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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