Canon Powershot SX400 is 16.0 MP Digital Camera with 30x Optical Zoom and 720p HD Video (Black)

The media could not be loaded. It was Mother’s Day when I found out that I needed a new camera.My husband owns a Sony Cybershot camera which is around 6 or maybe 7 years old.I used to used that a lot and I was happy with it but Mother’s Day when I was trying to take a picture of the food I ordered in the restaurant where my husband and my son took me, I found out the camera needs a new replacement.I tried to take a picture of my son eating his food and the picture was grainy and dark despite me changing the settings and trying to shoot with the flash on.So I looked and I found this camera by Canon Powershot SX400 IS, well I figured i wanted a nice camera, and it was on sale as well.I check the reviews and although there are some 1 review out there saying it was difficult to use, I took my chance, I’m not exactly new to digital, so I resigned myself to learning once the camera is delivered.And I found out that just like any other digital camera, it is quite easy to use.It came with a manual that I am not really sure where I put, but I downloaded their digital manual as well, and tried to learn as much.I know I will need a little bit of getting used to if I want to use all the features of the camera.You can set it to fisheye, monochrome, miniature, landscape, portrait, toy camera, poster, night or long shutter, fireworks, snow, vivid or live settings, you can even fix your own colors.I didn't mess with that, since I'm not familiar with those, maybe someday.But there’s also automatic settings if you just want a much simpler shot.This came with a battery, a charger, the camera itself which is in a frustration free packaging, a lens protector and a wrist strap. I don't like the wrist strap because they are just the standard ones, I bought one that I can put in my neck.There's also a much better wrist strap there that you can use to stabilize your pictures.I bought a 32 GB SD card to use, they are not included, I have an 8 GB that I can use but i figured to get something bigger for a much higher storage.The battery took about 2 hours to charge before I was able to use and play with the camera.It doesn't come with a cord for your camera to TV or your computer.I take the SD card to put the pictures in my computer.The moment I opened it, it asked me to set the time and date and my time zone. It doesn’t have my actual time zone but I put it in the nearest time zone.The monitor looks a little bit grainy but when I took my first picture and check it out on my computer after I transfered it, the quality of the picture is quite great.It also takes great video.I also like the way my hand curls unto it. Makes holding the camera easy and more stable.At the bottom you can also set it up to be out in a tripod.I am quite happy with the purchase and it was well worth the money I paid for.I am not a professional photographer and at most times my hands are shaky but I added a few pictures that I have taken with this camera.

I ordered this camera to replace an older digital camera that I was increasingly getting fed up with, as it never took a nice photo, and the zoom was basically non-existant. I was so excited to see that this had arrived, earlier than was expected, and couldn't wait to try it out! It was packaged really well, and came in very good condition. I took a few practice shots and experimented with some of the different settings and I absolutely loved the quality of the pictures and the ease of use. I even zoomed in on a coin jar clear across the room and was able to capture the details of the coins in perfect clarity, which would've been impossible with my old camera. So far I don't have any complaints! I absolutely love it and would reccomend it to anyone else looking for a good digital camera.

Just got home from Atlantic Beach, NC let me tell you one thing for sure this camera takes some amazing pictures... it pulls thing up close it is amazing... I love it and recommend you getting one, great camera, great price.... I would suggest getting a bigger than 2GB SD Card... LOL if you like me love to take pictures... and did I mention it is easy as can be to use.... all I can say is GET ONE....

I paid $145 for this camera, and while I do not know a ton about cameras, I do not that what you want is "OPTICAL ZOOM" for quality pictures, especially close ups. "Digital" zoom is not that great as it degrades the picture, especially anything over 13 digital zoom, that is where you get all the fuzziness when you make the picture bigger, it really is not a picture but little squares, the "OPTICAL" zoom giver you and actual picture so if there is fuzziness it is you shaking. I also bought a 5' stand for the camera for about $12, and a memory card on AMAZON for 1/4 the cost retail. Overall, giving this 4 stars as I will use this to take pictures of items that I sell on Dragonfly Knitwear, me and Mom make hand knitted and crochet items for sale. Just a hobby. The price reflects that fact that it has 30x "OPTICAL ZOOM" and not anything else, the options are very, very basic. So, the pictures are nice, but there are pros and cons:PROS:1. No that big, can travel with it2. 30 x "OPTICAL ZOOM" for UNDER $1503. Has a lens cap4. Takes pretty good pictures, close ups are fabulous and do not degrade due to it being an optical zoom camera and not big on digital zoom.CONS:1. Flash is not auto, the camera tells you that flash is needed and you have to manually pop it up. Also, most of the time the flash is too much for close ups if you are actually close to the subject matter2. Pix files are huge, so you have to reduce them in order to send them, but that is also a pro3. Not user friendly, it takes a little time to get used to the different options and how they actually work, which is best for which type of picture, more of a trial and error4. Takes pretty good pictures, but finicky, so not like a sure shot a travel camera and for every day will use my other Olympus which is a 14 megapixel and 5 x "wide angle" lens"optical zoom" but 16 megapixels and 10x digital zoom. (Great little camera and under $50)Also, seems to be the best camera for the price and I really like CANON. Never really had any major issues with the brand and the next level up is like a professional camera which start at around $500. This originally sold for almost $500 and it is NO WAY worth that much. I tried a few others at this price point and no where near the quality for the price.Olympus I am keeping as it has good video and sound for youtube, if I ever post there. and a good every day camera and really small, the size of your palm. Bought it used for $29, had issues but fixed them.NIKON COOLPIX: Sent back due to terrible pictures, the Nikon COOLPIX S3600 20.1 MP Digital Camera with 8x Zoom @ around $50.CANON PowerShot: Sent back the Canon PowerShot A3000 IS 10 MP Digital Camera with 4x Optical as it was not what I needed, and needed to beef up on the optical zoom after understanding what I needed via research. This was also around $50.Hope this helps with your choice of camera.