Canon PowerShot SD40 Digital Camera Review

by Emily Raymond
Published on January 30, 2007

Navigation
Intro	Testing / Performance
Physical Tour	Components
Design / Layout	Modes
Control Options	Image Parameters
Connectivity / Extras	Overall Impressions
Conclusion	Specs / Ratings
Photo Gallery

Likes

- Effective face detection technology - Slim stainless steel body - Nicely organized menus - Good movie mode - Unlimited burst mode - Wide ISO range - Fun My Colors effects

Dislikes

- Small LCD screen - LCD collects fingerprints - Non-intuitive navigational/zoom control - Tiny ineffective flash - Small 2.4x lens with insensitive control - Slow burst mode - 190-shot battery

Conclusion
The newest Digital Elph comes with 7.1 megapixels and a Digic III image processor with some trendy technology. The Canon PowerShot SD40 not only has a sleek sturdy body, but it also includes effective face detection technology that ensures portraits are always sharply focused. The SD40 has plenty of other great perks too: a high-quality movie mode, a wide ISO range that allows for low light photography, and interesting My Colors modes that make for fun effects. Despite all this, though, the Canon SD40 isn’t all that it should be for its $349 retail price. Canon really skimped on this camera’s components. The 2.4x optical zoom lens has limited apertures and a horrible control. The built-in flash unit is undersized and hardly lights anything beyond arm’s length. The LCD screen measures only 1.8 inches, making up only a third of the camera’s back. While this PowerShot may be one of Canon’s most attractive models, it is full of trade offs in terms of quality and performance.