The Hunt for the Best Ultra-Compact Camera
by Stephen Caston on October 5, 2004 12:05 AM EST- Posted in
- Digital Camera
Resolving Fine Lines
For our resolution test, we reset all cameras to their default settings and then used the highest resolution and quality setting. The cameras were set between +0.7 - 1.3 E.V. For more information, refer to our Testing Procedures page. Below are 200% crops of the test. Click on a crop to see the full chart.| Canon S410 +1.0 EV |
 Click to enlarge. |
| Casio Z40 +0.7 EV |
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| Pentax S40 +1.3 EV |
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Both the Canon S410 and The Pentax S40 are able to retain line definition up to the 12 mark before artifacts begin to appear. However, we should point out that the Pentax S40 begins to show artifacts a bit earlier than the Canon S410. Both cameras move to extinction by the 14 mark. The Casio Z40 is only able to make it to the 11 mark before the lines lose their definition. Extinction occurs around 13.
| Canon S410 +1.0 EV |
Click to enlarge. |
| Casio Z40 +0.7 EV |
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| Pentax S40 +1.3 EV |
Click to enlarge. |
In the vertical crop, the Canon S410 performs a bit better than in the horizontal crop. It is able to hold its resolution a little past the 12 mark. Also, the lines appear much sharper. The Casio Z40 looks about the same with detail at 11 and extinction at 13. It is important to note that in both Casio crops, moiré becomes visible just after the 11 mark. The Pentax S40 shows a slight improvement in the vertical crop. Extinction occurs at 14.
All of these cameras showed impressive resolution performance. However, the Canon S410 has a bit of an advantage over the Pentax S40 with its cleaner image and slightly higher resolution. The Pentax S40 is the runner up with exceptional resolution followed by the Casio Z40 with decent resolution and some visible moiré.
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araczynski - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
my classic Kodak DC240 is still kicking ass and taking names :) years later and I still could care less what else is out there :)Next camera will probably be video anyway, not much use (to a general consumer) for a still shot only camera (yeah, the crappy wanna be video mode doesn't count)
WooDaddy - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
Canons are very good. I agree.Just to put it out there.. Don't forget the Minolta G400. It falls in the same category as well: 4MP, VERY small, 3x zoom, movie mode, <$300. The selling point for me was the very fast shot to shot time and the dual MS and SD slots. Startup time is probably on par if not faster than the Casio. Image quality is very good as well. AF isn't probably as good or controllable as the Canon though. The demonstration of the Canon AF feature is helpful; I wish I knew it worked like that before I got my Minolta. The Minolta requires more tinkering that most but once you get the hang of it, it's OK.
Either way the G400 is a camera that shouldn't be ignored.
noxipoo - Tuesday, October 5, 2004 - link
I have canon S230 and I have used a S400, S500 extensively and they have always rocked. I have used older models that my friends have also. We all get canon for the consistent image quality, in the end its all that really matters.John1177 - Saturday, January 16, 2021 - link
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