Customer Reviews

Canon Powershot SD400 5MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom

5 star:		(99)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(12)
2 star:		(12)
1 star:		(17)

 

 

Let me begin by saying that Canon makes exceptional digital cameras; the best in the market right now. This is because they have always used high quality components since they began manufacturing digital cameras. This one is no exception.

Now that I've sold you on a Canon, which one should you choose?

First off, let's see if you really need an SDxxx camera, or would be better suited with a cheaper non ultraportable camera.

The SDxxx Series offers several key advantages over less portable models:
-Beautiful, sleek design and metallic body will wow anyone who sees it.
-Gorgeous 2 inch LCD screens
-The excellent Dig!c 2 processor (other Canons only have dig!c 1)
-Much better movie mode than previous Canons
-Small light, easy pocketability

On the other hand, there are some significant drawbacks due to the components Canon had to use to get the camera so small:
-Few manual controls.
-Pictures are not as sharp as those of similar non ultraportable cameras.
-The flash is very close to the lens (lots of redeye problems)
-More purple fringing issues than other Canons
-Proprietary batteries that are expensive to replace
-The LCD is very fragile. Read the SD200 and SD300 reviews to see lots of unhappy people whose LCDs broke. Canon's warranty does NOT cover this either. My suggestion? Buy using a credit card that offers a warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. If your lcd breaks, many CC companies will replace the camera no questions asked!

If you don't need the ultra portability and flashy looks of the SD cameras, a slightly larger camera with more features might be right for you. I would highly suggest Canon's A510 or A520 if you don't need an SD model.

If you still want an SD model, which one should you choose? The SD200 with 3.2mp, the SD300 with 4mp, the SD400 with 5mp, or the SD500 at a whopping 7.1mp?

Your first instinct may be that more megapixels is better. Today, however megapixel ratings are similar to Ghz ratings in the computer world: They used to mean a lot, but they don't mean as much anymore. More megapixels do NOT mean a better image. They mean a larger printable image. Unless you have to have huge prints, you simply do not more megapixels. In fact, the 3.2mp of the SD200 is enough for anyone who doesn't plan on printing pictures larger than a standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper.

That having been said, there are some differences between each SDxxx model. In order to get the larger 7.1mp sensor in the SD500, Canon had to make the camera larger. Thus, it is around a quarter inch thicker and 30% heavier than the other 3 models. The larger size did enable Canon to pack more features into it, however:

Features unique to the SD500:
-1/4 inch thicker
-30% heavier
-50% longer flash range
-14% more battery life

The SD400 and SD500 also share these benefits over the SD200/SD300:
-New "Night Display" feature which brightens the LCD in low light
-My Colors feature lets you highlight or swap colors right on the camera
-USB 2.0 High Speed support

The following are shared by all the SDxxx Cameras:

Pros:
-Beautiful, eye catching design
-Great image quality, though not as good as non ultraportable models
-New Dig!c 2 image processor
-Excellent Movie Mode
-3x optical zoom is adequate for most people
-Excellent, intuitive manual controls
-Huge 2.0 inch lcd that looks great under various lighting conditions
-Uses widely available and cheap SD cards

Cons (most of these are minor quirks):
-Some purple fringing problems
-Proprietary batteries are expensive to replace and inconvenient at times
-Lots of issues with fragile LCDs
-No RAW support
-Few manual controls

If you do choose this product, the first thing you should buy is a larger SD memory card. The camera comes with a 16mb card (32 in the SD500), which is pretty much useless.

You should also immediately purchase a case and some screen protectors to protect the LCD.

first! :)

anyways, this is a great camera. ive had an olympus c-3040 zoom for a long time, and while it takes great (outdoor) pics, ive been waiting for a good small camera to carry around all the time. what i wanted was: 3x optical zoom +, 5MP +, CCD, something tiny, a decent LCD screen, something by canon/olympus/nikon, something not too outrageously priced, AF and MF, decent video, etc.

the sd400 has it all! very easy to use - i try and not use the user manual until i have to. i did have to use it to find out how to switch the resolution of the pics im taking though. other than that its really intuitive. i also didnt install the software that came with it, and was still able to get the pics onto my desktop (running win xp pro) easily. indoor pic quality is so-so, outdoors is very nice. lots of cool options. the autofocus area indicator is sweet. very small and compact. like i said, everything i wanted and at a good price. bought a 512MB card and im waiting for my leather case to be shipped and im golden.

cons - the 3 things i dont like about it. 1) you have to press pretty firmly on the button to take a picture. too much so. 2) the cover to access the USB port is connected using a plastic/rubber thing instead of a hinge. i never trust those things to last. 3) the LCD screen rendering is a bit laggy, if you swivel around quickly its somewhat blurry.

the best case i have found for the sd400 is the IXY Digital 40/50 Custom Leather Case from Japan.

thats it, good buy and a good deal.

This is an awesome camera. Good quality pictures, fast shutter speed, neat features, compact design. I loved it while it lasted. Too bad I can't comment about the battery life, because it stopped working on its first recharge cycle.

The problem is that it is fragile. LCD screen stopped working, even though I bought a hard leather case and kept it in there while not in use. I never dropped it, I never did anything rough to it, but it still stopped working after little over a month of use.

THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL. Do some research and read review pages, there's overwhelming amount of complaint about LCD screen breaking. Oh, and warrenty clearly states it doesn't cover something going wrong with LCD screen or lenses or battery leakage (come to think of it, it probably only covers the strap). Customer services will only accuse you of dropping it, and refuse to do anything about it.

The only thing I can do now is to warn others. If you're thinking about buying this model, please reconsider. There are other digital cameras out there that are similar with competitive prices.

Let me begin by saying that Canon makes exceptional digital cameras; the best in the market right now. This is because they have always used high quality components since they began manufacturing digital cameras. This one is no exception.

Now that I've sold you on a Canon, which one should you choose?

First off, let's see if you really need an SDxxx camera, or would be better suited with a cheaper non ultraportable camera.

The SDxxx Series offers several key advantages over less portable models:
-Beautiful, sleek design and metallic body will wow anyone who sees it.
-Gorgeous 2 inch LCD screens
-The excellent Dig!c 2 processor (other Canons only have dig!c 1)
-Much better movie mode than previous Canons
-Small light, easy pocketability

On the other hand, there are some significant drawbacks due to the components Canon had to use to get the camera so small:
-Few manual controls.
-Pictures are not as sharp as those of similar non ultraportable cameras.
-The flash is very close to the lens (lots of redeye problems)
-More purple fringing issues than other Canons
-Proprietary batteries that are expensive to replace
-The LCD is very fragile. Read the SD200 and SD300 reviews to see lots of unhappy people whose LCDs broke. Canon's warranty does NOT cover this either. My suggestion? Buy using a credit card that offers a warranty in addition to the manufacturer's. If your lcd breaks, many CC companies will replace the camera no questions asked!

If you don't need the ultra portability and flashy looks of the SD cameras, a slightly larger camera with more features might be right for you. I would highly suggest Canon's A510 or A520 if you don't need an SD model.

If you still want an SD model, which one should you choose? The SD200 with 3.2mp, the SD300 with 4mp, the SD400 with 5mp, or the SD500 at a whopping 7.1mp?

Your first instinct may be that more megapixels is better. Today, however megapixel ratings are similar to Ghz ratings in the computer world: They used to mean a lot, but they don't mean as much anymore. More megapixels do NOT mean a better image. They mean a larger printable image. Unless you have to have huge prints, you simply do not more megapixels. In fact, the 3.2mp of the SD200 is enough for anyone who doesn't plan on printing pictures larger than a standard 8.5x11 sheet of paper.

That having been said, there are some differences between each SDxxx model. In order to get the larger 7.1mp sensor in the SD500, Canon had to make the camera larger. Thus, it is around a quarter inch thicker and 30% heavier than the other 3 models. The larger size did enable Canon to pack more features into it, however:

Features unique to the SD500:
-1/4 inch thicker
-30% heavier
-50% longer flash range
-14% more battery life

The SD400 and SD500 also share these benefits over the SD200/SD300:
-New "Night Display" feature which brightens the LCD in low light
-My Colors feature lets you highlight or swap colors right on the camera
-USB 2.0 High Speed support

The following are shared by all the SDxxx Cameras:

Pros:
-Beautiful, eye catching design
-Great image quality, though not as good as non ultraportable models
-New Dig!c 2 image processor
-Excellent Movie Mode
-3x optical zoom is adequate for most people
-Excellent, intuitive manual controls
-Huge 2.0 inch lcd that looks great under various lighting conditions
-Uses widely available and cheap SD cards

Cons (most of these are minor quirks):
-Some purple fringing problems
-Proprietary batteries are expensive to replace and inconvenient at times
-Lots of issues with fragile LCDs
-No RAW support
-Few manual controls

If you do choose this product, the first thing you should buy is a larger SD memory card. The camera comes with a 16mb card (32 in the SD500), which is pretty much useless.

You should also immediately purchase a case and some screen protectors to protect the LCD.

Whenever a new version of a favorite product is released, I always worry that it won't be as good as the last, that I'll be disappointed in some way. The SD400 is the third Canon ELPH I've owned, and it does not disappoint.

As a long time user, I was extremely pleased that not only did the SD400 improve upon my last Canon (S400), it also didn't change or remove any of the functionality that I had grown accustomed to using.

Plenty of reviews here praise this camera in general terms, so I will instead compare major changes compared with the Canon S400/410. Some are subtle, others more obvious.

* Smaller and lighter than the S400

* A larger LCD than the S400.

* USB 2.0 (notably faster) instead of the USB 1.1 in the S400.

* 5MP instead of 4MP.

* Digic2 instead of Digic (only the SD cameras and SLRs have it at this time).

* Shoots video at double the resolution (640x480) steadily until memory card is full.

* The default version of ZoomBrowser software (5.x) is much improved from the older versions -- faster and smoother to use, with better features to control the camera. The new version can be downloaded for older cameras.

* Same metal casing, but a small plastic hinge flap covers the output ports now, instead of a rubber one.

* Uses SD memory cards instead of CF1. These can be notably faster than CF1.

* The physical controls are slightly more closely packed together, but I had no trouble with pressing the wrong ones by accident or anything like that. If anything, the small controls are better organized than previously. I always used to rotate the S400's dial into the wrong mode, which has not been a problem with the new layout which uses a slider switch and software menus.

* Far more shooting modes (such as portrait, pets&children, night snapshot, etc), and better control over focus method, flash metering, exposure metering, etc. It's not a manual SLR, but it gets as close as pocket digital camera can.

* Much faster feeling. Shooting a photo and having it stored to my "ultra" (high speed) SD memory card seems to take less than half the time it used to with the S400.

Highly recommended, no complaints at all.

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.

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.

The Canon Powershot really sizzles and outperforms almost ALL other Competitors in the 5MP Digital Arena! I have always been interested in Canon products, especially the optics on their Digital and SLR cameras. The Canon Powershot SD400 Digital Elph has outperformed ALL of the previous cameras that I have owned. There are many cameras available with 5 megapixels or even more. It's important to pay attention to the quality of the camera in a number of different areas and NOT to just focus on the number of megapixels a camera has.

I purchased this camera when it first came out-probably one of the first off the shelf. I should have waited for all of the rebate offers and sales, however I wanted to replace my previous ELPH and pass it on to a nephew so I could get the newest Canon Digital Camera. I had read all of the reviews online and in periodicals that I like to read. It was unanimously agreed upon that this camera really packed a true bang for the buck!

I am a photographer and use typical SLR and Medium Format Cameras for the most professional work. I've incorporated digital photography for moments when I don't have the time to put the whole camera outfit together or when I am traveling and don't want to carry a heavy camera, lens, flash, etc. Recently I put the Canon to the test. I was called upon to photograph a Canadian Competition Bicycling team, from Toronto, that was training in sunny Arizona. The photo shoot went very well and I was comfortable that the photos would turn out great. In addition to taking my typical "35mm Film" photographs, I chose to use my Canon Powershot SD400 to see how it would compare.

I developed all of the 35mm photographs and had prints made for all members of the racing team. After I finished this 4 day process, everything from taking the photos to developing the negatives and finally making prints of the best photos, I turned to my new ELPH and used my laptop computer to view the pictures. I was totally astounded by the incredible performance of this small but mighty camera. I decided to take it another step higher and took my Memory Card to a Kinko's Copy Center and had enlargements made-everything from 5 x 7's to 8 x 10's.
The colors were brilliant and it was impossible for me to see any differences in quality between the original small prints and the 5 x 7's and 8 x 10's! As a semi-professional photographer, like so many others, I assumed that I would see a difference once the digital photos were enlarged. Not the case with this awesome digital Canon Powershot SD400 5MP Elph Camera!

I hung 2 prints on the wall, both 8 x 10's from my 35mm SLR Camera, and then placed the digital 8 x 10's from Kinko's just below them. It would take a very, very professional eye, with a very, very powerful magnifier, to discern any differences in quality. I've always been impressed with the Canon Digital Cameras that I have owned, but this 5 megapixel Elph is a true gem and the best digital camera I have ever owned. I ended up with 4 photos on the wall, that still remain there, as I enjoy showing clients the power of a high quality digital camera.

I hope this review offers some assistance to you. There are so many technicals points that I could have discussed with you, however I wanted to present an honest review as a result of a true experience I had with this incredible camera. There are so many to choose from, so many sales and specials and rebates, etc. If you're looking for a great camera that will guarantee you performance that even a professional would expect in a camera-then the Canon Powershot SD400 is the camera for you.

I have now had my Canon SD400 for approx three months todate and have put it to considerable use already. I have taken it to two weddings and an eleven (11) day trip to Hawaii. I have taken scads of pictures. Here is my assessment of the camera: Out-of-doors it takes excellent pictures. Indoors the pics are OK, but you must know the limitations of the flash. According to the Users manual, the flash limit is 10 1/2 feet. And if you use the zoom indoors the flash limit goes down to 6 1/2 feet. These guiidelines are about correct, so don't expect to get quality pics beyond these limits. If you want better quality, the indoors must be lit with additional lighting or you must use another type camera with more powerful flash capabilities. The fact that the camera does not have a power meter is a negative. I ran my batteries completely out and there is a warning at this time that allowed only 2 - 3 more pics. I have both Canon and non Canon batteries and the non Canon batteries work just as well at a far lesser price. I bought this camera mainly because of the brand name and its size. I have had other larger cameras, and for a novice picture taker like myself, I find myself taking far more pics with the smaller camera, because I'm not having to "lug" along an unwieldy unit. Placing a protective film over the screen is a good idea, as I can already see a few minor scratches on the film. One can eventually peel off the protective film and replace it with new when you feel it is necessary This camera has a viewfinder which for me is an absolute must because when taking pics in the bright daylight, the screen is too difficult to view at times. Many mini cameras do not have the viewfinder which is a shame. I have now purchased 1GB and 2GB SD memory cards, as I have a habit of taking a bunch of pics. The 16 MB sd card that comes with the camera is only good enough to verify that the camera works OK after taking it out of the box. I have been setting the resolution to M1 and I got just over a thousand pics on the Hawaii trip on a single 1 GB sd card. I took just a few shots using movie mode and it really sucks up the memory, but the quality is excellent. I have used nearly all the bells and whistles of this camera and the more you use it the easier it gets. All in all, it is a great little camera as long as you understand its limitations.

This is an update on this camera: I have now had the camera for just over a year, and just returned from a month vacation in Australia. I took the SD 400 with me and took approx 3000 pics and the quality on nearly all were excellent. The charger is dual voltage and the voltage in Australia is 240, the only thing is that I had to use a USA to Aussie electrical adapter. This worked out fine. I would move this camera up one more star as I had no problems with it. Just understand It is not a full blown model camera and it has its limitations.

The SD400 is an outstanding point and shoot digital camera for the average to slightly tech-inclined photographer.

I previously had an S500 which was a great camera. So far, the SD400 seems to improve on the S500 in every way. It has nice and large LCD screen. Unlike some of the other smaller cameras, it also has a traditional viewfinder. The most striking feature of the camera is its small size. It fits in a pocket perfectly and is smaller than my flip phone. The time from powering up to taking pictures is ridiculously fast.

The pictures are great and the camera is easy to use. Some may complain that this camera lacks features. However, for the average person who just wants to take everyday pictures, it's great. So far, no complaints about this one. The flash lights up a completely dark room w/ no problem. I have no qualms about recommending this camera to anyone looking to pick up a quality digital point and shoot camera.