Sample photos: Canon PowerShot SD940 IS

Its Photo quality is very good, but it is still subject to problems characteristic of point-and-shoot cameras of this size and price. Some smudginess from noise reduction starts appearing at ISO 200, but for the most part, photos are sharp with good fine detail. Subjects get noticeably softer and smoother as the ISO gets higher, but detail remains reasonably good up to and including ISO 800. While large prints may be out of the question, the noise is suppressed just enough to make small prints and Web use a possibility.

Using ISO 200 and below, you get very good detail and sharpness from this little camera. This photo was taken at ISO 80 and displays basically no image noise.

Taken at ISO 800, details are softer and there is some salt-and-pepper noise visible at full size, particularly in darker areas of photos. However, color and detail are still good enough to make nice 4x6-inch or smaller prints, and definitely usable for Web sharing.

There's some mild barrel distortion on the left side--typical of compact wide-angle lenses.

Chromatic aberration (purple fringing) is in good supply in high-contrast shots and, depending on the picture, is visible in prints of 8x10 inches or larger.

In general its photo exposure, white balance, contrast, and color were very good.