Canon PowerShot A · September 2004

The Canon PowerShot A400: Canon's cheapest camera got a zoom and an SD slot

We found no other regional name for it: Canon's museum lists the same name for Japan, the Americas and Europe.¹

Canon USA's August 2004 announcement, as Imaging Resource reproduced it, gave the A400 an estimated street price of $179.99.³ DCRP recommended it but suggested spending about $30 more on the A75; Trusted Reviews said it would have earned a recommendation but for the A75; and Reviewed.com's lab found noise a problem above ISO 100.⁵⁶⁷

Launched

September 2004

Launch price

Not confirmed as a list price: Canon USA's release (via Imaging Resource) gave an estimated street price of $179.99; open price in Japan³²

Sensor

3.2 MP CCD

Lens

45–100 mm, 2.2×

Card

SD

Battery

AA

Specs and sources

A note on coverage: we read three full 2004 reviews from start to finish, by DCRP, Trusted Reviews and Reviewed.com. The Reviewed.com page repeats, nearly word for word, a paragraph that PhotographyBLOG quoted from DigitalCameraInfo's review of 24 September 2004, so we treat the two as one review.⁷⁸ Of DigiCamReview.co.uk we saw only an excerpt, and of Steve's Digicams only the first and specification pages.⁹¹⁰ Imaging Resource, Canon UK and Canon Japan supply launch facts. We found no full 2004 review at Imaging Resource, and DPReview's only A400 page we found is a short announcement, not a review.¹¹

Meet the camera

The A400 is a slab. Canon lists the body at 107 by 53.4 by 36.8 millimetres and about 165 grams, camera body only.¹ DCRP, which called the A400 the cheapest way to get a Canon camera into your hands, said it sits between compact and midsize, no Digital ELPH but never in the way, and that it feels well built for a cheap camera, in a mix of metal and plastic.⁵ Trusted Reviews also expected less: mostly plastic, it said, yet it felt solid, helped by a brushed-aluminium front, though the shape was not the most comfortable to hold.⁶

The reviewers did not agree on pockets. Trusted Reviews called it extremely pocketable, while Reviewed.com said slipping it into one was not really an option.⁶⁷ Reviewed.com also gave about 2.6 by 4.1 by 1.1 inches against Canon's 2.1 by 4.2 by 1.4, and we cannot reconcile the two.⁷¹

Canon announced it on 19 August 2004, and Canon Japan fixed the sale date at 17 September, at an open price.⁴³² Canon USA's release, as Imaging Resource reproduced it, gave an estimated street price of $179.99 for September, with actual prices left to dealers; DCRP gave $179 and a street price near $150.³⁵ The colours were named differently by region: Canon UK's release called the green Spring Green, while Imaging Resource and DCRP wrote Lime Green.⁴³⁵ Reviewed.com's test unit was orange, which its tester described as a pleasant peach complexion with brushed silver highlights.⁷

Why this one was interesting

A zoom where the A310 had none

Canon Japan called the A400 the successor to the A310 of March 2004, and said buyers had asked for a zoom.²¹ Imaging Resource set out the swap: the A310's fixed lens, equivalent to 33 mm, gave way to a 45 to 100 mm zoom, a sliding lens barrier became a built-in cover, and the A400 became Canon's first A-series camera to take Secure Digital cards.³ It also moved from five autofocus points to nine.³ Canon UK claimed the body was about 10 percent lighter and 11 percent smaller than its predecessor's despite the lens, a comparison we could not check against the A310's specifications.⁴ DCRP called it a major upgrade.⁵

Alongside the A85 and A95

On the same day Canon USA announced the 4-megapixel A85 and the 5-megapixel A95, with estimated street prices of $299.99 and $399.99.³ On those figures the A400 sat $120 under the A85. Canon Japan named the A85 as the A75's successor, and our PowerShot A75 review covers that camera.² DCRP named the A75 as the better buy than the A400, for about $30 more, with manual controls, a 35 to 105 mm lens and support for conversion lenses.⁵

Twelve modes and nine points

Canon's pitch was ease: auto, manual, stitch assist and movie, plus eight scene modes, an orientation sensor and nine-point autofocus that can be limited to the centre.⁴ Trusted Reviews was impressed to find nine-point autofocus here at all.⁶ Its "manual" mode, though, is narrow: exposure compensation, white balance, ISO and picture effects, with no shutter or aperture priority and, said Reviewed.com, no manual focus.⁶⁷

What was lost

The lens is the complaint in all three full reviews. DCRP called its probable biggest flaw that the zoom starts at 45 mm, not great for indoor shots or architecture, and because the lens is not threaded no wide converter can be fitted.⁵ Trusted Reviews said the wide end was not wide at all and the f/3.8 aperture not fast; Reviewed.com wanted more wide-angle coverage.⁶⁷ Canon UK called the same lens more suitable for portraits.⁴

The viewfinder is a second gap. Trusted Reviews found it tight, showing about 85 percent of the final picture against about 98 percent on the screen, which left that reviewer relying almost solely on the screen, at a cost in battery life.⁶ DCRP added that there is no diopter control and no way to attach an external flash.⁵ Reviewed.com, by contrast, found the viewfinder large enough to use.⁷

Like the look of 2004? See recent eBay sold listings for this camera ↗

In the dark

The slowest shutter speed is one second, with no bulb setting, which Trusted Reviews and DCRP both called a poor fit for night work.⁶⁵ Canon's specification adds noise reduction for exposures of a sixth of a second or longer; Trusted Reviews found it fairly ineffective at higher ISO, and noted that the screen does not gain up in the dark, which makes composing and checking focus hard. DCRP said the same about the screen.¹⁶⁵ Reviewed.com's lab put manual-ISO noise at 3.73 on its scale and Auto ISO at 5.28; it called ISO 50 the camera's saving grace, ISO 100 decent and the settings above that barely usable.⁷ Trusted Reviews was more forgiving: with ISO 400 most situations can be handled, at the price of greatly increased noise.⁶

The built-in flash has a stated range of 47 centimetres to 2.0 metres at Auto ISO.¹ DCRP called it weak.⁵ Trusted Reviews got good exposures at six metres and more, and found it nigh on impossible to get the focus-assist light working over that distance, though it called the lamp commendable at this price.⁶ DCRP saw a bit of red-eye and flash reflection in its test, and Trusted Reviews said red-eye remained a problem in some situations, which it tied to the flash sitting close to the lens.⁵⁶

Real photographs taken with this camera. The files we checked carry no ISO value in their EXIF, so each caption shows the shutter speed and aperture from the file instead; the exposure was set by the camera.

On eBay right now

Live listings for this camera, supplied by eBay and updated automatically. We earn a commission if you buy through them.

The little wins

The A400 from the front. · Luis Dantas · Public domain · Commons

Nine-point autofocus

Canon said the nine-point system, labelled AiAF, focuses well on subjects that are off-centre, and it can be switched to the centre point only; DCRP found that switch in the record menu.⁴⁵ It was five points on the A310.³

Custom white balance at $179

DCRP was pleased to find a custom white balance on a low-priced camera, and said it was no challenge for its 600-watt studio lamps.⁵ Trusted Reviews found auto white balance accurate even in mixed light, but struggling with tungsten, and pointed to the custom setting as the answer.⁶

The top of the A400, with the speaker holes, shutter button and power button. · Luis Dantas · Public domain · Commons

An underwater case

DCRP listed the AW-DC20 all-weather case at $200, good to 3 metres: fine for a pool or the beach, not for scuba.⁵ Canon UK gave the same 3 metres, and the A400 has an Underwater scene mode that Trusted Reviews said adjusts white balance for use with the case.⁴¹⁶

Stitch Assist for panoramas

Trusted Reviews explained the mode: it shows the left or right part of the last frame so you can line up the next while holding the camera. DCRP said the supplied PhotoStitch software joins the frames.⁶⁵ Trusted Reviews noted the tripod socket is off the lens axis, which makes a tripod panorama harder.⁶

The back of the A400, with the screen, four-way pad and the port cover below it. · Luis Dantas · Public domain · Commons

A print button that lights up

Canon UK said the Print/Share button lights when a PictBridge printer or a Windows PC is connected; one press then prints the picture or starts a transfer.⁴ DCRP described the PC menu, which offers all, new or marked images and a wallpaper option.⁵

Make it yours

The My Camera menu lets you swap the start-up image and the start-up, shutter, operation and self-timer sounds, from the camera's own pictures or from your computer.¹ DCRP suggested switching the sounds off.⁵

How it drew the picture

All three full reviews liked the colour. DCRP found it accurate and saturated; Reviewed.com measured mean saturation of 103.5 percent, called most tones spot on and said Canon had probably tuned the tones that affect skin; and Trusted Reviews found exposures accurate and skin tones natural, even in high contrast.⁵⁷⁶ The DigiCamReview.co.uk excerpt called colour accurate and pleasing, detail good, noise fairly low and purple fringing very low.⁹

Sharpness is where they diverge. Trusted Reviews called the lens generally excellent and capable of sharp images, with colour fringing wide open that faded when stopped down; DCRP said details can be a little fuzzy and gave examples; DigiCamReview.co.uk said images could do with a sharpen.⁶⁵⁹ Reviewed.com's lab found 2.30 usable megapixels, just over 72 percent of the advertised resolution, which it called respectable.⁷ DCRP saw mild barrel distortion at the wide end and some vignetting; Trusted Reviews added average barrel distortion at full zoom.⁵⁶ Close up, the camera focuses to 5 centimetres at the wide end, which Trusted Reviews found impressive.¹⁶

At the largest size and best quality, DCRP's table gives a file of about 1.6 megabytes, so the 16 MB card in the box holds eight pictures; at the largest size and normal quality it holds 30, and at 640 by 480 and normal quality 126.⁵

Photos taken with this camera, from Wikimedia Commons, credited under each picture. We chose them for variety, not to prove anything about quality.

Where it let you down

The timings do not line up. DCRP said the lens took a little over two seconds to extend and warm up, focus needed about a second, and the wait between shots was two seconds, with very little shutter lag.⁵ Trusted Reviews timed start-up at about five seconds and called the shutter lag respectable.⁶ Reviewed.com measured 2.97 seconds from switching on to a recorded shot, just under a second from the shutter press, and well over two seconds between pictures.⁷ Canon's continuous mode is about 1.3 frames a second; DCRP got up to 10 frames in a row, with the screen freezing between them.¹⁵ Both DCRP and Trusted Reviews found the menus slow to respond.⁵⁶

Video was the other weakness. Canon allows 30 seconds at 640 by 480 and 10 frames a second, and says the figure is for a separately sold 128 MB card; DCRP said the limits are fixed whatever the card size, and found the sample clip choppy.¹⁵ The zoom is locked while filming, all three full reviews agreed, and Reviewed.com noted that a sound memo cannot be attached to a clip.⁵⁶⁷ The DigiCamReview.co.uk excerpt called the movie mode good but limited in length and frame rate.⁹

Battery life and the doors were smaller gripes. Trusted Reviews quoted Canon at about 100 pictures on alkaline cells with the screen on and half the shots using flash, and said NiMH cells should give around 300; DCRP passed on Canon's estimate of about 300 pictures on 2,300 mAh cells by the CIPA standard, and about a third as many on alkalines.⁶⁵ Reviewed.com thought the card and battery door's release tab undersized and the port cover flimsy; DCRP rated the door about average.⁷⁵

What the reviewers said in 2004

The timeline

• March 2004Canon markets the A310 and the A75.²
• 19 August 2004Canon announces the A400; Steve's Digicams posts its page the same day.⁴³¹⁰
• 17 September 2004Sale date in Japan.²
• 23 September 2004Date in the Reviewed.com page metadata.⁷
• 24 September 2004DCRP posts its review.⁵
• 2 November 2004DigiCamReview.co.uk's review is noted.⁹
• 24 November 2004Trusted Reviews publishes.⁶

Should you buy one now?

Buy one if you want a small, plain 2004 CCD compact that runs on two AA cells and takes colour well, and you accept a lens that starts at 45 mm, slow menus and noise above ISO 100. Canon USA's estimated street price at announcement was $179.99;³ what it sells for now is a question for the sold listings, not for us. Before you bid, check these:

• The card. It takes SD cards; Canon's page names no capacity limit, and a 16 MB card came in the box.¹⁵ See our SD card guide and the glossary before you buy a large one.
• The batteries. Two AA cells, alkaline or NiMH.¹ DCRP advised rechargeables of 2,100 mAh or better; a set with a charger ↗ is the usual pairing.⁵
• The cable. Canon lists a USB mini-B port and an audio/video output,¹ and DCRP found a USB cable and an A/V cable in the box.⁵ Our cable guide covers the connector.
• The lens cover. Trusted Reviews described a two-piece sliding cover that closes by itself; check that it opens and shuts fully and that the lens extends and retracts.⁶
• The doors. Reviewed.com thought the battery and card door tab small and the port cover flimsy, so make sure both stay shut.⁷
• The date battery. Trusted Reviews found a tiny CR1220 memory backup battery behind a small flap.⁶ Ask whether the date holds.

If you are wondering why cameras like this are being hunted down again, we tell that story once, in Pictures that never left the card. For another two-AA Canon of the next year, see our PowerShot A520 review.

See recent sold prices on eBay ↗Shop on eBay ↗AA batteries and charger ↗

Sources

1. Canon Camera Museum, PowerShot A400 (marketed September 2004; outline and full specifications)
2. Canon Japan news release, August 2004 (Japanese; open price, sale date confirmed as 17 September 2004, successor to the A310 of March 2004)
3. Imaging Resource news, Canon announces three PowerShot A-series digicams, by Mike Tomkins (19 August 2004; reproduces Canon USA's release: $179.99 as an estimated street price, A310 comparison, A85 and A95 prices)
4. PhotographyBLOG, Canon Announces PowerShot A400 (20 August 2004; reposts Canon UK's press release of 19 August 2004; the currency symbols in its price line did not survive, so we quote no UK price)
5. Digital Camera Resource Page (DCRP), Canon PowerShot A400 review by Jeff Keller (first posted 24 September 2004, updated 26 September 2004; archived copy of 2005)
6. Trusted Reviews, Canon PowerShot A400 Review by Wayne Brooker (24 November 2004)
7. Reviewed.com, Canon PowerShot A400 digital camera review by James Murray (the page body is undated; its metadata gives 23 September 2004; Imatest lab tests, timings, component scores)
8. PhotographyBLOG news item quoting DigitalCameraInfo's review (24 September 2004; an excerpt about the grip, which also appears, nearly word for word, on the Reviewed.com page above)
9. PhotographyBLOG news item quoting DigiCamReview.co.uk's review (2 November 2004; an excerpt, not the full review)
10. Steve's Digicams, Canon PowerShot A400 (review posted 19 August 2004; archived copy, only the introduction and specification pages read)
11. DPReview news item, Canon PowerShot A400 (19 August 2004; a short announcement, not a review)

Camera photos by Luis Dantas (public domain) and Anna16 (CC BY-SA 3.0); other photographs are credited under each one, all via Wikimedia Commons. Links to eBay and Amazon are affiliate links.