Canon Powershot SD400 5MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
by Canon
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Our Price: $599.95 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $45.00 (click here) Category: Digital Camera See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon Powershot SD400 5MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom
Customer Review: GREAT little camera for point and shoot with manual controls
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my 5th digital camera (I still own several Nikon SLR cameras and lenses) and I am an amateur photographer. I own a sony DSC-V1 which is a prosumer camera and has many more features (manual focus, aperature and speed and program settings, ISO to 800, etc.) which takes great pictures but too bulky for casual shooting and everyday carrying. I have also owned a 1 MP Nikon (sold for upgrade), 2MP Nikon (dropped and broken) and 3MP Nikon (too plastic and pictures always needed color balancing in Photoshop). The Canon SD 400 takes it all in terms of everyday use --- due to the easy learn features and size. For the average user, this is a GREAT CAMERA and GREAT VALUE for the price. The SD 450 has a 2.5 LCD and is heavier...
After reading many reviews of the Sony T-series and SD 400 at Amazon and [...], I decided on the Canon SD 400 camera as it had many more features than the Sony T-series and was a bit lighter. Both the Sony DSC-T1 and T33 were the same price as the Canon SD 400 and about two ounces heavier.
I am more than delighted with the features of the Canon SD 400 and find the pictures great for such a small point and shoot.
Pros
The Manual Mode setting will let you customize various settings for shooting vs. using the Automatic Mode settings.
Stitching program in Manual Mode will assist you in stitching together a panaorama shot rather than software which is more difficult to match multiple images (get it right when you are there rather than trying to adjust images that are not going to look right stitched together because you stepped back or angled the shot by accident).
Ability to choose from 2 autofocus settings. The AiAF setting which is the default will take longer to focus, so you can turn it off and use a single vs. multiple focus read.
Continuous shots with little lag (as long as battery lasts and memory card has storage).
Easy to learn controls (the manuals that came with this camera weighed 10 times more than the camera) and features.
Viewfinder with LCD (most ultracompact cameras like the Sony T-series only have LCD screens and no viewfinder).
2 inch LCD.
Small Size (smaller than a deck of cards) --- carry it all of the time
Relatively long battery life.
Easy to purchase extra batteries (non-Canon) that are reliable and safe for the camera on E-Bay.
Cons
Viewfinder only shows 82% of the picture vs. the LCD (You won't see that extra tree that you will have to crop out later in Photoshop).
Manual is difficult to read (more a reference than a read as the camera is easy to use).
Not retaining exposure change adjustments and flash settings from various shooting modes.
Color swap features are hard to learn without reading the manual.
Get a 1GB secure digital camera and shoot 350+ pictures in the highest resolution (super fine) and size. Carry it and you will find that you take more pictures. However, for a special occassion where there is a need to capture more detail and more manual features, I will use the Sony DSC-V1. However, I think it may get sold on E-Bay if I find that I really have the same quality of pictures that I shot with the Sony DSC-V1.
Overall, I think anyone purchasing this camera will use it everyday and most, it will do more than you expected.
Customer Review: Go Canon!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've become a Canon fan through their cameras. I've gone through the G3, the G5, and the S1, and although these were all amazing cameras, I realized that what I really wanted was a small camera that I could fit in my purse, take everywhere with me, and use everyday without fumbling through the controls to take that one picture of my toddler wearing her dress backwards and upside down.
1. This camera is small but has a relatively large screen. Very beautiful. I suggest an LCD screen protector for this.
2. The controls are easy to use. This little camera still has a lot more features than I use on a daily basis, but they're there when I need them.
3. The battery life is excellent. If you travel a lot, I suggest buying extra extended batteries from eBay. I bought some just before I went on my overseas trip this past summer and I'm glad I did.
4. I no longer need my camcorder. I know, the quality isn't as good as a dedicated camcorder, but I found myself not using the camcorder at all since it took a while to set up. With the handy movie feature of this camera, I can take videos of my family in a snap. I also suggest extra SD cards, preferably the 1GB or more cards, if you do plan on taking a lot of short movies.
5. The picture quality is excellent. One little caveat, though. Take as many pictures of the same subject as you can, so that you can have your pick. I've found that I really have to keep the camera steady in lower light conditions without using a flash, especially close ups and macro mode. Otherwise, the picture comes out blurred. It's a little hard to tell on the LCD screen. If you have a steady shooting arm then this won't be a problem for you.
6. When I travelled this past summer, I found that I was able to do away with a bulky camera, the camcorder, and the laptop for downloading all the photos. So, if you want to take lots of pictures and don't want to be bothered by juggling three or more devices, I suggest:
a. Buy the Mega View 566 PMC. It has a 20GB storage capacity, a screen, and an SD slot. I was able to store all the photos and movies from a full SD card, empty the card, and start over again. This will also fit in your purse or backpack without adding bulk.
b. In addition, buy two or three 1GB SD cards for those times when you can't stop long enough to download your photos. On a 3 week vacation, I easily took 20GB of photos and movies, and could have probably used more.
c. Buy extra batteries. They're relatively cheap. And you'll always have power when you need it.
d. But the CAnon leather case. Great for protecting your camera in your purse.
e. For places where there will be a lot of moisture, dirt or sand, like beach, rainy places, ski slopes, in the pool, buy the Canon all weather case.
f. Buy a little make-up case to fit the charger (it's pretty small too with input of 100v-240V), the batteries for both the camera and the PMC, and your extra SD cards. These will all fit in your purse or backpack nicely.
Well, that's my take on a camcorder free life. If they can make a camcorder the same size as the SD400, with a 5 MP or more resolution digital still camera, I'd switch. Until then, I'll stick with the high resolution photos, good quality video, and the highly portable size of the SD400.
Customer Review: Feature Rich and Easy to Use(*)
Summary: 5 Stars
Disclaimer:
I've never owned a camera of nearly this quality before, so I don't have much basis for comparison. I can't tell you if this is better than some similar camera, since I haven't used any others.
That said, I'm really liking this camera.
Out of the box, it's very easy to figure out how to point-and-shoot and use basic functions with all possible adjustments set to the default "automatic" setting. After that, you'll have to hit up the manual. Due to the compact design, there's no room for a verbose menu system, so everything is icon-based. To figure out how to access more advanced features, you're going to have to reference the manual.
The manual is quite comprehensive, though, and handily indexed so I've been able to find what I wanted without much trouble. The manual also does a reasonable job of explaining not just how to adjust the settings, but what the different settings mean, e.g., "ISO 50" vs "ISO 400". It tells you how to change it and a brief explanation of why different settings may be desired.
The picture resolution is quite spectacular. In fact, if you're just looking to take casual pictures to send to family members over the internet or a camera to take standard-sized photos with, you could certainly get away with a cheaper camera. This camera takes pictures of sufficient resolution to print as a small poster! (Or a very large glossy print.)
The video mode is quite nice as well. With a 1 GB memory card, you can record over 15 minutes of video at maximum quality, or over 45 minutes of video at a medium quality (or over 2 hours of video at lowest quality). The video also includes sound, though I have doubts as to the quality of the built in microphone.
The built-in flash is great and it has a red-eye reducer. The optical + digital zoom is fairly impressive and there other other features such as rapid-fire picture snapping (where you hold down the button as the camera clicks away) and macro mode (allowing you to take a magnified shot of something really close to the lens).
Transferring data to your computer is also quite simple, with the included connections and software. You can also, of course, review stored images using the camera itself and erase whatever you want from there.
As the camera only comes with a very tiny memory card, I advise getting a bigger memory card and an extra battery when you buy this camera. I got the 1 GB card and can honostly say it's more space than I could ever possibly want. 1 GB holds hundreds of top quality pictures -- or almost 2000 pictures at 1600x1200 resolution!
There are cameras that take even higher resolution pictures than this one, but unless you know for a fact that you want to use your camera to print large posters, you truely don't need more than 5 megapixels.
Customer Review: Great camera for a great price
Summary: 5 Stars
Canon is one of the best camera makers in the world. Compared to the previous SD200 that I owned, the Canon Powershot SD400 is a sleek and powerful camera. The metallic casing on the sides makes the camera seem much greater than it is. The camera fits snug in my hands and the button placement makes it easy for my fingers to find what buttons I need. With any product, there come pros and cons to functions and durability.
The greatest thing about this camera is the different modes you can take pictures in. If you're a beginner in taking pictures with a digital camera, or you just don't know how to set modes in the manual function, you can choose from different preset modes like "underwater" or "portrait". The best mode is "my colors" where you can change skin tone. You can also choose certain colors to appear brighter than others, or swap colors around in your photos. Another excellent point is the amazing battery life and how quick it takes to recharge.
A big complaint about this camera is the LCD screen. The screen is remarkable. It is a 2-inch LCD screen and the picture never shows any noise. The worst thing about it is how easily it can be damaged, but with proper care you'll never get a scratch or break the screen. Another con about this product is the red-eye problem. When you're taking shots with flash, most of the time they will result in red-eye pictures. There is a red-eye reduction mode, but it didn't seem to work that great for me. An additional problem with modes is the manual mode. There isn't much you can do when you switch over to the manual mode when taking pictures.
Uploading pictures onto your computer is very fast and very easy. You just plug the camera in and press a button. Editing pictures in graphic programs is also very simple. The best feature about opening a photo in a graphic program is the photo will rotate if you took the camera as a portrait. The automatic rotation saves a lot of time when it comes to rotating photos manually. As for the different modes, I find that the video mode works pretty well for a camera this tiny. Sound quality comes out well and the video quality is actually nice. You can also edit the video on the camera as well.
Overall, this camera is great and it's easy to find a use for it everyday! Snap a shot of your children or maybe that bowl of fruit on your kitchen table. Any picture you take can look just like a professional picture, as long as you have a steady hand and creative mind. Don't just use this camera to take pictures of family and friends, take time to capture the smaller things in life.
Customer Review: Excellent camera on many levels
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned three different digital cameras so far. And the SD400 is by far the best of the lot. When chosing a digital camera, it is very important to consider the company and the quality of the parts used. It is always better, in my opinion, to go with a company which has been making top notch regular cameras for a while. You are more likely to get excellent lens quality and camera parts. Canon has been known to make superb SLRs and other cameras. As such, their digital cameras are of the best quality and best lenses in the market. As such, SD400 is an excellent product.
The SD400 is a wonderful product on a many counts.
- It is ultra portable. It's compact design is not only a matter of form and asthetics. It is quite functional... making it easy to carry around without taking up space.
- The LCD screen is very vivid and clear.
- The controls are very intuitive so that picture navigation and editing on the camera are easy.
- It has a wide array of photo modes to suit your needs.
- It is very easy to customize what size and detail you want your pictures, depending on if you plan on printing them. (If you only make 4x6 prints, you will not need to use the highest setting on the camera. But if you plan on making an 8x11 print, you will need to increase the detail and size of the picture).
- Convenient battery charger and easily removed SD card.
- The picture quality is very good. I have made prints and taken many pictures with this camera. I have not noticed fringing problems or color problems.
Some things that are not as good:
- The LCD screen is a little fragile. Most digital cameras have this problem. But I did break it once... and it costs quite a bit to replace.
- Because it is so small, it is easy to accidently touch the lense or cover the flash when you are using it.
Things you will need:
- Get a carrying case to protect your camera.
- You may want to buy screen protectors.
- Buy an SD card. All digital cameras come with a memory card, but they are always too small (16MB).
My recommendations:
If you want to buy this product, remember to get familiar with the photo modes and consider the photo sizes you want. Also, I recommend that you only use the optical zoom, and not the digital zoom, because digital zoom decreases the image quality.
All in all, this is a very good product and worth buying. I am very happy with mine, and I am sure you would be happy with yours too.