Canon PowerShot SD430

Reviewed August 2006

Characteristics

The PowerShot SD430/IXUS Wireless has a 1/2.5-inch CCD with 5.3 million pixels, of which 5 million are effective. Four image sizes are available:

• Large: captures a 5-megapixel image measuring 2592 x 1944 pixels.
• Medium 1: captures a 3-megapixel image of 2048 x 1536 pixels.
• Medium 2: captures a 2-megapixel image of 1600 x 1200 pixels.
• Small: captures a VGA-size image of 640 x 480 pixels.

In addition, the SD430 offers a Postcard Imprint format which captures a 2-megapixel image but allows the time and date to be directly imprinted in orange on the image. With the exception of the Postcard Imprint format that is limited to the Fine image quality, all four image sizes offered on the SD430 can be saved at any one of 3 compression levels:

• Super Fine: the highest image quality.
• Fine: a somewhat more compressed format.
• Normal: an even more compressed format that allows storing a greater number of images in a given memory space but at a lower image quality.

For the SD430, CCD sensitivity begins at 50 ISO and when the camera is used in either the Manual or Digital Macro modes, can be to 100, 200, or 400 ISO, or even Auto, allowing the camera to increase sensitivity as dictated by the amount of light available. Many modes, however, do not offer control over the sensitivity and operate exclusively using Auto ISO.

The 3x optical zoom of the SD430 has a focal length of 5.8 to 17.4mm, the equivalent of a 35 to 105 mm zoom in a 35 mm camera. Apertures start at f2.8 at the wide-angle end, and f4.9 at the telephoto end.

In addition the SD430 is equipped with a 4X digital zoom which gradually crops the centre of the image as its “magnification” power is used, and then interpolates the cropped image section to the currently selected image size, engendering a loss of sharpness in the resulting image when the zoom is used at its maximum setting.

The SD430 has a shutter speed range that covers from 1/1500 second down to 15 seconds when the camera is used in Manual mode and the Long Shutter option is enabled in the Rec. menu. The shutter speed range, however, varies with the shooting mode and the full range is only available in the Manual mode. Nevertheless, all exposures longer than 1.3 seconds are automatically processed for noise reduction.

As discussed in the Ergonomics section of the review, shooting modes, and some basic photographic settings are accessed through the Function menu, called up by pressing the FUNC. SET button. Other settings are contained in the Rec. Menu, displayed when the MENU button is pressed:

• AiAF (On or Off) controls how the intelligent AF operates. When On, using 9 AF points, or when Off, using only the Centre AF.
• Self-timer: provides a choice of either a 2 or a 10 second delay after the shutter release has been pressed, or a Custom mode that allows setting the delay between 1 and 10 seconds, or 15, 20 or 30 seconds combined with the choice of capturing between 1 and 10 images in a series.
• AF Assist Beam (On or Off) controls the AF Assist lamp that automatically comes on when the ambient light is insufficient for the auto focus to operate reliably.

• Digital Zoom: On or Off, controls the 4X digital zoom. By default the digital zoom is Off in the still image capture mode, and On in the Standard movie mode.
• Review decides whether or not a just-captured image is shown on the monitor, and how: Off, Hold (keeps the image on screen until a button is pressed), or 2 to 10 seconds.
• Grid Lines: superimposes grid lines on the monitor to help with composition.
• Date Stamp: this option is only available when the image size is set to the Postcard format. The option allows the date or the date and time to be superimposed on the image permanently.
• Long Shutter: On or Off, decides if the Long Shutter option is available in the Function menu when the camera is set to the Manual mode.
• Stitch Assist accessible only when the SD430 is set to Manual mode, allows capturing a series of images, from left to right or right to left, which will be assembled into a panoramic image later using the software bundled with the camera.

• Connect/Disconnect: serves to connect or disconnect from a Target Device such as an infrastructure WiFi network*, or a peer to peer connection to a WiFi capable computer, or to a Canon printer fitted with the WA-1 Wireless USB Adapter included with the SD430. (* Requires Windows XP SP2).
• Reg. Target Device: to register a Target Device.
• Delete Registration: to delete a registered Target Device.
• Auto Transfer: to automatically transfer shots in the camera's memory card to a Target Device.

The next section of the menu is Setup and its options are detailed in the Interface and Software section of the review. The last section is called My Camera, and is a common feature of compact Canon cameras.

The My Camera section serves to "personalize" the SD430.

The start-up image, and any of the sounds produced by the camera (start-up, operation, self- timer, shutter) can be modified. Three themes — composed of a start-up image and a series of related sounds — are pre-loaded in the camera, and over 40 more can be uploaded to it, three at a time and including an image captured with the camera, when the SD430 is connected to a computer running the accompanying software.

Set to the Playback mode, the menu is composed of 4 sections: Play, Wireless, Setup, and My Camera, the last three sections being identical to those of the capture menu.

The Play section of the menu provides for:

• Protect: serves to ensure selected images cannot be lost by an accidental erasure.
• Rotate: allows rotating images 90° or 270°.
• Sound Memo: allows recording a sound memo up to up 60 seconds long. An option is offered to hear the recording afterwards, or to erase it.

• Erase All: erases all images from the memory card with the exception of those that have been protected.
• Slide Show: serves to see a slide show of all the images on the memory card, or only of selected images selected by date, or by folder, or only photos marked for transfer, or only photos marked for printing, or only movies. In addition, any one of three transposition effects can be used, and the length of the slide show can be preset, as well as whether or not the show will loop back to the beginning.

• Print Order: allows selecting images that will be printed on a DPOF compliant printer, or service, and the number of prints to make of each image.
• Transfer Order: serves to mark images for automatic transfer when the camera is connected via USB, or wirelessly, to a computer running Canon's software.
• Transition: serves to select the transition effect between images when images are played back using the slide show option.

The Canon PowerShot SD430 is compatible with SD (Secure Digital) and MMC (MultiMedia) memory cards, although the use of SD cards is preferred. In North America the SD430 IS is retailed with a starter 16 MB SD card.

The card slot is located underneath the camera, and is covered by the same door that covers the battery, the latter being held in place by a spring-loaded clip so that it cannot slide out while the card is accessed.

The chart below is intended to provide approximate image and movie capacities using the bundled 16 MB SD card, and an optional 1 GB card, which is more practical with a 5-megapixel camera:

A small plastic door at the top right side of the camera covers the two external connections of the SD430.

The A/V (Audio/Video) Out jack is closer to the back, and its signal can be set to NTSC or PAL in the Setup menu, making it possible to connect the camera to televisions the world over.

Closer to the front is the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed port, which serves to connect the camera to either a computer or a compatible printer.

Two other items are included in the SD430 kit: the Wireless Print Adapter (WA-1N) and its Compact Power Adapter (CA-DC20, and CA-DC20E in Europe.

The Wireless Adapter is designed to function with Canon printers. It plugs into the printer's USB port, and allows the camera to communicate wirelessly with the printer.