crooked ccd on S410

[archerlane]

I'm really disappointed with the quality of Canon cameras out of the box. I had a G3 and I went through 4 different cameras before I found one that was fairly straight when looking through the viewfinder. I know some will say look at the LCD since that is looking through the lens but the CCD should be aligned straight.

Today I bought a S410 since I wanted something small to take on a trip. The CCD is so crooked it's unbelievable and unacceptable. I can't believe Canon can do this to so many cameras. The camera takes good pics and it is straight when you use the LCD but I don't want have to use the LCD all the time. What's the point in having a viewfinder if it takes crooked pics?

It's just one big PITA to keep taking these cameras back to the store.

[JohnnyE]

:cry: Sorry to hear about your difficulties. I guess that's why retailers have exchange policies and Canon's got a one year warranty on all the cameras.

[archerlane]

I think the problem may not be a crooked ccd but rather the non-symmetrical borders on the viewfinder. If you use the edges of the viewfinder to line up a vertical or horizontal object you get a crooked picture. If you can ignore the borders of the viewfinder and use just the cross hairs you get a straight picture.

I guess I'll be cropping a lot of pictures.

[Jon]

Because the viewfinder's offset from the lens, it has to cover a larger angle of view than the lens does. Given that, you should use the guide-lines in the finder rather than the total exposed area, especially if you're shooting something within 5 metres or less. That's just a fact of life when using a camera without through-the-lens viewing.