Customer Reviews

Canon PowerShot A400 3.2MP Digital Camera with 2.2x Optical Zoom (Silver)

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I own the Canon Powershot A80, the Olympus D-540 and just purchased 2 units of this new Canon Powershot A400 camera for my two friends 3 days ago for our upcoming journey to middle-earth (New Zealand) after reviewing its features on the internet.

The manual states that it is capable of 100 shots using 2 AA alkaline batteries with the LCD on, but rechargeables especially NiMH 2300 mAH and above, are really the way to go.

It has a 2.2x optical zoom instead of the standard 3x zoom, but I've found that photos taken with the digital zoom (max 7x) are also quite acceptable and not too bad as one might imagine. The wideangle end at 45mm equiv. may not be wide enough for scenic shots, so the friendly Stitch Assist feature in the camera will definitely come in handy to capture panoramic scenes.

The camera has so many features similar to the A80 such as ability to customise start-up image and sounds, (similar to changing Microsoft Windows theme) until it becomes a really 'fun' camera to use. Fancy a howling wolf as your self-timer sound, or perhaps a loud 'woof' as your camera shutter sound? The included cd has even more selections for you to upload to the camera, and you can even upload sounds/images of your own, once you configured them to meet the required specifications.

It is an easy to use camera in the Auto mode, and the 8 new Special Scene Modes should be able to handle most situations. A Manual mode is also available, and Canon has included so many other features and options, such as 2 autofocus modes, 3 light metering modes, histogram, custom white balance, sound memos, movies with sound, AF-assist beam etc. which makes it really feature-rich. The 1.5 inch LCD screen with 115k pixels also delivers a noticeably sharper and finer image quality than the 65k pixels on the Canon A80 and the 85k pixels on the Olympus.

Over the past 3 days I have taken numerous photos with this camera to test its picture quality, and the 'Vivid' mode reminded me of photographic slide films, since the pictures taken under this mode are really sharp and colorful.

There are 4 resolution settings (3.2Mp, 2.0Mp, 1.0Mp & VGA) at 3 compression levels ('Superfine','Fine','Normal') plus a special 'PostCard' setting (which allows date/time imprinting on photos). The 3.2Mp setting at 'Superfine' obviously yields the best picture quality, but finishes off your SD memory card mighty quick too (76 shots on a 128Mb SD card). Since I know my friends will be mostly printing 6 x 4 in. postcard-sized prints, I have performed some tests at the appropriate 2.0Mp settings. In comparing photos of same subjects taken under the 'Fine', 'PostCard' and 'Normal' compression settings, I have noted that the difference in picture quality is hardly noticeable, and therefore the 'Normal' setting is virtually as good as the 'PostCard' or 'Fine' setting. I will certainly be recommending this 'Normal' setting to my two friends, as they will then be able to take 403 shots of middle-earth on their 128Mb SD card, instead of 212 shots at the 'PostCard' or 'Fine' setting.

Overall, this camera takes great pictures, and very colorful ones too under the 'Vivid' mode. Discounting the slightly shorter 2.2x optical zoom, the rest of its features are really out of proportion to its budget price, and it is certainly one of the better buys coming from an established camera brand.

A lot of people leave feedback who don't really know much about digital photography or equipment, and that's fine, and beneficial in many cases, but in other cases it can be very misleading. For instance, a woman said she took some photos in the gymnasium of her kids and the quality of the photos was very poor so she's returning the camera. I'll bet the gym had little or no sunlight, and she was shooting at a distance OUTSIDE OF THE CAMERA'S FLASH RANGE. Grain is created in by higher ISO speeds (film speeds). This camera's highest ISO speed is 400 which isn't really high enough to create grainy photos. So I'm assuming her photos turned out yellowish or blurry, which some people wrongly call grainy. You need to tell the camera what kind of light source you're shooting under. She should have switched the camera mode to "indoor lighting, florescent or tungsten depending on the lights in the gym", and I'll bet she would have been quite impressed with the results as long as there was plenty of artificial light available. If there wasn't enough light she could have played with the exposure setting a little (see the user manual for that advanced feature). Or she possibly could have used her flash, but the flash range is probably around 10 feet which could be a problem in a gym.

Ok, now another person left feedback saying there is a two second lag time between when you click the button and the shutter snaps. Please dont be concerned. There is no lag time, I can assure you. There is however a two second timer on the camera (and also a 10 or 20 second timer, not sure which one). Anyway, he has the two second timer selected which is causing the lag time. I hope he reads the manual and figures out what he's doing wrong before he returns this wonderful camera ;)

Bottom line, this is a great camera. Here is why:
1. This camera uses the DiGiC image processor. All you need to know is the image processor is crucial for a high quality digital reproduction for any digital camera. Canon's DiGiC processor is the best compact camera image processor on the market and this is the same one they use in their high end compact cameras costing 100s of dollars or more.
2. This camera is very flexible because it allows you to shoot in different modes by basically flipping a switch to the proper setting - indoor lighting, portrait, landscape, and so on. These settings make any photographer take great pictures. Yes, these modes are standard on pretty much any good compact camera. But this camera costs a lot less so the point is you're still getting tons of high end features.
3. The auto focus capabilities are great. Make sure you understand when your subject is in focus. This camera does all the complex focusing work for you. You just need to understand what the camera is telling you about the subject it's focusing in on. That's true for any camera, but this camera has 9 point evaluative metering, and that's an advanced focusing mode perfected by canon in even their high end cameras.
4. Automatic Exposures vs. Manual - This camera ships with automated settings selected (for best exposures without you having to understand all the technicalities of photography) to make your life easier. Yet if you want control over your exposure the camera allows you lots of flexibility for the price.
5. Display - The display on the back of the camera is superb and more expensive cameras on the market do not have as good a display.
6. *3.2 Mega pixels - Some people think more is better, but that's not true. Photos taken with this camera can be printed at 5x7 size with photo quality. If you want to print 8x10s with this camera, the quality is still excellent. That's basically true for any 3.2 mega pixel camera. However, the quality of the DiGiC image processor combined with 3.2 mega pixel resolution means this camera will make up to 5x7 prints with better color quality, clarity, sharpness etc than that $600.00 compact camera offered by another brand (because other brands don't have Canon's DiGiX image processor and optics). If you want to print really large photos, 11x14 or larger then this camera is not for you. But generally... anyone who's interested in those sized prints is going to buy a higher end SLR for at least $1,000.

This camera defies the old saying, "you get what you pay for". This is a high quality camera that Canon is able to offer for far less cost because they've limited it to 3.2 mega pixels. But most consumers don't understand that it's totally irrelevant unless they're trying to print really large prints (11x14 or larger)

Everyone should buy this camera (and learn how to use it before leaving feedback ;)


Cons:
1. Small memory card. You'll need to buy a 128MB or higher card. You'll pay $20 + for that depending on what kind of deal you can find.
2. Batteries. Your batteries will start dying after about an hour of use or so. You should get 4 NiCad rechargeable batteries and a charging unit. That way when one pair dies the other pair is fully charged. I bought a charger kit w/ four AA batteries for about $30.00.
3. Plastic - This camera is fairly sturdy and can probably take a little banging around, but its plastic so be careful. The plastic battery door is connected to the body with hinges which is great for not misplacing/losing it, but I'm concerned about the plastic hinge breaking.
4. Speed of things - The speed of this camera is fine. When you click the button a photo is take fairly quickly. If you bought a more expensive camera it would be faster. Most people just take a picture and that's it, so it doesn't really matter if the camera is super fast. When was the last time you needed to take 10 pictures in 3 seconds? Even more advanced photographers will pay more for speed and then never really need it. Yet, this camera would be improved if it was faster, but then it would probably cost more ;)

So there you go. My advice to beginners - read the manual. Try to understand when your image is in focus, and how to select for indoor and outdoor lighting. And learn the different picture modes for taking portraits, landscapes, close-up of things like a flower or insect, etc. Don't worry about complex features because the camera is smart, and can automatically choose the best complex settings for you.

Just a short review to basically reinforce what the previous reviewer said about this great little camera.
I can honestly reccommend this canon very highly, all of the features that you loved
from passed canon digitals are here and it works really quickly.
There is one small qualm tho, the battery life is short (the batteries supplied are virtually useless, be sure to buy some highpowered duracell for best battery life)

I bought this camera from Frys in Austin TX, and my friend bought the canon powershot a75, and i honestly cannot see the advantage of having the a75 other than the manual settings are more accessible and the lens is interchangeable, if you are into lens' then you should be buying an SLR, if you are into high quality fun photography, get the a400, its a winner, also the lcd is AMAZING quality.
The best camera i have ever bought, get it.

I sold my Canon A60 and decided to buy this Canon A400 instead. Canon's product never disappointed me.

Pros:
Great printing quality
Compact size
Movie mode at 640*480 with sound
Manual control
Great battery life (2AA battries last over 100 pics with flash and screen on at all time, 2200mAh recharable battery recommended)
Little mirror in the front allows you to do portrait mode

Cons:
Very lag of shutter speed (up to 6 seconds with flash)
Battery door is very breakable

Overall, buy it. It's great cam for the price and you won't regret it!

For the price you pay, this camera is very easy to use, and the quality is very good. I would recommend this to folks looking for a solid camera. The zoom is not the greatest, but not a real problem -- just make sure to turn the digital on -- I don't think that is an automatic setting. The only drawbacks I found is the short battery life, and the 16MB memory. If you buy this camera, buy longer life batteries and more memory. The 16MB only got me 13 photos.

I bought this camera six months ago for my 12 year old daughter. It was her (and ours) first digital camera. I read so many reviews prior to selecting this model. The reviews for this camera were so helpful. This camera has been so easy to use and it takes excellent pictures. Rechargeable batteries are definitely a must! This camera is the best camera for this price, no doubt about it. We have taken still shots and videos. It is so fun to have the option to take a video. We have some great clips. All I can say is we are so happy with the camera. We would definitely choose it again.

This is not my first camera - I have an old sony cd mavica 200 with a low 2.1mp that is 3 years old, but wanted something smaller I could have for those "spontaneous" kid moments. This is perfectly satisfactory in some cases.

Outdoors, the photos are crisp and can produce great action shots. I have shots of my daughter in the middle of a full out run, as well as in the middle of sliding down a slide that have great clarity, even with magnification. I've even gotten good shots in the car.

Indoors, I've had no success with the red eye function on this camera, and anything set on zoom has fuzzy edges. I took shots of my daughters spring program that are covered with little glowing eyes in every child. All zoomed shots are gritty in appearance, and are muted in tone. I can get the color back to where it should be with software that can increase the sharpness and color, but never had to do that with my old reliable sony. I feel this is a unique artifact that may be improved with the flash as others have mentioned.

Yes, this camera has limitations, but the price is great and the shots are wonderful for outdoors.

This is my 3rd digital camera and I bought this one to supplement my larger 10X zoom camera. This one fits nicely into a pocket or small camera bag to easily take it to all events or for travel. I've found that it takes nice photos indoors when the flash is used....Even when the cats or dogs I'm shooting are moving around. I've felt the life of a battery set is pretty good, but I've been using nice rechargeable ones. Definitely get a set of 4, then you have 2 to use and 2 as a backup set. The settings are pretty easy to figure out and change and 99% of my photos were taken on the "auto" setting and came out pretty good. As others have indicated, indoors - without flash - can produce blurry photos, but that's the nature of almost all cameras, not unique to this model. Glad I bought it and would highly recommend it.

I use these cameras professionally in the Architectural Forensic Business this is a great no-nonsense machine at an affordable price.

Canon cameras are like Nokia phones; once you get used to them and their Software they become very reliable. I have had this Camera for approximately 6 months and I use it a lot, its easy to carry and quick to activate it also proves sturdy and reliable (I have dropped mine a few times).

The only faults I can find with this particular model as a good all-rounder is that the on off button sometime demonstrates to be a little delicate and over responsive it is easy to turn the thing on and off again at the same time. Large cards e.g above 250mb take a while to save especially when you have over 200 snaps at 1mb each. The stitch assist feature takes a while to master.

This Camera makes high definition professional prints up to A4 and that is enough for most of the most demanding picture takers!

I have checked different digital cameras in past two years and have worked with some of them. The problem most of digital cameras suffer from one way or another is that they don't function well in indoor settings or low light situations. Powershot a400 has almost solved this problem and its function in indoor settings is really great. You just have to bear in mind to buy rechargable life long batteries and 128 MB or more memory cards.

I enjoy all features,all of them come handy under different conditions.