An In-Depth Look at 4 Ultra-compact Digicams
by Stephen Caston on July 18, 2005 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Specifications
| Canon PowerShot SD400 | Nikon Coolpix S1 | Olympus IR-300 | Sony DSC-T33 | |
| Release Date | February 2005 | March 2005 | February 2005 | January 2005 |
| Price | $355 | $330 | $304 | $335 |
| Pixel Count | 5.0 Million | 5.1 Million | 5.0 Million | 5.0 Million |
| Camera Type | Ultra-compact | Ultra-compact | Ultra-compact | Ultra-compact |
| Highest Resolution | 2592x1944 | 2592x1944 | 2560x1920 | 2592x1944 |
| Lower Resolutions | 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 640x480 | 2048x1536, 1024x768, 640x480 | 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 1024x768, 640x480 | 2048x1536, 1280x960, 640x480 |
| Sensor Type | CCD | CCD | CCD | CCD |
| Sensor Size | 1/2.5" | 1/2.5" | 1/2.5" | 1/2.4" |
| LCD Screen Size | 2.0" | 2.5" | 2.0" | 2.5" |
| Optical Zoom | 3x, 35 - 105mm equivalent | 3x, 35 - 105mm equivalent | 3x, 38 - 114mm equivalent | 3x, 38 - 114mm equivalent |
| Focus Range | 11.8" - Infinity | 11.8" - Infinity | W: 11.8" - Infinity; T: 24" - Infinity | 19.7" |
| Macro | W: 1.2 - 19.7"; T: 11.8 - 19.7" | 1.6" - Infinity | W: 4 - 11.8"; T: 20 - 24" | 8" |
| Digital Zoom | 4x | 4x | 4x | 4x |
| Lens Thread | No | No | No | No |
| Auto Focus | Yes, TTL | Yes, Contrast-detection TTL | Yes, Contrast-detection TTL | Yes, TTL |
| AF-assist Lamp | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Manual Focus | No | No | No | Yes, 5 preset distances |
| Lens Aperture | f/2.8 - f/4.9 | f/3.0 - f/5.4 | f/3.3 - f/6.6 | f/3.5 - f/4.4 |
| Shutter Speeds | 15 - 1/1500th sec. | 2 - 1/350th sec. | 4 - 1/2000th sec. | 1 - 1/1000th sec. |
| ISO | Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400 | Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400 | Auto | Auto, 100, 200, 400 |
| Flash | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in | Built-in |
| Flash Range | W: 1.6 - 11.5'; T: 1.6 - 6.6' | W: 1 - 8.2'; T: 1 - 4.6' | 1 - 8.5' | W: 0.3 - 5.2'; T: 1.6 - 4.9' |
| Flash Compensation | None | None | None | None |
| Exposure Compensation | +/- 2 stops in 1/3 EV increments | +/- 2 stops in 1/3 EV increments | +/- 2 stops in 1/2 EV increments | +/- 2 stops in 1/3 EV increments |
| White Balance | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Manual | Auto, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Speedlight, Custom | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent | Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash |
| Bracketing | None | None | None | 3 frames; 0.3, 0.7, 1.0 |
| Metering | Evaluative, Center-weighted, Spot | Multi-pattern (256 segment) | Digital ESP, Spot | Multi-pattern, Spot |
| Color Space | sRGB | sRGB | sRGB | sRGB |
| Aperture Priority | No | No | No | No |
| Shutter Speed Priority | No | No | No | No |
| Manual Exposure | No | No | No | No |
| Continuous Drive | 2.1 fps | 1.6 fps | 1.3 fps | 1.35 fps |
| Self-Timer | Yes, 10, 2 sec. | Yes, 10 sec. | Yes, 10 sec. | Yes, 10 sec. |
| Storage Method | SD | SD, Internal | xD Picture Card, Internal | Memory Stick Duo/Pro |
| Storage Included | 16 MB SD card | 12 MB Internal | 15 MB Internal | 32 MB Memory Stick Duo |
| Compressed Format | JPG | JPG | JPG | JPG |
| Uncompressed Format | None | None | None | None |
| Quality Settings | Superfine, Fine, Normal | High, Normal (only for 5M) | None | Fine, Standard |
| Video clips | 640x480 or 320x240 (15 or 30 fps, unlimited), 320x240 60 fps up to 1 min.), 160x120 (15 fps, up to 3 min.), w/sound, AVI (M-JPEG) | 640x480, 320x240, 160x120, 15 fps, Time-lapse, QuickTime MOV, unlimited duration | 320x240, 160x120, 15 fps, QuickTime MOV, unlimited duration | 640x480, Fine (30fps), Standard (16 fps), 160x112 (8 fps), w/sound, MPEG VX, unlimited duration |
| Battery Type | NB-4L Lithium Ion (3.7V 760mAh) | EN-EL8 Lithium Ion (3.7V 730mAh) | LI-40B Lithium Ion (3.7V 660mAh) | NP-FT1 Lithium Ion (3.7V 680mAh) |
| Charger Included | Yes, 1.5 hours | Yes | Yes, 2 hours | Yes, 2.5 hours |
| PC Interface | USB | USB | USB | USB |
| TV-out | Yes | Yes (on dock) | Yes (on dock) | Yes (on dock) |
| Tripod Mount | Yes, metal | Yes, plastic | Yes, metal | Yes, metal |
| Weight (w/ battery or card) | 4.59 oz. | 4.2 oz. | 4.0 oz. | 5.3 oz. |
| Dimensions | 86 x 53 x 20.7mm | 90 x 57.5 x 19.7mm | 99 x 53 x 22mm | 99 x 70 x 20.7mm |
| Included in the Box | |||
| Canon PowerShot SD400 | Nikon Coolpix S1 | Olympus IR-300 | Sony DSC-T33 |
| - Canon SD400 camera - 16 MB SD card - Li-ion rechargeable battery - Battery charger - USB cable - A/V cable - Wrist strap - Canon Software CD - User's Guide |
- Nikon Coolpix S1 camera - Li-ion rechargeable battery - AC adapter - Cool-Station Cradle - USB cable - A/V cable - Wrist strap - Picture Project software CD - User's Guide |
- Olympus IR-300 camera - Li-ion rechargeable battery - AC adapter - Cradle - USB cable - A/V cable - Wrist strap - Software CD w/User's Guide |
- Sony DSC-T33 camera - 32 MB Memory Stick Duo - Li-ion rechargeable battery - AC adapter - Cyber-shot Station cradle - USB cable - A/V cable - Wrist strap - Tripod mount adapter - Memory Stick Duo adapter - Software CD - User's Guide |
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35 Comments
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R3MF - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
< owns a panasonic fx8, and loves it.sciwizam - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
Nice, I just ordered a SD400 yesterday!bigpow - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
Panasonic FX7 >> Canon SD400 & it's cheaperFricardo - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
Heh. Just a day or two after I asked for an SD400 review you guys come up with this. Thanks.astralusion - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
excellent review...i'd been waiting for a full sd400 review, also just wanted to say that your selection of Duke for your sample pictures was an excellent choice.UNCjigga - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
As a long-time Canon customer, no surprise here. Right now, Canon makes the best consumer-level digicams period. Sony may be close to catching up, and Nikon may have been the shizznit a few years ago, but right now Canon has a considerable lead.I really want to get the SD400...but I'm wondering if I should hold out for a newer Canon with wifi.
Johnmcl7 - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
I've been really impressed with Canon's pocket cameras, I bought their Ixus 500 (the European version of the SD500 I think) as I wanted a camera I could keep in my pocket and have with me all the time, as much as I like my big Fuji it's simply to o big to carry over my shoulder all the time. It's great it takes CF cards, so it can share with the Fuji plus it doesn't leave me regretting too much that I didn't take the Fuji.The build quality does feel good but it's really let me down recently, there's a little bit of plastic which broke on the door which holds the memory card door shut, so the camera has had to go back for repair - really missed having it to hand while out at the weekend, looking forward to getting it back.
John
blwest - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
#4 both of those cameras suck more than the Olympus and would thus be a waste of time to review. A piece of %$@#$ is a piece of @#$#@.cheesus - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
I agree -- great review. However, I was a bit disappointed to see that the Panasonic FX-7 was left out of the review. It's a similarly-priced 5MP ultracompact that has some of the best resolution and color reproduction I've seen. Also comes with optical image stabilization, which i can't say for the other cameras here. I understand that you can't review every ultracompact, but I think the FX-7 beats the SD400 in terms of image quality any day.Larso - Monday, July 18, 2005 - link
Yes, great review. But it fails to recognize one weakness with the Canon SD400, that sharpness is lacking in the corners of the image (at wideangle).I decided to buy the camera anyway because of its excellent performance and nice case, and I'm extremely happy with it!