Digital Camera Review

Digital Camera Review

Jan 30, 2007 - By Emily Raymond
The Canon PowerShot SD40 follows the SD30 by adding a few more megapixels, a whole new image processor, and a few adjustments to the specs. This 7.1-megapixel Digital Elph comes in four trendy colors and measures smaller than most cell phones. It has a 2.4x optical zoom lens and a 1.8-inch LCD screen. The biggest innovation on the SD40 is the Digic III image processor that touts face detection and noise reduction technology. In September 2006, Canon announced the SD40 along with two other PowerShot cameras. The company claims that its newer Digital Elphs, including the SD40, are designed to be a little more upscale than previous models. The Canon PowerShot SD40 looks to be just that with its stainless steel housing and trendy styling. The digital camera retails for $349.
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Model Design / Appearance (8.25)
Canon attempts to meld form and function with its Digital Elph series. The fusion is a success in the PowerShot SD40 that looks like something which could dangle daintily from a model’s long neck. The stainless steel body comes in four colors: Precious Rose, Twilight Sepia, Olive Gray, and Noble Blue (pictured in this review). The camera also has plenty of shiny chrome highlights to add interest and provide a mirror-like surface that users can check their smiles on. The SD40 is strongly horizontal and very rectangular, but has rounded edges that smoothly transition from side to side. Overall, the Canon SD40’s good looks are one of its best assets.

Size / Portability (8.5)
The SD40 measures smaller than my cell phone, but it weighs slightly more. The tiny camera has smooth edges on its 3.78 x 1.78 x 0.94-inch body. This isn’t the skinniest camera on the market – some Casios have trimmed down to 0.7 inches thick – but it is still very good looking, very compact, and very portable. Its smooth edges make it very easy and comfortable to stash in a pants pocket, and the curved left side (when viewing from the front) has a nicely sized wrist strap eyelet that is pleasantly integrated into the overall design. This PowerShot weighs 3.7 oz without the SD card and lithium-ion battery. Those items don’t weigh much, so the total weight barely exceeds 4 ounces. Canon wants this digital camera to be extremely portable; it is compatible with the optional waterproof AW-DC40 case that lets users submerge it up to 9.8 ft. The Canon PowerShot SD40 is truly a go-anywhere camera with its classic styling, small size, and compact features.

Handling Ability (5.5)
Consumers with large hands won’t want to bother with this camera; it’s simply too small. Even users with small hands won’t want to handle this camera longer than a few minutes. The right side does have a curved edge, but it doesn’t make handling any easier. The back of the SD40 has a slew of buttons and a round niche in the camera body surrounding the zoom control that acts as subtle grip to help the thumb differentiate between buttons and be able to hold the camera up properly. The camera is well-balanced and light enough that it can be held just fine with one hand. Two hands are always preferred, of course, but users have to make sure their left fingers don’t wander in front of the tiny built-in flash on the front. Overall, the Canon PowerShot SD40 handles just okay – it’s too small to offer a leather bucket seat and a plush fuzzy steering wheel.

Control Button / Dial Positioning / Size (5.75)
The power and shutter release buttons are atop the camera, but all other controls are located on the back. At first glance, the controls don’t look very well organized, and users may wonder where the zoom control is. Indeed, the setup is not traditional.

A switch near the top of the camera moves between the playback, movie, and still image shooting modes. There are three small circular buttons for printing and calling up the Func./Set and main menu systems. In between these buttons is a larger control that looks like one very large button. It has small bumps pointing in each of the cardinal directions, and an icon graces each side too. The left side has a flower macro icon, and the right has a flash icon. The top has a telephoto icon that looks like one tree in a single frame. The bottom has a wide zoom icon that looks like three trees with a trash can for a deletion function in the playback mode.

The combination of the navigational control and the zoom control is interesting. Personally, I don’t prefer it because it requires much more movement with the thumb and the button itself isn’t sensitive enough to fully utilize the lens. Minimalists may like the nontraditional approach though.

Menu (7.0)
The menus on this digital camera are typical of other Canon PowerShot cameras. The features are split into two menu systems with frequently used options accessed by the Func./Set button, and the regular menu system accessed by the Menu button. People who sort their socks by color into different drawers will appreciate this setup. Those who prefer to store all socks in one massive pile may be confused as to which options are where. There is some rhyme and reason to Canon’s organization. The shooting mode and a few manual controls can be found in the Func./Set menu.

Shooting Mode
Auto, Manual (program), Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, Color Swap, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater
Exposure Compensation
+/- 2 in 1/3 increments
ISO
Auto, High Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
White Balance
Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom
Drive Mode
Single, Continuous, 10 sec Self-Timer, 2 sec Self-Timer, Custom Self-Timer (Delay 0-30 sec, Shots 1-10)
My Colors
Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color (Contrast, Sharpness, Saturation, Red, Green, Blue, Skin Tone +/- 2 for each)
Image Size
L (3072 x 2304), M1 (2592 x 1944), M2 (2048 x 1536), M3 (1600 x 1200), S (640 x 480), Postcard (1600 x 1200), Wide (3072 x 1728)

There are live views throughout the Func./Set menu, but those end once the typical menu system is called up. It displays its options in a nicely organized folder setup with three tabs along the top. The red camera tab at left shows shooting options, the central yellow setup tab shows setup options, and the right tab is purple with a person’s head next to a camera – meant to customize the SD40. The following is the nicely organized shooting menu, designated with a red camera icon.

AiAF
Face Detect, On, Off
Slow Synchro
On, Off
Red-Eye
On, Off
Light Metering
Center, Spot, Evaluative
AF-Assist Beam
On, Off
Digital Zoom
On, Off
Review
Off, 2-10 sec, Hold
Auto Category
On, Off
Disp. Overlay
Off, Grid Lines, 3:2 Guide, Both
Date Stamp
On, Off
Vertical Shutter
On, Off
Long Shutter
On, Off
Stitch Assist
Left to Right, Right to Left

The following menu is the second yellow tab within the menu structure that showcases the setup features.

Mute
On, Off
Volume
Start-up, Operation, Self-Timer, Shutter, Playback (all with 1-5 levels of volume)
Info Display
Shooting Info (On, Off), Review Info (On, Off), Replay Info (Off, Standard, Detailed)
LCD Brightness
+/- 7
Power Saving
Auto Power Down (On, Off), Display Off (10 sec-3 min)
Time Zone
Home, World
Date/Time
Set date, time, mm/dd/yy, Daylight Savings Time
Clock Display
0 sec-3 min
Format
Low Level Format, Cancel, OK
File Numbering
Continuous, Auto Reset
Create Folder
Create New Folder (Yes, No), Auto Create (Off, Daily, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Monthly), Time (set time)
Auto Rotate
On, Off
Distance Units
m/cm, ft/in
Lens Retract
0 sec, 1 min
Language
English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Ukrainian
Video System
NTSC, PAL
Print Method
Auto, PictBridge
Reset All
Cancel, OK

The third tab on the menu has users customize everything from the startup image to the self-timer sound. The sounds on this camera range from the dull beep of a standard digital camera to more interesting audio like wolves howling and birds singing.

Overall, the menu system is well-organized. Navigation through the menus is simple with the nickel-sized control but making selections is a little tedious. Most digital cameras have a multi-selector with a selection button in the center. The Canon PowerShot SD40 uses the large coin-like control for navigation and the Func./Set button to the bottom left for making selections. This is just a little more movement for the thumb but could be a pain if you’re one to fiddle in the menus often.

Ease of Use (7.0)
Once users figure out where the zoom control is, the Canon PowerShot SD40 is fairly easy to use. If consumers are familiar with Canon digital cameras, adjustment to this model won’t be difficult at all. True beginners may not know where to find the shooting modes (in the Func./Set menu), but a quick briefing with the SD40 will alleviate any potential problems.

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