The Hunt for the Best Ultra-Compact Camera
by Stephen Caston on October 5, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Noise
The noise test consists of pictures of our studio shot taken at increasing ISO levels to show the effect on the image. The pictures were taken after resetting the cameras to their factory default settings. The cameras were then set to record with the highest quality option with manual WB. Click on a 100% crop below to view the full-size image.| Canon S410 | Casio Z40 | Pentax S40 | |
| ISO 50 |  Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
| ISO 100 |  Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
| ISO 200 |  Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
| ISO 400 |  Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
 Click to enlarge. |
In our noise test, it appears that the Canon S410 has the best overall performance. There is very little increase in noise from ISO 50 to 200. Even at ISO 400, the image is very usable. The difference between the Casio Z40 and the Pentax S40 is not huge. At ISO 50 and 100, noise levels are low and detail is high. If we look at ISO 200 and 400, however, we can see that the Pentax S40 retains more detail than the Casio Z40 at higher ISO levels. In fact, the Z40 image is almost unusable with such a loss of detail. If we compare all three cameras at ISO 400, Canon takes the cake by producing a grainy but detailed image.
Facebook
Twitter
RSS
14 Comments
View All Comments
araczynski - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
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)
WooDaddy - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
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.
noxipoo - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
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.John1177 - Saturday, January 16, 2021 - link
Best Motorcycle Helmet Cameras 2021 Ultimate Buying Guidehttps://promotorcyclehelmets.com/best-motorcycle-h...