Canon PowerShot S400 Digital Elph

More than any other compact digital camera, the gorgeous Canon PowerShot S400 Digital Elph has the look and feel of a fine precision instrument. Shaped like a pack of cards, this surprisingly heavy camera (7.9 oz.) offers point-and-shoot simplicity, crisp images, and an intelligent though limited assortment of modes. The S400 will delight die-hard gadgeteers, though serious photographers won't find manual control over f-stop and shutter speed.

Everything is well marked with either words or icons, making controls easy to find. The movie and panorama modes are even activated by analog controls, although youngsters and those with arthritic hands may find the buttons hard to press. The 1.5-inch LCD viewfinder is sharp, bright, and responsive, but the optical viewfinder has no focusable diopter (a dial to correct the viewfinder for astigmatism, near- or farsightedness, and so on). The S400's memory and battery compartments are convenient and accessible; the zoom lever is well placed in front of the shutter button, and a simple slider toggles between shoot and playback modes.

Shooting with the S400 is an acquired skill. Although you can easily shoot one-handed, the controls are positioned so that you'll need both hands to operate the select buttons and mode dial. What's more, settings must be chosen from two different menus, invoked by pressing two separate buttons, and deciphering the icons on the LCD can be confusing. The S400 has faster-than-average boot and recycle times, so it's responsive; plus, an auto-focus light assists focusing in low light.

Picture quality is very good. Our simulated daylight test image exhibited very good colors, excellent detail, and the sharpest edges we saw, but it was slightly underexposed, with a minimal shift toward cyan. Our test flash picture was evenly illuminated and very sharp, but it had a significant yellow cast and was about 1 f-stop overexposed. (1 f-stop in either direction is noticeable; 2 is significant; 3 is too dark or light.) The S400 is pricey for a 4-megapixel compact, but its design, construction, performance, and image quality make it an excellent choice for those who love well-built precision cameras but don't want to go through the hassle of manual adjustment.