210 of 214 people found the following review helpful:
The Canon SD1400IS is Capable & Compact
In short, this is a great camera in a very small package that produces good results! I wanted a small portable camera with HD video capabilities that I could take with me when I did not want to lug around my DSLR (Canon 40D + lenses) and this little gem fits the bill perfectly.
This camera replaced a Canon PowerShot SD780IS (Black) that I returned due to...
25 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
Don't buy this cam for its macro mode
Canon has a good reputation for excellent macro mode on their cameras, and that has certainly been true in the past. In this respect, unfortunately, the 1400 sucks.
Unlike their cameras of the past, the 1400 seems to use the entire frame to determine how to autofocus. So if you're taking a macro pic of something that fills the entire frame, you're golden...
This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
In short, this is a great camera in a very small package that produces good results! I wanted a small portable camera with HD video capabilities that I could take with me when I did not want to lug around my DSLR (Canon 40D + lenses) and this little gem fits the bill perfectly.
This camera replaced a Canon PowerShot SD780IS (Black) that I returned due to constant audio noise (hum) while recording video. Rather than risk getting another defective SD780IS with the same issue (many seem to report hearing the noise/hum), I decided to upgrade to the latest Canon PowerShot SD1400IS (Black). I am happy to report that this camera has no such issue with audio when video is being recorded.
The picture quality of the SD780IS and SD1400IS is roughly the same and on par with what one should expect from such a small ultra-portable camera. Going from 12MP to 14MP is a wash as the sensor is the same size and results are very similar. I have posted several shots of flowers under the "customer images" section of the Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP (Black) and also uploaded several 100% crops of each image so pixel peepers can see the detail that this camera produces.
Let me be clear, anyone that thinks this camera is going to produce anything close to the quality of a DSLR is fooling himself or herself. There is no way that this small of a package (3.6 x 0.7 x 2.2 inches ; 4.6 ounces) can produce the same image quality as a DSLR. If image quality if paramount, one would be better off considering the Canon PowerShot S90 10MP Digital Camera, but you will lose the HD video capability, some portability and spend more money. When I want extreme quality, I simply take my Canon 40D + lenses with me and shoot in RAW.
The Auto mode is smart and I think there is more happening behind the scenes than one would expect. If one takes the same image (same ISO settings, lighting, shutter etc.) in Auto and then in Program mode, the results are similar, but I think the Auto mode wins nearly every time. I have no way to confirm this, but the Auto mode seems to have different compression algorithms depending on the subject and can produce a less noisy image at higher ISO than Program mode can. Inside shots are good but I wish I could set an ISO range to force the Auto mode not to exceed 400 ISO.
Tip: If you are getting blurry images, remember that the minimum focal length is much less 5cm when at 28mm and significantly more 50cm when zoomed in to 112mm. So, if you are trying to get the camera close to your subject, be sure to gauge your zoom/subject distances properly otherwise your subject will be out of focus. Perhaps this would have helped the 1 star reviewer.
Final items of note:
1. There is no viewfinder and quite honestly, the small viewfinder on the SD780IS was useless so I do not miss having one. The LCD is bright and works great even on bright days.
2. There is no optical zoom while recording video, only digital zoom, so one has to decide on a zoom length before starting to record. This is a non-issue for me as many people overuse zoom and usually would have been better off just recording a static shot rather than making me dizzy with shaky-cam + zooming at the same time.
Bottom line: This is a fantastic pocket camera capable of decent images with HD video recording as a bonus. It is small enough that it will get taken everywhere enabling capturing of all those special moments. I would highly recommend it to anyone, so long as they realize the limitations inherent to ultra compact cameras. I hope this is review is helpful.
Update: I forgot to mention that one should be sure to get no less than a "Class 4" SD card (Class 6 would be even better) to prevent any video recording issues (missed frames etc.)
Update 2: Still loving this camera after six weeks of use, I particularly like HD video capabilities and use it all the time. The .mov video files make for easy import into Apple iMovie for editing and produces great results. At a recent event, I was able to get some very nice pictures in low light without using a flash in AUTO mode. I was really surprised at the quality achieved in such hard shooting conditions. Best results are had by not zooming too much as there is less light available (f-stop changes when zoomed). If you are noticing blurry shots, try to zoom less and get closer to your subject.
Update 3: I just ran across the recent announcement of the Canon PowerShot SD4000IS (Black) 10MP, it was just released and the list price is currently more than the SD1400IS but the new 10MP back-illuminated CMOS sensor looks very promising for decreasing the noise that is common in sub-compact cameras. The SD4000IS also has HD video capabilities with the addition of stereo sound and can be zoomed while recording video along with a new "Super Slow Motion" video function and a faster f/2.0 lens. It will be interesting to see what users think of this new camera in the coming months. I hope this update is helpful.
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I bought this camera for a scuba diving trip in the Caribbean. This is my first product review, but I was so impressed with this camera, I have to do one!! We bought the underwater case to go with it so we could take it diving with us. The camera was amazing. I am just a recreational photographer (taking pictures of kids, sports and hobbies. The 1400 took amazing photos of fish, eels, and other creatures between the depths of 1 ft- 100ft. Some pics still turned out a little blue, while others turned out so well I think they could be published. Underwater photography is very hard, I have heard because of so many variables. I rarely get blurry pictures on land or underwater. Sometimes if the first is blurry I quickly change setting and the 2nd is not. I took several pictures while chasing fish or stingrays and 99.9% were not blurry. I don't think you can ask more than that out of a point and shoot!
Indoors the colors are very real. I do not find yellow tints to pictures. I was taking pictures of the kids around the dinner table, (which has a big window next too it) and the kids looked great. Usually with past cameras they turned out dark because of the light coming in through the window. Outdoors the pictures are beautiful. Again you may have to change the setting, but it is easy. If the water was not turquoise enough, I changed it to beach setting and the pictures showed every detail. I cannot say enough about this camera, but I think every night on our vacation we just talked about how amazed we were with it. I studied hard before buying this camera. I spent many hours looking between the 780, 940, 1300 and 1400. For a few dollars more you get a lot more cameras.
This camera is very small. It can fit into your front pocket very easy. Love it!!
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I bought this for my wife to replace a 5 year old Sony DSC-T7 (5 megapixel point and shoot).
The Canon has FAR superior low light performance, image stabilization works well, great compact size, nice big LCD relative to the size of the camera, and easy intuitive controls (although tiny buttons, if you have big fingers, they're a touch too small in my opinion).
To compare, I took similar shots with both cameras, one outside in full sun, the other inside in low light with the flash on. I left both cameras in full auto mode. On both shots, the Canon outperforms the older camera (with 5 years of improved technology, I expected nothing less). The low light flash shot was dramatically better on the Canon (and taking a low light shot without the flash was even more extreme).
The outdoor shot, although the Canon was better, it wasn't a whole lot better. To be honest, for 14 megapixels I was expecting a little more fine detail/sharpness in the image. Shame on me for thinking a higher resolution sensor would really make that much difference -- when examining fine details, it's really all about optics, and no point and shoot lens is going to measure up to my expectations (I used to do a lot of SLR photography with pro level lenses).
So don't expect anything remotely resembling SLR quality results; remember you're buying a point and shoot. You won't be making any 11x17 prints to proudly hang on the wall. But the portability of this camera is fantastic; you can easily drop it in a pocket and have it ready when the moment strikes, and the results will look great in a scrapbook or family photo album. And when I started a family I stopped lugging around an SLR and camera bag... the diaper bag is plenty. ;-)
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I have had many Canon Elph cameras since they first came out. Something that I noticed is that when new features are released for a camera, Canon doesn't get it right the first time and sometimes the 2nd or 3rd versions of a similar camera are better.
In this case, I am talking about the current small form factor. I had the previous version of this camera (SD 940IS) and this one is definitely an improvement. On the 940, the HD video was very jumpy. This version fixes that and it's much more smooth.
The increase in MP to 14.1 really doesn't improve things. It's more of a marketing point that camera makers shoot for because people like to see a higher MP.
Another review mentioned blurry pictures. For some reason these small Canons seem to have that problem. I find it most when I don't use a flash indoors. I don't think the camera compensates correctly when a person chooses to have the flash turned off.
The main thing that I like about this camera is its size. It's so small, that I can have it with me wherever I go. I recommend one of the Canon leather belt cases for someone who would want to carry this on a belt. When I use that with this camera, I hardly notice that it's there. It is true that the best camera is the one that you have with you, and with the SD1400, this is a camera you can always have with you.
I also have a Pansonic ZS3 camera. It takes better pictures, but it's larger and therefore I don't carry it around.
I will update this review with more details when time allows. I just wanted to give my first impressions.
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
Canon has a good reputation for excellent macro mode on their cameras, and that has certainly been true in the past. In this respect, unfortunately, the 1400 sucks.
Unlike their cameras of the past, the 1400 seems to use the entire frame to determine how to autofocus. So if you're taking a macro pic of something that fills the entire frame, you're golden. But try to take a macro pic of something that DOESN'T fill the entire frame, you're screwed.
It makes no difference whether you set the "AF Frame Size" to "Small." It ignores the rectangle that's on the screen, and still uses the entire frame.
I bought this cam as a replacement for the 790, which in macro mode, always autofocused on what was in the center of the screen, no matter how small. What a disappointment that Canon couldn't get this right.
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
Living in a household with a several of these Canon point-and-shoot cameras (among them the SD1100IS, SD1200IS, and the SD780IS), I purchased this camera as a convenient upgrade to a 3.2 megapixel behemoth I owned from earlier in the decade. So far, I am incredibly impressed at the feature set this camera has to offer.
In lieu of verbosity, I tend to like outlining the high and low points in a list:
PROS:
+Ultra-sleek and lightweight (this camera is so handy to slip into a pocket, you'll find yourself taking more photos straight away).
+Large, crisp LCD screen (of all the cameras I tried, this one seemed to have one of the better displays, and they finally removed the cheesy little viewfinder in place of the larger screen).
+Good photo quality (about on par with other digital cameras of this class)
+Very easy to use (in addition to the many shooting modes for every occasion [fireworks, kids & pets, portrait etc...], this camera provides little on-screen hints and helpful descriptions of all the features as you go through them)
CONS:
-A bit slow (the lag between shots and during focusing is sometimes a bit long)
-Tiny buttons (people like me who don't have such nimble fingers will quite likely hit multiple buttons at a time)
-A bit unstable (this camera, being so thin, does not stand on a table very well; it'll fall right over)
Now just in general about a couple of the characteristics people would like to know about:
BATTERY LIFE: I always recommend carrying a spare battery along with you for long trips and such, but the included 760 mAh Li-Ion battery is pretty decent. For most casual shooting, expect the battery to last comfortably for a day trip or to a few family gatherings before needing a recharge. Charging the battery is really snappy with the included wall charger (I would guess about an hour).
IMAGE QUALITY: For the kind of camera this is (ultracompact point and shoot), I found the image quality to be very good, pretty much on par with most of these kinds of cameras. As always, with a tiny camera like this, you'll see a bit of distortion with the wide-angle lens, and color fringing can be noticed in some cases. Nonetheless, for printing, e-mailing, and general sharing, this camera more than meets the grade with sharp, saturated images.
No camera is perfect (and so if I could, I'd probably give this one 4.5 stars), but this one is sure to not disappoint with its wealth of easy-to-use features, and clean, vibrant imagery. If there is anything to consider before purchasing this camera, it is whether or not its small form factor would be more burdening than helpful. Otherwise, I make no reservations when I say that this digital camera deserves your consideration.
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I have a month long trip overseas coming up and wanted to be able to shoot things right away as photo opportunities presented themselves and not haul around a huge SLR which I use regularly for business. Since I wasn't very familiar with "Point and Shoots" because I always believed they were just for exactly that, I never showed much interest in them after getting to know professional level SLRs, I just came to Amazon and pretty much based my opinion on the best rated "point and shoot" cam which at first was the SD780is, but I knew that if I got that one, Id always wonder what this one would be able to do better than that one and eventually would end up with the newer one anyway. This SD1400 didn't have as many reviews but I went with it and it blew me away! I had no idea that such a tiny little device smaller than my Blackberry could produce such wonderful images! I am very pleased with the smart auto, and even the other little features it has that I originally thought I'd never use, but actually are very fun and produce very nice results! It is very easy to use, and all the features and settings are very self explanatory. The only thing is that because its so small and smooth, you have to be very careful not to drop it or let it slip out of your hands. I'd recommend putting the strap on it immediately.
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I had to rewrite this review. This is a really darn nice camera for the money. I had at first thought the pictures weren't very sharp, but doing outdoor shooting on an overcast day I probably should have set the ISO speed higher for faster shutter speeds and maybe not rely on the auto setting. The one drawback is you have no control over F-stops. I do small product photography and and seemingly stuck with very wide open F-stops usually at 2.8 which blurs everything out except exactly the flat plane you're focused on, not too great for objects with some depth to them. Maybe someone can tell me how to trick the camera into using a smaller aperture, but so far haven't figured out how and I am using a tripod and the selftimer for best sharpness. I really wish it had aperture priority shooting for my product shots. I compared shots from this camera to my girlfriend's old Powershot G6 at7.1 pixels and the 1400's images are much more detailed and sharper. I shot two movies of our dogs in somewhat low indoor light and there was some ragged looking pixelation in darker image areas I didn't like but I didn't buy this thing to shoot movies either. I have an old Nikon Coolpix 3.3 megapixel camera that isn't very wide angle that will beat this thing for sharp product photos using aperture priority set at F11 or so, so am spoiled by that. I do have some background in photography so I have gone through almost every feature in this little jewel and have changed my mind about returning it. It does take some figuring out though. If you forget to turn off the red eye feature it will shine a red light at everything you photograph and even put the red beam in the photo if you have the flash turned off, took awhile to figure that out. It also uses the red beam briefly to help auto focus so was confused by what was happening, the red eye beam is in the flash settings and the auto focus assist which uses the same red beam is in the auto focus settings. Fortunately the settings and menus have text explanations that show what each feature is for. There are an awful lot of great features to use in the program mode if you have the patience to go through them and play around with each one. Anyway, I highly recommend this camera, its not perfect and its not a pro camera but is a good buy for the price and I'm keeping mine!
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I bought this camera on a whim after my old canon SD1100 got wet at the beach and I needed to take pics asap. Was surprised at all the features on this samll camera. The outside also looks great. Small & compact and easy to use. I loved the color accent feature on my old camera so I was happy that this camera also had that feature. Takes nice pictures but I truly feel like this camera cannot live up to SD1100. It is great for taking still pictures but for any action pics...forget it!!! It is too slow and the 14 MP is wayyyyyyyyyyyyy misleading. I tried using the fireworks feature last night since it was 4th of July and my pics are beyond blurry and it took almost 5 seconds after I pressed the button to get the shot for it to take the picture.....Ugh!!!!
I love Canon's cameras but this one is definetly my least favorite....
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This review is from: Canon PowerShot SD1400IS 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 4x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD (Black) (Electronics)
I bought this camera to replace my 4 year-old SD600 camera.
Things I like about the SD1400:
1) Slimmer than the SD600
2) Better at low light levels for stills and videos than the SD600
3) Can handle SD, SDHC, & SDXC memory cards (a big plus for me, since I also take lots of videos!)
4) 14 megapixels, so I can crop out parts of the picture and still have plenty of resolution
5) HDMI output, so I can view my pictures & video on my HD TV set with enhanced detail
6) HD (720p) movie mode
7) The LCD screen is brighter and sharper than on my older SD600
8) I can take closeups 2" away from a subject, vs about 10" for my SD600
9) Uses the same NB-4L battery as my SD600
10) An earlier warning on low battery than on my SD600
Things I don't like about the SD1400:
1) Hard to see & activate the on/off switch - a flush small black button on a black body
2) While I can transfer my JPG pictures from my SD600 to the SD1400, even Canon didn't know how to
transfer my SD600 AVI movies to the SD1400, even after converting them to SD1400 MOV movie mode
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