That is, of course, an exaggeration…but read on…

I have enjoyed my Canon Powershot SD1400IS Digital Elph and still recommend it as a great digiscoping camera in its price class…but…

Get a load of this! Canon Powershot SD4000IS Digital Elph:

  • high-sensitivity, low noise, 10mp, back-illuminated CMOS sensor
  • 4 frames per second burst at full resolution, and 2.5mp ultra-high speed sequential shooting
  • same excellent 3.8x, 28mm equivalent, fast f2.0-f5.3 zoom as the Canon S90, sharp through its full range and relatively free of Chromatic Aberrations in the usable digiscoping range (1/3 zoom and up with most scope zoom eyepieces)
  • fast, positive, auto focus, with servo-auto-focus for continuous focus after half-pressing the shutter release
  • relatively bright, high resolution, 3 inch LCD
  • Program, Aperture and Shutter preferred, and a host of scene based programs
  • 720p HD video, with stereo sound
  • mostly metal body, bigger (and considerably heavier) than your average Elph, but still fits in a pocket

I don’t quite believe Canon intentionally created a digiscoping Point and Shoot…I am not that out-of-touch…but, just by accident, they came, imho, pretty close!

I have had the camera about a week, and the results so far have been most promising. The camera and its wide 3.8x zoom work well behind the eyepieces of my DiaScopes, giving a generous unvignetted range at all powers; the sensor holds image quality at least up to ISO 400, (800 even, see below); the system focuses rapidly and positively most of the time; video mode does amazing video; continuous shooting shoots, in most light, at the advertised 4fps (if special noise or contrast processing is required it slows down to about 2.5fps); and the whole package is, as far as I am concerned, the right size and weight for a full day of combined birding and digiscoping in the field.

(Caution…if you are used to the slow burst mode on most P&S, make sure you invest in a big card to go with your SD4000IS. I went out for 2 hours yesterday, found several mostly cooperative birds and other critters, and came back with 930 images and several minutes of video. At 4 fps, it is hard to take less than 5 or 6 frames of anything, unless you shut of continuous shooting, and the .MOV video format eats up storage quickly.)

So, samples. The images below are linked back to higher resolution files on my Wide Eyed In Wonder site. Click the image and you can view the file at any size your monitor will handle, using the size controls at the top of the window.

Sparrow at ISO 125.

Sparrow at ISO 400.

Fledgling Barn Swallow. Note fine feather details. Full zoom on camera and ISO 125.

With additional zoom on the scope. Still at ISO 125.

Willet at greater distance (40 feet or more). 2/3 zoom on camera. 40x or more on scope. ISO 125.

For a challenge, Tree Swallow at close range (15-20 feet). Full zoom on the camera, ISO 125. I had to process out some CA on this one but this has to be absolutely a worst case for CA! Note the feather detail on this very difficult bird.

And for a real challenge, Chipmunk in deep shade, at ISO 800 and about mid-zoom on the camera.

 

Backing off on both zooms (camera and scope) got me to ISO 400 for this shot.

And just to show it is not a fluke, here is another full zoom, ISO 400 shot at point blank range. Immature Eastern Pewee this time. This required some color correction.

Finally, pushing the limits, here is a for the record shot at 3/4  zoom and 45x, through miserable heat haze, ISO 400, cropped to about 1/3 frame. The best I hoped for on this was an identifiable bird, but it is not bad at all.

All images were processed for tonal range and sharpness in Lightroom.

Then, a couple of video samples.

Song Sparrow Prening after Bath: late evening sun

And a video of the same Chipmunk as the stills above, in the same deep shade.

Chipper Snack

Finishing off with a clip of that Willet above, at the same distance.

Noisy Willet

 

The videos demonstrate one of the great strengths, imho, of today’s modern digital cameras. I was able to switch from still to video and back at will! How great is that?

There will never be a perfect P&S for digiscoping…and, of course, an increasing number of digiscopers are switching over to the compact Micro 4/3s and mini, electronic viewfinder, APS sensor DSLRs. But if your style of birding/digiscoping leans toward the still considerable size and weight advantages of a P&S, then the Canon Powershot SD4000IS Digital Elph just might be a camera you would find very interesting. I did. I do. Lots of fun!