Canon PowerShot SD40 Digital Camera Review

Auto Mode (7.75)
The Canon PowerShot SD40 has a fully automatic mode stashed in the same menu as the other shooting modes. The regular menu is fully available, including the face detection auto focus feature. The Func./Set menu, however, is limited to few choices: ISO, drive mode, and image size. Manual ISO options aren’t available, but users can still pick between the normal auto ISO and the high auto ISO settings. The drive mode allows access to the vast self-timer options, but it doesn’t even show a burst mode. The image size is the only option fully available in the Func./Set menu. On the navigational control, users can choose macro settings and a limited selection of flash modes (auto and off). Overall, the auto mode is just as it should be: It is easy to use and takes decent pictures.

Movie Mode (7.75)
The movie mode has its own position on the mode switch and hosts several movie mode options: Standard, Fast Frame Rate, Compact, Color Accent, and Color Swap. The Standard movie mode records 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels with 30 or 15 fps. Fast Frame Rate records QVGA resolution video at 60 fps for up to one minute. It looks crystal clear and smooth in the camera, but the image is grainy on a normal television screen. The Compact movie mode records 160 x 120 pixels at 15 fps for up to three minutes. Color Accent and Color Swap modes aren’t entirely intuitive since users must hold down the Menu button for a few seconds to select colors. These interesting modes operate at top resolution. I tried swapping the red color of my couch for the black color of the carpet, but the camera seemed to only dull the red and not much else. These modes are fun to play with but not meant for full-length feature films.

In all of the movie modes except the color swap and accent modes, the white balance can be set and My Colors modes accessed. The self-timer can also be activated. The optical zoom is disabled while recording, but there is 8x digital zoom available (although it makes video look grainy). The movie mode records audio too. It records audio well and sounds great in playback.

Overall, video from the Canon PowerShot SD40 looked pretty good except when shooting in very strong lighting. Backlit subjects look completely dark, and subjects in bright daylight look washed out. Still, this movie mode is decent for an ultra-compact digital camera. It records television-quality resolution at a good frame rate and does so up to 4 GB or an hour at a time. Users also have the option of creating "movie prints" with Canon SP and Selphy compact photo printers.

Drive / Burst Mode (6.0)
The Canon PowerShot SD40 has a drive option in its Func./Set menu, but its selection changes as the shooting mode changes. In the still image shooting modes, the single drive mode is available at all times. Most of the time, the self-timer choices are available too. This digital camera has three options: a 2-second delay, a 10-second delay, and a custom option that can snap between 1-10 shots with a delay of 0-30 seconds. The delay happens before the first shot, then the camera takes up to 10 pictures with only about a 2-second pause between each one. This feature is perfect for family portraits when it’s a battle to get everyone’s eyes opened in the same shot. The continuous shooting mode can only be activated in the "manual" mode (it could be more accurately titled a program mode). Canon’s specs claim that it snaps 1.6 fps, but it didn’t seem to even go that fast. Even if it did, those specs aren’t impressive when many compact models can snap 2-3 fps. The Canon SD40 does have an advantage over most cameras when it comes to endurance though. The burst mode is limited only to the capacity of the memory card.

Playback Mode (7.5)
The playback mode is accessed by moving the switch on the back of the camera all the way to the left. Pictures and videos can be viewed and edited from here, as well as organized and deleted.

Viewing options include single frames and thumbnail screens of nine images, available by holding the Func./Set button down for a few seconds (this is a little gem learned from the user manual; it certainly isn’t labeled on the camera). This way of accessing the multi-up view is very different than on other digital cameras. Most use the wide end of the zoom control, which is the delete function on the SD40. Users can also view slide shows via the playback menu complete with different transitions.

Pictures can be deleted with the bottom of the navigational/zoom control or through the playback menu. Deleting lots of images is tedious with the control, so it’s better to use the menu for deleting large numbers of images at once.

When scrolling through images and videos, users can organize them into categories by pushing the Print/Share button to the right of the LCD screen. Several categories appear, and users can scroll down and tag one or several categories within this selection: People, Scenery, Events, Category 1, Category 2, Category 3, and To Do. These categories can be used when playing slide shows. Users can select Events, for instance, rather than showing all images on the card.

Users can magnify images up to 10x but only to the center. The image cannot be moved around with the navigational control. Voice memos up to 60 seconds can be added within the playback menu. Standard or detailed file info can be viewed, when selected in the setup menu, but the detailed info takes up almost half of the already tiny view. The LCD screen measures only 1.8 inches diagonally, but its 118k resolution is good for its size.

There is a host of editing options available from the playback menu.

Movies can be played back normally, frame by frame, or in five levels of slow motion. The audio can be adjusted while viewing the movie by pushing up and down on the navigational control. Movies can be split into two files too.

The Canon PowerShot SD40 comes with a Camera Station CS-DC1a and a tiny wireless control that allows users to sit on the couch and transfer their photos to the computer or play slide shows on the television. Users can play slide shows via the playback menu or can choose to manually scroll through the pictures with the navigational dial on the remote control.

Custom Image Presets (7.75)
All still image recording modes are located in the Func./Set menu. A few of the scene modes are listed alongside the Auto and Manual modes. These include Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, and Color Swap. The last position on this menu shows a selected "special scene" and a prompt to push the Menu button. Pushing the Menu button in this case brings up the "special scene" modes: Kids & Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, and Underwater. This is a good selection because there are options for shooting in bright light (Beach, Snow, Kids & Pets) and others for shooting in low light (Indoor, Fireworks, Night Snapshot). The Night Snapshot mode still allows users to access the flash modes, so it can be turned on or off according to the users’ desires. Overall, the Canon PowerShot SD40 includes a robust list of scene modes.