Canon's captain of the Digital Elph fleet is ready for battle with an army of features. Check it out in our in-depth Canon PowerShot SD990 IS review.
Review summary of the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS:
 |
|
Scoreboard » Features » Side-by-side » Gallery » |
 The Canon PowerShot SD990 IS is a killer intermediate camera. It's brimming with manual controls, including controls for shutter speed and aperture, it's stocked with a cavalcade of color options and it captures images up to 15MP. The SD990 IS's larger sensor lends a hand to low light shooting and captures some beautiful images. Canon's interface is highly intuitive and the spinning "Set" wheel renders manual control adjustment a cakewalk. On the downside, the SD990 IS has a small 3.7x optical zoom and a standard 2.5" LCD screen. These complaints aren't nitpicky, but easily quelched when you consider the excellent battery life and wealth of shooting options the SD990 IS brings to the table. One caveat is that this camera's high level of advanced functionality might scare the bejeezus out of inexperienced photographers. Be prepared to read the manual top to bottom, and then gear up for some of the most exciting digital imaging experiences you'll have with a compact. The SD990 IS is, as they say in Boston, "wicked awesome." Release: October 2008. Price: $400.
Pros: Great image quality. Oodles ‘o manual controls. Excellent battery life.
Cons: Menus can be intimidating for novice shooters. Menial zoom.
| Poor |
Mediocre |
74%
GOOD |
Very good |
Excellent |
|
|
|
Full Canon PowerShot SD990 IS Review:
|
Design – Very Good
Upon first glance, the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS does not resemble your typical Digital Elph. Edges are rounded, corners are asymmetrical and the surface of the body undulates with smooth, hourglass curves. Shooters will bask in ergonomic comfort, as the SD990 IS was well-designed to accommodate the geometry of the hand.
The SD990 IS may seem a tad bulky compared to other slim models in its class, but it's equipped with an abundance of features. The circular four-way directional pad has a round, spinning Select wheel that enables you to rifle through menu options with the greatest of ease. There's also a dedicated Mode dial, which keeps shooting modes organized. The 2.5" LCD screen is not the most ample, but throw in a Shutter button zoom toggle, optical viewfinder and four additional external buttons, and the SD990 IS proves itself a well-crafted cam.
Interface – Very Good
We're not saying the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS is best suited to advanced shooters, but it will take some time to get the hang of if you want to get the most out of it. When you finally master the interface of the SD990 IS, you'll find that the spinning Set wheel makes shooting exceedingly enjoyable. In Scene mode, all you have to do is spin the wheel and the LCD menu cycles through Scene settings. You can use the Set wheel to scroll left and right instead of using the directional pad, and the wheel is also used to toggle between Program and Manual mode. In Playback, you can shift from picture to picture at the speed of light using the wheel. This is a dynamite addition to the menu navigation on this camera.
The Function menu offers all image control features while the main menu contains all of the administrative tasks. The menu structure is identical across all shooting modes, aside from Quick Shot. One thing to be aware of is that since the SD990 IS has a smaller 2.5" LCD screen, feature icons can clutter up the screen, especially if you display the Histogram as well. You can toggle the display to show minimal icons, but you'll have to memorize your settings.
Features – Very Good
The Canon PowerShot SD990 IS oozes manual controls and image adjustment options. This is the top of the line Digital Elph, and it suits a broad range of intermediate shooters. If you want to keep things simple, you can shoot in Auto mode, which is similar to an Easy mode. In Auto mode, manual controls are disabled and the quick adjust functions are minimized. This is the definitive technophobe mode and will be widely popular among soccer moms and t-ball dads.
The next step up from Auto mode is Quick Shot, which does not offer a live preview of your image, but rather an extensive menu filled with Exposure, ISO, flash and other settings. If you want to shoot with minimal lag time to catch a fast moving subject, Quick Shot will let you do that. We found Quick Shot to be a bit of a grab bag. Some shots were blurry and others were not properly exposed. You're better off shooting in Auto mode, especially since you can't see a live preview of the shot.
The Canon PowerShot SD990 IS offers a host of Scene modes, but these are not your typical options. Of course you have your classics like Sunset and Fireworks, but the SD990 IS also includes a couple nifty color filters called Color Accent and Color Swap. We found that the Color filters do not work as well in busy environments, but rather scenes with simple composition and strong, dynamic color. Lots of earthy tones will defeat the purpose. There's also a parade of color options located in the Function menu, including Positive Film, Vivid and Sepia. The Canon PowerShot SD990 IS, like most Canons, rocks when it comes to color.
There's also a panorama feature called Stitch Assist that allows you to pan left or right while capturing extra-wide images. The Canon PowerShot SD990 IS displays the last 1/4 of the previous image so you can line up the next shot. The first image sets the Exposure and White Balance in which all other images will follow. Once all images are captured, you are required to use panorama stitching software on a computer, though most digital cameras these days do that sort of stitching in the camera itself.
In Program AE mode, the shooter is given a lot more freedom. Here you can adjust Exposure, White Balance, flash level, ISO, Focus and other controls. To fine-tune exposure levels even further, Manual mode offers full Shutter Speed and Aperture control to achieve the magic balance. The spinning Set wheel governs nearly all controls, and it's a joy to use. It was very easy for us to flick to a specific notch in a Shutter Speed meter. There's also an onscreen digital light meter in Manual mode that's fairly helpful, making Aperture and Shutter speed ratios easier to dial in. ISO ranges from 80 to 3200, which will accommodate most shooting environments. The Canon PowerShot SD990 IS is a manual control powerhouse.
Hardware - Good
As Canon's leader of the Digital Elph pack, the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS contains a large, 14-megapixel imager inside. This is the same size as the imager found in the PowerShot G10, which is geared toward amateur photographers and other shades of advanced shooters. The bigger sensor can soak up more light, which should help in dimly lit environments. Regardless, you'll still have to fiddle with the aperture and shutter speed and use a tripod in certain low light conditions, as you would with any camera. Lastly, advanced processing enables the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS to recognize a face at most angles, rather than head on.
From the time we turned the key to the time the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS snapped its first shot, we were looking at about 1.5 seconds, which is pretty darn quick. It's about another 2 seconds for the next shot to fire off. The 3.7x optical zoom is not very impressive, so don't expect super magnification with the SD990 IS. The lens is capable of a 28.5mm wide max focal length, which is fairly average. We would have liked to see Canon go wider, say 25mm, to help our with landscapes and group portraits. The battery life held up very well on the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS, providing enough juice for 2-3 days of test shooting on a single charge.
Image Quality - Good
Our expectations were great for Canon's king of the intermediate kingdom. With such a large imager and advanced processing, we were primarily interested in low-light shooting environments. We took the SD990 IS out for a day of relaxation and a night of unbridled mayhem to provide a decent spectrum for this camera's abilities. In exceedingly dim environments, it was difficult to shoot without the luxury of a tripod. Auto can only take you so far, but the flash proved to be beneficial in certain areas. All in all, the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS has the ability to capture magnificent images when the settings are dialed in correctly. If you know what you're doing, the SD990 IS will be very good to you.
Scene Test – Promenade View
This is a decent image. First we must see beyond the fine grain and buildings that look as though they are growing fur. The complexity of the subject matter can place quite a strain on an imager, but the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS displays an exceptionally realistic color reproduction and great focus. The sky is flawless here. We were slightly perturbed about the minor haze of noise here and there, but most cameras in this class will suffer to some degree.
Color and Text Test – Books
Here we're looking for sharp, crisp lines in the text and a stellar color palette. Canons are color champions and the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS lays down a vibrant palette without any electrifying over-saturation. The colors are just the right warmth. As far as the text, the lines could be a little sharper, but they are still crisp. This is a great performance.
Detail Test – Horse and Pooch
The color, sharpness, detail and lifelike representation of the horse and doggy are astounding. This is the type of image you can achieve with the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS. Noise and compression have not been invited to this party and the contrast and shadows are spot on.
Macro Test – Fiery Dragon
You can get uncomfortably close to a subject with the Macro function on the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS and you can actually see the fear in the dragon's eye. In the focused portion, detail is great and the background is artistically out of focus. The horn is ghosting a bit, but aside from that this is a great macro shot.
Color Accent Test - Cheers
We used the Color Accent feature here, which highlights one color range and renders the remainder of the image black and white. In this instance, the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS focused on a light brown. The image certainly has an artsy feel to it.
Motion Test – Subway Flip
On a late night subway car barreling like a bat out of hell, it's difficult to steady the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS, despite deploying Optical Image Stabilization. It's even more difficult to capture a crazy guy in spandex doing a flip off of the handrails. Despite the overall noise factor, the motion of the flip is not terrible. Shot at a quicker shutter speed, the subject would have been more crisp, but more light would have been required and noise would grow.
Zoom Test – Wide Angle
Zoom Test – Telephoto
A 3.7x optical zoom is not the greatest range, and we expected the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS to have at least a 5x as the top Digital Elph. Regardless, you'll have to get creative with the zoom instead of relying on it to hone in on a pigeon perched atop the Empire State building.
Night Test – Times Square
Night Test – Times Square Portrait
These blatant tourist shots were captured in Program mode, which allowed us to disable the flash while the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS automatically dialed in the exposure. Both images ended up being captured at low ISO levels, yet low shutter speeds as well. This means that you have to steady the camera fairly well in order to attain a sharp picture. In a shooting environment like this, a flash is definitely not needed, as the background is just as important as the foreground. The first image, despite being blown out by certain signs and lacking in sharpness, displays an excellent low light performance. The brightness of the image is superb while noise levels are fairly minimal. A tripod would have aided the slight overall blur, but this is certainly an image worthy of tossing in the scrapbook. The second image was an experiment in self-photography, which many shooters end up doing at some point. The detail in the two subjects is great, but they are underexposed. This is a situation for the flash at a low setting or some manual adjusting. Still, this is not a bad image.
ISO1600 – Bar
ISO1600 – Bar Round 2
We tested the capability of the ISO settings on the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS by shooting these images at 1600 ISO within the dim confines of an Avenue A bar. Both are exceedingly noisy. It's also difficult to keep the camera in focus at such a high sensitivity level. The second image is certainly brighter, but looking at it up close makes you feel inebriated. We recommend going with the flash in dark bars, unless you're sober enough to mount the SD990 IS on a tripod.
Low Light Test – Bar in Auto
Low Light Test – Bar in Night Snapshot with Flash
Low Light Test – Bar in Auto with Flash
Further bar tests revealed that most of the time, the flash really is the way to go, even with a camera that has a larger imager. However, the first image was captured in P mode, the same as the images in Times Square. We can at least make out some detail amidst the noise, but the image does not appear like it was taken in a cave. That's the extra edge the bigger imager will provide.
The second image was captured in Auto mode with the flash enabled. For the most part, the brightness level is sufficient and the Canon PowerShot SD990 IS handles motion quite well. The image is still noisy, but the colors and contrast on the mechanical horse are not too shabby for such a dim environment.
Lastly, we used Night Portrait on the crazy spandex-clad rocker, deploying the flash and infecting everyone with Red Eye disease. Make sure you engage Red-Eye Correction in the flash settings, as the helmeted buckaroo also suffered from the same ailment. The rocker is slightly blown out in certain areas, but noise is minimal and detail is not bad at all.
Price and availability
The Canon PowerShot SD990 IS will start selling for $400 () in October 2008.
|
|
| |
|
| |
| |
| NEW DIGITAL CAMERA RELEASES | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
_it00.jpg)
|
Archive