Canon Powershot S400 :Not as cool as CoolpixSQ or OptioS but way more powerful!
Written: Mar 29 '03 (Updated Apr 22 '03)
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Use: |
 |
|
| Durability: |
|
|
| Battery Life: |
 |
|
| Photo Quality: |
 |
|
| Shutter Lag |
|
|
|
Pros: 4 MegaPixel, 3x Zoom, FUNC button, compact size, faster start up!
Cons: Still a weak flash and somewhat poor/decent battery life.
The Bottom Line: I would nearly call this the perfect take anywhere camera with a massive 4 MegaPixels and 3x zoom... the only major weak point is the less than spectacular flash.
|
|
|
| yusakugo's Full Review: Canon PowerShot S400 / IXUS 400 Digital Camera |
The Canon PowerShot S230 isn't even out for six months and already there is a replacement for it... not that the S230 will be discontinued for a while especially with the sticker price of the S400 running a high $499! However, the nice thing is being able to sell the S230 for $325 (well by the end of the week it should be sold) and putting that down to help pay for a S400 model. With the competition coming from all around... Nikon with their CoolPix SQ, Pentax with their Optio S, Minolta with the F300, Sony with a slew of models, and Olympus on a five megapixel rampage, what can Canon do to make the PowerShot line stand out even more?
How about 4 MegaPixels, 3x Optical Zoom, the menu systemof the S45 and S50 models, and all of that in the same sized camera as the S100/S110/S200/S230!
Dude... now we're talking!
My Overall View
Slight change to the way I structure my reviews... my Short Take and Final Thoughts were way too similar so I'm just going to put it all up front now with the Pros and Cons then go into the details if anyone wants to read further...
There is a lot of features that go in the favor of the S400 model... 4 MegaPixels, 3x Optical Zoom, the use of the new FUNC button to access some of the higher end features, same small size as the S200/S230, a faster startup time, slightly improved battery life, a slightly faster response after depressing the shutter, movie modes, addition of a speaker for movie playback, etc. Even some of the lags in starting up the camera and shutter to photo response has shortened a bit. Battery life seems to have slightly improved as well (although it is still not great).
The major shortcoming is the weak flash (although I feel it is slightly more powererful than the S230... but it's hard to tell) and consequently the slightly subpar nighttime shooting capabilities of the S400 (the iSAPS and DIGIC processor really helped to make this close to an average low light/nighttime performer) especially with 3x optical zoom on the camera. The price of the S400 is also quite hefty and also on par with Canon own PowerShot S45 with sports many of the same specs but with greater user control and professional level features at the cost of some size and weight over the S400 model. You lack a RAW picture taking mode and the ability to make minute camera settings changes like fine tuning exposure time, aperture, and the such.
Overall, the S400 is an excellent take anywhere camera with enough functionality for some advanced photo taking but it is not the smallest camera out there anymore... and many other cameras pack additional features for the same price although it may cost you some bulk, size, and weight to get it. The S400 is simply a great point and shoot camera that fits best on vacation and the spur of the moment shots.
My final price on the S400 was $378 after using an American Express Gold card price match.
Pros:
1) Compact Size
2) 4.0 Megapixel Camera!
3) 3x Optical Zoom, 3.6x Digital Zoom
4) CompactFlash media with High Speed CompactFlash support.
5) Improved Movie Record Mode (up to 3 minutes with High Speed CompactFlash card)
6) 9 point AiAF system (Artificial Intelligence AutoFocus) (S200 has 3 point AiAF system)
7) DIGIC processor (specialized processor made by Canon specifically for digital cameras... supposedly improves camera photo quality)
8) iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) for improved camera focus and white balancing.
9) Direct printing to DPOF (Digital Print Order Format) compatible printers.
10) Accepts the original Lithium-Ion batteries of the S110 and S300 cameras.
11) Adjustable ISO settings from 50 to 400
12) Self-Timer from 2 or 10 secs
13) Continuous Shooting mode
14) Stainless Steel Casing.
15) Built-in speaker
16) FUNC button like S45/S50 PowerShots for easier navigation through camera options especially in manual mode.
17) More rounded body gives a slightly sleeker look to the S400.
Cons:
1) Short Battery Life but seemed better than S230
3) Flash is weak especially in nighttime settings with no additional lighting and at 3x zoom.
4) Additional Batteries from Canon are Expensive. J&R sells non-Canon brands for as low as $29.99.
5) Tripod mounting now on far left side of camera (you are looking at the back of the camera
6) Minimal Accessories available for the camera
Buying the camera
I purchased the camera through Dell Home Software and Peripherals site. They offered 10% off the list price with a $40 off $350 purchase. I added an additional 2% off through ebates.com. Shipping and Handling were free and there was no sales tax. I am currently trying to price match via my American Express Gold Card. Read my epinions article "The Art of Buying... Getting your money's worth!" on how to get the best deals.
Need more details about the S400
Although much of the S400 is similar to the S230 there are several important differences in the S400. The S400 has dimensions of 3.43 x 2.24 x 1.09 inches which is the same dimensions for the S230. The weight is under 7 oz. with the battery and CompactFlash card installed... likely to be around the 6.7 oz. that the S230 weighed. Like a light tank, the S400 has a high impact polycarbonate plastic (PCP) body with an aluminum casing around that. The S400 feels very solid in your hands and all the controls are easy to reach even with one hand... although I recommend two handed use if you're not in automatic mode. There are slight styling changes to the S400 especially with the more rounded edges of the camera compared to older models (which looked much more boxy). There are two major additions on the body however. The holes for the internal speaker on the top left of the camera (you're looking at the back of the camera) near the microphone hole and the new mode dial (which takes over functions that were under the first button under the LCD in the S230). The power and shutter buttons are still on the top of the camera. The lens zoom controls are still around the shutter button. You still have the switch that allows a quick change from review mode to shoot mode. The fourth button under the LCD screen is now the FUNC button making the camera way easier to use!
Like the older S100/S110/S200/S230 models, you still have the USB and A/V ports on the left side of the camera covered by an attached rubber cover. The tripod mount is still way off center of the camera and still on the far left like the S230. The battery is inserted through the bottom of the camera and is still the NB-1LH (the older NB-1L also works as well) and the same AC adapter for the S100/110/200/230/300/330 models still works on the S400 model. The camera is still limited to Type I CompactFlash cards so no IBM Microdrives for your use. By the way, the CF cover is still consists of a silver painted PCP cover. All of the Canon accessories for the S100/110/200/230 cameras work on the S400. The other minor cosmetic change is the loss of the green/orange LED in the middle of the 4 way control pad... now the LED is on the top of the camera near the power button. You still have the same high quality 1.5 inch color LCD screen that displays a wealth of information at any one time.
Startup of the camera and time to take a shot after depressing the shutter button is slightly shorter.
Battery life... Energizer bunny or dud?
Believe it or not... the S400 seems to last longer than the S230 on the same battery. I was able to consistantly squeeze out 20-30 more shots on a fully charged NB-1LH battery (I used the exact same battery that I used in the S330 and the S230) and the LCD was also on for these shots. The S400 seems to be more power efficient than the S230 overall. Canon claims up to 190 shots on a fully charged NB-1LH battery with the LCD on. I ran about 170-180 shots on a fully charged battery. I thought the increase in performance was quite impressive overall.
A new NB-1LH battery from Canon costs about $50... buy the equivalent battery from BestBuy (DigiPower brand) will cost $39.99. J&R sold equivalent batteries for $29.99 although I forget the brand name.
Other note... the low battery indicator usually means you have less than 3 shots left with the LCD on. Canon still needs to work on that.
Mode Dial
The new mode dial on the S400 makes it a snap to choose automatic exposure mode, limited manual exposure mode, movie mode, and stitch mode. You always know what mode your camera is in... no more pressing the set button to change the camera from auto to manual to stitch assist. According, the slider switch allows you to pick review mode or shoot mode since the movie mode is moved to the mode dial.
Movie Mode
No major changes here from the S230. You still have up to 3 minutes of JPEG video at 160x120 and 320x240 resolutions. You do lose the 640x480 resolution mode from the S230 in the S400 digicam. However, the movies are captured at 15 fps... which means quick movements are not captured very well in Movie mode. Make no mistake, this is no substitute for a camcorder... but it can be useful in a pinch. A big plus with the S400 over previous Digital ELPH model is that you can review movies on the S400 with the sound played back in the internal speaker!
Taking Photos
You still can't take photos in a RAW format but the JPEG formated photos have slight changes. The same three compression modes are still available... Normal (best compression but worst picture), Fine, and SuperFine (worse compression but best picture). There are now 4 resolution choices... Small (640x480), Medium 1 (1024x768), Medium 2 (1600x1200 S200 maximum), and Large (2272x1700). Using Large and SuperFine settings obtains gorgeous photos but at a file size of 1.5 MB up to 4MB per shot (average 2 MB)!
Overall, I'd be hard pressed to tell you that the S400 looked that much better than the S230 in printed shots of less than 8x10 size. The S230 allowed me to print up to 8x10 photos on my HP PSC2210 machine that looked absolutely stunning. The S400 didn't make any marked improvements over the S230 despite the additional 1 MegaPixel resolution. That can bring into question whether you need to spend the additional $100 to get a miniscule difference in picture quality (depending on the photo sizes you like to print). If you print 4x6 and 5x7 photos... the S400 is overkill in these situations. The S400 show the advantages of high megapixel shot with complicated photos... i.e. distant landscape scenes with lots of "subjects" showed off the megapixel advantage of the S400. Taking photos of friends in groups shots didn't show any remarkable advantages over the S230.
Colors in photos were excellent with the S400 excelling in neutral and dark color tones. The 9 point AiAF system makes it so easy to take a good photo anytime you want. Continuous shot mode is fairly quick but it also depends on whether you have the LCD turned on or off. However, the difference in speed is considerable smaller than in previous models of the digital ELPH.
As with most compact cameras, the flash on the S400 is rather weak... just like it was on the previous models as well. Note that the S400's flash is slightly more powerful than the S230, but the S400 flash is definitely inadequate in nighttime shots at the 3x zoom when there is little to no external light source illuminating the picture. If you had a streetlight or two coupled with the flash, you had a decent picture at 3x zoom.
Photo Effects and the FUNC button
The S400 does allow very limited manual control. White Balance is user adjustable, exposure controls, and ISO settings can be adjusted in manual mode. For the most part, that really about it. One of the biggest changes is the addition of the FUNC button taken from the S45/S50 PowerShot digital camera. The FUNC button makes it more intuitive to access a slew of manual controls. Pressing the FUNC button brings up a side menu that shows all the available options in the current picture capture mode you're on. You can adjust the white balance, ISO, exposure control, and add one of various photo effects (like B&W, Sepia, Motion Blur, Low Sharpening, etc.) while in Manual mode. The FUNC buttons allows access to the image size and compression ratios in all modes. I found this a much easier system to use than in the S230.
What's in the package
Canon has always included excellent manuals and documentation for the camera and software included in all their camera packages. The S400 continues this tradition. A good sized camera and software manual is included detailing basic and advanced functions for the camera. A wrist strap is included in the package as well as an updated Lithium-Ion battery compared to the S110 (so the same battery used in the S200/S230/S330). The NB-1LH carries 840 mAh versus the much older NB-1L which had a 680 mAh capacity. The portable battery charger is also included in the package. You can use the older NB-1L batteries in the S230 but expect a much shorter battery life. You get a 32 MB High Speed CF card (hey better than the old 8MB)... so you must purchase a bigger one, at least 256MB in my opinion. Two CDs are included with the software for the camera.
So... I would definitely recommend buying a larger CF card, an additional battery, and a small camera carry case (Canon actually makes a nice form fitting leather carry case the PSC-50). The AC adapter kit might be helpful too although not necessary (but if you plan on printing directly from the camera to the supported Canon printers (CP-10, CP-100, S820D, S830D, and S530D are currently supported) I would get the AC adapter!). A third party AC adapter for the S100/110/200/230/300/330/400 costs about $29.99 at a Best Buy (made by a Korean company called DigiPower). I would highly consider at least a seperate CF reader so you don't have to drain the batteries on the camera transferring images to the computer ($30 for a USB 2.0 compatible 6 in 1 flash card reader at CostCo).
On a trip to Boston, MA
I've been interviewing for a medical fellowship position these last few months and have bought my cameras with me. I've had the S400 for about a week as this review is posted... so I bought the S230, S45, and the S400 up to Boston while I do a bit of sightseeing between interviews.
I took photos of the Cambridge area, the Northern docks, and of Fenway with all three cameras... and of close up and group photos with my friends in the area. The fastest camera to start up was the S400. In fairly close up photos and group photos in daylight or good lighting situations, there wasn't a discernable amount of difference between the three cameras especially after printing out the photos on a photo-quality inkjet printer. I noted differences in distance shooting (landscaping photos) and low light situations. Landscape shots of the Boston Harbor captured better details especially with objects in the far background with the S400 and S45. Distant shots of Fenway captured sharper details on the S400 and S45 as well. Nighttime shots were best captured on the S45... although not by a great deal over the S230 and S400. The range of manual controls were without a doubt better on the S45 and that allowed me to take better twilight landscape photos than the other two digital cameras. The surprise was that the S400 seemed the fastest to display the picture in the LCD after the shutter button is pressed and the continuous shot modes were also considerable faster to me than the S230 and S45.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 378
This Camera is a Good Choice if You Want Something... Easy Enough for Anyone to Use
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
yusakugo
|
 - Top 10 |
|
Member: Rich Go
Location: Somewhere in the NorthEast
Reviews written: 399
Trusted by: 497 members
About Me:
Losing Sleep and Lacking Time... sigh...
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.