Canon PowerShot S410 Digital Camera Review

Front (8.0)
The Front of the Canon PowerShot S410 features a 3x optical zoom lens located on the left side of the camera face. Above and to the left of this is the in-camera flash, which sits flush with the body and is constantly covered by my left hand, making its design placement a continuous aggravation overall. To the right of the Flash and above the Camera Lens is the multi purpose AF-assist Beam/Red-eye Reduction Lamp/Self-Timer Lamp, with the Viewfinder Window located beside it. All of the features for the front of the Canon PowerShot S410 are located primarily on the left half of the camera body, a sometimes aggravating layout when two hands are being used in the process of image capturing.

Back (7.5)
The back of the Canon PowerShot S410 has a 1.5-inch LCD screen located in the left center of the camera body. Above the LCD screen is the mode dial, an awkwardly shaped controller about the size of a Tums. With the mode dial, the user can choose between Movie, Panoramic, Manual Camera, and Automatic Camera modes. All of these Modes are designated in a small section of the dial, and consist of small red symbols that are impossible to differentiate when in low light or fast shooting situations. Beside this is a circular viewfinder, an anachronistic feature with little to no functional purpose. It seems to exist on this camera as a relic, meant to remind the user of simpler, analog times.

Between the viewfinder and the Mode Dial are two small LEDs, which act as indicators for camera function. For the Upper Indicator: if green, the camera is ready to shoot; if blinking, it is in the process of processing data commands; if orange, it is ready to shoot with flash on; and when blinking orange it is ready to shoot, though the camera is shaking. The Lower Indicator: when Yellow the camera is in Macro Mode/Infinity Mode/AF lock, and if blinking yellow there is focusing difficulty (if blinking once). You may ask, dear reader, why I have detailed these aspects for you--was it for intellectual improvement, or does my list highlight the absurdity of their functionality? Few people using point-and-shoot cameras will remember these settings, their corresponding feature, or even, dare I hazard to suspect, ever even notice even the presence of these two lights. Anyway, moving along the top of the back of the camera, the user will find on the right side the Mode Switch, allowing the user to select between Camera and Playback Modes. Beneath this Switch is the CF Open Switch that can be slid upwards to open the Memory Card slot on the right side of the camera body.

At the bottom of the camera, in the lower right corner, the user will find the Print/Share button, which allows for Direct Print and Sharing capabilities. To the left of this button, and traveling along the bottom of the camera, is the four-way controller. The four-way controller allows the user to move in the cardinal directions when in certain modes, including playback, and also has a multiple use capability. The Up arrow also doubles as a light metering control, the Right arrow as a Flash button (allowing for transitions between Flash settings), the Down arrow controls Continuous Shooting Modes and the Self-Timer button, and finally, the Left arrow also functions (when in regular Camera mode) as a Macro/Infinity button. To the left of the four-way controller is the Function button that also works as a Single Erase button. Besides this is the Disp. (display) button, which allows the user to set the amount of information to be displayed on the LCD screen both during regular Camera Mode and Playback Modes. The Menu button allows instantaneous access to the onscreen Menu controls available on the Canon PowerShot S410. And finally the Set button allows for specific portions of the Menu to be accessed and altered.

Left Side (8.0)
The only feature available on the left side of the Canon PowerShot S410 is a port cover, which conceals the A/V out and Digital Ports. When removed, it's distinctly fragile and flimsy, and it’s hard to replace the cover into the small slot. Given two months of use, the cover will most likely be ripped off during casual use.

Right Side (8.0)
The right side features the Memory Card slot for the Canon PowerShot S410, which is formatted for CF Cards, and is opened using the switch located on the back of the camera body. The wrist strap eyelet is located in the center of the camera body at the front of the right side.

Top (8.0)
The top of the Canon PowerShot S410 has its controls located on the right side of the camera body. The shutter button is farthest right, and has a zoom slide ring circling it. When the camera is in Playback mode, this doubles as a Multi-Up format selector. Beside the shutter button, towards the back of the camera body, is the On/Off button, with the Power Light Indicator slightly in front and to the right of this button. To the left, and indicated with a small dot in the center of the top, the user will find the utterly useless in-camera microphone. If a user wants any sort of audio quality, it would be highly recommended to invest in a camcorder. A microphone on the top of the camera body immediately means poor audio quality when paired with its monaural setting. The speaker for the camera is located in its back left corner.