An In-Depth Look at 4 Ultra-compact Digicams

Recording Features

All four cameras in this review would be considered "point and shoot" cameras because they do not offer any advanced exposure modes such as Aperture priority, Shutter speed priority, or Manual. However, there are some differences regarding the features that each camera offers. To get an overview of these different offerings, we have decided to look at all four cameras on the same page. This will make it easier to compare the recording capabilities of each camera.

Canon PowerShot SD400

The Canon PowerShot SD400 offers 9 main shooting modes when you press the Function button. They are as follows: Auto, Manual, Digital Macro, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Underwater, and My Colors. Each mode offers a varying degree of control over advanced options such as white balance, ISO, etc. For example, in Auto mode, you aren't given control over any advanced recording options. The only thing that you can adjust is the image quality and size settings. In Manual mode, however, you have access to all advanced options, which include exposure compensation, white balance, ISO, and color effects.

The SD400 has 9 auto-focus points arranged in a 3x3 grid. If the menu option "AiAF" is enabled, the camera will select one or more focus points automatically. However, by disabling AiAF, the camera will focus using the center focus point. In addition, the SD400 offers 3 different metering options: Evaluative, Center-weighted, and Spot. By changing the drive setting to Continuous, the camera can take images at 2 fps. With a fast SD card, you can take pictures continuously until the flash card fills up. The SD400 can record unlimited AVI video and audio at 640x480 or 320x240 (15 or 30 fps). It has a special 60 fps mode that can record at 320x240 for up to 1 minute. In addition, there is a 160x120 mode at 15 fps for up to 3 minutes.

Nikon Coolpix S1

The Nikon Coolpix S1 uses an interesting layout for its shooting modes. The Record position on the mode switch acts as a general purpose shooting mode. For example, with the camera set to Record mode, there are several options available to the user. They are: image quality and size, white balance, exposure compensation, drive mode, BSS (Best Shot Selector), ISO, and color options. In addition to Record mode, there are also 17 additional Scene modes that can be accessed by switching the main mode switch to Scene. Each of these scenes is specifically designed for a certain situation. We have listed the available Scene modes in the table at the bottom of this page.

The Coolpix S1 offers two options for auto-focus: Auto (multi-point) or Center. If Auto is selected, the camera will attempt to determine the best point of focus automatically. If Center is selected, the camera will focus on the point in the middle of frame. The S1 does not offer any options to adjust the metering method. It uses a multi-pattern approach that measures light from the entire frame to determine the appropriate exposure. When the S1 is set to Continuous, it can take images at 1.6 fps. The camera can record video with audio at 640x480, 320x240, or 160x120 at 15 fps as QuickTime MOV files. The duration of the video clips is only limited by the remaining available space on the flash card.

Olympus IR-300

The Olympus IR-300 is similar to the Nikon Coolpix S1 in that it has a general purpose shooting mode as well as 17 special scene modes. When it is set to Record, the camera offers several options to the user including image size, drive, exposure compensation, white balance, metering, and AF. The S1 has an option to select either Auto or Spot auto-focus. For metering, you can select between Digital ESP, multi-pattern, or spot.

When continuous drive is enabled on the IR-300, the camera can take images at 1.3 fps. In Movie mode, the IR-300 can record video clips w/ audio at 320x240 or 160x120 at 15 fps as QuickTime MOV files. The duration of a video clip is only limited by the amount of space remaining on the flash card.

Sony DSC-T33

The Sony DSC-T33 has a mode system that is very similar to the Canon SD400. It offers three stages of still recording modes: Auto, Program, and presets (scenes). In Auto mode, the camera determines all the settings automatically, such as white balance, ISO, etc. In Program mode, the user has access to the following impressive list of options: exposure compensation, AF, metering, white balance, ISO, image size and quality, drive, exposure bracketing, flash level, picture effect, saturation, contrast, and sharpness. The T33 also offers 9 preset modes that are designed for shooting in specific circumstances.

The T33 gives you several options related to focusing. You can select Multi, Center, or Spot to tell the camera which focus points to use. You can also select from 5 preset distances instead of relying on the auto-focus system. When the T33 is set to Movie mode, it can record video with audio at 640x480 at 16 or 30 fps. There is also an option to record at 160x112 at 8 fps. The video files are saved as MPEG VX files. In order to record at 30 fps, you will need to have a Memory Stick Pro Duo. The regular Duo cards are not fast enough to keep up with the data steam. The duration of a video clip is only limited by the amount of space remaining on the flash card.

Canon PowerShot SD400
Shooting modes	Auto, Manual, Digital Macro, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Underwater, My Colors, Movie
Exposure compensation	+/- 2 stops in 1/3 EV increments
AF modes	AiAF (On, Off)
Metering	Evaluative, Center-weighted, Spot
White balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Manual
ISO	Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
Special features	My Colors

Nikon Coolpix S1
Shooting modes	Normal, Scene (Portrait, Landscape, Sports, Night portrait, Party/Indoor, Beach/Snow, Sunset, Dusk/Dawn, Night Landscape, Close Up, Museum, Fireworks Show, Copy, Backlight, Panorama Assist, Underwater, Voice Recording, Movie
Exposure compensation	+/- 2 stops in 1/3 EV increments
AF modes	Auto, Center
Metering	Multi-pattern
White balance	Auto, Daylight, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Speedlight, Custom
ISO	Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400
Special features	Face AF, BSS (Best Shot Selector), Interval timer shooting

Olympus IR-300
Shooting modes	Program Auto, Landscape, Landscape & Portrait, Night Scene, Night & Portrait, Indoor, Fireworks, Sunset, Portrait, Self-portrait, Cuisine, Documents, Sport, Beach & Snow, Candle, Available Light Portrait, Behind Glass, Vivid, Movie
Exposure compensation	+/- 2 stops in 1/2 EV increments
AF modes	Auto, Spot
Metering	Multi-pattern, Spot
White balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent
ISO	Auto
Special features	Voice memo mode

Sony DSC-T33
Shooting modes	Auto, Program, Magnifying glass, Twilight, Twilight portrait, Landscape, Snow, Beach, High-speed shutter, Fireworks, Candle, Movie
Exposure compensation	+/- 2 stops in 1/3 EV increments
AF modes	Multi, Center, Spot
Metering	Multi-pattern, Spot
White balance	Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Fluorescent, Incandescent, Flash
ISO	Auto, 100, 200, 400
Special features	Fixed focus options

In terms of recording control, the Canon SD400 offers the most options for focus, metering, white balance, and ISO adjustment. Although the Nikon S1 offers very similar features including manual white balance (the Olympus and Sony do not offer this), it does not offer any control over the metering method. The Sony T33 also offers a good range of recording control. However, the Canon SD400 has the advantage of one extra ISO setting. The Olympus IR-300 offers an impressive degree of control over recording options, but does not have any option to adjust the ISO setting. Another thing to point out is that both the Canon SD400 and Sony DSC-T33 have metal bodies while the Nikon S1 and Olympus IR-300 have plastic bodies.