The Canon PowerShot SD4000 , the company ’s first compact with a back - lit CMOS sensor , achieves an elusive full stop - and - shoot tv camera effort : crisp , clean nighttime picture taking . And it ’s not even that expensive .
If you already own a DSLR , you likely do n’t think doubly about rupture shots in low - Christ Within conditions . But as most point - and - shoot camera owners can tell you , when the Sunday run down , shots from compact cameras tend to pick up racket and blur , fast . Some of the highest - conclusion point - and - shoots , like theCanon S90 , haverisen to the challengeand take over bigger image sensors for better humble - light guesswork . But , as high - end compendious cameras , they ’re expensive .
https://gizmodo.com/canon-s90-review-itll-never-leave-my-pocket-except-wh-5393112
The PowerShot SD4000 IS is designed and priced more for the masses , a $ 350 — not quite cheap but far from expensive — camera that shoots respectably in the nighttime .
The Skinny
The SD4000 is a nice looking , and nice spirit , photographic camera . It ’s scraggy and asymmetrical , and its narrowing edge make it an comfortable fit even in tiny pants .
While the sensor has been beefed up , the SD4000 ’s controls remain simple . The top has a shift for change mode and a shutter button ring by a zoom lever ; the back has a click wheel with a function button in the middle and two orotund buttons for entering the carte and playback way . On one hired hand it ’s nice that the well-favoured camera is n’t cluttered up by a bunch of immaterial buttons , but sometimes it finger like it takes one or two too many presses to get to a desired function .
The control do volunteer a wide selection of different mode and effects , like leaf mode for shooting plant , smart shutter mode for triggering snapshot when the subject smiles ( or , weirdly , when they wink ) , and a miniature effect for approximatingtilt - shift photography .
https://gizmodo.com/star-wars-tilt-shift-photos-convert-fanboys-into-their-5137585
To those who contemn cutesy shot modes , do n’t worry , the SD4000 still offers program , aperture , and shutter velocity modes .
But what makes the SD4000 a gem of a camera is that , even if you do n’t really care about any esoteric shooting musical mode , you may still just plunk it up and take peachy photograph . Especially at nighttime .
Night Moves
The SD4000 is the most advanced Digital ELPH to date , with a backlit 10 megapixel CMOS sensor and encompassing f/2.0 aperture . Sensors and apertures areeasy to find out about , but if you just require the Cliffs Notes version , an f/2.0 aperture fundamentally means that the light - allowing maw in the SD4000 can get a petty big than that of most compass point - and - shoots , while the backlit CMOS means that the image sensor grabbing brightness level through the aperture is wired from behind , close up less weak . On paper , all of this mean that the SD4000 should take clean , disturbance - spare low - light shot
https://gizmodo.com/giz-explains-what-everyone-should-know-about-cameras-5422004
And it does . Nighttime shots were impressive across the control panel , with the SD4000 kicking out some solid , grim - noise night shots that generally held their own with those of the reigning peak - and - shoot champ , the Canon S90 . Up to ISO 800 , shots showed very small racket . nip with ISO 1600 — and even in some case 3200 — still looked all right for the most part . Here ’s a point of a stroke from both the SD4000 and S90 at ISO 1600 .
One annoyance for more advanced photographers : the camera tend to swear on its wide F2 aperture in blue - light spot , and without a full manual mode that sometimes have in mind being stuck with a shallow deepness of field and a blurry background . But that ’s only a venial quibble , and many will like the issue ; overall , the new sensor and lens make an appreciable dispute for low - Christ Within shooting . The built - in visual image stabilization system ( that ’s the “ IS ” in the product ’s name ) helps counteract those wonky hands , and a maximal shutter speed of 16 seconds will facilitate you get that tenacious - vulnerability metropolis - street - with - trail - tail - lighting dead reckoning .
Here are some more low - light-headed video from the SD4000 :
The beefed up genus Lens and sensor also make for decent nighttime video — here ’s a 1280 x 720 , 30fps cartridge clip :
Daytime shooting is n’t shabby by any mean value , either , but it does n’t see as much as advance from the new sensing element as night shooting does — in oecumenical , the image tone of shots in bright environments is n’t too different from those of other cameras in its division , which is to say , pretty sound !
The Photography Bloghas a topnotch - elaborate breakdown of SD4000 tear quality in all scenarios , if you ’re so disposed .
High Speed
apart from the strong blue - brightness functioning , the PowerShot SD4000 brook out for its high speed shot — tear up to 8.4 frames per second in burst style ( though at a sub - cellphone 2.5 megapixels ) and shooting 240fps video in Super Slow Motion video mode ( albeit at a super crummy 320 x 240 resolve ) . Such videos do n’t take care great , but it ’s a sport feature article regardless , allowing you to do stuff like contain out what squirrel are actually up to or assemble a personal highlight reel that makes any lie down - up feeling several times more telling :
Too Low a Ceiling?
For a cursory photographer — someone who wants to have a camera on hand without constantly being remind they ’re carrying one around ; someone who ’s looking for higher calibre shots at nighttime without needing to take full control of their opus — the Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS is a not bad camera . But withCanon S90prices cringe lower toward the SD4000 ’s $ 350 price point , anthesis lensman look for a more amply - featured ( though less pocket-sized ) power point - and - shoot to grow into might be good off making that bound . If you ’re on the fence , here ’s a spry summation of some points to consider for each .
The Canon S90 might be better if …
• you want to get into photography and want to take great pictures
• you do n’t inevitably know how to habituate a full manual manner , but would care to know it ’s there
• video is a bonus , not a priority ( S90 only charge standard def )
• you think to bewilder your gunpoint - and - shoot in a grip or purse before a jeans pocket
The Canon SD4000 might be better if …
• you want to take great flick but are n’t too interested with how they get bully
• you ’re your grouping of friend ’ designated photo - taker when you go out at night
• you crave that HD TV distinction
• you wear a lot of Spandex
The SD4000 ’s backlit sensing element and promising aperture deliver great humiliated - luminosity shot .
Slim pattern and taper edge will make your pouch well-chosen .
Pared down forcible controls make some actions bare , others needlessly complex .
$ 350 Leontyne Price point puts it dangerously cheeseparing to more advanced decimal point - and - shoot .
CamerasCanonCmosreview
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