Canon PowerShot SD40 Digital Camera Review

Viewfinder (0.0)
This digital camera is much too small for an optical viewfinder; Canon reserves those for many of its other models. The SD40 uses its LCD screen, which is quite small when compared with other display screens. The upside for this type of view is that what you see is what you get; the LCD shows 100 percent coverage of what the image sensor captures. The downside is that the screen may be difficult to see in extreme lighting, and it solarizes when held above or below eye level. All of this considered, its accurate view still makes the LCD a decent viewfinder.

LCD Screen (3.25)
A low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT LCD screen graces the left half of the camera’s back. Many digital cameras’ screens occupy two-thirds or even three-quarters of the back, but the Canon PowerShot SD40’s screen measures only 1.8 inches diagonally. The view is small, but accurate – so it is still a good viewfinder. As a playback medium, though, it is lacking. It solarizes when held above or below eye-level but does better when held from side to side. The screen is normally hard to see in daylight, but the brightness can be adjusted in the setup menu within 15 levels. The 118,000-pixel LCD screen has decent resolution for its size, but the view can be blocked by grease and fingerprints that collect on the screen’s surface. The information on the display screen cannot be easily changed. There is no on-camera button that cycles through info and histograms and such. Instead, there is an option in the setup menu that lets users activate shooting, reviewing, and replaying info. Overall, the SD40’s LCD screen is functional but isn’t the camera’s best aspect.

Flash (4.5)
The built-in flash unit on the PowerShot SD40 is disappointing. It is located in the top right corner of the front, where the left fingers will likely curl over it and prevent it from lighting up much of anything. Even when uncovered, the flash only reaches from 1-6.6 ft in wide and 1-4.3 ft in telephoto – certainly not enough to be effective for any sort of group portraiture. In the macro mode, the flash only covers from 1-1.6 ft and looks ghastly at that. On the upside, the flash coverage is pretty even with some normal vignetting in the corners of the frame. The following flash modes are available: Auto, Auto with Red-eye Reduction, Auto with Slow Synchro, Flash On, Flash On with Red-eye Reduction, Flash On with Slow Synchro, and Flash Off. Auto, On, and Off options are available by pushing the right side of the navigational control. The red-eye reduction and slow synchro options can be activated within the shooting menu. The Canon PowerShot SD40 is compatible with the Canon HF-DC1 flash accessory that can flash up to 30 ft and can be mounted onto the camera or held by hand or placed on a separate tripod. The accessory costs $99 and eliminates the tidy compact feel of the SD40, but it is worth considering for users who anticipate shooting in low light frequently.

Zoom Lens (4.5)
The Canon PowerShot SD40’s zoom lens isn’t very impressive. It measures 6.3-14.9mm, which is equivalent to a 38-90mm lens. This is neither wide enough for portraits of the extended family at the reunion nor is it long enough to capture candid pictures of the grandparents playing bridge. The 2.4x optical zoom lens is short of the standard 3x. The Canon lens also falls short with its maximum aperture a full stop smaller than what most compact cameras now offer. At the widest focal length, the aperture can open as much as f/3.2. At the most telephoto, a f/5.4 aperture is as big as it gets.

The tiny lens extends in two segments from the body of the camera. The zoom can be adjusted with the nickel-sized control on the back. This control is unique. Most compact digital cameras either have zoom buttons on the top right of the back, or they have a lever surrounding the shutter release button. The Canon PowerShot SD40, however, uses its navigational control for zooming as well. This setup isn’t very intuitive and requires a lot more movement from the thumb than with zoom controls on other digital cameras.

The SD40’s zoom control is not sensitive at all. There are only three stops in the zoom range, and there isn’t any info on-screen to tell your whereabouts within the range – until 2.4x is reached. Once the maximum optical zoom is reached, arrows appear on the screen next to the "2.4x" to indicate the digital zoom. The optical and digital zoom can combine to get 10x total zoom, but pictures will be horribly grainy if the digital zoom is used at all.

Overall, this tiny lens and its insensitive control are uncharacteristically useless, and it’s disappointing to see this from a manufacturer with a reputation in optics.