Announced in February 2005, the SD400 (which goes by the names of Digital IXUS 50 in Europe and IXY DIGITAL 55 in Japan) is the latest in a long line of ultra-compact 'ELPH' or 'IXUS' cameras stretching back to early 2000 (and a lot farther back than that in the film camera world). Like the SD300 before it, the SD400 incorporates two UA (Ultra-high Refractive Index Glass Molded (GMo) Aspherical lens) elements which has allowed Canon to produced its smallest cameras yet to feature a 3x zoom. It may be smaller than a credit card, but Canon has still managed to cram a fairly comprehensive range of features into the SD400;
- 5.0 megapixel CCD
- 2.0-inch color TFT monitor
- 35-105mm (equiv.) F2.8 - 4.9, 3x optical zoom
- 640 x 480 movies at 30fps
- Print/Share button
- Fast Frame Rate movies (320x240 pixels @ 60fps)
- 'My Colors' feature
- Six special scene modes
- Custom white balance
- Spot, center-weighted and evaluative metering
- DIGIC II processor & iSAPS
- 9-point AiAF
Side by Side
Here for comparison is the SD400 (center) alongside the 7 megapixel SD500 (IXUS 700) and Fujifilm's new ultra-slim compact, the Z1.
Canon PowerShot SD400/Ixus 50 Key specifications
Street price | US: $370 UK: £230 |
---|---|
Body Material | Metal |
Sensor | 1/2.5" CCD, 5.3 million total pixels 5.0 million effective pixels |
Image sizes | 2592 x 1944 |
Movie clips | 640 x 480 pixels @ 30fps or 15fps (clip length limited by card capacity) 320 x 240 pixels @ 30fps or 15fps (clip length limited by card capacity) 320 x 240 pixels @ 60fps (max clip 1 minute) 160 x 120 pixels @ 15fps (max clip 3 minutes) Motion JPEG (.avi) Mono sound (.wav) |
Lens | 35 - 105mm equiv. (3x digital zoom) |
Focus | TTL autofocus 9-point AiAF 1-point AF (fixed to center) 3cm macro mode (Wide), 30cm (Tele) |
Shooting mode | • Auto |
Sensitivity | Auto ISO 50,100,200,400 |
Shutter speed | 15 - 1/1500 sec Slow shutter speeds of 1.3 seconds or slower operate with noise reduction |
White Balance | Auto Daylight Cloudy Tungsten Fluorescent Fluorescent H Custom |
Image parameters | Picture Adjust (Vivid, Neutral) Sharpness (low or normal) Color effects (Sepia, Black and White) My Colors |
Continuous | 2.1 fps approx |
Flash | Built-in flash Auto, on, off, slow-synchro, Red-eye reduction: on/off Range (normal, ISO auto): W: 0.5m - 3.5m (1.6 - 11.5 ft) T:0.5m - 2.0m (1.6 - 6.6 ft). Range (macro, ISO auto): 30 - 50cm (1.0 - 1.6 ft) |
Storage | SD Memory Card 16MB SD supplied* |
Viewfinder | Real Image Optical |
LCD monitor | 2.0" TFT LCD 118,000 pixels |
Connectivity | USB 2.0 High Speed A/V out DC-in |
Power | Rechargeable Lithium Ion battery (NB-4L) (Optional AC adapter) |
In the box* | Canon PowerShot SD400 Digital ELPH (IXUS 50) |
Other features | Spot (center), Center-weighted & Evaluative metering |
Weight (inc batt) | 130 g (4.6 oz) |
Dimensions | 86 x 53 x 20.7mm (3.4 x 2.1 x 0.82in) Excluding protrusions |
* Supplied accessories may differ in each country or area
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