I have canon S230 and I have used a S400, S500 extensively and they have always rocked. I have used older models that my friends have also. We all get canon for the consistent image quality, in the end its all that really matters.

Reply

Canons are very good. I agree.

Just to put it out there.. Don't forget the Minolta G400. It falls in the same category as well: 4MP, VERY small, 3x zoom, movie mode, <$300. The selling point for me was the very fast shot to shot time and the dual MS and SD slots. Startup time is probably on par if not faster than the Casio. Image quality is very good as well. AF isn't probably as good or controllable as the Canon though. The demonstration of the Canon AF feature is helpful; I wish I knew it worked like that before I got my Minolta. The Minolta requires more tinkering that most but once you get the hang of it, it's OK.

Either way the G400 is a camera that shouldn't be ignored.

Reply

my classic Kodak DC240 is still kicking ass and taking names :) years later and I still could care less what else is out there :)

Next camera will probably be video anyway, not much use (to a general consumer) for a still shot only camera (yeah, the crappy wanna be video mode doesn't count)

Reply

I have the Canon and I couldn’t be happier. I’ve never been one to read through a manual and this camera was easy enough to figure out so I did not have to do so. I am always surprised at how crisp the pictures are. Of course, I am not a professional photographer but this camera provides everything that I want in a camera – good pictures and small size because I hate carrying stuff around.

Reply

Actually, the S410 only allows 3 mins of vid time. That's my only gripe about this camera.

Reply

#5 thanks, I have fixed the mistake

Reply

I looked at the Canon S series - they are very nice - almost bought one - THEN I found the Pentax Optio 33WR (now it's upgraded to 4 MP and called the Optio 43WR).

It's WONDERFUL.

First of all, it's highly water resistant, has gaskets all through it.

Has about 13 programmed modes but I never need them really I just point and shoot and things look great. White balance is always right on.
Panorama/stitch modes, close-up modes, etc.

Takes SD cards.

Quicktime movies are a bit cheesy (320 X 160) it's more the sound I have issues with than anything but most of the time it's acceptable.

I'm guessing the Pentax 43WR goes for around 280 bucks - havent checked lately.

If you want a camera you can take skiing, snowboarding, to the beach or stand out in the rain without worrying about damage to the electronics, this is the one. It's also not gooney looking (i.e. bright yellow etc) like some other water resistant cameras.

Reply

How come the S4i wasn't reviewed? Isn't it more of an appropriate comparison?

Reply

#8, Unfortunately, we were limited by which cameras we could choose and the S4i was unavailable at the time. However, we feel that the S40 is comparable to the other two cameras with respect to exposure options, size, etc. The S4i would have been a good option and we would have included it if it was available.

Reply

The "best pictures" of this lot of cameras are almost a given; the S410 has a sensor of the same generation with an area of 38.2mm(1/1.8"), as compared to the others, which have 24.7mm (1/2.5") sensors.

What would be more interesting would be a comparison of newer cameras by major manufacturers; generally they now all come with 1/2.5" sensors, including the new canons.


Reply