Canon SX40 HS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 35x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.7-inch Vari-Angle Wide LCD

Very good camera. Sophisticated design and comfortable. It takes very good pictures. Very high quality and in good colors. Zoom in enough too. Not professional but semi-professional. For anyone who loves to take pictures this camera is very good. I have learned a lot through this camera and I think its features have helped me a lot. Some features have not been fully studied. It is very durable. Not heavy. It is comfortable and usable. It has a very good screen which I think is very useful. I like it very much and it takes great photos.

This is a really good camera for the price the zoom is amazing on it, it takes great pictures, an the audio is very good surprisingly. The reason I gave it 4 stars is I wish it had WiFi. But overall this is a great camera I still use mine right now to make videos an it does a great job. Of course there is cameras out here today that are a lot better. But if you are just starting out this will definitely get the job done with our breaking your wallet. I use it to film my YouTube videos right now. I am wanting to upgrade just so I can have WiFi an all that but this is an awesome camera would definitely recommend to a friend that is starting out an needs a good camera.

My first camera and it never ceases to amaze me. I paid $40 and it still retails for alot if money on several sites. The camera is easy to work with and the settings are pretty self explanatory. I've noticed some of my pictures to have some weird color issue when I try to enhance colors when I exit them but it's not a big issue. The zoom is so amazing, it really paid off when I travelled to NY a few months back and couldn't get close! This camera is good for long distance and travelling and not needing to change out lenses.

A great vacation camera

This is one of my favorite cameras, It feels good holding it in your hands. It is a worthy upgrade from a SX10 SX30 SX110 And it takes a picture as good as my S100 - G11 coming from a point and shoot world never using raw,I am sure a advanced user could get a better picture from S100 - G11 but I am getting good quality photos without a lot of hassle using auto & P mode with the SX40.Very good image quality, good auto white balance, user-friendly design make the SX40 difficult to exceed in a single-lens camera unless you go to the canon G1X. I posted some pictures on this site to see the sharpness and true to life colors. I was also very pleased with its image stabilization The camera isn't perfect, but no camera is. The most improvement is lower noise even at ... MoreThis is one of my favorite cameras, It feels good holding it in your hands. It is a worthy upgrade from a SX10 SX30 SX110 And it takes a picture as good as my S100 - G11 coming from a point and shoot world never using raw,I am sure a advanced user could get a better picture from S100 - G11 but I am getting good quality photos without a lot of hassle using auto & P mode with the SX40.Very good image quality, good auto white balance, user-friendly design make the SX40 difficult to exceed in a single-lens camera unless you go to the canon G1X. I posted some pictures on this site to see the sharpness and true to life colors. I was also very pleased with its image stabilization The camera isn't perfect, but no camera is. The most improvement is lower noise even at 200iso and up in my test, with all my cameras except the S100, that said my canon G1X is the best here but it has that huge sensor in it.The first thing that I did was to get a better lens cap, A lens hood, A power2000 battery for canon NB-10L ( I have been using power 2000 batterys in all my cameras for years ), A blackrapids sholder camera strap(sports model) or I use the regular camera wrist strap off of my old canon SX110 and throw away the canon neck strap that comes with the camera, I did this with my Canon T3I also. I am using a 8gb extreme pro sandisk card, I know it is a little over kill here. Note if taking alot of movies get a spare card just in case... The canon speedlite 270EX works great with this cameras hot shoe, I would highly recommend getting one when you can afford it...If you want something that is easy to use, has a great zoom lens, takes great photos and is under $400, this is the camera for you.I mostly take pictures of bear in the Smokey Mountians (CADES COVE) and love chaseing the grand kids around taking their pictures.

Crisp, clear shots. Fairly easy to use.

My first camera, 30 years ago, was a Canon Sure Shot, and I had not met its equal in a digital until using an Olympus 10 years ago that I just plain wore out. In the past two years, I've purchased a Canon and an Olympus, each for about $200 on sale, point and shoot with good reviewst, and I was found them both disappointing. The colors were not all that great, the zoom made the photos fuzzy, and the batteries didn't last long. What I wanted in a camera, this camera has provided:True colors: love, love, love the lens on this camera! The colors are clear, crisp, true to life, indoors and outdoors, wildlife, scenic views, skin tones.Zoom that doesn't distort/create noise: This was fun to use! I shot bird photos, and it looked like the birds were sitting right in ... MoreMy first camera, 30 years ago, was a Canon Sure Shot, and I had not met its equal in a digital until using an Olympus 10 years ago that I just plain wore out. In the past two years, I've purchased a Canon and an Olympus, each for about $200 on sale, point and shoot with good reviewst, and I was found them both disappointing. The colors were not all that great, the zoom made the photos fuzzy, and the batteries didn't last long. What I wanted in a camera, this camera has provided:True colors: love, love, love the lens on this camera! The colors are clear, crisp, true to life, indoors and outdoors, wildlife, scenic views, skin tones.Zoom that doesn't distort/create noise: This was fun to use! I shot bird photos, and it looked like the birds were sitting right in front of me. No details were lost, color and clarity remained fantastic even zoomed all the way out (optical zoom only).Good battery life: Several hundred shots and three hours later, the battery had plenty of life left to it. Next day, without recharging, took many more and still the battery is going strong. It's too soon to know just how long it will last, but so far, I'm impressed.Easy to hold: So many cameras are small now, and this fits my hands well. It has a nice shape to it, making it easy to hold securely.Strap (neck strap comes with it): Nice strap, and that matters because my first camera broke only because I dropped it, and most cameras bought in this family have come without any strap at all.Ability to override auto settings: Though I haven't tried this much yet, I have the option to set this to manual. I can even save my favorite manual settings. This is the one area I need to work at a bit; the menu is just a bit more complicated than I'd like for it to be, and there is no printed user guide. It should be noted that I had not read the user guide before using this camera other than to read the cautions and stuff you need to know to get it going (charging and using the battery, what size card and where to put it, etc).Macro setting: I found it once, haven't found it again, need to learn where it is. The photos I took using it were excellent. See above--I just need to learn my way around the menu better.Viewfinder: I like using a viewfinder, and most point and shoots don't have them. I like this a lot! It will save using the LCD screen all the time, and I enjoy composing a photo.LCD screen: Very nice. It can be closed so that screen is protected (I do this while using the viewfinder and when not using the camera). When open, it can be set at various angles, which I suspect I'll use a lot, especially when getting photos at school plays, in crowds, and wherever it helps to hold the camera at an odd angle to get the shot.The only con I would mention is the lack of user guide. There is one, but it's not in print. I find the printed books that used to come with cameras to be helpful--tuck them in the camera bag for quick reference.I do need a bag; none of mine are right for this. I am using a Sans Disk SDHC card that I got on sale. That's the brand I've used for years and never have had troulbe with, so I stuck with what I know and don't regret it. It worked beautifully in this camera.There is the ability to add lenses and even an extra flash. Though I didn't set out to find a camera with these features, I was torn between this and a Sony that is similar. The Sony lacked these features, so I went for the one that had similar reviews, features, and price but gave me more options.

Excellent camera at a good price.

The Canon PowerShot SX40 HS Black 12.1MP Digital Camera w/ 35X Optical Zoom, 2.7" LCD Display, HD Video is typical Canon well built and thought out package. I have used Powershot cameras for years and am rarely disappointed. The camera shoots well in low light situations, and with 12MP resolution, keeps the picture focused. It offers a range of shooting senarios, and includes rapid fire photos for action shots. Controls are well thought out and placed in convenient places. The HD video is controled from a single button on back that has a red dot. The 35x optical zoom is only surpassed by the newer SX50 HD, which also features WIFI. The 2.7 LCD screen is bright and crip and easy to see. It folds out for self portrait veiwing, or folds down on the back. A single ... MoreThe Canon PowerShot SX40 HS Black 12.1MP Digital Camera w/ 35X Optical Zoom, 2.7" LCD Display, HD Video is typical Canon well built and thought out package. I have used Powershot cameras for years and am rarely disappointed. The camera shoots well in low light situations, and with 12MP resolution, keeps the picture focused. It offers a range of shooting senarios, and includes rapid fire photos for action shots. Controls are well thought out and placed in convenient places. The HD video is controled from a single button on back that has a red dot. The 35x optical zoom is only surpassed by the newer SX50 HD, which also features WIFI. The 2.7 LCD screen is bright and crip and easy to see. It folds out for self portrait veiwing, or folds down on the back. A single button control can switch to a veiwfinder, or simply fold the LCD down. The SX40 has everything I was looking for in a digital camera, at an affordable price.

Feature rich camera

This camera has a wide angle, non changeable lens with a decent optical zoom. I really like the wide angle because it enables me to get everything I want into a single frame. It's a very good package of features that one would normally have to upgrade to the pricier models like the Rebel in order to get. Although I have not used the video feature much yet, it can shoot in true 1080 HD and also has high speed feature that enables one to shoot awesome slow motion movies. I particularly wanted the moveable LCD display because it can be pivoted so I can take the picture and be in it too, while being able to see the output for compostion adjustment.What I am not particularly fond of is the location of some feature buttons on the hand grasp because I often "one hand" it ... MoreThis camera has a wide angle, non changeable lens with a decent optical zoom. I really like the wide angle because it enables me to get everything I want into a single frame. It's a very good package of features that one would normally have to upgrade to the pricier models like the Rebel in order to get. Although I have not used the video feature much yet, it can shoot in true 1080 HD and also has high speed feature that enables one to shoot awesome slow motion movies. I particularly wanted the moveable LCD display because it can be pivoted so I can take the picture and be in it too, while being able to see the output for compostion adjustment.What I am not particularly fond of is the location of some feature buttons on the hand grasp because I often "one hand" it and accidently activate some function I didn't intend to by "fat fingering" them. It's just a matter of getting used to the grip, I think.The sale price was $100 off which makes it worth it to upgrade over the usual point and shoot compact digitals that Canon makes.This is my personal camera purchase but I also purchased this model for my work because it has a second to none macro feature that is quite amazing for fine, very close up, shots. I've been using this model at work for about 8 months so was aware of it's capabilities before I purchased my own.Combine all of this with a 12.1mp picture quality ccd with decent optics and it's a deal.By the way, be sure to purchase at least the 16GB X10 high speed card for it to utilize its fast transfer speeds and reduce cycle time between shots.

Great captures - SOMETIMES

I'm not certain how to rate this product. When it captures an image well it can be shockingly great. The issue I found was the lack of consistency in obtaining one.I purchased this camera for bird ID - and for travel photography - so if I was on a weekend excursion somewhere I could travel light and take a variety of images. I own a Canon 20D and 5D and L glass (17-40L, 70-200L and 50 prime) - so the SX40 was something I could keep with me in the car or grab while walking my dog that would have farther reach than my iphone. I owned a bridge camera years ago (a Konica-Minolta A200 - which was great) and brought home some great images trekking through Peru and Machu Pichu.I really wanted to like this camera - but I did not. I found that no matter what I did it ... MoreI'm not certain how to rate this product. When it captures an image well it can be shockingly great. The issue I found was the lack of consistency in obtaining one.I purchased this camera for bird ID - and for travel photography - so if I was on a weekend excursion somewhere I could travel light and take a variety of images. I own a Canon 20D and 5D and L glass (17-40L, 70-200L and 50 prime) - so the SX40 was something I could keep with me in the car or grab while walking my dog that would have farther reach than my iphone. I owned a bridge camera years ago (a Konica-Minolta A200 - which was great) and brought home some great images trekking through Peru and Machu Pichu.I really wanted to like this camera - but I did not. I found that no matter what I did it often took 10 captures to get 1 sharp image - and sometimes no image was. As others have stated, the viewfinder is not great and it's sort of a 'surprise' what you get - I found composition to be a crapshoot.I knew going in that the image quality would not be what I'm accustomed to and thought it a valid trade off for the zoom and compact size - but after working with it, pouring over the manual, reading online commentary and outings with it in the field - I asked myself if I wanted to work this hard to capture a good image and the answer was clear to me - NO. This camera zapped all the fun and creativity out of photography - for me. I don't spend hours adjusting images on a computer - I love the fun of getting images as 'right' as possible out in the field.Having said all this, SOMETIMES (if the planets aligned) I would get an amazingly sharp image of a bird on a wire and see the details on it's feathers - right out of the camera. Terrific detail - so the camera is capable of it. Other times there would be a woodpecker 5 feet away and I got 10 blurry out of focus images. I was becoming lightheaded from holding my breath, getting in the perfect posture, agonizing over camera settings - in order to (hopefully) attain a sharp image - it was exhausting! If I'm going to be out a few hours on a photo shoot, especially on a good day when wildlife is putting on a show, I want a high rate of keepers!Sometimes while out capturing wildlife - specifically birds - I will see someone with either as SX40 or SX50 and smile - watch them with monopods and anxiously looking at their LCD's. I know they might capture a bird perfectly on a very faraway treetop, and I'm happy for them - reward for their efforts. But I'll stick to my DSLR and telephoto comfortably snug against me on a sling strap - and smile throughout my day - certain of what I capture, even if that means watching the one that got away.I realize I said 'I' a thousand times - it happens when expressing one's opinion quickly! Remember what they say - the best camera is the one you have with you - have fun!

I don't need a dslr

No one camera can give you all the functions you need as a bundle. But with the help of photoshop and Lightroom, all you need from your camera is good quality of image, and any other effect can be achieved. For example, a dslr will give you a close up image bokey (blurred background with sharp foreground) while sx40hs can't (can get it if your subject is a good distance from the background), so I use Photoshop to achieve this effect nicely. For the cheap price, I don't mind extra photoshop job on my images. Then there's the incredible 35x zoom that you can't get from a dslr unless you're ready to spend a ton of dollars on lens. There are newer versions that are more expensive but have more effects, like RAW, better video effects etc. These added effects can be ... MoreNo one camera can give you all the functions you need as a bundle. But with the help of photoshop and Lightroom, all you need from your camera is good quality of image, and any other effect can be achieved. For example, a dslr will give you a close up image bokey (blurred background with sharp foreground) while sx40hs can't (can get it if your subject is a good distance from the background), so I use Photoshop to achieve this effect nicely. For the cheap price, I don't mind extra photoshop job on my images. Then there's the incredible 35x zoom that you can't get from a dslr unless you're ready to spend a ton of dollars on lens. There are newer versions that are more expensive but have more effects, like RAW, better video effects etc. These added effects can be achieved in sx40hs with installation of the free Canon CHDK firmware. If you're not going to make a hollywood movie, then the video quality is good enough, and will actually give you that movie effect. In all, the sx40hs is a good cheap camera to have. I love cheap but good things.

Lightweight and versatile.

These bridge cameras are a great introduction to photography offering incredible versatility. Everything from point and shoot modes to fully manual for more creative results with a great zoom ability all in a compact package. Easy to learn how to use it's many functions. My only criticism is that the Macro facility for close up work is pretty useless for small wildlife like insects because it only works on wide angle and you have to be practically touching the subject with the lens.