Sum ‘n’ Substance:

Thumbs up: Compact; easy to use interface; good image quality; HDMI out; high-def movie quality.

Thumbs down: Inconsistent performance; optical zoom absent in movie mode.

Inside the trunk: 2.1 Megapixels CCD; F2.8-5.9, 4X optical zoom lens; Optical image stabilization; 2.7 inch LCD display with 2,30,000 pixels; records movies in high def at 1280 x 720 using H.264 codec; HDMI output ; SD/ SDHC/ MMC/ MMC plus/ HC MMC plus card slot ; uses NB-4L lithium ion battery; 220 shots per charge.

The Whiz- kid speaks:

Razzle-dazzle: The SD 940 IS has  a light and compact design, and somewhat shaped to look like a pebble, personally I’m not too crazy about its looks. Unlike the SD780, the 940 drops the optical viewfinder for a much larger 2.7 inch LCD display, along with a wide-angle 28mm-equivalent lens with a 4x zoom in the front. Besides the minor interface adjustments the SD940 is a shadow of the SD 780. that means it’s similar in it inconsistent performance and the fringing purple edges. Although the cam is light in weight, the construction feels rugged, just like a pebble. The pebble is also available in different colours besides black , which I think, are all one worse than the other; silver, blue, and brown.  The lens barrel matched the colour of the body.

The controls are in line along with the body, and also there is a four-way navigational pad and center Function/Set button. The center button adjusts the exposure, flash modes, focus or to choose the timer settings from the outer ring.

Inside dope:
The menu system, has undergone renovation, and boy oh boy does it work. Whenever you get confused as to which mode would click the perfect shot, or  you have no clue in which mode you have stepped into, the menu system  helps you out with prompts and tips. It also tells you what the shooting mode you select is going to do. Support systems aren’t uncommon, but Canon has executed this to perfection.  A tiny switch on the back toggles you between three shooting modes; the Smart Auto , program/scene and movie. The smart auto mode is very dependable and it selects the best scene from 22 different scenes. In the program mode you can  adjust  the white balance, ISO, auto-focus, light metering or  you can toggle between any one of the seventeen shooting options like indoors or portrait , while the movie mode as the name suggest, records high definition movies at a resolution of 720p. however, the 4x optical zoom does not function while recording. There also is an HDMI output port.

As far as performance goes, the SD940 was just like the SD 780, inconsistent. from a cold start,  the camera took around 1.4 seconds.  The shutter lag was 0.6 seconds in normal conditions and 0.9 seconds in dim- light. The lag between the shots was amazingly lethargic which clocked 2.9 seconds without flash and an excruciating six second with the flash on.

The picture quality, was good, but is a victim of its size, price and the class it is placed in. the images were well-defined and sharp; colours were bright and vivid, but as the ISO level increased to 200;noticeable noise was prevalent, images becomes softer and purple –fringing was introduced.

Nitty- gritty: Canon has produced some good cameras over their period , and the SD940 can be included in that bracket too. In spite of that sloppy performance, it offered good quality images ,decent functions, and a design some might find attractive, all at a very reasonable price. The Canon is priced at $299.

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