Canon PowerShot SD300 / IXUS 40 Digital Camera
- Digital Zoom: 3.2x
- Camera Type: Ultra-Compact
- Weight: 0.29 lb.
- LCD Screen Size: 2 in.
- Resolution: 4.2 Megapixel
- Optical Zoom: 3x
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Canon's New SD300 Digital Elph More than the sum of its parts?
Pros
Very fast, ultra compact, 4 megapixels, user friendly, ISO 50, tough Stainless Steel Body
Cons
Weak flash, tiny battery, red-eye, chromatic aberration, noisy ISO 400 images
Recommended it?
Yes
The Bottom Line:
Canon's new SD300 Digital Elph is, for now, the definitive Micro-Cam
The SD300 (Digital Ixus 40 in Europe and IXY DIGITAL 50 in Japan) is the second digicam (the SD200 was the first) to feature Canon's new second-generation DIGIC II processor. DIGIC Processors (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) combine image processing and most primary camera functions in one chip that more efficiently manages Auto Exposure, Auto White Balance, JPEG compression, gain control, and most other "auto" functions. DIGIC II image files are also optimized for sharp resolution, balanced contrast, low noise, and bright colors. The SD300 is noticeably faster, across the board, than previous Digital Elph models. In addition, the SD300 boasts a 2.0" LCD screen, a specially designed ultra compact 3X zoom lens, a very impressive Movie Mode, and Canon's Print Share technology (for simplified direct image printing with compatible printers).
Like its little brother (the SD200) the SD300 was released at the start of the all-important holiday buying season in Canon's effort to re-establish complete dominance in the highly profitable ultra compact digicam niche market. The SD300 looks (aside from being smaller) and handles much like its S500 and S410 Digital Elph cousins, but the SD300 is faster, smaller, cheaper, and more user friendly.
How does the SD200 differ from the SD300?
The SD300 and SD200 are (excluding minor cosmetic differences) virtually identical, except for resolution (the SD200 is a 3 megapixel digicam) and price (the SD200 is about $100.00 cheaper).
NUTS & BOLTS
LCD/Viewfinder
The 4 megapixel SD300 features a coupled (zooms with the lens) Galilean optical viewfinder. The SD300's optical viewfinder is bright and images are sharp, but there's no diopter correction for eyeglasses wearers. The SD300's optical viewfinder is a bit tight and covers only about 80% of the frame.
The SD300 features a (remarkably large for a micro-cam) 2.0" LCD screen that's bright and fluid but resolution is a bit lower than expected. Evidently Canon's design team decided power management was more important than LCD resolution. The LCD screen has a glare reducing anti-reflective coating and the brightness can be adjusted (via the setup menu), but the LCD screen doesn't automatically gain "up" in low light.
The SD200's (almost) full info LCD screen provides shooting mode, exposure compensation setting, white balance setting, photo effects mode selected, ISO setting, flash setting, the light metering option selected, resolution/compression data, and a (review only) histogram (to help evaluate the dynamic range in saved images). The LCD screen (which shows almost 100 per cent of the frame) is more accurate for framing and composition than the tiny optical viewfinder, but full time LCD use will drain the SD300's tiny battery faster.
Zoom Lens
The SD300's new f2.8-4.9/35-105 (35mm equivalent) all-glass zoom lens retracts into the body when the camera is powered down and a built-in lens cover closes over the front element. When the camera is powered up the zoom extends, automatically. There's no lens thread for add-on lenses or filters. The little zoom is pretty quick (it travels from wide angle to telephoto in less than two seconds) and its operation is smooth and fairly quiet. Canon's optical engineers utilized Canon's proprietary Ultra High Refractive Index Aspherical zoom technology to allow the SD300's 3X zoom to be crowded into an incredibly shallow space.
The SD300's 3X zoom exhibits some minor softness in the corners of the frame, but this is a common shortcoming in ultra compact digital camera optics. There is moderate barrel distortion (straight lines bow out from the center) at the 35mm end of the zoom range, but virtually no pincushion distortion (straight lines bow in toward the center) at the telephoto end of the range. Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is visible in high contrast color transition areas.
The SD300's minimum focusing distance (in macro mode) is 1.2 inches (at the wide angle zoom setting). Macro images are fairly sharp with decent detail and good color. The optical viewfinder is not accurate enough for close up work (no parallax compensation marks) but the LCD screen works nicely in close-up mode. Flash coverage is OK, but (like most micro-cams) the top and center of the image will tend to be a bit washed out. The SD300 is adequate for shooting E-bay images and general close-ups, but it's not up to par for serious macro work.
Auto Focus
The SD300's 9 focus point AiAF (Advanced intelligent Auto Focus) system quickly analyzes what's in front of the camera and automatically decides which of the 9 AF points is aligned with the primary subject (utilizing closest subject priority) and then locks focus on that AF point. Savvy shutterbugs can manually line up a specific AF focus point with the most important element in the image (like the face or eyes in a head and shoulders portrait) which allows for quicker and more creative compositions (since the subject doesn't need to be in the center of the frame). Users can turn AiAF off and the SD300's AF system will default to the center AF point for traditional looking landscapes, classic portraits, group shots, etc. The SD300 (unlike its predecessors) provides an AF assist beam for quicker and more accurate focusing in dim/low light.
Flash
The SD300's built-in multi mode flash provides Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-Synch, and off settings. Maximum flash range is (according to Canon) is 9.8 feet, which is a bit optimistic --- 6 to 8 feet is more realistic. Anything beyond six feet is likely to be fairly dark unless surroundings are light colored and there's lots of ambient light.
Memory
The SD300 utilizes SD (Secure Digital) memory media. SD cards are available in capacities up to 512MB.
Connectivity
USB 1.1 and A/V out
Power
The SD300 utilizes a much smaller battery than Canon's "S" series (S410 & S500) Digital Elph models, which combined with the smaller SD card format allowed Canon to make the SD300 substantially smaller than its micro-cam cousins. The SD300's tiny NB-4L battery is good for 400 plus exposures (according to Canon), but that is under absolutely optimum conditions (full time optical viewfinder use, no flash, no AF hunting, no focus aid beam, and no image review). Most micro-Cam users are actually profligate power users who infrequently resort to the optical viewfinder (and insist on reviewing every image they shoot). A more realistic assessment (full time LCD use, moderate flash use, and heavy image review) would be 100-125 exposures.
The SD300's CB-2LV rapid charger needs about 90 minutes to juice up the NB-4L battery. The SD300's DIGIC II processor manages power very well, but obviously tiny micro cam batteries can't store as much power as larger (higher capacity) batteries, so shooters who plan on taking the SD300 along on trips or using it through heavy shooting sessions should factor the cast of a back up NB-4L battery.
EXPOSURE
The Powershot SD300 is incredibly easy to use and it has an exceptionally broad range of imaging options for a micro-cam. Canon's engineers deserve serious kudos for creating an auto exposure digicam that does more than just average exposure information. The SD300's images are noticeably better than images shot in auto exposure modes with similar cameras from other manufacturers.
Canon's exclusive iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology produces consistently exceptional exposures in all scene (Auto exposure optimized for specific types of images including Portrait, Night Snapshot, Photo Effect, Kids and Pets, Indoor, and Underwater) modes. The camera instantly matches the scene in front of the lens with an on board database of known scene types and then compares that information with the specific scene's subject distance, white balance, contrast range, lighting, and color (just before the image is recorded) to determine the best exposure.
The SD300's "manual" mode is NOT a manual mode at all, since the camera always controls aperture and shutter speed. Other manufacturers call this Program mode (auto exposure with user input) users have the ability to adjust ISO sensitivity, enable a Photo Effect, disable AiAF, adjust exposure compensation, and adjust white balance.
Movie Mode
The SD300's movie mode allows users to record video clips (up to the capacity of the installed SD card) with mono audio at 640X480 @ either 15 or 30 fps. The SD300 also features Canon's new Fast Frame Rate Movie Mode (up to 60 seconds of video at 320x240 @ 60 fps) for users who've always wanted to watch themselves (or someone else) in slow motion.
Metering
The SD300's evaluative metering system (the camera divides the image frame into zones and separately evaluates each zone to determine the best shutter speed/aperture combination) consistently renders accurate exposures in all but the most difficult lighting situations. A Spot metering option biases exposure on a small area at the center of the frame (useful for back lit subjects, high/low contrast subjects), and a center-weighted option allows savvy users to create traditional looking landscapes and classic portraits.
White Balance
The SD300's White balance system provides a fairly standard selection of color balance settings, including Auto, daylight, cloudy, tungsten, two fluorescent modes, and a custom (manual) mode.
Sensitivity
TTL Auto, and 50, 100, 200, and 400 ISO (35mm equivalent).
In-Camera Image Adjustment
The SD300's Photo Effects mode (first seen on the Canon G2) allows users to choose spot metering, access the exposure compensation mode, select vivid or neutral color saturation, enable low sharpening, and add sepia or B&W tonal effects.
DESIGN, CONTROLS, & ERGONOMICS
The SD300 is a stylish ultra compact (Canon's 2nd smallest Digital Camera, after the SD200) point & shoot digicam with a stainless steel body that's tough enough to go just about anywhere and tiny enough to drop into even the smallest purse or pocket. The SD300 is an almost perfect compromise between the physical constraints of miniaturization and the creative limits of functionality/usability. The user interface is uncomplicated and external controls are logically placed and easily accessed. The FUNC button calls up a simplified menu overlay that takes photographers directly to the most commonly changed/modified camera operations/functions (exposure compensation, white balance, drive mode, ISO sensitivity, flash options, image size/quality options, and photo effects), without the necessity of navigating through multiple menus. Most photographers will have little trouble using the SD300 right out of the box.
Technical Specifications
Resolution: 4 megapixels (2272 x 1704)
Lens: f2.8-4.9/35-105 (35mm equivalent) all-glass 3X zoom
Viewfinders: Real-image optical & 2.0" LCD
Auto Focus: TTL AiAF nine-point autofocus system
Exposure: Program AE (Automatic) and Manual modes
Metering: Evaluative, Center-Weighted, or Spot
Exposure Compensation: Yes + /- 2EV in 1/3-step increments
White Balance: TTL auto and presets for daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, fluorescent H, and custom (manual)
Noise Reduction: automatic on long exposures
Photo Effects: Low Sharpening, Vivid Color, Neutral color, Sepia and B&W
Sensitivity: Auto and ISO 50, 100, 200, & 400 (35mm equivalents)
Flash: Built-in multi mode
Continuous exposure mode: 2.4 fps
Memory Storage Media: SD cards
Image File Format: JPEG
Connectivity: USB 1.1 & A/V out
Power: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (NB-4L)
Street Price: $339-$399
Included
16MB SD card, NB-4L Li-ion battery w/charger, wrist strap, USB & A/V cables, Printed users manual and software manual, Canon Software
Optional
Extra NB-4L Li-ion battery, soft case, WP-DC10 waterproof case, Canon AC adapter
In the Field/Handling & Operation
Dozens of new digital cameras are introduced every holiday season and my friend (who sells new and used digital and film cameras and photographic equipment) has been trying to test as many of them as possible. I've been helping him out whenever I can. The Friday night after Thanksgiving he took the little Powershot SD300 down to Jefferson Square to watch the annual "Light up Louisville" festivities (in company with more than 100,000 other Louisville residents). Louisville's Metro Government administrative district becomes a holiday wonderland (Jefferson Street in front of the Fiscal Court building is temporarily re-named Santa Claus Lane) that includes fireworks, Carolers, a parade, and more than 1,000,000 Christmas lights.
My friend wanted to test the night/low light abilities of the nifty little SD300, but he said the area was lit up so brightly it was like it was like high noon in front of City Hall. After seeing the crowds on the TV news I'm glad I chose to give this annual holiday event a miss. After the event ended my friend walked down to the foot of Fourth Street and spent half an hour shooting the Christmas Light bedecked Belle of Louisville, to avoid joining his fellow festival goers in the gridlocked chaos (read traffic jams) that follows most downtown Louisville events.
The shots of Jefferson Square were a bit gaudy and much too harshly lit, but I was impressed when I saw his shots of the Belle when we got together Saturday afternoon. The old red, white, and blue sternwheeler covered with Christmas lights really looked pretty neat. The first thing we did after critiquing my friend's photos from the night before was to run some color tests (we shot some very colorful children's plastic beach toys arrayed artfully on a white background). The SD300 (like the SD200) has fairly accurate color balance, although typically (for consumer digicams) colors are a bit oversaturated.
Saturday's weather was genuinely ugly, wet and cold, with flat gray skies so we headed for the K&I Model RR Club Train Show at Bill Collins Ford on Bardstown Road. The show featured four large train displays and each of these miniature worlds was fantastically detailed and super realistic. Model Railway Hobbyists take this stuff very seriously, so their layouts make for great images. The minuscule landscapes are encircled and bisected by dozens of speeding model trains passing through diminutive towns complete with cars, houses, factories, shops, restaurants, supermarkets, RR stations including an amazingly detailed model of Louisville's Classic Union Station (built in 1893 and formerly the hub of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad), hills, fields, forests, and lakes.
We got a nice shot of an old guy leaned over checking out one layout with a pair of wide eyed youngsters standing to either side of him, absolutely fascinated by the tiny trains. After we finished both of us remarked on the strange contradiction of two full sized adult males using a diminutive camera to photograph miniature landscapes traversed by tiny trains.
PERFORMANCE
Image Quality
We printed two 8X10's (one from the train show and one of the Belle) with an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 (on Epson photo paper) and both showed accurate color, exceptional resolution, and a nice dynamic range. The indoor shot showed some minor noise, but the outdoor image (of the Belle) was sharp, colorful, and just a tiny bit too contrasty.
The SD300's image quality is very good. Caucasian skin tones are a bit warm (typical for amateur cameras) and reds and blues are slightly over saturated (also typical). White balance is fairly accurate. Image noise is well controlled (even in high/low contrast areas), virtually invisible at ISO 50, negligible at ISO 100 and not too bad at ISO 200, but ISO 400 is pretty noisy. The SD300 (like all micro-cams) has serious red-eye issues (the SD300's tiny size imposes a design constraint that can't be overcome with cameras this small it is not possible to physically separate the flash and the zoom sufficiently to avoid, essentially, having the lens and flash on the same plane). Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is a bit higher than average, especially in high contrast color transition areas. Users who plan to print primarily 4X6 or 5X7 prints should be deliriously happy with the SD300 and most 8X10 enlargements shouldn't present a problem.
Timing/Shutter Lag
The SD300's boot-up cycle is quick, noticeably faster than its slightly larger Digital Elph cousins, and substantially better than average (for micro-cams). For users who rely on pre-focus, AF is almost real time, and from scratch is much better than average (for micro-cams). Write to card times are better than average (1.0-2.0 seconds at maximum resolution). The DIGIC II powered SD300 is noticeably faster than average and conspicuously faster than its competition. Another really neat feature (for those in need of speed) is the SD300's continuous shooting mode, which allows users to keep shooting (a high speed SD card must be used) until SD card capacity is reached, but the LCD screen does freeze briefly after each shot.
Tweakability Quotient
How responsive is the SD300? Does it allow savvy users the ability to create truly personalized images via exposure compensation, flash compensation, exposure bracketing, AF bracketing, in-camera image adjustment (saturation, contrast, sharpening), and white balance fine-tuning?
My scale begins at 1 (auto exposure only---no ability to "tweak" exposure parameters) and runs through 10 (virtually unlimited ability to "tweak" exposure parameters).
A higher "TQ" number identifies a camera that provides users with much wider flexibility and individual input into the exposure process (and consequently a higher degree of creative freedom). A lower TQ number identifies a camera that limits user input into the image making process and the degree to which that limitation inhibits the creative process.
The SD300 rates a mediocre 4.0, which is fairly typical for ultra compact digicams and micro-cams. My TQ champs (to date) are the Olympus C8080 and the Konica-Minolta A1/A2 which all rate 8.5
A Few Concerns
Red-eye, noisy ISO 400 images, weak flash, and tiny (weak) battery
Conclusion
The key to how well any micro-cam does its job relates directly to how well the designers were able to balance performance and usability with the physical realities of miniaturization. The most important question for potential purchasers should be --- Is Canon's tiny SD300 as good (or better) than its competition? The answer is yes. The SD300 is an almost perfect choice for travelers/tourists, bikers/hikers, and casual photographers because its small profile allows it to be taken (and used) virtually anywhere.
A Final Word
Almost half of all digital cameras sold in the U. S. every year are purchased during the eleven weeks between Columbus Day and New Year's Day. Digicam shoppers should begin their quest by deciding what sort of camera they want (P&S digicam, micro-cam, prosumer digicam/SLR like digicam, dSLR, etc.). Read lots of reviews and then adopt the consensus opinion(s) of the majority of reviewers (go with what the experts like) to trim your digicam "candidates" to a manageable short list.
To avoid a bad case of buyer's remorse after your big purchase, try to physically handle each of the cameras on your short list (subjective camera feel is a very important component in overall consumer satisfaction) and forget about brand loyalty -- go through your digicam "candidates" with an open mind. Dismiss reviews that don't provide actual "user" experience and those that compare P&S digital cameras or micro-cams to prosumer digicams and digital SLRs. The foregone conclusion (more advanced cameras are targeted to more demanding photographers so these cameras will almost always outperform P&S and micro-cam models) is worthless. Comparisons between various models are only valid if similar cameras are compared.
Doing your homework will really pay off when it comes time to make that final decision.
Links
For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1
Here are a few "best choice" recommendations for 2004 that my friend and I agree provide the maximum bang for your camera buck.
Konica-Minolta Dimage A1
http://www.epinions.com/content_132907372164
Olympus Camedia C5060
http://www.epinions.com/content_125810871940
Canon Powershot A95
http://www.epinions.com/content_155132661380
Canon Powershot A85
http://www.epinions.com/content_160950423172
Canon Powershot A75
http://www.epinions.com/content_135112855172
For information about similar/comparable micro-cams you may find the reviews below informative:
Canon Powershot SD200
http://www.epinions.com/content_162878033540
Canon Powershot S500
http://www.epinions.com/content_135678955140
Canon Powershot S410
http://www.epinions.com/content_151961374340
Like its little brother (the SD200) the SD300 was released at the start of the all-important holiday buying season in Canon's effort to re-establish complete dominance in the highly profitable ultra compact digicam niche market. The SD300 looks (aside from being smaller) and handles much like its S500 and S410 Digital Elph cousins, but the SD300 is faster, smaller, cheaper, and more user friendly.
How does the SD200 differ from the SD300?
The SD300 and SD200 are (excluding minor cosmetic differences) virtually identical, except for resolution (the SD200 is a 3 megapixel digicam) and price (the SD200 is about $100.00 cheaper).
NUTS & BOLTS
LCD/Viewfinder
The 4 megapixel SD300 features a coupled (zooms with the lens) Galilean optical viewfinder. The SD300's optical viewfinder is bright and images are sharp, but there's no diopter correction for eyeglasses wearers. The SD300's optical viewfinder is a bit tight and covers only about 80% of the frame.
The SD300 features a (remarkably large for a micro-cam) 2.0" LCD screen that's bright and fluid but resolution is a bit lower than expected. Evidently Canon's design team decided power management was more important than LCD resolution. The LCD screen has a glare reducing anti-reflective coating and the brightness can be adjusted (via the setup menu), but the LCD screen doesn't automatically gain "up" in low light.
The SD200's (almost) full info LCD screen provides shooting mode, exposure compensation setting, white balance setting, photo effects mode selected, ISO setting, flash setting, the light metering option selected, resolution/compression data, and a (review only) histogram (to help evaluate the dynamic range in saved images). The LCD screen (which shows almost 100 per cent of the frame) is more accurate for framing and composition than the tiny optical viewfinder, but full time LCD use will drain the SD300's tiny battery faster.
Zoom Lens
The SD300's new f2.8-4.9/35-105 (35mm equivalent) all-glass zoom lens retracts into the body when the camera is powered down and a built-in lens cover closes over the front element. When the camera is powered up the zoom extends, automatically. There's no lens thread for add-on lenses or filters. The little zoom is pretty quick (it travels from wide angle to telephoto in less than two seconds) and its operation is smooth and fairly quiet. Canon's optical engineers utilized Canon's proprietary Ultra High Refractive Index Aspherical zoom technology to allow the SD300's 3X zoom to be crowded into an incredibly shallow space.
The SD300's 3X zoom exhibits some minor softness in the corners of the frame, but this is a common shortcoming in ultra compact digital camera optics. There is moderate barrel distortion (straight lines bow out from the center) at the 35mm end of the zoom range, but virtually no pincushion distortion (straight lines bow in toward the center) at the telephoto end of the range. Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is visible in high contrast color transition areas.
The SD300's minimum focusing distance (in macro mode) is 1.2 inches (at the wide angle zoom setting). Macro images are fairly sharp with decent detail and good color. The optical viewfinder is not accurate enough for close up work (no parallax compensation marks) but the LCD screen works nicely in close-up mode. Flash coverage is OK, but (like most micro-cams) the top and center of the image will tend to be a bit washed out. The SD300 is adequate for shooting E-bay images and general close-ups, but it's not up to par for serious macro work.
Auto Focus
The SD300's 9 focus point AiAF (Advanced intelligent Auto Focus) system quickly analyzes what's in front of the camera and automatically decides which of the 9 AF points is aligned with the primary subject (utilizing closest subject priority) and then locks focus on that AF point. Savvy shutterbugs can manually line up a specific AF focus point with the most important element in the image (like the face or eyes in a head and shoulders portrait) which allows for quicker and more creative compositions (since the subject doesn't need to be in the center of the frame). Users can turn AiAF off and the SD300's AF system will default to the center AF point for traditional looking landscapes, classic portraits, group shots, etc. The SD300 (unlike its predecessors) provides an AF assist beam for quicker and more accurate focusing in dim/low light.
Flash
The SD300's built-in multi mode flash provides Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Slow-Synch, and off settings. Maximum flash range is (according to Canon) is 9.8 feet, which is a bit optimistic --- 6 to 8 feet is more realistic. Anything beyond six feet is likely to be fairly dark unless surroundings are light colored and there's lots of ambient light.
Memory
The SD300 utilizes SD (Secure Digital) memory media. SD cards are available in capacities up to 512MB.
Connectivity
USB 1.1 and A/V out
Power
The SD300 utilizes a much smaller battery than Canon's "S" series (S410 & S500) Digital Elph models, which combined with the smaller SD card format allowed Canon to make the SD300 substantially smaller than its micro-cam cousins. The SD300's tiny NB-4L battery is good for 400 plus exposures (according to Canon), but that is under absolutely optimum conditions (full time optical viewfinder use, no flash, no AF hunting, no focus aid beam, and no image review). Most micro-Cam users are actually profligate power users who infrequently resort to the optical viewfinder (and insist on reviewing every image they shoot). A more realistic assessment (full time LCD use, moderate flash use, and heavy image review) would be 100-125 exposures.
The SD300's CB-2LV rapid charger needs about 90 minutes to juice up the NB-4L battery. The SD300's DIGIC II processor manages power very well, but obviously tiny micro cam batteries can't store as much power as larger (higher capacity) batteries, so shooters who plan on taking the SD300 along on trips or using it through heavy shooting sessions should factor the cast of a back up NB-4L battery.
EXPOSURE
The Powershot SD300 is incredibly easy to use and it has an exceptionally broad range of imaging options for a micro-cam. Canon's engineers deserve serious kudos for creating an auto exposure digicam that does more than just average exposure information. The SD300's images are noticeably better than images shot in auto exposure modes with similar cameras from other manufacturers.
Canon's exclusive iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) technology produces consistently exceptional exposures in all scene (Auto exposure optimized for specific types of images including Portrait, Night Snapshot, Photo Effect, Kids and Pets, Indoor, and Underwater) modes. The camera instantly matches the scene in front of the lens with an on board database of known scene types and then compares that information with the specific scene's subject distance, white balance, contrast range, lighting, and color (just before the image is recorded) to determine the best exposure.
The SD300's "manual" mode is NOT a manual mode at all, since the camera always controls aperture and shutter speed. Other manufacturers call this Program mode (auto exposure with user input) users have the ability to adjust ISO sensitivity, enable a Photo Effect, disable AiAF, adjust exposure compensation, and adjust white balance.
Movie Mode
The SD300's movie mode allows users to record video clips (up to the capacity of the installed SD card) with mono audio at 640X480 @ either 15 or 30 fps. The SD300 also features Canon's new Fast Frame Rate Movie Mode (up to 60 seconds of video at 320x240 @ 60 fps) for users who've always wanted to watch themselves (or someone else) in slow motion.
Metering
The SD300's evaluative metering system (the camera divides the image frame into zones and separately evaluates each zone to determine the best shutter speed/aperture combination) consistently renders accurate exposures in all but the most difficult lighting situations. A Spot metering option biases exposure on a small area at the center of the frame (useful for back lit subjects, high/low contrast subjects), and a center-weighted option allows savvy users to create traditional looking landscapes and classic portraits.
White Balance
The SD300's White balance system provides a fairly standard selection of color balance settings, including Auto, daylight, cloudy, tungsten, two fluorescent modes, and a custom (manual) mode.
Sensitivity
TTL Auto, and 50, 100, 200, and 400 ISO (35mm equivalent).
In-Camera Image Adjustment
The SD300's Photo Effects mode (first seen on the Canon G2) allows users to choose spot metering, access the exposure compensation mode, select vivid or neutral color saturation, enable low sharpening, and add sepia or B&W tonal effects.
DESIGN, CONTROLS, & ERGONOMICS
The SD300 is a stylish ultra compact (Canon's 2nd smallest Digital Camera, after the SD200) point & shoot digicam with a stainless steel body that's tough enough to go just about anywhere and tiny enough to drop into even the smallest purse or pocket. The SD300 is an almost perfect compromise between the physical constraints of miniaturization and the creative limits of functionality/usability. The user interface is uncomplicated and external controls are logically placed and easily accessed. The FUNC button calls up a simplified menu overlay that takes photographers directly to the most commonly changed/modified camera operations/functions (exposure compensation, white balance, drive mode, ISO sensitivity, flash options, image size/quality options, and photo effects), without the necessity of navigating through multiple menus. Most photographers will have little trouble using the SD300 right out of the box.
Technical Specifications
Resolution: 4 megapixels (2272 x 1704)
Lens: f2.8-4.9/35-105 (35mm equivalent) all-glass 3X zoom
Viewfinders: Real-image optical & 2.0" LCD
Auto Focus: TTL AiAF nine-point autofocus system
Exposure: Program AE (Automatic) and Manual modes
Metering: Evaluative, Center-Weighted, or Spot
Exposure Compensation: Yes + /- 2EV in 1/3-step increments
White Balance: TTL auto and presets for daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, fluorescent H, and custom (manual)
Noise Reduction: automatic on long exposures
Photo Effects: Low Sharpening, Vivid Color, Neutral color, Sepia and B&W
Sensitivity: Auto and ISO 50, 100, 200, & 400 (35mm equivalents)
Flash: Built-in multi mode
Continuous exposure mode: 2.4 fps
Memory Storage Media: SD cards
Image File Format: JPEG
Connectivity: USB 1.1 & A/V out
Power: Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery (NB-4L)
Street Price: $339-$399
Included
16MB SD card, NB-4L Li-ion battery w/charger, wrist strap, USB & A/V cables, Printed users manual and software manual, Canon Software
Optional
Extra NB-4L Li-ion battery, soft case, WP-DC10 waterproof case, Canon AC adapter
In the Field/Handling & Operation
Dozens of new digital cameras are introduced every holiday season and my friend (who sells new and used digital and film cameras and photographic equipment) has been trying to test as many of them as possible. I've been helping him out whenever I can. The Friday night after Thanksgiving he took the little Powershot SD300 down to Jefferson Square to watch the annual "Light up Louisville" festivities (in company with more than 100,000 other Louisville residents). Louisville's Metro Government administrative district becomes a holiday wonderland (Jefferson Street in front of the Fiscal Court building is temporarily re-named Santa Claus Lane) that includes fireworks, Carolers, a parade, and more than 1,000,000 Christmas lights.
My friend wanted to test the night/low light abilities of the nifty little SD300, but he said the area was lit up so brightly it was like it was like high noon in front of City Hall. After seeing the crowds on the TV news I'm glad I chose to give this annual holiday event a miss. After the event ended my friend walked down to the foot of Fourth Street and spent half an hour shooting the Christmas Light bedecked Belle of Louisville, to avoid joining his fellow festival goers in the gridlocked chaos (read traffic jams) that follows most downtown Louisville events.
The shots of Jefferson Square were a bit gaudy and much too harshly lit, but I was impressed when I saw his shots of the Belle when we got together Saturday afternoon. The old red, white, and blue sternwheeler covered with Christmas lights really looked pretty neat. The first thing we did after critiquing my friend's photos from the night before was to run some color tests (we shot some very colorful children's plastic beach toys arrayed artfully on a white background). The SD300 (like the SD200) has fairly accurate color balance, although typically (for consumer digicams) colors are a bit oversaturated.
Saturday's weather was genuinely ugly, wet and cold, with flat gray skies so we headed for the K&I Model RR Club Train Show at Bill Collins Ford on Bardstown Road. The show featured four large train displays and each of these miniature worlds was fantastically detailed and super realistic. Model Railway Hobbyists take this stuff very seriously, so their layouts make for great images. The minuscule landscapes are encircled and bisected by dozens of speeding model trains passing through diminutive towns complete with cars, houses, factories, shops, restaurants, supermarkets, RR stations including an amazingly detailed model of Louisville's Classic Union Station (built in 1893 and formerly the hub of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad), hills, fields, forests, and lakes.
We got a nice shot of an old guy leaned over checking out one layout with a pair of wide eyed youngsters standing to either side of him, absolutely fascinated by the tiny trains. After we finished both of us remarked on the strange contradiction of two full sized adult males using a diminutive camera to photograph miniature landscapes traversed by tiny trains.
PERFORMANCE
Image Quality
We printed two 8X10's (one from the train show and one of the Belle) with an Epson Stylus Photo 2200 (on Epson photo paper) and both showed accurate color, exceptional resolution, and a nice dynamic range. The indoor shot showed some minor noise, but the outdoor image (of the Belle) was sharp, colorful, and just a tiny bit too contrasty.
The SD300's image quality is very good. Caucasian skin tones are a bit warm (typical for amateur cameras) and reds and blues are slightly over saturated (also typical). White balance is fairly accurate. Image noise is well controlled (even in high/low contrast areas), virtually invisible at ISO 50, negligible at ISO 100 and not too bad at ISO 200, but ISO 400 is pretty noisy. The SD300 (like all micro-cams) has serious red-eye issues (the SD300's tiny size imposes a design constraint that can't be overcome with cameras this small it is not possible to physically separate the flash and the zoom sufficiently to avoid, essentially, having the lens and flash on the same plane). Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is a bit higher than average, especially in high contrast color transition areas. Users who plan to print primarily 4X6 or 5X7 prints should be deliriously happy with the SD300 and most 8X10 enlargements shouldn't present a problem.
Timing/Shutter Lag
The SD300's boot-up cycle is quick, noticeably faster than its slightly larger Digital Elph cousins, and substantially better than average (for micro-cams). For users who rely on pre-focus, AF is almost real time, and from scratch is much better than average (for micro-cams). Write to card times are better than average (1.0-2.0 seconds at maximum resolution). The DIGIC II powered SD300 is noticeably faster than average and conspicuously faster than its competition. Another really neat feature (for those in need of speed) is the SD300's continuous shooting mode, which allows users to keep shooting (a high speed SD card must be used) until SD card capacity is reached, but the LCD screen does freeze briefly after each shot.
Tweakability Quotient
How responsive is the SD300? Does it allow savvy users the ability to create truly personalized images via exposure compensation, flash compensation, exposure bracketing, AF bracketing, in-camera image adjustment (saturation, contrast, sharpening), and white balance fine-tuning?
My scale begins at 1 (auto exposure only---no ability to "tweak" exposure parameters) and runs through 10 (virtually unlimited ability to "tweak" exposure parameters).
A higher "TQ" number identifies a camera that provides users with much wider flexibility and individual input into the exposure process (and consequently a higher degree of creative freedom). A lower TQ number identifies a camera that limits user input into the image making process and the degree to which that limitation inhibits the creative process.
The SD300 rates a mediocre 4.0, which is fairly typical for ultra compact digicams and micro-cams. My TQ champs (to date) are the Olympus C8080 and the Konica-Minolta A1/A2 which all rate 8.5
A Few Concerns
Red-eye, noisy ISO 400 images, weak flash, and tiny (weak) battery
Conclusion
The key to how well any micro-cam does its job relates directly to how well the designers were able to balance performance and usability with the physical realities of miniaturization. The most important question for potential purchasers should be --- Is Canon's tiny SD300 as good (or better) than its competition? The answer is yes. The SD300 is an almost perfect choice for travelers/tourists, bikers/hikers, and casual photographers because its small profile allows it to be taken (and used) virtually anywhere.
A Final Word
Almost half of all digital cameras sold in the U. S. every year are purchased during the eleven weeks between Columbus Day and New Year's Day. Digicam shoppers should begin their quest by deciding what sort of camera they want (P&S digicam, micro-cam, prosumer digicam/SLR like digicam, dSLR, etc.). Read lots of reviews and then adopt the consensus opinion(s) of the majority of reviewers (go with what the experts like) to trim your digicam "candidates" to a manageable short list.
To avoid a bad case of buyer's remorse after your big purchase, try to physically handle each of the cameras on your short list (subjective camera feel is a very important component in overall consumer satisfaction) and forget about brand loyalty -- go through your digicam "candidates" with an open mind. Dismiss reviews that don't provide actual "user" experience and those that compare P&S digital cameras or micro-cams to prosumer digicams and digital SLRs. The foregone conclusion (more advanced cameras are targeted to more demanding photographers so these cameras will almost always outperform P&S and micro-cam models) is worthless. Comparisons between various models are only valid if similar cameras are compared.
Doing your homework will really pay off when it comes time to make that final decision.
Links
For definitive advice on How to Choose a Digital Camera please see my review
http://www.epinions.com/elec-review-2E46-17B174E2-39A418E3-prod1
Here are a few "best choice" recommendations for 2004 that my friend and I agree provide the maximum bang for your camera buck.
Konica-Minolta Dimage A1
http://www.epinions.com/content_132907372164
Olympus Camedia C5060
http://www.epinions.com/content_125810871940
Canon Powershot A95
http://www.epinions.com/content_155132661380
Canon Powershot A85
http://www.epinions.com/content_160950423172
Canon Powershot A75
http://www.epinions.com/content_135112855172
For information about similar/comparable micro-cams you may find the reviews below informative:
Canon Powershot SD200
http://www.epinions.com/content_162878033540
Canon Powershot S500
http://www.epinions.com/content_135678955140
Canon Powershot S410
http://www.epinions.com/content_151961374340
