The SD10 is equipped with a 1/2.5 inch CCD with 4.2 million
pixels of which 4.0 are effective to capture an image size
of 2272 x 1704 pixels. CCD sensitivity starts at 50 ISO and
can be increased to 100, 200 or 400 ISO, or set to Auto,
which allows the camera to adjust the sensitivity as needed.
The tiny autofocus lens of the SD10 has a focal length of 6.4mm, equivalent to
a 39mm lens in 35 mm film format, and a lens barrier covers the
front element when the lens is retracted into the body.
Two apertures are
available, f2.8 and
f5.6, which work in conjunction with a shutter speed range
that covers from 1/1500 second down to 15 seconds when the Long
Shutter mode is enabled. During long exposures, between
1.3 second and 15 seconds, noise reduction
is automatically applied to the image.
The auto focus system is a multi-point AiAF system (Artificial intelligence Auto Focus),
which automatically selects focus from one, or more, of the 5 points it
can evaluate in the frame. Alternatively, the SD10 can be set to focus
at the centre of the frame if desired. When the ambient light is too low
for the AF to function, the camera turns on a light next to the lens to
help focus.
Four images sizes are available for still photography:
Large: 2272 x 1704 pixels
Medium 1: 1600 x 1200 pixels
Medium 2: 1024 x 768
Small: 640 x 480 pixels
and 3 JPEG compression levels: Superfine, Fine and Normal. The SD10 does
not provide a RAW or uncompressed image format.
Image quality and compression are set in the Function menu, along
with:
Shooting mode: offers the shooting modes that are usually
selected with a Mode Dial on larger Canon cameras. Six settings are
available:
Auto: a
simple to use point and shoot mode.
Manual: allows
selecting white balance, exposure compensation, and
other settings.
Long
Shutter: allows selecting the shutter speed from
1 to 15 seconds.
Macro
Mode: lets the lens focus from 3 cm to 10 cm
(1.2 in to 3.9 in.)
Stitch
Assist (R): to record a series of images from
left to right that will later be assembled into a
panoramic photo.
Stitch
Assist (L): as above, but for a sequence from
right to left.
Exposure Compensation: ± 2EV in 0.3 EV increments in
all modes but the Long Shutter mode. When Long shutter is in use, the
exposure compensation option is replaced by a shutter speed selector.
White Balance: Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, cool or warm
white Fluorescent, daylight Fluorescent, Custom white balance.
ISO Speed: Auto, 50, 100, 200, 400 ISO.
Photo Effects provides a means to change how the
image is recorded:
Vivid: emphasizes contrast and colour;
Neutral: tones down contrast and colour;
Low sharpening: softens outlines;
Sepia: records in sepia tones,
Black and White: captures a black and white
image;
Resolution: provides a means to change how the
image is recorded.
Compression: Normal, Fine, Superfine.
Moreover, if the SET/FUNC. button is held down while
the camera is in a shooting mode, a clock is shown on the monitor.
It is possible to change the clock's colour with the right/left
buttons of the 4-direction controller. By default the clock
disappears after 5 seconds, but that can be changed in the
Setup menu.
As is standard with most current Canon cameras, a few additional functions
are available in the Main Recording menu, if the camera is
set to modes other than the Auto mode:
Quick Shot: set the lens to its hyperfocal so
as to by-pass the AF stage and allow for a faster shot.
AiAF: On or Off. When On the camera automatically
selects the focus point from 5 areas in the frame. When
Off, the focus point is forced to the centre.
Self timer: 10 or 2 seconds sets the delay for
the self-timer.
AF Assist Beam: On or Off. Allows turning off
the AF assist beam the camera uses to focus under low ambient
light if it is disturbing.
Digital Zoom: On or Off.
Image review: Off or any delay between 2 and 10
seconds in 1 second increments.
The other 2 sections of the menu, Setup and My
Camera, are common to all modes. (The Setup section
is covered in the Interface and Software section of
this review.)
The My Camera section is also common with most Canon cameras, and
is a way to personalize some of the sounds and the image the SD10 uses
when starting and during various operations.
The first menu option selects
a Theme that will be applied to all the camera
sounds and the start-up image. The other 5 options of the menu
allow selecting specific sounds and a start-up image. Each
of the 6 options of the My Camera section provides 4 possible
settings: Off; the camera default; and 2 preloaded sound or
image options. If desired, the last 2 options can be overwritten
by any of the over 40 themes that are included with
the SD10's software.
The SD10 is also able to capture video
clips with sound. Two frame sizes are offered, 320 x
240, or 160 x 120, both of which can record a maximum of
3 minutes of video and at 15 frames per second. Video clips
can be played back on the camera, and can be edited as well.
Video clips can be cut either from a specific frame back
or forward, and the edited video clip re-saved either as
a new clip, or by overwriting the original clip with the
edited one.
In Playback the first section of the main menu consists of 7 options:
Protect: prevents the accidental deletion of an image. Images
can be selected one at a time for protection, and the Index screen
can be used to speed up the process of selection.
Rotate: rotates the image currently shown on the display by
either 90° or 270°.
Sound Memo: allows a sound or a voice
annotation to be attached to an image (up to 60 seconds).
Erase All: deletes all the images from the memory
card.
Auto Play: replays selected images, or all images
on the card.
Print Order: tags photos for later printing. The
SD10 is compatible with PictBridge, Direct Print, Bubble
Jet Direct, Exif Print and DPOF.
Transfer Order: tags images for automatic transfer.
In Playback the SD10
is able to display some of the shooting data for photos including
a histogram, if enabled in the Setup menu, immediately
after the image is captured, or when it is under review in
playback.
Shooting information is displayed over the lower part of the image, but
is limited to the shooting mode, exposure compensation, white balance setting
and metering pattern used. Neither aperture nor shutter speed are shown,
but are recorded in the Exif tags of the photo.
The SD10 uses Secure Digital
(SD) or MultiMedia memory cards (MMC). The card slot is located
on the right side of the camera in the same compartment as
the battery.
A 32MB SD card is included with the camera, allowing it to store:
Resolution
Compression
Superfine
Fine
Normal
(L) 2272 x 1704
14
26
52
(M1) 1600 x 1200
29
52
99
(M2) 1024 x 768
50
89
157
(S) 640 x 480
110
171
269
A lithium ion rechargeable battery
powers the SD10. The camera kit includes the battery and the
charger, the latter being either a charger that plugs directly
into a wall outlet, or one with a wire and plug - all depending
on where the SD10 is purchased. It is worth noting that the
battery is occasionally sold separately, allowing a lower price
for the SD10. It is also worth noting that the battery is specific
to the SD10, and absolutely necessary.
Recharging a fully drained battery takes approximately 2.5 hours.
On the lower right side of the
SD10's back, a soft plastic door covers the camera's 2 external
connections. A USB (1.1) port is near the edge, and nearby
is the AV (Audio/Video) jack. The Audio/Video out signal can
be set to either NTSC or PAL, the selection for which is made
in the Setup menu.
Characteristics
Auto: a
simple to use point and shoot mode.
Manual: allows
selecting white balance, exposure compensation, and
other settings.
Long
Shutter: allows selecting the shutter speed from
1 to 15 seconds.
Macro
Mode: lets the lens focus from 3 cm to 10 cm
(1.2 in to 3.9 in.)
Stitch
Assist (R): to record a series of images from
left to right that will later be assembled into a
panoramic photo.
Stitch
Assist (L): as above, but for a sequence from
right to left.
