Unfortunately, the SD40 does not output video in record mode, so we had to use some screens from previously reviewed Canon models (settings may differ slightly) as well as photograph the LCD. Please excuse the quality of these screen captures.

The screen display in the Automatic record mode. Icons across indicate that metering is Evaluative, single frame drive, Auto flash mode, Auto exposure mode, and the image size is Large, quality is Superfine.

When you half-press the shutter you will see which of the nine AF points (green rectangles) where used for the focus lock.

Press the FUNC button to select the desired exposure mode from: Auto, Manual, Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Color accent, Color swap, or press Menu to gain access to the Scene modes.

The Scene modes are: Kids&Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, and Underwater. These modes are pre-programmed to give you the best possible pictures for particular shooting situations.

This the Manual Record mode screen. It is an automatic mode like Auto but gives the user a multitude of adjustments and settings, see the menu below..

FUNCtion options in Manual mode:

Record mode - Auto, Manual, Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, Color Swap, Scene Mode
Exposure Compensation - Override the metering +/- 2.0EV in 1/3 steps
ISO Sensitivity Auto, HI, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
White Balance - Auto, Sunny, Cloudy, Incandescent, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom one-push WB set
Drive mode - Single, Continuous, 10/2 second or custom self-timer
My colors - Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B&W, Positive film, Lighter Skin tone, Darker Skin tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color.
Image Resolution 3072x2304, 2592x1944, 2048x1536, 1600x1200, 640x480, Postcard(1600x1200), Wide (3072x1728
Image Compression Superfine, Fine, Normal

Record menu options for Manual mode:

AiAF - 9-point automatic AF point selection On or Off
Slow Synchro - On/Off
Red-Eye - On/Off
Light Metering - Evaluative, Center-weighted or Spot
AF Assist Illuminator - On or Off
Digital Zoom - On or Off
Review Time - Off, 2 - 10 secs
Auto Category - On/Off
Display Overlay - Off, LCD framing assist Grid lines, 3:2 guide, Both
Date Stamp - Date/time stamp, only in Postcard mode
Long Shutter - Enable the long shutter speeds 1-15 seconds
Stitch Assist - Direction (right or left) for stitching

The camera has a very respectable macro focusing mode with coverage from 1-1.6 ft. (30-50cm) at Wide angle or 3.9 in.-1.6 ft. (10-50cm) at telephoto.

Motion video is recorded with audio at 640x480 or 320x240 resolution, and a frame rate of 15 or 30 fps. The maximum length of 640 and 320 size movies is limited to space on the memory card (up to 4GB). You can also choose from Compact, Fast Frame Rate, Color Accent, and Color Swap modes for more creative recording. Movie clips are recorded in Motion JPEG format and saved as AVI files.

Approx. Recording Time