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Canon SD630 Performance


Timing and Performance

Canon PowerShot SD630 Timing
Good speed for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown
Power on
to first shot
1.3 seconds
Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy
Shutdown
1.7 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
2.6 seconds
Time until first shot is captured
Record to play
2.5 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
0.45 second
Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.
Full Autofocus Tele
0.63 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
1.62 seconds
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Single Shot mode
640x480 JPEG
1.38 seconds
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Early shutter
penalty?
No
Some cameras refuse to 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
0.48 second (2.10 frames per second);
1 second to clear
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Continuous mode
640x480 JPEG
0.48 second (2.10 frames per second);
1 second to clear
Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots
Flash recycling
5 seconds
Flash at maximum output
Download speed
Windows Computer, USB 2.0
2752 KBytes/sec
Typical Values:
Less than 600=USB 1.1;
600-770=USB 2.0 Low;
771-4000=USB 2.0 High

The Canon PowerShot SD630's performance is pretty good overall, starting with its fairly quick startup time of 1.3 seconds. Shutter lag is good at wide angle and telephoto, with a quick "prefocus" time of 0.074 second. ("Prefocus" means half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure.) Shot to shot cycle times are a little better than average, at about 1.62 seconds for large/fine JPEGs, averaged over about 20 shots. Continuous-mode speed is slightly slower, at a bit over two frames/second, for 20 shots or more. The flash takes about five seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, about average for this class of camera. Connected to a computer, download speeds are very fast. Bottom line, the SD630 is a good overall camera, with quick response under most normal conditions, despite a slightly limited continuous mode.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Short battery life.

Test Conditions
Number of Shots
LiIon rechargeable battery
160

The Canon PowerShot SD630 uses a custom rechargeable LiIon battery for power. The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of, based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions. Given the short run time, you should definitely consider purchasing a second battery to pack along on extended outings.

Storage
A 16MB SD card is included with the Canon PowerShot SD630.

Image Capacity with
16MB Memory Card
Fine Normal Basic
2,816 x 2,112 Images 5 9 18
File Size 2.9 MB 1.7 MB 848 KB
2,272 x 1,704 Images 7 13 26
File Size 2.2 MB 1.2 MB 610 KB
1,600 x 1,200 Images 14 26 49
File Size 1.1 MB 610 KB 322 KB
640 x 480
Images 55 85 134
File Size 288 KB 186 KB 119 KB

I strongly recommend buying at least a 256MB card, preferably a 512MB or higher one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings.

 

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