Canon SD4000 IS brings S90 features to regular users
updated 10:40 am EDT, Tue May 11, 2010
Canon SD4000 IS has CMOS sensor, wide aperture
Canon today had a rare out-of-expo introduction for a new point-and-shoot, the PowerShot SD4000 IS. The 10-megapixel camera is relatively upscale and uses a back-illuminated CMOS sensor much like the well-known S90. It gets a slightly longer-ranged 3.8X lens but has a wide f2.0 aperture for capturing a large amount of light.
The camera's most uncommon software feature is its ability to shoot 240FPS high-speed video. It can otherwise shoot 720p HD videos and play them back using a mini HDMI connection. Canon has integrated its face- and scene detection technology but has added a new context trigger: subjects can snap a photo of themselves by winking at the camera, providing a more convenient alternative to a self-timer.
All is controlled through either the 3-inch touchscreen or a nearby touch-sensitive control wheel. High-speed shooting is better than usual for the class at 3.7FPS with full resolution, and gets to a faster-still 8.4FPS for those willing to shoot at a reduced 2.5 megapixels. The camera normally shoots at up to ISO 3,200 but with has an ISO 6,400 low-light mode.
The new digicam will be sold near the end of this month in silver, black, white and red for $350.
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Joined: Sep 2009
Check for edge blurriness
Although the S90 has sharp images from edge to edge (my brother owns one), the recent SD cameras I tried (SD1100, SD1200, SD 780) did not and had noticeable blurriness in the corners or towards the edges, so if this is important to you, make sure to test before you buy, and beware of places that charge a restocking fee in case you need to return it. The center of the images were good, I'm only talking about edges.
Places like Best Buy cover the SD card slot with a security device, but dedicated camera shops that keep cameras in a case do not, and might let you shoot with your own card so you can bring them home and check the image quality.