Canon PowerShot SD40 (Digital IXUS i7 / IXY Digital L4)

Opinion: The I7 is a very small device about the size of a cell phone. The body is well designed and makes a fashion statement. But as a technical device I find this camera very poor.

The image quality of this camera is a joke. It is noisy and seems to have a built in 'van Gogh filter' that makes things with small regular patterns like trees and bushes look like brush strokes. In low light is is almost unusable. I tried ISO 1600 and 800 but even after viewing on the 1.8" display I could tell that this just doesn't work. A total failure. 7 Million pixels for almost nothing.

A cradle must be used to load the battery and to connect via USB to the computer. You alway have to take this thing with you when travelling. Why didn't they just build in a mini USB interface in the camera?

This camera is very slow. It takes several seconds to shoot when Autofocus and flash are on. If you set everything to automatic mode and wait 2.5 seconds for the shutter you will still very often get images that are not sharp. I thought 4 years ago that the time of such slow cameras is already over.

Sine the SD40/I7 doesn't have a viewfinder the small screen with it's limited viewing angle is not easy to use. That was not unexpected though from a camera of this size.

The remote control is the most ridiculous item i've ever seen. It can't be used to shoot and it only works when the camera is in that cradle which looks like a small bathtub. Then you can't use it for much more than to move forward and backward in play mode.

The VGA resolution video mode is one thing I liked about this camera. I could take some videos of good quality.
You can't use this camera for much more than a cell phone camera - with huge file size. I wonder how Canon could anyone expect to use this product without getting angry. Even my 7 year old Powershot A5 without zoom is more fun than this.

Opinion: I tried out the SD40, like many reviews I read after purchasing this camera, it is quite obvious that this camera is best used outdoors and in good light. Flash shots are just to noisy. Outside pics are very good for such a small camera.

Opinion: Fantastic size, it goes everywhere with me and i'm yet to miss a photo just because I couldn't be bothered lugging my big camera - my i7 is always in my pocket! Face detection works a treat. Screen isn't big but nice and bright and its as big as will fit on such a small camera.

Opinion: The camera is really pretty to look at. The camera is solid and small, fits easily into a pocket or even a small purse. Allthouh you will need to bring the cradle with you if you think you will have to load the battery. The remote is also nice, but you cant use it take pictures. There is no viewfinder, but the screen is good. And there are a lot of programs that you can use to take very creative and interesting pictures. The camerea also takes pictures in 16:9 format, thats a nice feature if you like to see your pictures on a widescreen tv. The image quality on the other hand is a real let down. Outdoor pictures are not bad, but indoor pictures are too poor. If its a bit dark inside, well then just forget it. You would think that canon knows better.

If you are looking for a camera that you can take with you any where you go, and are going to do most of the shoting outdoors, well then this camera is ok.