Customer reviews from usa.canon.com
Canon - PowerShot SX40 HS Black 12.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black
Average customer rating
4.7
(125 Reviews)
Rating breakdown 125 reviews
5 Stars
97
4 Stars
19
3 Stars
8
2 Stars
1
1 Star
0
90%of customers recommend this product.
(
111 out of
123)
Customer Reviews for Canon - PowerShot SX40 HS Black 12.1-Megapixel Digital Camera - Black
Customer Rating
5
Love this camera
on April 21, 2012
Posted by: Susan
Purchased this camera a few weeks ago and I am loving it. I still have to learn some of the bells and whistles, but you can still take great pictures on AUTO. The zoom is awesome. I am a novice photographer at best, but this camera is exactly what I was looking for beyond my smaller point and shoot...which I still like very much. The only thing I wish Canon provided was some sort of in-person training class. Not a fan of reading manuals.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Great High-End Point-and-shoot camera
on August 16, 2012
Posted by: a nature observer
from California
I've been using the Canon PowerShot SX40 HS for about 4 months and have been very impressed and delighted by its super-zoom, Full HD videos, and photo quality. I've taken many videos and photos of nature, wildlife and special events with it with good results.
Its super vivid mode makes the photos and videos very vibrant and beautiful especially when shooting outdoors in the sun or when the lighting is good.
Indoor shots are good. Night hand-held shots are quite satisfactory as well. It's ability to prevent camera shakes is quite amazing and I can often take clear shots of the moon even without a tripod.
Closeup shots and videos are good.
The "zoom framing assist" function is really helpful when the camera is zoomed out and you want to focus on or locate a moving subject.
Recently I discovered an unexpected function which I do not recall reading about in its manual. It was nighttime and I was outside with a flashlight and my Canon PowerShot SX40 HS. I saw a few racoons going into the bushes. Since it was dark, I raised the camera's flash and held the shutter button down halfway so that I can immediately take a shot when I see and focus on the racoons. To my surprise and great delight, when the shutter button is held down halfway and its flash is raised up, the camera's flash actually gives off a continuous light. I was using the camera's light to search for the racoons.
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, great for shooting wildlife/nature/ people/movies
Cons: it has difficulty focusing sharply sometimes
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
4
Purchased For My Cancun Trip
on November 16, 2012
Posted by: JP
Pros: This camera is loaded with features, Zoom is incredible, excellent quality at full zoom range, easy to get around in the menu/settings. I purchased this camera the day before leaving to Cancun Mexico, I took around 1000 images, beach, high sun photos, low light, daytime, dusk, after dark, in caves, bird portraits, small creatures. I was rushed most of the time, i am amazed how well they turned out. I own the SX10IS, SX30IS, this camera is an excellent addition to the PowerShot lineup.
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use, excellent quality animal portraits
Cons: Missing features/settings, controls are easly pushed accidentally., it would be nice to have the raw feature, it would be better to have brass threads filters, bulb feature would be helpful
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Fantastic Camera & Pictures! Easy to use!
on January 23, 2012
Posted by: TEALADY
from Chicago, IL
I recently bought the Canon SX40 HS and used it at a wedding; I could not have been more pleased with how the pictures turned out! In quite a number of the pictures I was using the telephoto lens at quite a distance (bride groom putting the ring on his bride's finger and it looked so close that you would have thought I was within one foot of them but I was at the 840 mm length and it was in great focus without a tripod). I used the "auto" setting for all of the pictures. The wedding area was somewhat low-lit, but the camera did not need a flash, which was great! This is the best point and shoot camera I have had. The reviews I read before buying were very accurate and helped me make the decision to purchase it. Some of my friends have seen my camera and what it produces and are interested in getting one. I rate it number 1.
The only thing I did not like was the delayed time between the shot just taken and when it was ready for the next shot; that left a lot to be desired. However, the overall attributes far out weight this one factor. I give it an A+.
Pros: easy use/great results!
Cons: time between shots.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
As Good as it Gets.
on January 27, 2012
Posted by: JoplinRising
from Joplin, Missouri
The only thing "compact" about this camera is its relative size...In terms of performance, you'd be hard pressed to find anything better than this little marvel. For anyone wishing to obtain consistently excellent photos without carrying an entire studio around with them, this one does the job in spades. Feature rich with all sorts of easily understandable shooting modes, just firing the SX40HS up and leaving it in auto mode has given me spectacular, and more importantly, consistent results. I have been successfully using mine to document the Joplin tornado catastrophe and recovery, as well as some nature shoots in the region. Detail and panoramic shooting, both important for these projects, have been easy to achieve with a minimum of labor. You could spend more, but you don't need to for truly amazing results. I've been a hardcore Canon user since the 1970's, and this camera does the name proud. Way to go!
Pros: out of box ease of use, outstanding battery life, accessories available at canon website., accessories are reasonably priced at canon website
Cons: sx40hs accessories not readily available locally.
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Fabulous carry around camera!
on February 18, 2012
Posted by: jmistudio
from NYC area
This is a great camera to take along all the time! The image quality is excellent and the camera is rich with features. I shoot with the 1DS Mark III but that is a bit much to lug around all the time, and with the all the lenses needed to match the range of this little marvel, my case would weigh about 40 pounds. Truth be told, the image quality can't compare to the 1DS Mark III, but I had no illusions that it would. The bottom line is that because this camera is so easy to carry around, I have captured a lot of great images that I would have missed while the 1DS Mark III was back at the studio.
I also have a G9 and an SX1 which are equally great carry around cameras, but the range of this camera's lens is what sets it apart. The one BIG thing those other Powershot cameras can do that this cannot, is capture RAW files. That is really my only serious complaint. If the SX40 could capture RAW it would be the ultimate carry around!
Pros: great lens range, very good image quality, easy to carry along
Cons: no raw files, no printed manual
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Best Purchase
on April 11, 2012
Posted by: gionico
from Tbilisi
This is the best bridge camera on the market. I take great pictures in low light. The camera has many useful features.
Video is excellent. Zoom is fantastic. Image stabilization just superb. So, the best buy indeed.
Video is excellent. Zoom is fantastic. Image stabilization just superb. So, the best buy indeed.
Pros: picture quality, good zoom, easy to use, image stabilzation, video quality
Cons: a litle slow performance, playback button location, no hdr, no in-camera panorama
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com
Customer Rating
5
Amazing Camera
on June 8, 2012
Posted by: t-wolf67
from Hudsonville, MI
I purchased this camera last fall and it is phenomenal. The zoom is incredible. I've had people using expensive DSLR cameras with zoom lenses asking me for copies of my pics because they are clearer. I'm still learning everything it can do, but I would recommend it to anyone who is looking to take great pictures but doesn't want the expense of purchasing lots of lenses.
Pros: good battery life, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
I would recommend this to a friend!
Written by a customer while visiting usa.canon.com