Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS 14.1MP Digital Camera Review

With its compact and slim design, it’s hard to believe that the Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS comes with so many advanced features. The PowerShot SD1400 IS 14.1MP digital camera comes with a 4x wide angle optical image stabilized zoom lens and a 2.7-inch LCD screen. Its sophisticated silver casing makes it a standout among other point-and-shoot cameras.

Highlights of the Canon Powershot SD1400 IS

Armed with a 28mm wide-angle lens and 4x optical zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer, expect the SD1400 IS to give you sharp images in brilliant colors. You can take a panoramic shot of distant landscapes or zoom in on your child’s smile. It also has an HDMI output, so you can record videos in 720p resolution and enjoy your movies on your HDTV.

The PowerShot SD1400 IS features the Canon Optical Image Stabilizer. This automatically corrects camera shake. Your shots will be consistently sharp and steady with or without a flash.

With the camera’s Smart AUTO setting, all you have to do is point and shoot. The PowerShot SD1400 IS will automatically select the best setting for your shot. This allows you to focus your attention on your subject and let the camera take care of the technical details. Canon technology has 22 specially defined settings to choose from, so you can be certain that you’ll get fabulous pictures under any condition.

The camera automatically adjusts its settings according to the light conditions and movement. The automatic flash exposure function provides just the right intensity to get vividly sharp images.

New scene modes come with this camera. The Miniature effect makes very large objects appear in tiny proportions. Huge buildings will appear in miniature proportions.

The Fisheye Effect warps the image around the center. This gives a distinctive curvature effect that you can use to suggest the inside of a dome or the curve of the Earth.

Most point-and-shoot cameras cannot face up to the challenge of taking pictures in low light conditions. The PowerShot SD1400 IS can handle ISO’s of 400-6400 in Low Light mode, so you can shoot scenes in dim lights like by the fire, candlelight or lamp in the street. Images come through clearly with all their colors intact.

This digital camera also comes with the new Smart Shutter technology. This includes the Smile Self-Timer, Wink Self-Timer and Face Self-Timer. It detects faces in the scene and automatically activates the shutter in response to the appearance of a smile, a wink, or an additional face.

What’s in the Box

Inside the box you’ll find the PowerShot SD1400 IS digital camera along with a Lithium-ion battery pack, battery charger, wrist strap, the Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, one USB interface cable and an AV cable.

How the PowerShot SD1400 IS Performs

With all its advanced features, it is only to be expected that the PowerShot SD1400IS should perform well. The camera itself is very compact and lightweight. It’s extremely convenient to carry around with you. In AUTO mode, all you have to do, literally, is point and shoot. Best of all, you can count on the camera to give consistently clear and sharp pictures.

The 2.7-inche LCD screen is larger than what you find on most compact cameras. In addition, the screen display is bright and clear. In fact, the LCD screen is so good that you won’t mind that the camera doesn’t have a viewfinder.

The camera has a lot of great features. Not only can you take amazing pictures, you can even put in some special effects such as Miniature effect and Fisheye effect. The HD video recording capability is pretty decent, although the video quality is poor if you use the zoom effect.

The different functions are intuitively organized so that it’s very easy to use the camera. The camera has many available options but they are easy to manipulate. However, while AUTO mode is very convenient, you should take the time to become familiar with the other options to get the most out of this digital camera.

Being extremely compact, some people may find the buttons a bit difficult to manipulate. The buttons are flush with the camera’s body, so you have to depress the button below the body of the camera. This may be a bit difficult if you have large fingers. You also have to watch out for the pop-up flash. Be sure to get your fingers out of the way.

Some users may find that shutter lag is an issue. The camera takes a long time to focus, making it unsuitable for taking photos of moving subjects. This can also make it difficult to take pictures of children and pets. However, as long as you don’t try to use the camera beyond its capabilities, you’ll be sure to get surprisingly good pictures.

Recommendation

If you are looking for a compact digital camera that’s easy to use and loaded with fun and useful features, the Canon PowerShot SD1400 IS fits the bill perfectly. It takes awesomely brilliant pictures even in low light. Its video recording capability is also quite good. This affordable camera in silver casing is available online at Amazon.com.

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