Compared to... (contd.)

Here we will use our standard color and resolution charts to compare PowerShot S400 to the Canon PowerShot G3, Nikon Coolpix 4500 and Sony DSC-S85.

Colour Chart Comparison

Colour charts are shot in daylight, Auto White Balance, EV compensation +0.3 (all cameras), measured light ~10 EV. This test is also dependent on the accuracy of the camera's auto white balance, the colour charts are shot in daylight but some camera's white balance is better than others. All cameras are given 20 seconds to "settle" before the shot is taken.

Canon PowerShot S400	Canon PowerShot G3
Nikon Coolpix 4500	Sony DSC-S85

In the table below we're only measuring colour. The RGB values were measured from a VGA reduced image (to average colors, remove noise and eliminate JPEG artifacts) using the Eyedropper tool in Photoshop with a 5 by 5 Average Sample Size.

As expected the S400's color reproduction was virtually identical to the PowerShot G3, the only differences are in a slightly different metered exposure and moderately 'purer' green color. Compared to the Nikon and the Sony the S400's colors are brighter and seemingly more balanced.

Resolution Comparison

Shots here are of the PIMA/ISO 12233 standard resolution test chart (more of which are available in our comparison database). This resolution chart allows us to measure the actual performance of the lens and sensor system. It measures the ability of the camera to resolve lines at gradually higher resolutions and enables us to provide a definitive value for comparison purposes. Values on the chart are 1/100^th lines per picture height. So a value of 8 equates to 800 lines per picture height.

Studio light, cameras set to auto, all settings factory default. Exposure compensation +0.7 EV for all cameras (to compensate for the white background). Click on the camera name below the crops to download the full resolution chart (large JPEG's).

Horizontal resolution	Vertical resolution	5 degree diagonal res.
Canon PowerShot S400 (1,384 KB)
Canon PowerShot G3 (1,458 KB)
Nikon Coolpix 4500 (1,327 KB)
Sony DSC-S85 (1,594 KB)

Measurable findings (three measurements taken for each camera)

Definition of terms

The S400 performed very well, delivering the same resolution as its big brother the PowerShot G3. The only difference between the two in resolution performance is nearer to the edges of the frame where the G3 will be sharper. This places the S400 at the top of its class of camera.