Help me find another camera with the "Color Accent" Feature!

April 24, 2007 4:03 PM

Help me find other cameras with a "color accent" feature.

My wife is looking for a new camera and the color accent feature (highlight one color and make the rest black and white) which is found on the Canon SD 600 630 and 700 models is the feature she wants.

I am coming up empty trying to find any other cameras with this feature. Am I limited to a Canon, or do other manufacturers have this feature and use a different term I can't pull up in Google?

Canon SD600 Link

posted by imjosh to Technology (13 answers total)

I've only seen it on Canons, but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist elsewhere. However, I'm just here to remind you that any image post-processing effects, like the one your wife wants, can be done in software after the fact. So really, this can be done with any camera plus a copy of Photoshop or Gimp and a little know-how. If it absolutely needs to be done in-camera (for convenience, I guess) then sorry, my answer isn't any help.
posted by knave at 4:18 PM on April 24, 2007

I just got rid of a Canon SD500 and now have the SD800IS - and love the cameras but this is really a feature that may not work exactly as well as you'd hope.

I still recommend the Canon SD cameras for anyone looking for a good point and shoot camera (get the SD700IS! the image stabilization is worth the extra money) but the results may not work as great as advertised.
posted by jeffmik at 4:25 PM on April 24, 2007

I'm pretty sure Picasa (software) does that, and it's free.
posted by matildaben at 4:32 PM on April 24, 2007

As much as I love Canons, I don't recommend basing your decision on any software features in the camera. Most in-camera image processing is a terrible disappointment. It's almost all marketing driven shovelware that can be replicated better on gimp/ps/etc. It's important to understand that by changing the image, these little features are destroying data you can't get back limiting any future efforts to fix or change the image.

But, yeah, Canon's cameras are great.
posted by chairface at 4:33 PM on April 24, 2007

I've always heard it referred to as selective color or cutouts. Just in case you can't find that feature in a camera, I use a photoshop filter called xero to achieve the colorized effect. If you can't find a camera to your liking, you may want to try the filter or the flickr tutorial I linked to. Here's a video explaining it as well.
posted by iconomy at 4:33 PM on April 24, 2007

I took a couple pictures to quickly show you the results. It isn't as bad as I remember and is definitely easier than using Photoshop - of course, the more shadows and variations in color of the item the more problems you will have.



I also tried using the color swap option to change the color of the toolboxes with rather poor results


posted by jeffmik at 4:38 PM on April 24, 2007

oops.

link 1

link 2
posted by jeffmik at 4:39 PM on April 24, 2007

I have an SD630 and love it for what it is (easy to carry, beautiful screen, point and shoot with a few extras). I've always maintained that canons are the best value and often the best camera in any given category. The above comments are correct though that a single software feature shouldn't sway your decision. Especially when that feature is easily replicated at home, on a copy of the original (so you can keep the full-color original if you want).
posted by Chris4d at 4:50 PM on April 24, 2007

Response by poster: Thanks, Its for convenience sake. I know it can be done in a lot of imaging software and I cna do it, but she wants a easy solution without learning to use photoshop.
posted by imjosh at 4:51 PM on April 24, 2007

Best answer: I just bought a Canon S3 IS for my family, and I am totally in love with it.
It has this feature, as well as a killer Omm Super Macro mode.
I took a ton of pictures at our family easter egg hunt with green accented for the grass, and all the people are black and white. I also took a bunch with my daughters pink outfit accented which look adorable.
Just a word of caution. If you let the camera do it, pink tends to let some color into skin, and there are sometimes some weirdness with colors with a hint of the color your accenting, but I rather just clean that up afterwards then do it all.
This is a killer camera at the price range, and I can't rave about it enough.
posted by JonnyRotten at 5:44 PM on April 24, 2007

she wants a easy solution without learning to use photoshop.

I do think that sound advice includes the one that she doesn't want to hear. This in-camera feature is like continuing to use a typewriter because a word processor is too daunting to make the change - it hurts you in the long run.
Yes, there is a learning curve, but not many learning curves offer as much for as little as photoshop does. And in 30, 40, whatever years, apparently always learning new stuff keeps the brain heathy and alzheimzers at bay :-)

(And the photographic results will be far superior. And you will be able to buy a better camera for less).

I also find that, somewhat lacking in willpower, I've been able to acheive some pretty cool things by putting myself in situations where I don't have a choice but to learn something I'd really rather not have to learn.
posted by -harlequin- at 6:00 PM on April 24, 2007

I also have the Canon SD 700IS, and I have used this feature to pretty good effect (yellow)(pink) before.

I don't know of any other camera that has this built in, but I can't imagine that it's a Canon-only feature. Is there a reason that you don't want a Canon? I would highly recommend the 700IS, the image stabilizer is well worth the extra cost over the 600 model, IMO.
posted by gemmy at 3:47 PM on April 25, 2007

Response by poster: It isn't that I don't want a Canon, we ended up getting the Sd1000 for $215. I just wondered if I should look at other cameras as well.

Thanks for the input.
posted by imjosh at 6:12 PM on May 1, 2007