Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS Review

The tiny cameras that fall under the category of “style-oriented” are the ones that makeup Canon’s SD/IXUS line. As the rest of the market has splintered into an infinite number of niches, the range has expanded to meet an ever-widening variety of requirements. As a result, the Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS is now at the top of the lineup because of its 3.8x wide-angle zoom and aperture and shutter priority settings, even though it is fundamentally a point-and-shoot camera.

In addition, the Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS the first member of its family to be built on a back-lit CMOS sensor, which enables multiple different high-speed modes and offers increased low-light performance.

The low-key appearance of the Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS betrays the reality that it is a very well-specified tiny camera despite its size. It also has a lens that starts at a 28mm equivalent F2.0, which is impressive even though it ends at a somewhat less noteworthy F5.3 at the 105mm equal end of its zoom range. In addition to the relative novelty of a back-lit CMOS sensor, it also has a lens that starts at a 28mm equivalent F2.0.

Because the promises made for the low-light capability of these sensors (which gather Light from what would be the back of a conventional CMOS design and thus remove all the support circuitry from the light path), in our experience, they are not always apparent in comparison to some of the most modern CCD designs, we are curious to see the effect of using a back-side illuminated CMOS sensor in the SD4000 IS. This is because, in our experience, the promises made for the low-light capability of these sensors (which gather Light.

However, the SD4000 IS uses the CMOS sensor’s faster readout compared to the CCD sensor. It does this by offering 720p HD video, 3.7fps continuous shooting at full resolution, 8.4fps images with reduced resolution, and even 240fps movies that are played back at 30fps to give the appearance of slow motion. As a result, the Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS the most advanced model in the company’s modern small cameras. It has various shooting modes, including fisheye and tiny (mock tilt/shift) modes.

The Key Features of the Canon SD4000 IS

• 28-105mm equivalent F2.0-5.3 image stabilized lens
• 10 million pixels 1/2.3″ sensor (0.28 cm²)
• LCD display measuring 3.0 inches (16:9 aspect ratio, 230k dots)
• 720p 30fps HD video capture
• Continuous filming at 3.7 frames per second with the full resolution
• ISO 125 – 3200 (6400 at reduced resolution)
• The output of HDMI

Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS Design

The SD series began as a series of cameras that had a relatively boxy and styled appearance. Since then, the sharp corners have been gradually rounded off, but the rather bare metal casings have been maintained.

The Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS is one of the most pebble-shaped SD/IXUS cameras released and maintains this trend. But, of course, everyone in the workplace wanted to look at the matte black version as soon as they saw it, and it has continued to attract attention practically everywhere it has been taken. The red, white, and silver variants are all attractive enough, but the matte black version is the one that stands out the most.

In addition, the camera has a pleasingly understated appearance, even though the lack of button labeling that this necessitates is a sacrifice made in the interest of achieving more subtlety. For example, suppose you gently push the control dial on the camera’s rear. In that case, on-screen suggestions will display, preventing the camera’s operation from becoming an exercise in pure guessing.

Even so, this means that to operate the camera quickly, you will either need to learn how to press the buttons lightly enough to receive prompts without actually activating one of the functions, or you will need to know what each button does (of course, if you’ve used IXUS cameras in the past, their positions should be familiar to you).

Within your grasp

The SD4000 IS surprisingly simple to grab a firm hold of, even though appearance as Although the little zoom rocker may not be to everyone’s liking; the controls are typically straightforward to use with one hand.

The control dial is one of the best examples of its kind, but even though moving wisely, we feel as though e a bit more rigid. This would allow us to eliminate the possibility of accidentally moving it.

The workings and the controls

The SD4000 may be an understated design that may cause you to believe that using it will be difficult, but, despite what first appearances may lead you to believe, it’s an improvement above what you might expect.

Because of the usually excellent function menu, which is unfortunately not quite as fast to work as it was on earlier Canons, most settings could be adjusted quickly without navigating away from the shooting screen. Even better, accessing exposure compensation in modes other than auto is always relatively straightforward, giving you control over the photo you will obtain. This is the case in ways other than auto.

Presentation as well as menus

The user interface of the SD4000 IS quite similar to that of most of the tiny cameras in Canon’s current lineup, and it is typically very excellent. When the camera is set to Auto mode, there are very few options for manual control. However, the “Shooting” mode provides such an easy way to get the most out of the camera that we recommend using it for almost all situations, except those in which you must “hand your camera to the waiter in the restaurant.”

Shooting mode is essentially an auto mode that the user may override; the camera will take care of everything for you until you specifically order it to do something otherwise.

With this mode, you will have access to a fully loaded function menu (in the auto setting, the only options available are self-timer, image size/quality, and exposure correction).

Comprehensive management and operation

Style has always been one of the most appealing aspects of Canon’s IXUS line of tiny cameras to potential customers. The IXUS SD4000 IS also has an abundance of style, which is a quality that distinguishes it. Thankfully, Canon has not compromised on the SD4000 IS’s ergonomics, and as a result, using the camera is an enjoyable experience.

It fits particularly beautifully in hand, and although there are very few buttons to disrupt the elegant lines of its body, the essentials can all be controlled with the combination dial/4-way rocker switch and ‘func/set’ button. This is because the dial can be adjusted to four positions.

The control dial has no labels, but when you put even the slightest amount of pressure on any of its four locations, the camera’s LCD screen will show you which choice corresponds to that position, so you’ll always know what you’re doing. Although it may take some getting used to, it is effective.

The same is true for the most recent iteration of Canon’s ‘Func’ menu, which has been around for a long time. Unfortunately, the new technique of accessing and changing settings in the Func menu requires at least one more button click each time. However, it is simple enough to use without difficulty.

Adjusting the exposure settings is another function of the control dial. While in AV mode, adjust the aperture; when in TV mode, adjust the shutter speed; and so on. When you press upwards to activate exposure compensation, the mode stays in this state until you press upwards again to deactivate it.

In contrast to the menu system, which can be explored by spinning the dial or pushing it in different directions, the exposure compensation can only be modified by rotating the dial. Pressing left or right will vary the focus type or flash mode.

Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS Performance

Overall performance

Compared to other cameras in its class, the SD4000 IS exceptional speed and responsiveness. The time it takes to start up is a good 1.3 seconds (about), although it seems much faster because of the welcome screen, which shows approximately 0.8 seconds after you push the “on” button.

The 28-105mm (equivalent) lens covers its whole focal length range in around 1.6 seconds, and after a brief delay of 1.2 seconds, photos emerge on the LCD screen (approx). It takes to go from one shot to the next in single-frame advance mode is only 1.4 seconds (approx, including AF reacquisition).

When in playback mode, the SD4000 IS also brisk and compelling, with a scarcely discernible gap between pictures when scrolling using the left or right sides of the control dial. This demonstrates the SD4000 IS’ ability to handle its responsibilities swiftly and effectively.

Because the camera animates the transition between pictures on the ensuing filmstrip display, scrolling the dial takes slightly longer than usual. However, the camera still seldom makes you wait for anything.

The SD4000 IS responds sensibly to rapid scrolling by switching to a quicker review display with a lower resolution. This ensures that you can always identify the image you have scrolled to.

When in playback mode, it takes less than a second to zoom into an image, and one of the features that we like is that when an image is zoomed, rotating the control dial will switch pictures while maintaining the zoom position. This is a great way to quickly view multiple photos without losing the zoom position.

If you want to examine the fine focus across numerous photographs that are comparable to one another, this is an essential tool. (There is also a focus check option that is beneficial for similar scenarios and may be found under the image review and playback modes.)

Continuous shooting while simultaneously buffering images

The SD4000 IS capable of a unique 8.4 frames per second at its highest frame rate. However, it can only reach this rate at a resolution far lower than 8.4 million pixels. The SD4000 IS, on the other hand, can shoot full-resolution files at an impressive 3.7 frames per second when set to the base ISO and with the AF and exposure fixed (assuming that the shutter speed is high enough).

In the continuous shooting mode of the SD4000 IS, the live-view image cannot be maintained. Instead, the camera displays a stream of photographs as you take them, with brief gaps between each new shot as the camera refreshes the images. This speed isn’t all that useful in most day-to-day shooting situations (the SD4000 IS will never be the tool of choice at sporting events, for example). Still, its speed does come in handy occasionally, and we’ve discovered that it is beneficial for capturing the perfect expression in portraits.

Autofocus

The Canon SD4000 IS features two different AF modes: ‘center,’ which functions in face detection or traditional multi-point Ai AF if no face is detected, and Face AiAf, which operates in face detection or conventional multi-point Ai AF. The Centre AF setting is the easiest to use, as it positions an autofocus frame in the middle of the image area. This frame may be purchased in either a standard or a tiny size, with the smaller option providing higher accuracy.

The autofocus system of the SD4000 IS, much like the one on every other IXUS camera we’ve tried, is typically quite dependable and delightfully speedy in regular usage. In addition, an AF assist lighting helps provide sufficient contrast for the system to ‘lock’ even when the Light levels are low.

It can slow down and lose accuracy in the absolute lowest Light. Still, as you’d want from a camera of this sort, you can typically just point and shoot away without worrying about focus to any meaningful degree. Again, this is what you’d expect from a camera of this type.

Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS Battery capacity

The memory card and battery slide into slots on the bottom of the camera. Despite the compact nature of the SD4000, the NB 6L battery still manages to produce 3.5WAgain, which results in a rating of a good 250 shots when measured according to industry standard test settings.

There is a possibility that you may not obtain this pretty many shots from a single charge, but the number is equivalent to the estimates given for other models.

Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS Quality of the Image

Because the sensor on the SD4000 IS just as small as the ones found on the vast majority of other compact cameras, it is pretty unlikely that its image quality would ever wow the world. However, compared to other things, it is somewhat agreeable. Even at high ISO levels, colors are displayed accurately and are not adversely affected by the setting.

When seen via the lens’ wide-angle setting, the photos are crisp and clear, but when viewed through the lens’ telephoto setting, some of the lens’ most minor details become less defined. In addition, the processing set as the default seems to focus on creating photos that will produce colorful, low-noise prints rather than preserving excellent points, which we believe will be exactly what most customers would desire.

Accuracy of ISO and sensitivity

We compare the exposure for each image to the metered light level (using a calibrated Sekonic L-358), and we do this to determine the actual sensitivity of each given ISO. This is done using the same shots to select the ISO noise levels. We estimate these results are accurate within a range of +/- 1/6 EV (the margin of error given in the ISO specifications).

When comparing these three cameras, it is hard to define their ISO numbers because neither the SD4000 IS nor the WX5 has an utterly manual mode. However, both of them were within 1/6 of an EV of the S90, which means that the noise test results are directly similar to one another.

ISO Sensitivity / Noise levels

The ability to raise the sensitivity of the sensor of a digital camera is referred to as the ISO equivalent setting. The “volume” (gain) of the sensor’s signal amplifiers is increased for this to operate correctly (remember, the sensor is an analog device). Unfortunately, when you magnify the signal, you also boost the noise, and the noise becomes more apparent as the ISO value increases. At greater sensitivities, many of today’s cameras also use noise reduction and sometimes even sharpness decrease.

We take pictures of a GretagMacBeth ColorChecker chart to determine the amount of background noise (controlled artificial daylight lighting). First, the exposure is balanced with the ISO (for example, ISO 200 and 1/200 of a second to maintain exposure uniformity between cameras). Then, our in-house developed and patented noise-measuring software is applied to the picture sequence.

Performance in a Flash

Even with the ISO turned up to 800, the range of the flash on the SD4000 IS is only 2 meters at the most extended end of the zoom range. This is even though the ISO can be increased to 800. However, despite the flash not having much reach,’ the SD4000 IS may (sometimes) get a touch overkeen and generate photographs with overwhelming moments if operating within its relatively narrow range. This occurs when the camera is used to photograph subjects close to the camera.

Macro Focus

When it comes to macro photography, the SD4000 IS is quite capable. It can focus as close as 3 centimeters from the front of the lens, capturing an area of 37 mm by 27 mm (approximately 2/3 of the size of a Compact Flash memory card), meaning that 98 pixels are being used to describe the subject.

General Quality of the Image and Specifics

The SD4000 IS creates photographs that are, for the most part, of very high quality. However, even at the lowest ISO, a few mildly unpleasant artifacts appear if you zoom in too far on the image. They don’t hold up to extremely close inspection at the pixel level. These look to be the result of the picture having been over-sharpened, which produces pretty unusual textures by amplifying any noise and diffraction blur that may be present.

However, whether examined as prints of conventional sizes or at the screen’s resolution (which we anticipate will be the primary application of this camera’s output), they appear to be of high quality, with excellent color rendering and typically adequate exposure.

Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS in Movie mode.

The SD4000 can record movies in 720p high quality, just as you would anticipate from a modern small camera. These are compressed utilizing the rather complex H.264 technology and saved in the user-friendly MOV format with stereo sound.

During video recording, there are no choices to modify the shutter speed or aperture, which is to be expected with a device that is effectively a point-and-shoot. The lens may be zoomed while the shot is being taken; however, the zooming speed slows down to lessen the amount of noise produced; yet, there is still a very slight chirping noise audible when used.

Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS Specifications

Sensor	• 1/2.3″ type back-illuminated CMOS • 10 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 3648 x 2736 • 3648 x 2048 • 2816 x 2112 • 2272 x 1704 • 1600 x 1200 • 640 x 480 • 320 x 240
Movie clips	• 1280 x 720 @ 30 fps HD • 640 x 480 @ 30 fps • 320 x 240 @ 30 fps • Super Slow Motion Movie – 320 x 240 @ 240 fps
Maximum clip length	Up to 4GB or 1 hour
File formats	• Still: JPEG (Exif v2.2) • Movie: MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (stereo) ]
Lens	• 28-105mm (35mm equiv) • f = 4.9 – 18.6 mm • 3.8x optical zoom • F2.0-5.3 • Construction: 7 elements in 6 groups (1 double-sided aspherical UA lens, one single-sided aspherical lens)
Image stabilization	Yes (Lens-Shift)
Digital zoom	up to 4x
Focus	• Autofocus: TTL • Face Detection / 9-point AiAF • 1-point AF (fixed to center)
AF modes	• Single • Continuous • Servo AF/AE
AF lock	Yes (on/off selectable)
AF assist lamp	Yes
Focus distance	The closest focus distance is 3 cm
Metering	• Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame) • Center-weighted average • Spot (center)
ISO sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 125 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600 • ISO 3200
AE lock	Yes
Exposure compensation	+/- 2EV in 1/3 stop increments
Shutter speed	• Auto (1 – 1/2500 sec.) • 15-1/2500 sec.
Modes	• Auto • Program AE • Shutter Priority AE • Program
Scene modes	• Portrait • Night Snapshot • Kids & Pets • Indoor • Smart Shutter (Smile, Wink Self-Timer, Face Self-Timer) • High-speed Burst (2.5MP) • Low Light (2.5MP) • Color Accent • Color Swap • Fish-eye Effect • Miniature Effect • Beach • Foliage • Snow • Fireworks • Stitch Assist • Movie
White balance	• Auto (including Face Detection WB) • Daylight • Cloudy • Tungsten • Fluorescent • Fluorescent H • Flash • Custom
Self-timer	• 2 or 10 sec.
Continuous shooting	• Approx. 3.7 shots/sec. High-speed Burst (2.5MP • Approx. 8.4 shots/sec. Low Light (2.5MP) • LV: Approx. 6.0 shots/sec.[6] (until the memory card becomes full)
Image parameters	My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color)
Flash	• Auto, Flash On, Flash Off, Slow Sync, Red-eye reduction • Slow Sync Speed: Fastest speed 1/2000 sec. • Face Detection FE compensation • Flash exposure lock
LCD monitor	• 3.0-inch PureColor II G (TFT) • 230,000 pixels • 100% coverage • Adjustable
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • HDMI mini connector • AV out (PAL / NTSC switchable)
Print compliance	PictBridge
Storage	SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus
Power	Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-6L
Weight (inc. batt)	175 g
Dimensions	100 x 54 x 23 mm

Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS Conclusion

The SD4000 IS part of a long-running, highly successful line of cameras called the SD series.

These cameras have a reputation for being durable and have a high level of polish for their size.

In addition, the SD4000 IS retains the same sparkle even though our test unit has a matte black surface.

It fulfills all of your requirements, not just admirable but also unobtrusively.

Certain flourishes are practically expected to be present, such as the small model and the face self-timer, but we thought the majority of them to be either amusing or functional, and they were, on the whole, quite well done.

Canon PowerShot SD4000 IS FAQs