Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon Powershot S40 Digital Camera [4MP 3xOptical]

Just bought this camera two weeks ago - my first digital camera - and what a world it has opened up! Had debated between this and the more expensive Powershot G2, but essentially they have the same functionality and both have 4 megapixels. The S40 came out well in various reviews. The experts out there prefer the G2 for the option to add an external flash, different lenses, etc. I found the G2 too large and bulky, was looking for something more compact-weight and size to carry around easily. However instead of the plastic feel of some compact digitals, this metal body has a more expensive look-and-feel. You can also use the 'automatic' mode or make it as manual as you want. You will need an extra CompactFlash card as the included 16mb is not much when you haven't got a computer handy for downloading (i.e. on holiday) but the CF cards are getting cheaper all the time (G2 comes standard with 32mb). So far the print quality is very good, I tend to stick to high resolution in case I want to print later which takes up memory of course. This camera is not cheap but will last and won't feel outdated for a long time to come!

I have owned the Canon Powershot S40 for two weeks now and took it straight on holiday without really looking at the manual. The camera is very easy to use on "auto" but also has a whole range of manual settings to rival an SLR camera, so, it is very versatile and allows plenty of scope for creativity. Remember, the S40 is essentially a Canon G2 in pocket form (the G2 being a "holy grail" of "prosumer" digital cameras).

I make no bones about the fact I am a picky consumer and soon lose interest if a product doesn't perform well. The Canon S40 delights with its results. The pictures are sharp and accurate in their colour rendition both indoors and outdoors and the downloads to my PC couldn't be simpler. Movie mode is not particularly inspiring but then it isn't a camcorder. Battery life seems good too, I took around 150 shots with the LCD monitor on and the battery still seemed okay. The menu displays and ergonomics are generally effective although the zoom control takes a bit of getting used to as does the uni-directional selector button which is similar to that found on a GameBoy.

The supplied 16Mb CF card is mean and shame on Canon for this, but other manufacturers seem to do the same. The supplied software though is excellent and I won't be buying a stand alone editing package such as Photoshop for a while.

I researched this purchase carefully (and yes, the camera press seem to adore the S40 too). Although the S40 is not cheap to me it represents the "Mercedes-Benz" of compact digital cameras - it delights the user in its' performance, ergonomics and construction.

A word of advice is when you buy any digital camera buy a case at the same time. The LCD monitors on the back of most cameras are quite vulnerable to scratching if you hang the camera around your neck etc. You can also buy a clear protective film to cover the LCD panel in Jessops.

If you are willing to pay the slight price premium my advice is buy the S40 and you won't be disappointed, it reeks of quality. However, if you aren't going to produce large prints think about the 3.2MP Canon Powershot S30 which is almost identical (save the lower resolution CCD)and a bit cheaper. In summary, the Canon S40 is unreservedly recommended!

I am a novice on photography leave alone the digital kind. I have been using a point and shoot camera for a few years.The primary reason for buying a digital camera is the convenience of getting my pictures instantly and the saved cost of film and processing. I was looking for a Sony because it is an aspirational brand and also the belief that its products are cutting-edge. Various reviewers did have complaints about sony models. i settled for a Canon powershot s40 because of the good reviews i read across websites.it is loaded with many features which are great for anybody who takes pictures seriously and frequently. You ought to have an interest in learning the concepts in photography by reading manuals and experimenting pronto. if you are just going to rely on the auto mode then this camera is definitely not going to utilised for its heavy price. for someone like me who is going to use this camera as an incentive to learn photography this camera has potential.

the camera is compact and its ease of use is noteworthy. as always spending time with the user manual will help you on the long road of discovery. to help preserve it paying attention to storage and maintenance will be necessary. the storage built into the camera is enough if you are likely to download your pictures fairly regularly. i was divided between buying this camera and Powershot G2 then i realised that both share many features including the 4 mega pixel resolution so settled for the former.

Go for this camera and keep learning how to use this powerful gadget.

This is a fantastic little camera.

First of all the picture quality is top notch. Even in JPG mode the output is very good. Low compression mode yields roughly 2Mb JPEGs. There is also a RAW file format that yields 4Mb compressed files (lossless). This beats the Olympus E10 with uncompressed 7.5Mb files.

For such a small camera it has almost all the features of the E10 SLR. There are a full set of program modes and full manual (including aperture in steps from f4 to f8, shutter in steps from 15s to 1/1500th, and focus from macro to ininity in steps).

The manual focus is by LCD screen with a magnified area and a sliding scale in two ranges (15cm to 1m and 1m to infinity). This is the only fiddly control and I often just set it by numbers like 1m, 2m, or 5-ish meters when doing fixed focus at small apertures where focus is not critical or when taking pictures though glass).

Long exposures are clean thanks to a noise reduction system that samples the noise in the CCD and removes it from the image by subtraction. A solid tripod socket is handy.

Unlike the E10, the processor on the S40 is very fast. This gives quick cycle times when capturing and a very good zoom review mode with 2 levels of zoom with free scrolling around the image.

The 3x optical zoom is complemented by the 11x digital zoom which is sort of effective (but reduces the resolution of course). Of course with such a small camera the down side is the dim lens that only goes down to f4 (the E10 goes to f2).

The ability to voice annotate images is great but the movie mode is poor, giving fuzzy results even in 320x200 resolution.

The proprietry Li-ion battery is excellent and I've survived for the last 6 months without a spare and I use the LCD as viewfinder all the time. By contrast the E10 munches it's way though 1800mAh AA packs much more quickly. The Li-ion pack is even better at low temperatures (5-10C) where the NiMH E10 packs up within minutes but the S40 carries on like a trooper!

AF is generally fine but can fail in low light or indistinct subjects. The focus indication is clear though with the focus box on the display turning yellow for 'give-up' and green for 'ok'.

The optical viewfinder does not show a representative area and I mostly use the LCD which is good in daylight.

Not for the faint hearted. Lots of modes to learn and use so suits someone looking for a no-compromise alternative to a big SLR.