It's sexy, it's compact, and it's loaded with features. Canon's latest compact camera left us with very few gripes. Read the full Canon PowerShot SD970 IS review with image samples here.
Review summary of the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS:
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 For 2009, the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS is the company’s latest top mid-range offering. The Canon PowerShot SD990 IS was carried over, so that remains the top dog, but the PowerShot SD970 IS proved to be just as powerful and even tacks on a few extra features like 720p HD video and new Scene modes. We loved the contoured architecture, but not the tacky color scheme. The PowerShot SD970 IS’s interface is also the best in the biz and we were never shorted on shooting features. Image quality was great in bright and low light, equaling the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS and PowerShot SD780 IS’s performances. We had minimal complaints with the PowerShot SD970 IS, and we’re sure you’ll feel the same way. Canon’s done it again! Release: March 2009. Price: $380.
Pros: Great image quality. Excellent interface. Extensive features.
Cons: No viewfinder. Ugly color. New Scene modes are inconsistent.
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Full Canon PowerShot SD970 IS Review:
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Design - Good
The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS heads the radically redesigned posse of Digital Elph models for 2009 with a sexy hourglass figure that's sure to lure in consumers from all angles. Aesthetically, we love what Canon's done with their mid-range compacts this year, and the company has succeeded in producing architecturally eclectic designs that are easily discernable from one another. Take the gothic arched-door inspired Canon PowerShot SD960 IS or the ultra-slim Canon PowerShot SD780 IS with a thickness that rivals a stack of credit cards. We've seen all the other PowerShot SD models this year and strained to find any major faults. The PowerShot SD970 IS is yet another sexy model with plenty of balls under the hood to back its looks. We just wish the PowerShot SD970 IS shipped in a few other colors, rather than a hideous "Warm Silver/Khaki" two-tone scheme.
Functionally, the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS has a solid layout that's easy to interact with. Oddly enough, we don't mind the candy corn-shaped buttons to the right of the LCD and the control dial is a major plus. The PowerShot SD970 IS has a small shutter button zoom toggle and conceals its HDMI and AV/Digital ports covertly with two symmetrical rubber tabs. The flash is a bit on the small side and the PowerShot SD970 IS is devoid of a viewfinder, but the camera is fairly compact and lightweight as a result. The PowerShot SD970 IS is a bit heavier than the PowerShot SD960 IS and a tad bulkier, but its still small enough to be considered an ultra compact. We like the PowerShot SD970 IS's ability to stand vertically in addition to horizontally and the overall construction of the camera is top notch.
Interface - Very Good
Canon is kicking butt in this arena. The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS inherits the company's latest menu system and offers a generous 3-inch LCD with PureColor LCD II technology that allowed us to view the screen at steep angles without being exposed to the negative effects of solarization. The enhanced menu graphics are a nice touch, though we miss the x-axis/y-axis structure found on the A-series Canons and lower-end SD-series models. Still, we were able to rifle through options with the control dial and shift quickly between Camera/Video/Auto modes thanks to the mode switch located next to the Power button.
Playback on the camera was excellent, allowing us to view thumbnails in numerous sizes for quick image retrieval. We also liked the Auto Rotate feature that allowed us to tilt the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS upright to view larger vertical images. The buttons along the back were more administrative than anything, so the quick functions embedded within the control wheel were our only external manual controls. Since much of the navigational action is heavily menu-dependent, we had no problem tooling around the camera's interface, especially with such a killer setup.
Features - Very Good
When we look at last year's Canon PowerShot SD990 IS, it's obvious that Canon opted for an aesthetic departure from its undulous curves with the new PowerShot SD970 IS. But are there any major changes transpiring on its inside? We know that the PowerShot SD990 IS was carried over to remain the top performance PowerShot with its bigger sensor and 14-megapixel resolution, but the PowerShot SD970 IS offers a few new tricks for 2009. Take the 720p 30fps video mode, for example. The PowerShot SD970 IS joins the PowerShot SD960 IS and PowerShot SD780 IS with a solid high-definition video mode that enabled us to apply Color Accent and Color Swap Scene modes while shooting. Quality was equivalent to both aforementioned models, which means bright light looked great and low light exhibited a fair amount of noise. Still, this is the best video mode available on a consumer compact.
Canon also threw in a few new Scene modes that we found to be extra nifty. Creative Light Effect allowed us to apply a pattern to small points of light, such as stars, hearts and musical notes. Now this could only be done with lights in the background and the flash had to be used. Otherwise, the effect does not take hold and the entire image will be blurry. We found this effect to work optimally at night while shooting portrait shots of subjects in the foreground with the flash engaged. Zoom Blur is another new one, creating a blurred circular border to an image, creating an illusion of speed. This can easily be done in PhotoShop, but it was great to have a Zoom Blur option available on a consumer compact. The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS packed in classics like Long Shutter, which allowed us to travel down to a 15-second shutter, amongst other basic Scene modes.
Like the other PowerShot SD models we saw this year, the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS performed very well in terms of Auto and Manual controls. White Balance was spot on most of the time, and the PowerShot SD970 IS's extensive list of presets never failed us. We were rarely at a loss for Color options either, and the PowerShot SD970 IS came with oodles of filters that allowed us to creatively alter our images. Even Auto mode worked flawlessly in most shooting environments, though we recommend venturing into manual adjustments if you plan on shooting artistically, especially at night. All in all, Canon has packed yet another PowerShot to the brim with excellence in the features department.
Hardware - Good
Canon chose not to fiddle much with the internals of the mid-level PowerShot compacts, and the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS gets a 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch sensor just like the PowerShot SD960 IS and PowerShot SD780 IS. We're pretty sure Canon is relying on the effectiveness of their latest Digic 4 processing, because the two SD models we've seen this year exhibited nearly identical performances. The PowerShot SD970 IS was no different in terms of image quality, but we think Canon could have stuffed in a bigger sensor.
Perhaps the biggest letdown in Hardware Town was the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS's lack of a wide-angle lens. The PowerShot SD960 IS has a 28mm wide-angle, so why can't the latest top PowerShot have one as well? We liked the 5x optical zoom lens, and the camera fired right up for a first shot in about 2 seconds. The PowerShot SD970 IS runs on a rechargeable Lithium Ion battery and records JPEGs to SD/SDHC cards.
Image Quality - Good
After taking the Canon PowerShot SD960 IS and PowerShot SD780 IS for a test drive earlier this year, we had surmised that the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS's image performance would be within the same ballpark, and it was. Vibrant colors, sharp detail, great low light capacity and low noise were the main items on the menu. Dynamic range was not bad for a compact like the PowerShot SD970 IS, and we rarely ran out of manual controls for each given shooting environment. Again, another solid Canon imaging performance from a line of compacts that should not be producing such impressive photography.
Outdoor Test – The Parking Lot
Contrast Test – The New Cooper Union
Both images here display an impressive level of sharpness especially within the grooves of the tires and grid-like façade of the new Cooper Union. We catch a bit of fringing along the chrome and white sections of the bikes though, and that's something that we saw across the board within the new PowerShot fleet. The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS handles the second image much better, as the only noticeable fringing is clung to the top beams of the building. Contrast is not terrible, despite the sky being blown out. With harsh white light, the PowerShot SD970 IS churns more of a mediocre performance, but it excelled in every other department.
Indoor Test – Burnout Bill
Colors remained true indoors, thanks to a great Auto White Balance. The image is slightly out of focus, due to the motion of the burnout on the Gixxer. We've also got a blown-out light mounted to the ceiling, but that's a dynamic range issue. Noise is minimal and this is a good overall performance, especially for not using the flash.
Color Test – Ice Cream Spectrum
Don't be fooled by the jaggies at full zoom. The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS renbders the image so shgarply that we can discern the poor resolution of the printed image. As far as colors, they're lifelike, vibrant, and resist bleeding, which is just what we'd expect from Canon.
Macro Test – Along Came a Spider
At close range, the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS exhibited exceptional detail, as seen in this frightening image. However, we don't attain a clear focus until we get to the spider's abdomen, so the Macro range is a little farther than expected. Still, the detail is off the hook.
Night Test – Bay Ridge
Low Light Test – Candlelight Gathering
At night, the Canon PowerShot SD970 IS really wowed us. The first image was captured with a manual White Balance at a high shutter speed and the detail and colors look amazing, especially for a compact. There's some fringing and blowing out as far as the lights go, but overall the image is great. The Long Shutter mode really helped us out in extreme low light as well, and the second image is just as impressive. The PowerShot SD970 IS is a low light machine.
Color Accent Test – Team Green
We used the Color Accent feature to highlight the coolest bike in this lot. Unfortunately, part of Big Green's fender and side panels are grey. The Gixxer also retains a little blue in its cowling, but the Color Accent feature can be customized to an exact color by using an eye dropper tool.
Price and availability
The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS is currently available for $380.
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