Canon 400D vs Canon SD940 IS Comparison

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Canon 400D

10 MP | APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) CMOS Sensor

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Canon SD940 IS

12 MP | 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) CCD Sensor

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Canon 400D vs Canon SD940 IS Comparison Overview

Here we are comparing two Canon cameras cameras with different body types: Canon 400D, which was introduced in October 2006 is a Entry-Level DSLR camera with a 10.0MP APS-C sensor whereas Canon SD940 IS, which was introduced in August 2009 is a Ultracompact camera with a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch sensor. As you can see, 400D is 3 years older than SD940 IS. Let's see if this age difference between two cameras makes a big difference.

Comparing a DSLR camera to a Fixed Lens camera is not an easy task but we will do our best to make this a fair comparison.

Here is a brief look at the main features of Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS before getting into our more detailed comparison.

Canon 400D Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2006-10-14

10MP - APS-C CMOS Sensor

ISO 100 - 1600

Canon EF/EF-S Mount

2.5" Fixed Type Screen

Optical (pentamirror) viewfinder

3 fps continuous shooting

No Video Mode

556g. 127 x 94 x 65 mm

Also known as EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X

Replaced Canon EOS 350D Compare

Canon SD940 IS Key Specs

Announcement Date: 2009-08-19

12MP - 1/2.3-inch CCD Sensor

ISO 80 - 1600

28-112 mm F2.8-5.9 Zoom Lens

Optical Image Stabilization

2.7" Fixed Type Screen

1 fps continuous shooting

HD - 1280 x 720 video resolution

120g. 89 x 55 x 20 mm

Also known as Digital IXUS 120 IS

Canon 400D was replaced by Canon EOS 450D. You may also be interested in these comparisons:
Canon EOS 450D vs Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X)
Canon EOS 450D vs Canon PowerShot SD940 IS / Digital IXUS 120 IS

Let's read on the following sections in order to better understand in detail how Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS compares and hopefully end up with enough arguments to decide which one is better for you.

Reasons to choose Canon EOS 400D over Canon PowerShot SD940 IS

External Flash Shoe	Yes vs No	Better for flash photography
Viewfinder	Optical vs None	Better framing and control
RAW Support	Yes vs No	Better image quality
Max Mech. Shutter	1/4000s vs 1/1500s	faster mechanical shutter
Continuous Shooting	3.0fps vs 1.0fps	2 fps faster
Manual Exposure	Yes vs No	better exposure control
Flash Coverage	12.0m vs 4.0m	8m longer range
Sensor Pixel Area	32.60µm² vs 2.34µm²	1293% larger pixel area

Reasons to choose Canon PowerShot SD940 IS over Canon EOS 400D

Image Stabilization	Optical vs None	Sharper images at longer focal lengths and long exposures
Max Sensor Resolution	12 MP vs 10 MP	19% more pixels
LCD Screen Size	2.7" vs 2.5"	0.2 inches larger display
Weight	120 g vs 556 g	436 g lighter
Max Video Resolution	1280 x 720 vs None	Higher Resolution Video

Common Strengths of Canon EOS 400D and Canon PowerShot SD940 IS

Built-in Flash	Yes vs Yes	Useful in low-light

Common Weaknesses of Canon EOS 400D and Canon PowerShot SD940 IS

Fixed Screen	Fixed Type vs No	No flexible viewing angles
LCD Screen Size	2.5" vs 2.7"	Small display
LCD Screen Resolution	230k dots vs 230k dots	Low resolution screens
Environmental Sealing	No vs No	not suitable for tough conditions
AE Bracketing	No vs No	Not good for multi-exposure HDR

Canon 400D vs Canon SD940 IS: Physical Specs and Body features Comparison

Size and weight is a big decision factor when you are trying to find the ideal camera for your needs. In this section, We are going to illustrate Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS side-by-side from the front, back and top in their relative dimensions. Canon 400D has external dimensions of 127 x 94 x 65 mm (5 x 3.7 x 2.56″) and weighs 556 g (1.23 lb / 19.61 oz) (including batteries). Canon SD940 IS has external dimensions of 89 x 55 x 20 mm (3.5 x 2.17 x 0.79″) and weighs 120 g (0.26 lb / 4.23 oz) (including batteries).

Below you can see the front view size comparison of Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS. Canon SD940 IS is clearly the smaller of the two cameras. Its body is 38mm narrower, 39mm shorter and 45mm thinner than Canon 400D. As you can tell, actually this is not a fair size comparison since Canon SD940 IS has a built-in lens but Canon 400D doesn't. Once you put a lens on 400D, its thickness will increase significantly.

Comparison image of Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS Size, Weight and External Dimensions - Front View

Weight is another important factor especially when deciding on a camera that you want to carry with you all day. Canon SD940 IS is significantly lighter (436g ) than the Canon 400D which may become a big advantage especially on long walking trips.

Again, this comparison may not be very useful in real life as we are comparing the weight of a camera with a built-in lens to the body-only weight of an interchangeable lens camera. Once you put a lens on 400D, the total kit will weigh much higher.

Weather Sealing

Unfortunately neither Canon EOS 400D (EOS Digital Rebel XTi / EOS Kiss Digital X) nor Canon PowerShot SD940 IS / Digital IXUS 120 IS provides any type of weather sealing in their body, so you have to give extra care especially when you are shooting outdoors. If weather sealing is a must-have feature for you, check these sections:
Top DSLR Cameras with Weather Sealing
Top Compact Cameras with Weather Sealing

LCD Screen Size and Features

Canon SD940 IS's 2.7" LCD screen is slightly larger than Canon 400D's 2.5" screen.

Unfortunately, both cameras has fixed screens so they don't tilt or flip in directions.

Canon 400D vs Canon SD940 IS: Sensor Comparison

Canon 400D has a 10.0MP APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm ) sized CMOS sensor . On the other hand, Canon SD940 IS has a 12.0MP 1/2.3-inch (6.17 x 4.55 mm ) sized CCD sensor and features Digic 4 processor.

Below you can see the 400D and SD940 IS sensor size comparison.

Sensor Size and Resolution Comparison image of Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS Cameras

As seen above, Canon 400D has a 11.7x Larger sensor area than Canon SD940 IS. Larger sensors give photographer more control on the depth of field and blurry background compared to smaller sensor when shot in same focal length and aperture.

What types of Photography are Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS Good for?

In this section, we rank and compare Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS for five different photography types in order to make your decision process easier in case you are specifically interested in one or more of these areas.

Canon 400D for Portrait Photography

AVERAGE

Canon SD940 IS for Portrait Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Image Stabilization
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Read the details

Canon 400D for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Canon SD940 IS for Street Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Optical Built-in Viewfinder
No Image Stabilization
No Live-view
Large Body
Read the details

Image Stabilization
Small Body
Live-view
Fast Lens at Wide: f2.80
28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
Read the details

Canon 400D for Sports Photography

GOOD

Canon SD940 IS for Sports Photography

POOR

Optical Built-in Viewfinder
Good Ergonomics&Handling
Fast Max shutter speed: 1/4000s
No Image Stabilization
Slow Continuous Shooting: 3.0fps
Environmental Sealings
9 Focus Points
Read the details

Image Stabilization
No RAW shooting capability
No External Flash Shoe
No Built-in Viewfinder
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
Not so good Ergonomics&Handling
Slow Continuous Shooting: 1.0fps
Environmental Sealings
Slow Max shutter speed: 1/1500s
9 Focus Points
112 mm Tele Lens
Slow Lens at Tele: f5.90
Read the details

Canon 400D for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Canon SD940 IS for Daily Photography

AVERAGE

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Large Body
556g
Body Thickness 65mm
Read the details

Compact Body
120g
Body Thickness 20mm
4.0X Optical Zoom
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
Read the details

Canon 400D for Landscape Photography

POOR

Canon SD940 IS for Landscape Photography

POOR

Large APS-C (22.2 x 14.8 mm) sensor
Very Low Resolution Sensor: 10.0MP
No Environmental Sealings
No Live-view
Read the details

28 mm - Good Wide Angle Coverage
Average Resolution Sensor: 12.0MP
Small 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm) sensor
No RAW shooting capability
No Manual Focus Mode
No Manual Exposure Mode
No Environmental Sealings
Read the details

Canon 400D vs Canon SD940 IS: OUR DECISION

You may have already made your decision about which camera suits better for your needs and your budget so far but in case you wonder how we rated Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS, below you can find their scores in five different aspects. Our Decision Algorithm dynamically scores cameras using 63 different specs, current price and DxO Mark scores (where possible) in order to make a more objective and consistent comparison.

Here is a summary of how Canon 400D and Canon SD940 IS scores compare:

Canon 400D

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #71 out of 79 in Compact SLR cameras
Ranked #609 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Canon SD940 IS

Imaging

Features

Value

Portability

Overall

Ranked #84 out of 155 in Ultracompact cameras
Ranked #1035 out of 1226 in all Cameras

Canon 400D is the overall winner of this comparison. It has a higher Overall Score and beats Canon SD940 IS in all criteria except one: Portability. Canon SD940 IS is significantly smaller than Canon 400D. If small size and light body is a big priority for you, choose Canon SD940 IS. Otherwise, Canon 400D is the better camera overall.

Canon SD940 IS vs Canon 400D Specs Table

Detailed comparison of specifications

General	Canon EOS 400D	Canon PowerShot SD940 IS
Brand	Canon	Canon
Announced	2006-10-14	2009-08-19
Body Type	Compact SLR	Ultracompact
Sensor
Type	CMOS	CCD
Size	APS-C	1/2.3-inch
Dimensions	22.2 x 14.8 mm	6.17 x 4.55 mm
Area	328.56mm²	28.07mm²
Megapixels	10 megapixels	12 megapixels
Max Resolution	3888 x 2592	4000 x 3000
Max Native Light sensitivity	1,600 ISO	1,600 ISO
Min Native Light sensitivity	100 ISO	80 ISO
RAW Support
Autofocus
AF Touch
AF Continuous
AF Single
AF Tracking
AF Selective
AF Center
AF Multi Area
AF Live View
AF Face Detection
AF Contrast Detection
AF Phase Detection
Number of Focus Points	9	9
Lens
Manual Focus
Lens Mount	Canon EF/EF-S	fixed lens
Lens Focal Range	no lens	28-112 mm (4×)
Max Aperture	no lens	F2.8-5.9
Macro Focus Range	no lens	3cm
Screen
Type	Fixed type	Fixed type
Size	2.5"	2.7"
Resolution	230k dots	230k dots
Touch Screen
Viewfinder
Viewfinder	Optical (pentamirror)	None
Viewfinder Coverage	95%	n/a
Viewfinder Magnification	0.5x	n/a
Photography Features
Max Mechanical Shutter	1/4000s	1/1500s
Shutter Priority
Aperture Priority
Manual Exposure Mode
Custom White Balance
Image Stabilization	No	Optical
Built-in Flash
Flash Range	12.00 m (ISO 100)	4.00 m
Max Flash Sync	1/200s	n/a
External Flash
Continuous Shooting	3.0 fps	1.0 fps
Multi-Segment
Average
Spot
Partial
AF-Area
Center Weighted
AE Bracketing
WB Bracketing
Video Features
Max Video Resolution	None	1280 x 720
Video Formats	n/a	H.264
Microphone Port
Headphone Port
Connectivity
Wireless Connectivity	None	None
HDMI
Physical
Environmental Sealing
Weight	556g	120g
Dimensions	127 x 94 x 65mm	89 x 55 x 20mm
Battery Life	n/a	n/a
Other Features
Timelapse Recording
GPS	None	None
DxO Sensor Scores
DxO Overall Score	62	not tested
DxO Color Depth	22.1	not tested
DxO Dynamic Range	11.0	not tested
DxO Low Light ISO	664	not tested
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