the tape put more pressure on it to fix it.

Sometimes all it takes is some tape...

I have a sd memory card and i have had it for over a year i tooksome pix of my baby yesterday and when i got home last night my camera kept saying memory card error....card locked. How cani get my pix off?

blowing on it worked for me with a cannon powershot sd1000 (after taping it, etc.)

Nyc quick fix to a problem I just faced

I bought a 32 gb card and it worked fine and everything.. it has about 8+ gigs of video on it.. now it says card locked in both digital cameras I have and my computer's card reader won't accept it. I REALLY want the stuff off of it..it still has the switch and everything on it and I even went and bought an external card reader for it..what can I do to try and make it work? Any ideas would be a huge help thanks.

maybe you broke it. That has happened to me, I just put tape around it and now it is working. good luck!!

No offense, but has there been any POSSIBLE mishandling? Like leaving the camera in the sun, or did it get dropped into water? I don't know of any way to fix, short of replacement.

A few years back, there was a lot of discussion on the Net about cracked Canon LCDs, on the Elph lineup.

I have been taking videos since early 80's and always feel that you need the right tool to do the right job.

From the question, it appears that you are also searching for the right tool, but it would be a bit difficult to find a compact camera that will make videos as well as the proper video cameras, especially when you have set the target as ' great videos with high qualities '

However, don't let me discourage you as ' everyone has to make a start somewhere ' and Canon SD 600 will be a good start for the 60 fps QVGA (320 x 240) movie mode.    

I think you would like the SD600 better. Both have macro focus (about an inch or less minimum). But the SD series are true pocket cameras, being much more portable than the Canon A-series.

I have used a Canon A520 extensively to capture photos and documents. I have found that the best shots are done outdoors, with the item laying on the front porch. Light floods from all over, lighting the subject nicely. With indoors, up-close photos, the flash being so close can be a problem.

The A-series has a neato feature: You can ADD a sound memo to any photo you've taken, either immediately or at a later time. Nice for reminding you which bridge or which river you were standing at!

This MIGHT also be on the SD-series, check into imaging-resource.com/PRODS/... 

Yes, your SD600 is not compatible with the 4G SDHC card which is normally used for dSLRs and probably some selected compact cameras.

Since you buy it at half price, you may wish to sell it to a friend who needs it. Otherwise take it back and change it for a 2 GB card which is more suitable for your camera.

How about the Canon SD630 is it compatible with an 4GB SDHC?

I have a 4gb card I use with this camera "SD 600" but it's not a 4gb SDHC. There are regular 4gb cards out there that will work with this camera. Mine is proof. The card is made by "U-tek" and I found it on ebay.

The SDHC card will not work in your sd600 camera. I had bought one and i only get an error when the card is put into my camera. the ,memory card that you get cannot have hc. high capacity is not compatable with the sd600

Unfortunately, that's about right. You could lower the resolution of your pictures, but you're much better off purchasing a larger SD card.

Hi,
Just turning your camera off and on again will restart it and will hopefully fix your problem. Hope it's nothing serious, it could be that the batteries are just getting low on power. A sudden shift in temperature or humidity can sometimes cause temporary problems too.
Mark

You may want to try F-Recover (google is your friend). There are dozens, if not hundreds, of alternatives, but I've used F-Recover and have gotten good results from it.

And this is the reason why I recommend using several smaller cards, rather than one large one. You get one card corrupted, you can easily change it out and keep shooting. Or, you lose a smaller amount of your pictures rather than all of them.

Finally, a question. Why are you using a memory card that has pictures on it to transfer data?

Well, it's not uncommon. But the good news is, fRecover utilities can not only fix the disc, it can recover the data.

I hate to tell you this, but my camera did the same thing. It may be a different problem in your camera than I had in mine, but with mine the main circut board had gone, which is about the worst thing to break on it. hopefully yours has a different problem and not his one. My camera wasn't a Canon though it was a Panasonic. What happened with mine is it would begin shutting down for no reason now and then. Then it would not come on again. Usually it worked again as soon as i pulled the battery out and then put it in again. Finally even that failed and then we had to take to a local camera shop. I don't know if this is what has been happening with your camera or not. I hope not. I too had taken good care of my camera. Sorry -Josh

does it make kind of a, i don't know how to explain the sound, kind of like a mechanical sound? mine does the same thing and it's fine but if your worried about it then you should problay ask someone at an electronics store.

Are you talking about cropping it and creating a new picture? Some cameras have this feature.

The SD600 does come with some editing features, sure. But the SD1000 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) has replaced it.

I know the Olympus SP-550UZ ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita...  ) does just that, as well as several other photo editing features.

Hi, I noticed that you haven't marked any replies as the "best answer." Are you still looking for an answer? If so, I recommend you re-submit it on digitalcamera-hq.com  so it will have a better chance of being noticed. These days it looks like most questions are being answered within a few days. Good luck!

It sounds like your menu buttons don't work; otherwise, I'd suggest doing a Reset. You can try it; hold down the Menu button for five seconds and choose Reset; this will restore settings and fix it if there is a glitch causing the problem.

Also, this sounds dumb, but try taking out the batteries for a few minutes, then putting them back in and turning the camera on. Might help.

Any grinding noises or error messages?

Good luck. If it's a new camera at all, take it in for warranty repair if possible. It sounds like there might be a failure going on that will be beyond your power to correct.

Hi Amanda,
Absolutely you can fix this. I'm not sure what setting you do have it on, since I don't think there's a 160x120 and there is a 1600x1200, but that should give you decent 4x6 prints. Regardless, to fix this, have the camera in Record mode (ready to shoot) and turn the top dial to Manual mode. Then hit the Menu button. A big list of icons will pop up on the screen; use the arrows to go down to the L in the bottom left corner. This is resolution; use the arrows to scroll to the right and choose among the various sizes.

Like I said, if you're at 1600x1200 I don't know why you're not getting good prints. If you're set smaller than that, then I could understand it. But experiment by bumping it up a notch and see what happens. Also, You on the icon just above the L (the little curve thing with the S in it), check and make sure your compression level is set to Normal (not Fine or Superfine; these aren't necessary and will eat up a lot of space, especially if you're kicking up your resolution).

Not much you can do for past pictures, but hope that helps for future ones.

Sometimes the error message can occur if the batteries are failing. Try putting in a new set of batteries. I'd also do a camera reset. This is a fairly easy procedure which involves either going into your setup menu and choosing "reset," or, removing the batteries for a few minutes. After which, you should have the camera reset to factory default settings.

Another tip is to go to Canon's website ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...  ) and look for firmware updates. Download and install them.

battery changing didnt help the problem, and i cant get to my menu to reset.

Hi Natalya,

Did you drop or otherwise physically hurt the camera? This can cause the lens housing to get bent out of shape and make it refuse to retract. If not, sometimes small bits of dirt or other substances can get stuck between the lens and the housing and make it refuse to retract. You can sometimes fix this by a) carefully using compressed air (I recommend the kind that comes in an aerosol can for cleaning keyboards--you can get it at Office Depot) to blow around the edges of the lens or b) gently banging a corner of the camera against a well padded surface. Sometimes these methods do not work, though, so be careful.

If nothing works, you'll need to send the camera back to Canon for a repair. This will probably be quite expensive, so be ready for that.

Good luck!

I got the same message, when I was taking a picture yesterday. Now, I cannot use it anymore.
I don't think it is a good idea to send it back for a service, if they charge more than $50.

When I read your original main question, I immediately thought it was a card-locking issue... the rest of your question makes it obvious that it's not. Will these 4 cards you're using work in your computer? Will they work in other cameras?

I can't imagine formatting is the issue, because 4 cards needing formatting simultaneously is near-impossible.

Call Canon for a troubleshoot, if your memory cards work on other electronics. The card reader electronics of a camera are some of the most durable on the camera, but even that can become a problem sometimes. Is the camera still under warranty?

Chances are, the write protection switch was engaged. There's a tiny switch on the side of your card that needs to be flipped to remove the write protection.

What if the card isn't locked?

I have an SD HD 4 gig card and it doesn't work but the SD 4 gig does. I also have a 2 gig card by the same manufacturer as the SD HD card and it doesn't have a problem.

It's not the size of the card as the original one that we are replacing is 4 gig.

I think that it's the High Capacity.

Oh and behold:

sandisk.com/sdhc/SDHC.pdf 

It clearly says that it's not backwards compatable.

BDE,

First off, it is never a good idea to give electronic equipment "a good whack." This can further damage the unit. The water itself can do enough in shorting the circuitry. If your camera isn't under warranty, you can try contacting Canon customer support ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...  ) for a repair. You might be better off purchasing a new camera.

Andrew

Obviously, your white balance is out of wack. You could try several factory resets, but in the end, it may require a repair/servicing by Canon. You could try setting a "custom" white balance (only on manual):

Setting the White Balance

Setting a Custom White Balance
This function is not available in the (Auto) mode.

When the white balance mode is set to match the light source, the camera reproduces colors more accurately.

   Auto    The camera sets the white balance automatically according to shooting conditions.

   Daylight    For recording outdoors on a bright day.

   Cloudy    For recording under overcast, shady or twilight skies.

   Tungsten    For recording under tungsten and bulb-type 3-wavelength fluorescent lighting.

   Fluorescent    For recording under warm-white, cool-white or warmwhite (3-wavelength) fluorescent lighting.

   Fluorescent H    For recording under daylight fluorescent, or daylight fluorescent-type (3-wavelength) fluorescent lighting.

   Custom    For setting a custom value with a white sheet of paper, etc., to obtain the optimal white balance for the conditions.

1. Press the <FUNC./SET> button. Use the or buttons to select *.
*The current setting is displayed.





2. Use the or buttons to select an option. See below for the option.



- You can confirm the effect of the setting in the LCD monitor when it is on.
- You can shoot right after selecting an option. The menu displays again after the shot, allowing you to change the settings easily.



3. Press the <FUNC./SET> button to turn off the menu.


Setting a Custom White Balance

You can set a custom white balance to obtain the optimal setting for the shooting conditions by having the camera evaluate an object, such as a piece of white paper or cloth, or a photo-quality gray card that you wish to establish as the standard white color.

1. Press the <FUNC.> button. Use the or buttons to select *.
*The current setting is displayed.



2. Use the or to select .




3. Aim the camera so that a piece of white paper, a cloth or a gray card completely fills the frame at the center of the LCD monitor or the entire optical viewfinder, then press the <MENU> button. The camera reads the white balance data when you press the <MENU> button. You can shoot right after setting the white balance. The menu displays again after the shot, allowing you to change the settings easily.



4. Press the <FUNC./SET> button to turn off the menu.

Yes, there is. This is a fairly easy procedure which involves either going into your setup menu and choosing "reset" (or intialize), holding down the menu key for 5 seconds (which you've already tried), or, removing the batteries for a few minutes. It may be that the firmware loading got corrupted and the camera just needs to be "rebooted," which is something that turning it on/off won't accomplish. But after which, you should have the camera reset to factory default settings.

Another tip is to go to Canon's website ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...  ) and look for firmware updates. Download and install them.

I agree with Brenda. Regardless, get your photos off and reformat. But this also leads me to a point about memory cards and why you need more than one. Reason being, insurance. Any memory card can fail or become corrupted. And when you're on vacation the last thing you want is to lose the opportunity to take pictures until you can recover that media card with a software utility. If your card goes bad, swapping another one for it at that moment is of advantage so you can keep taking pics. Then, later when you're in front of your PC, you can use a utility like "F-Recovery" ( filerecoverytools.com/produ...  ) to get back your pictures and recover your card.

No need to lose the moment because you relied on one card one when several can solve that problem.

Try these solutions:
camerarepair.blogspot.com/2... 
Usually one of them tends to work; if not you'll have to send it to a camera repair shop, or buy a new camera.
Hope this helps.

What kind of batteries? Underpowered batteries can be just as bad as exhausted ones. Make sure that the "mAh" is at least 2500. If that isn't it, you may have to clean the battery contacts. Use a pencil eraser for that.

A question. Did you buy it with a credit card? If you did, you may have extended warranty time as a perk of the credit card you used. Ask them about that. A longshot, but it's an option that you may not know you have.

Battery could be defective. Or, the contacts could be dirty. Try using a pencil eraser and clean the contacts with it. Also, if you live in a humid area, it may be suffering from condensation, which can cause the camera to have issues like this. You can place it in a ziplock with a bag of uncooked rice for a few days. The rice will act as a dessicant to help draw out any condensation in the camera.

Any chance you dropped it?

Good solution from James DeRuvo. However, it is still fail to solve your problem, likely cable connection between the major motherboard with small one not function. Check the connection with tester. If it doesn't problem, it can be on your switch on-off. Check again. I you find the trouble, repalce with the new new component or normal.

We get this often. Try this website www.e18error.com. It is pretty helpful. Essentially, it may have gone out of alignment off the rails slightly.

There's an entire website ( e18error.com/  ) devoted to this. In a nutshell, Canon E18 error happens when the lens gets stuck while trying to extend. The camera will beep a few times and the LCD will display a little E18 in the lower-left corner. The lens gets stuck in the extended position, and refuses to move either to focus the lens or to retract when powered off.

If your camera is still under warranty, the best thing you can do have Canon should fix it.

If your camera is out of warranty, or if Canon refuses to repair it for free, the one thing you can try is to If you gently, and I do mean GENTLY push against the lens with the PALM of your hand as you turn it on, it may cause it to depress back into the camera. If that doesn't work, and you can't reset it or turn it on/off several times, then you may have to send it in for a repair estimate anyway.

But understand that the average cost of a camera repair is around $180. As such, it may cost more to repair than it is really worth. The rule of thumb is that if the estimate for repair is north of 50% what you paid for it, you're better off taking that money and buying a newer and upgraded model.

The easiest way is to use a USB memory card reader. You plug the card into it and then plug it into your PCs USB slot. The PC reads it as a drive and it's a simple drag and drop.

If your flash won't fire, the only solution you have available is to send it in for repair. But before you do, it wouldn't hurt to 1) clean your battery contacts with a pencil eraser, reset your camera, and download and install any available firmware updates. Should that not work, then you'll need to have it repaired.

And unfortunately, it may cost more to fix than the camera itself is worth. So you may want to consider buying a new camera and using this one as a backup for days at the beach, etc.

I'd assume that if they're new batteries there's something wrong with them. If they're rechargeable, they might have just lost life sitting on the shelf. Check the charge and/ or take them back to the store for newer ones.

The camera automatically creates a folder to save the images in. You don't have to.

It's too big. The SD600 only takes SD cards, not the larger SDHC card, which that 8GB card is. The largest card you'll be able to use is 2GB max. But that isn't a bad thing, per se. allow me to make an pitch for using several cards, rather than one large one. Reason being, insurance. Any memory card can fail or become corrupted. And when you're on vacation the last thing you want is to lose the opportunity to take pictures until you can recover that media card with a software utility. If your card goes bad, swapping another one for it at that moment is of advantage so you can keep taking pics. Then, later when you're in front of your PC, you can use a utility like [url=filerecoverytools.com/produ...  to get back your pictures and recover your card.

No need to lose the moment because you relied on one card one when several can solve that problem. At the very least, you want to get more than one of whatever size you settle on.

SD I'm afraid. 2GB is the largest you can use.

I'd pull out the battery and clean the contacts with a pencil eraser. I'd also try a secondary battery, if you can. If the new battery works, then you know your original battery has given up the ghost. If not, then you have a larger issue with the camera which requires repair.

You can download a PDF copy here - usa.canon.com/consumer/cont...  thing is that with PDF, it's searchable.

As for restarting it, you can cycle the on/off switch many times and let the lens try and work itself back into alignment. But don't force it. If after 6 or 10 times it's still stuck, you'll need to send it in for repair.

Yep. Go to canonusa .com and searhfoe your camera and then downloads. Or get a USB card reader and download Goofle Picasa (free) WAY better than Zoom Browser. picasa.com 

You could try cleaning the contacts with a pencil eraser. You can also store your battery in a ziplock with a half cup of uncooked rice to draw out any excess moisture. Swapping out the insides may probably cost you more than just buying a new camera.

That's correct. It isn't.

Often this occurs when you're using underpowered batteries. IIRC the 590is is an A series camera, correct? There's a good chance you're either using underpowered batteries (which in case you need batteries with an "mAh" of at least 2500-3000) or that your battery contacts are dirty and a simple cleaning with a pencil eraser will do the trick. If the problem persists, did you drop it lately? If so, it may be out of alignment, and cycling the camera on/off may cause the lens to work it's way back into alignment. If not, then a repair is in your future. And chances are, it'll be cheaper to just buy a new camera.

I'd get a superbright LED camera light. CameraBright makes them that screw right into the tripod mount.

I'm assuming you mean SanDisk? And probably not. It's a tad too old to be taking anything above 2GB. But that isn't that bad a thing. Reason being, insurance. Any memory card can fail or become corrupted. And when you're on vacation the last thing you want is to lose the opportunity to take pictures until you can recover that media card with a software utility. If your card goes bad, swapping another one for it at that moment is of advantage so you can keep taking pics. Then, later when you're in front of your PC, you can use a utility like "F-Recovery" to get back your pictures and recover your card.

The SD600 doesn't support SDHC, you'll need to buy a newer camera or buy a different card.