The Hunt for the Best Ultra-Compact Camera

The Design: Canon PowerShot S410

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The front of the Canon PowerShot S410 houses its lens, which is capable of a 3x optical zoom of 36 - 108mm (35mm equivalent). The lens has a maximum aperture of f2.8 at wide angle and 4.9 at telephoto with a shutter speed range of 15 - 1/2000^th sec. When the power button is pressed, the built-in lens cover opens and the lens extends automatically. Directly above the lens is the multi-purpose AF-assist/Red-eye reduction/Self-timer lamp. To the left of this lamp is the viewfinder window. In the upper-right corner is the built-in flash with a working range of 1.5 - 11' in wide angle and 1.5 - 6.6' in telephoto.

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The LCD monitor on the S410 is 1.5" with approximately 118,000 pixels. Below the monitor are 4 control buttons: Set, Menu, Display, and Function. The Function button also serves as the "Single Image Erase" button. To the right is a 4-way controller. Each directional button serves one or more purposes in addition to navigating through the menus. The up arrow selects the metering mode, while the down arrow changes the drive mode from Single to Continuous or Self-timer. The left arrow chooses between Macro and Infinity while the right arrow selects the flash mode from the following options: Auto, Auto w/Red-eye reduction, Flash on, Flash off, and Slow synchro. Just to the right of these arrow buttons is the Print/Share button.

Above the LCD monitor are the Mode Dial, two indicator lamps, and the viewfinder. On the right side is the Mode Switch that toggles the camera between Play and Record mode. Just below the Mode Switch is the release switch for the spring-action CompactFlash door.

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The speaker and microphone are located on the left side here. To the right is the camera's main power button. Just above the power button is an indicator lamp that stays lit whenever the camera is on. On the far right is the shutter button. Surrounding the shutter button is the Zoom lever that controls the cameras zoom capability in record mode as well as the magnification of images in playback mode.

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Click to enlarge.

To open the battery compartment on the S410, you simply slide the hinged door and pull it back. The rechargeable Li-ion battery that comes with the camera is the NB-1LH 3.7 840mAh. We should also mention that there is a movable rubber tab on the sliding door that allows the optional AC adaptor to be used. To the right is a metal tripod mount.

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Click to enlarge.

On the right side is the spring-action door that reveals the slot for Type I CompactFlash cards. There is also a post for the wrist strap.

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Click to enlarge.

Here, we have a rubber tab that covers the A/V-out and USB ports.

Overall, the S410 has a fairly impressive build. Although it seems a bit heavy for its size at 7.9 oz., the weight along with its metallic casing make it feel quite sturdy.