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

I bought the S-400 to upgrade from the S-200 that I have been using since it was made available. I love the S-200, as it is both durable and handy. It has also become a great value with recent price reductions. On the other hand, I wanted to get the most recent tech advances in the smallest package, so the S-400 was the clear choice.Here are my initial impressions, and some of the improvements / differences between the 200 and the 400. First of all, Canon has paid close attention to the nits and picks of users of the earlier cameras in the ELPH line. Aside from the addition of cutting edge developments, there have been subtle changes that greatly increase it's ease of use. This is an incredible camera built into a compressed case. Except for being ever so slightly thicker than the S-200, it is the same cigarette pack size.It has a 4 mega pixel sensor, and it is quick and accurate. Color saturation and contrast are outstanding. The lens is very sharp from edge to edge (I tested at various light levels from macro mode (1.5") to infinity focus, and it consistantly produced remarkably fine images). 8x10 prints are outstanding. Period. At long shutter speeds (up to 15 sec), the sensor is remarkably free from "noise". In fact, it does better than many SLR style digicams in all areas of picture quality.The 3x optical zoom is a welcome addition. Now you can take a proper head an shoulders portrait without invoking the relatively lossy digital zoom, or suffering from the effects of distorted facial features caused by getting too close with a too short lens. When you need it though, the digital zoom offers up to 11x total zoom power, and returns pretty good results as digital zooms go. The 400 retains the special effects lineup of the 200, and they work very well. The tonal range of the black & white option is a real treat. The final result isn't exactly Panatomic X quality, but it is really good, and your darkroom for artistic dodging and burning is contained entirely on your hard drive.The case is still steel, but has a ceramic coating that is supposed to be even more scratch resistant. It is also much "whiter", and offers MUCH better contrast when you read the various control labels. While the contols are similar, they are also marked with larger and bolder lettering. All in all, a big improvrment. The michrophone was moved from the front to the top of the case. I think the front makes more sense, but it works very well on top. Canon also included a tiny (but effective) speaker in the 400. You can now select or create sounds for all camera functions (even a "real" shutter sound), as well as make voice notes for each photo taken if desired. Most sound functions are individualy adjustable for volume, and several sound "themes" are included. Techno-tinkerers might enjoy customizing the photo displayed upon startup. Movie preview also has sound now.On the subject of movies, the 400 makes a little tradeoff. The max resolution is no longer 640x480, it is 320x240 (which is fast becoming standard for movies from still cameras). On the other hand, it is not limited to 10 seconds anymore. You can now make clips up to 3 minutes each. Computer playback looks very good. TV playback isn't bad at all. As a pocket sized way to film Junior taking his first bike ride without training wheels, it can't be beat.The shutter button and zoom ring are a little larger, and now feel just right. The 400 has also incorporated the mode selector wheel used on other high end Canon cameras. This is long overdue, as it makes using all of the many features and modes a real joy.Red eye appears to be better than before, but I don't expect much from such a close coupled flash / lens combo, and who really cares, as it is corrected with a click of the mouse before you print a photo. A few MAJOR improvements are the 9 zone Ai AF, and new (yellow) focus assist. If you were not careful, the 200 could return slightly out of focus shots, and in low light, the focus assist sometimes didn't. That has been fixed. The 9 zone intelligent AF really does an amazing job, and the new focus assist achieves lock under a much wider range of difficulty than the old system.The built in flash has a generous range for a tiny camera, and the coverage is very even. Shooting a blank wall within the range of the flash shows no "hot spots". The metering options are still program, center weighted, or spot, but the program mode seems to have been given a big boost. The 200 does very well, but the 400 is on par with the SLR class for getting it right the first time.Exposure bracketing is +/- 2 EV, slow synchro flash is still there to boost background brightness when needed, the panoramic stitch mode is still a treat, and, in general, this is nothing less than a James Bond version of a full featured, top quality 4+ megapixel digital camera. The only tradeoff is that a full sized camera with similar features might offer a larger lens aperture. That can extend your non flash low light level by an F stop or so, but it does no good if the camera is sitting at home, rather than in your pocket. If it is in your budget, get this camera. Not only will you take more quality pictures over time, but you won't be burdened by feeling like a conspicuous tourist while doing it.One last note. Buy a high speed (24x) 256 meg memory card. The speed alows for quicker second shots (the 400 can do 2.5 FPS in continuous mode), and the 256 meg size gives you a full 128 shots at the highest resolution, many hundreds of pics at the low res setting.

I received this camera for Christmas back in 2003, shortly after it came out. I loved it, great size, great pictures, overall good camera......UNTIL a week ago. I to received the dreaded "memory card error" message that many, many other Canon Camera owners have received.And alas, there is nothing I can do but sit my newly broken camera on the shelf and cry away the $300.00 dollars I wasted on this 'so called' high end camera.I would wish to see it fixed but Canon does not seem to care, nor believe, that this is a serious problem and will not cover fixing it unless I fork over $150.00....that money I do believe I will be saving towards a new NON-Canon camera.I was a Canon fan tried and true, and swore by no other until this mishap occured. Their poor, poor customer service (they said the camera stopped working because of a user error....I seriously beg to differ!) has descreased Canon to the new scum of the camera industry in my eyes. I do not see how a camera, who user after user has claimed to break after exactly 18 to 20 months of use, can be a good buy.If you are considering this camera, or any other camera by Canon, PLEASE do some more looking, read more reviews, ask professionals their opions and seriously consider a different camera!!!!!!

I bought this camera last year after my beloved S100 died after two years of faithful service. The S100 was a prime example of how more megapixels does not equal better quality photos. I took some panoramas while skiing in Banff. One I blew up to 11x14 and it's simply breathtaking, always commented on by people who see it in my apartment. And that was with a 2MP camera. The S400 is similar to its predecessors, except for the higher resolution and 9 point autofocus & DIGIC processor.For well-lit situations, this camera simply can't be beat. You can also use the photo-stitch feature to take huge panoramas. Enough can't be said about the fact that this camera is truly portable. It's only a little more obtrusive than a cell phone sitting in your pocket, and it's right there for you if you ever need to capture a moment, either with a still shot or video (which is surprisingly high quality). The battery is great - easily lasts a day of shooting photos - just recharge overnight and you're good to go. It uses CF cards, which can be had dirt cheap these days, and work with almost any adaptor. (This comes in handy if, say, you run out of room while on vacation and need to download to a CD - most internet cafe's will have a CF-cardreader, while the same cannot be said of, say, a memory stick.)Drawbacks of this model are:(1) Slow response time between pressing the shutter button and taking the picture. It's hard to capture those moments that require split-second response (baby smiling, etc.) unless you use continuous shooting. To be fair, this is a drawback of nearly any consumer-level digital cam.(2) Poor performance in low light. For some reason, pictures tend to get grainy when taken in low light. This can often be made up for using photo editing software, and I've gotten big compliments on wedding photos I've taken in very dark settings. However, the graininess comes out even in outdoor/cloudy situations. A drawback.Some things I've figured out after using this camera for awhile:(1) You don't have to use the (included) TV adaptor to watch your photos on TV. All you need is a stereo headphone jack to RCA cable adaptor, available at any Radio Shack. Using this solution allows you to show/browse your photos on TV while sitting farther away. Video goes to the red/right channel, audio goes to the white/left channel.(2) Battery charges very quickly.(3) Included photo software is the best of any I've seen yet at getting out red-eye. On Macs, is OSX-native. Pics are easily imported into iPhoto. Use GraphicConverter for manipulating contrast/brightness/quality/etc.All in all, this is a great camera. You won't be disappointed.