PowerShot SD400 Digital Camera (5.3MP, 2592x1944, 3x Opt, 16MB SD Memory Card)

Manufacturer: Canon
Model: 0557B001
Max Focal Length: 17.4 mm
Max Horizontal Image Resolution: 2592 pixels
Max Aperture: 2.8 1/f
Image Format: DPOF|EXIF|JPEG
: Number of User Reviews: 13

Reviewed by: old_cotton from NY on Apr 18, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 3 Days

Strengths: Compact size. Support USB2.0. Great movie mode. Great picture quality. Large 2-inch LCD.

Weaknesses: Included SD memory size is only 16MB.

Summary: This is the best compact-size digital camera I ever used. The picture quality is superb. With USB2.0 high speed interface. A very large 2-inch LCD. Supports 640*480 movie mode. To use 640*480 high resolution movie mode, you have to get a high speed SD card. I bought a Sandisk Ultra II 1GB SD memory, no any problem. A very great product from Canon, highly recommend!

Reviewed by: acontrasto from FL on May 1, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 3 Weeks

Strengths: Great quality pictures once on a computer. Good battery life. Lots of photo options. It's the perfect size to keep in your pocket.

Weaknesses: Small memory card. Flimsy plastic battery/memory card door. The LCD screen can seem blury. No estimated battery time display, so you have to guess when the battery will die.

Summary: I have taken a photography class and know a bit about cameras, this thing has all the goodies and more that most 600 dollar film cameras have. It's very programable in the manual mode, and it's also a great point-and-shoot camera for amateurs in the auto mode. The supplied stitch assist software is wonderful for taking panoramic shots.

I would suggest getting a much larger memory card. The 16 mb card supplied is way too small, it only holds about 4 to 5 pictures of the best quality. I got a 1gb card for a good deal and it is great, this card can hold about 350 pictures at the best quality. If you buy a new memory card make sure it's rated fast enough (50X to 60X or at least 3mb/s write speed will do) to record the high quality video that the camera can capture. I also suggest buying a case for the camera, although not necessary, it would be great to protect this expensive little thing.

Reviewed by: yusuke324 from CA on May 9, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 2 Weeks

Strengths: Very small yet reliable. Good for normal consumer photography. I also like the big LCD screen in respect to the size of the camera. I especially like the design of the camera.

Weaknesses: So far none. I am no hardcore phoographer so I don't need to use all the functions. Maybe the only thing is that it is so small that I feel like I am going to drop it if my hands slip.

Summary: (Edited May 10th by yusuke324) One of the best cameras I have ever used. Very small, sleek, stylish and reliable. Lot of people comment on the size and are impressed with the quality and functionality of the camera. I definitely recommend purchasing this camera, if you are just looking for a digital camera to take with you to your vacation. I researched a lot, went into lot of electronic/camera shops and asked for recommendations. And after all the research and opinions (from camera fanatics), I decided on purchasing the SD400.

Reviewed by: kdaddy from NY on Apr 26, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 1 Days

Strengths: Small size, light. Excellent pictures and Canon cameras provide a great user experience. They seem to have fixed the 'first picture' problem that plagued earlier Canon models.

Weaknesses: None known.

Summary: Canon cameras provide the best user experience in the digital marketplace. This Canon is so small and light with excellent picture quality. Canon seems to have addressed my biggest complaint about my original Canon digital camera which was the '1st picture delay' where it took a long time to take the first picture when you turned it on. I would highly recommend this camera and the Canon camera line to anyone.

Reviewed by: funkyfeva from CA on May 4, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 15 Days

Strengths: Inexpensive, small, compact, very easy to use. love the zoom capability. Very high quality video recording.

Weaknesses: none so far.

Summary: Took a lot of picture. Very impress with the clarity and detail of the picture. I was able to see even the dust in one of the object that I took in my house. The video recording is superb. With my one gig card(highly reccomended, get scandisk ultra 2), I can take some long sequence. I did a lot of research before buying this. I don't have any regret so far. It's the most compact and highest quality 5mp camera that I aware of. Get it.

Reviewed by: sym5 on May 11, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 1 Month

Strengths: Small size, great movie mode, good controls, large LCD.

Weaknesses: Average image quality, reports of LCD breaking.

Summary: The SD400 is very small -- you have to hold it in your hands to really appreciate its miniscule dimensions. Unfortunately, nothing comes for free, and the price that's paid for this enhanced portability is quality. The photos are still pretty darn nice, and for most people it'll be fine. But if you're into nitpicking and agonizing over even the slightest defects, you might want to stay away from this camera. There's definite corner softness and purple fringing issues, to name two that come to mind right away. Still, its size and versatility makes the SD400 a fine choice for casual photographers.

Reviewed by: ShaunBrandewie from OH on May 13, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 9 Days

Strengths: Compact size, intuitive controls, large screen, rechargable battery

Weaknesses: Shutter button must be pressed very firmly

Summary: I have been very pleased with this camera thus far. It is small enough to fit in shirt pockets, but takes very high-quality photos. The digital picture options included are impressive. I like the rechargeable battery; other cameras seem to quickly use battery power. The screen is unusually large for a camera this size. The only thing I have found disappointing is the shutter button. I have missed some good pictures because I, apparently, didn't press the button hard or long enough. The camera seemed to have taken a picture, but none was taken. Otherwise, I highly recommend this camera.

Reviewed by: tuule from TX on May 16, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 3 Days

Strengths: great camera

Weaknesses: nothing is weakneses

Summary: Wow, this is so small digital camera, the quality is great, the battery is last long, the speed is fast. I had S500 but compare to this SD400, I like SD400 more.

Reviewed by: cheeming from MO on May 6, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 01 Weeks

Strengths: compact, hitek,beautiful style, price is right and a famous respect name CANON .

Weaknesses: battery .

Summary: The next generation of this type of point &shoot camera is
merge pictures, self-time on tripod ...
I am sure this camera will go into professional class of world camera.

Reviewed by: reddykiran from PA on Apr 15, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 1 Weeks

Strengths: Compact, Loads of features, good macro and movie mode, superb image quality in it's class

Weaknesses: The flash is a bit weak, but that's perfectly Ok for it's size.

Summary: I owned a couple of canon powershot cameras in the past (A80 and S410), this clearly beats them in almost every aspect. I really loved my old cameras, but I can't resist to applaud this camera..

It's so compact yet such wonderful.. I was considering SD500 but I bought this for it's size and feel in hand. The only better thing in SD500 is it has a better flash and 7 meg pixs, but it is definitely a little bigger than this camera..

I really love the new additions in this camera, like enhanced movie mode, my color features, instant replay and the extra pixels :)

I would definitely recommend this camera to anyone looking for an excellent compact point and shoot camera with loads of great features.

pal :)

Reviewed by: SDTechDeals from CA on Apr 21, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 1 Weeks

Strengths: o Small & compact without being "too small to handle" o Actual useable movie mode!

Weaknesses: o Lame flash! Need manual power control for the flash. o So-so focusing in low light (ie. flash) conditions

Summary:
I am the previous owner of a Canon S50 and a user of my girlfriends SD300. I very much appreciate the size advantage this camera has to my somewhat bulky/heavy S50. It fits in my pocket w/out my even knowing its there! The downside to this, of course, is that it might easily get scratched. I am considering getting LCD protectors. I don't consider this a negative, however, as at least it means I am bring my camera w/ me everywhere!

The movie mode has been vastly improved over the SD300. You can actually take clips that are longer than 30-seconds. Make the feature at least useful! I also appreciate the USB2.0 download speed, as this will interface w/ my iPod Photo better (via the Ipod Camera Connector).

The only real negative I have on this camera is the lack of power control for the flash. It does a pretty bad job in low-light conditions, and ends up w/ out of focus images. When you are too close, the flash is too strong. When you are further away, the flash is negligible. There should be a manual mode to "power-up" or "power-down" the flash based on the shooting condition. I very much miss this feature from my S50, as I used it all the time. I wonder if there are other ultra-compact digital cameras (for different makers) that had a decent flash??

But overall, I am very happy w/ the camera. I would recommend it to anybody that want to take everyday pics w/ friends or even on quickie vacation. I still think I would go w/ my bulkier SLR for a "real vacation", however. In either case, the quality of the pictures is fantastic!! And 5MB is more than enough for what I need (and what most people need).

Reviewed by: khu from MA on Apr 26, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 7 Days

Strengths: Small and easy to carry.

Weaknesses: NA

Summary: (Edited April 26th by khu) I chose this camera mainly because it is tiny light and I can bring it with me all the time. I haven't used this camera for a long time since I just got this camera a week ago. But I love this camera so far. Before Canon sd400,I was using Sony's digital cameras and I was accustomed to use Sony. When I got my new Canon digital camera, I found that it's very easy to use even to the person who has never used Canon before. I strongly recommended this camera.

Reviewed by: bwambolt from MN on Apr 21, 2005
Rating:

Experience: 4 Days

Strengths: Compact size. Unbelievable pictures.

Weaknesses: Comes with only 16MB SD card.

Summary: This is by far the best digital camera I have owned. It takes incredible pictures for its compact size. This is truly a camera you can take anywhere. The 2" LCD is great but I'd recommend an LCD protector.