Canon PowerShot S400 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom
by Canon

List Price: $449.99
Our Price: $54.99
You Save: $395.00 (88%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: Digital Camera
See more product details

Digital Photo Product Details

• 4.0 megapixel sensor captures enough detail to create photo-quality prints up to 11 x 14
• 3x optical zoom and 3.6x digital zoom (10.8x total)
• Stainless steel shell; up to 3 minutes of video with sound
• Compatible with CompactFlash Type I cards; 32 MB card included
• Powered by rechargeable lithium-ion battery (NB-1LH ); connects to PCs and Macs via USB 1.1

• AmazonBasics IEEE 1394 4-Pin/6-Pin FireWire Cable (6 Feet/1.8 Meters)
• AmazonBasics USB 2.0 A-Male to B-Male Cable (6 Feet / 1.8 Meters)
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 [Old Version]
• Adobe Photoshop CS5 Upgrade [Old Version]
• AmazonBasics SDHC Class 4 32GB Secure Digital Card

Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon PowerShot S400 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

Customer Review: MAJOR PROBLEMS WITH SKIN TONES AND FLASH
Summary: 2 Stars

The only advantages the Canon S400 has over the Sony P10 are as follows:
1. Flash is more centered over lens of camera to avoid "shadow" effect
2. Compactflash memory is cheaper
3. Double sided memory sticks are "bad"
4. The S400 has 9 points of autofocus, compared to the P10's 3

Yes, I know the flash on the Sony is not centered over the lens, thus in theory it would cast shadows over the subject, BUT in practice, THIS HARDLY MAKES A DIFFERENCE. For the most part, I have not even noticed that this was possible, but in those small instances if I payed extremely close attention, I could notice that something small and insignificant placed in a very specific way in front of the subject was casting a slight shadow on the subject in like 1 in 100 of the night pictures I take.

This is FAR outweighed by the fact that Canon's in general, and this PARTICULAR Canon, has THE WORST lighting problems I have ever seen. SKIN TONES, COMPLETELY wrong. Canon has a history of problems with underexposing color tones and this camera is no different. Using TWO different A400's, the skin tones of people in the pictures often comes out terrible. People's skin often comes out EXTRAORDINARILY yellow and fuzzy. I am not sure what causes this problem, but this ALONE renders the camera completely useless in mild light conditions. Go develop some night pictures off the A400 before you buy it and you'll see what I'm talking about. The skin tones come out all wrong and it is obvious to almost everybody. Especially if you are Asian! They're not THAT yellow! Compare the pictures side by side to the Sony P10 and I guarantee you can tell.

First of all, compactflash memory is only cheaper than memory sticks if you don't know how to shop. Sure, if you buy a Viking Compactflash card then it'll be cheaper, but then again you shouldn't be doing that anyways since Viking makes dangerously terrible cards. Furthermore, if you shop on amazon.com, you can buy a 256MB SONY brand memory stick for practically the same price as a reputable maker of a CF card!

I agree, that memory stick pros are not that great since they have that really odd copyright protection, but if you plan to only put pictures on this card, then that should not even be an issue. Also, people have complained about the "double-sided" memory sticks and how inconvenient they are. Both me and my dad have one and we actually think it's better than a conventional 256MB stick. First of all, if you have an MP3 player then it would be nice to keep MP3's on one side of the card and pictures on the other. You don't want to mix the two, and it's a great way of dividing it. Why would you not want to mix the two? Say you wanted to format the card to delete all your pictures so that you can take a whole new round of pictures. If you had a 256MB compactflash, you would delete all your MP3's as well, or you would have to delete each of your 100 pictures one by one.
With the double sided stick, you can just delete one side at a time, leaving all your MP3's. The same holds true if you are just taking only pictures as well. If you want to keep some pictures or movies on your card for a presentation or demonstration on a TV, then you can keep those pictures on one side of the card, and then continue formatting and taking pictures on the other side freely. And when you do have to switch the sides, it really isn't annoying at all. You just take out the card and move one button. This is far easier than tying your shoes. So one reviewer named tmchow complained on switching sides to the memory stick that it was "Far too much hassle for me.. sounds easy in theory, but in real life, you will hate it"
He must wear velcro shoes or something, because if you can do simple things like tie your shoes, SURELY you can press one button, really it's not hard at all.

And WHY on EARTH would a non-professional photographer need NINE points of autofocus?!? That would mean you would like to focus on an object NOT in the center of the picture and leave everything else blurry. So this spectacular feature would come in handy in the following situation, you are taking a picture of two people at a restaurant but you would like to focus on the salt shaker, but leave the two people fuzzy. USELESS. So basically if you would ever like to focus on something completely outside the center of the picture but leave the remaining 90% of the picture fuzzy, buy this Canon for the wonderful autofocus flexibility.

So let's look at why the Sony P10 is clearly better:
1. I like people's skin to look like how it does in real life.
that ALONE should be enough, but let's carry on
2. Sony P10 is 5 megapixel
3. 20% longer battery life, VERY important in digital photography
4. Takes great pictures in the dark, and even has a solid night mode

Some people get completely lost in megapixels and think that more megapixels is better and forget the rest of the camera. Not true, megapixels only matter if you are blowing up your pictures to uncommon and extravagant sizes like 20 X 30. In this case, the Sony P10 takes far better night pictures as well as having more megapixels. But if you really insist on messing up everyone's skin tones, go right ahead and buy this camera.

People keep talking about how compact the A400 is. Well, in my experience, pants pockets generally are rectangular, not square. Making the Sony P10 a far better fit when it comes to a conventional pocket.

Overall, Canon cameras are completely overrated by all those blind Canon lovers. Don't be biased!

Description of Canon PowerShot S400 4MP Digital Camera w/ 3x Optical Zoom

The camera is very small indeed--smaller than earlier PowerShot models, and is easily pocket sized. There is what at first might seem a bewildering array of buttons around the casing, but in fact these provide excellent one-button-press access to most of the most used features, such as the 3x optical zoom which goes up to 11x when combined with digital zoom features, the macro mode, settings for the flash and self timer. For more advanced features like changing the shutter speed, which it is great to be able to do on a digital camera; you do need to delve into the LED a little further, though.

Images are stored on CompactFlash card--the largest image can be a couple of MB in size so you'll need to think big when it comes to CF card size with this camera. The battery is removable, and a spare to carry in the pocket might be a good idea.

Canon supplies a range of desktop software for viewing, editing and making use of your digital images. As with previous PowerShot cameras, one of the tools works with the Stitch Assist mode on the camera itself in the production of panorama shots. Digital cameras get more advanced all the time, but we dare to say that the PowerShot S400 is probably the best pocket sized digital camera we've seen. --Sandra Vogel, Amazon.co.uk

Optics and Resolution
Featuring a 4.0-megapixel CCD sensor, the PowerShot S400 delivers a wide range of detail and color (with images up to 2,272 x 1,704 pixels) and prints beyond 11 by 14 inches. Canon's high-quality 3x optical zoom lens (36-108mm, f/2.8-4.9) allows you to close in on the action, while the 3.6x digital zoom allows for a combined 10.8x zoom letting you capture intimate details that might have been missed with another camera.

The PowerShot S400 also features Canon's nine-point AiAF (Artificial intelligence Auto Focus) system for focusing accuracy, shutter speeds of 15 to 1/2,000 second, and fast sequence shooting at a rate of 2.5 frames per second (fps).

Movie Mode
Shoot up to three minutes of MPEG video at resolutions up to 320 x 240 pixels with sound, editing controls, and VCR-like playback. The movies aren't camcorder quality, but they're fun and convenient, and they're perfect as e-mail attachments. The camera can also attach voice memos or sound files of up to 60 seconds to each image.

More Features
You can select from evaluative, center-weighted, and spot-metering modes depending on the subject matter, and can even choose to set shutter speeds and apertures manually. An ISO range of 50 to 400 ensures practical shutter speeds in a wide variety of lighting situations, while a multifunctional, built-in flash offers a maximum reach of 3.5 meters in Auto ISO mode.

Canon's DIGIC (DIGital Imaging Core) processor ensures excellent color rendition and white balance for every shot, as well as super-fast auto focusing, noise-free imaging, and advanced flash exposure performance.

• 1.5-inch TFT (transreflective) LCD monitor.
• Built-in flash with auto, on, off, manual, slow-synch, and red-eye reduction modes.
• Shot modes include manual, auto, and stitch assist.
• White balance modes include daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, and more.
• Histogram display for checking exposure and contrast levels in images stored on the memory card.
• Built-in orientation sensor automatically rotates portrait pictures, and these images remain rotated when downloaded, saving time during in-computer image processing.

Storage and Transfer
Images and video are stored on CompactFlash memory cards (Type I only) and the included 32 MB card holds approximately 27 images at the Large/Fine setting. Files can be downloaded to either a Mac or PC via USB connectivity, which means it can be connected to any USB-based Windows 98/Me/2000/XP and Mac OS 8.6 or later computer without installing any software.

Printing
Canon has introduced a series of printers designed to work directly with its lineup of digital cameras. Using these printers, no computer is required--simply connect the camera to the printer and start printing. Printers include Canon's bubble jet direct printers S830D and S530D, and card photo printer CP-100. Of course, photos from your camera can also be printed on any home computer system with an inkjet printer, sent off for online processing, or simply enjoyed on your computer screen.

Power, Size, and Contents
The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery NB-1LH (included). It measures 3.4 by 2.2 by 1.1 inches and weighs 6.5 ounces (without battery). This package includes the PowerShot S400 digital camera, 32 MB CompactFlash card, battery and battery charger (CB-2LS), USB and AV cables, wrist strap, and ArcSoft Camera Suite CD-ROM and USB drivers for Windows and Mac.

Digital Cameras

• Camera & Photo > Digital Cameras