Canon Powershot SD1400 review: Canon Powershot SD1400

The design of the SD1400 IS doesn't change much from that of the SD940. It's still very, very small, which remains its greatest attribute. It's small enough that you'll never hesitate to take it with you. However, if you plan to keep it loose in a bag, invest in some manner of protection or risk scratching up its beautiful body and screen. The model is available in silver, orange, black, and pink. The lens barrel color closely matches the body, too, giving it a peculiar uniform look.

Using the camera is remarkably comfortable, even for large hands. All of the controls are flat and flush with the body. It gives the camera a very smooth appearance, but using the four-way directional pad and center Func/Set button can be a little difficult and may lead to frequent mispresses on the center button when trying to adjust the exposure, change focus and flash modes, or pick timer settings from the outer ring. The buttons, shooting-mode switch, and zoom rocker are all minuscule, too, which might be a problem for some; it would be an excellent idea to lay hands on one before you buy it.

Regardless of their shape and size, the controls are easy to master. The menu system can take some getting used to depending on how quickly you can remember to hit the Func/Set button for shooting-mode specific settings and the Menu button for everything else. You also have the option to turn on a help system with hints and tips for choosing the appropriate settings or simply telling you what the shooting mode you're in is going to do. It's not uncommon to find, but Canon does a nice job of it.

For connecting to a computer, monitor, or HDTV there are Mini-USB/AV and Mini-HDMI outputs underneath a small door on back at the top right corner of the body. The battery and memory card compartment is on the bottom under a nonlocking door. The battery does not charge in camera, and the shot life is rated at 230, so you'll probably find yourself opening the compartment quite a bit.

Other than Canon's very reliable Smart Auto mode, there's nothing terribly interesting about the SD1400's shooting options. The shooting-mode switch on back of the camera has three options: one for Auto, one for Movie mode (capturing up to 720p HD resolution), and a camera mode (that's what I'm calling it since it's designated by a picture of a camera). The camera mode gives you access to a Program Auto mode as well as all the scene modes including Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Low Light, Beach, Underwater, Foliage, Snow, Fireworks, Long Shutter, and Stitch Assist for creating panorama shots with the bundled software. Canon added a Smart Shutter option, too, which includes a smile-activated shutter release as well as Wink and Face Detection self-timers. Wink allows you to set off the shutter simply by winking at the camera and the Face Detection option will wait till the camera detects a new face in front of the camera before it fires off a shot. Both work well.

In addition to the company's standard creative shooting options--Color Accent and Color Swap--it's introduced a few new modes for 2010. One is a Miniature Effect, which blurs the top and bottom of the frame and boosts contrast and color saturation to make subjects look like painted miniature models. It works to some degree, but is not as convincing as true tilt-shift photography, which is what the effect is based on. Another mode, Fish-eye Effect, is even less effective because like the Miniature Effect, it's just an approximation done with software of what a fish-eye lens creates. That said, they're included and can be fun to play with if only to add some interest to what would be an otherwise boring shot.

For such a small camera you might expect it to automatically be quick. In reality its shooting performance is middle-of-the-road--neither good nor bad. The camera turns on and shoots in 1.5 seconds, but then you'll be waiting an average of 2.7 seconds between subsequent shots. That time jumps to nearly 5 seconds if you're using the flash. Shutter lag is OK at 0.5 second in bright conditions and 0.7 second in dim lighting. The SD1400 IS has an unlimited continuous shooting option that operates at a speed of 0.8 frames per second. These times make it fine for still subjects like portraits and landscapes, but not ideal for trying to catch anything in motion.