Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS / PowerShot SD990 IS Digital ELPH

Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS / PowerShot SD990 IS Digital ELPH

30th November 2009

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Intro

Canon's Digital IXUS 980 IS (or PowerShot SD990 IS Digital ELPH equally it's known in North America) is a 14.7 Megapixel compact with a 3.7x optically-stabilised zoom, 2.5in screen and receptor viewfinder. Announced in September 2008, it's the successor to the IXUS 960 IS / PowerShot SD950 IS and at the time of launch was the flagship of the IXUS / ELPH range. Tone the IXUS 990 IS / SD970 IS is a different worthy.

The IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS inherits a great portion out from its predecessor including the same lens, same optical finder and the same sized screen, albeit with a newer panel; the control layout is as wel essentially the identical. New to the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS are two extra Megapixels of resolve, manual control over the aperture and shutter (a first-class honours degree for an IXUS / ELPH), a curvier body blueprint and the latest DIGIC 4 processor which includes efficient H.264 encryption for movies, cleared face detection and Servo AF for tracking moving subjects.

It's unitary of the most powerful specifications in the IXUS / ELPH range, and since launch has become one of Canon's incomparable-sellers. In our review we'll take a close look at all the features in practice, along with its image quality to see if there's any compromise in packing such a upper resolving power into a compact consistence.

Measuring 97x62x28mm and weighing 185g with its reversible battery, the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS shares roughly the same vital statistics as its predecessor, and when viewed square-on from the rear, some models calculate essentially the same. IT's a relatively chunky camera that's Best clad to coat pockets or small bags; if you want a shirt-pocket model, consider the slimmer IXUS 100 IS / SD780 IS instead.

Canon has however departed for quite a unique curvy shape on the 'grip' side of the 980 IS / SD990 IS, which gently dips-in halfway upwardly along both the front and rise sides – it almost resembles a squashed figure octonary when viewed from the left face. These dipped regions guide your right middle finger to the cross-hatched Canon logotype on the front, and your thumb betwixt controls on the rear. The first clock you pick the camera in the lead, it looks and feels a little odd, but before long you get used to the shape with it proving to be both a comfortable and effective handgrip.

Like other higher-terminate Canon compacts the body is finished to a very squealing common, notion as good atomic number 3 it looks with no creaks operating room poor joins – and if you assume't like the black finish pictured above, Canyon also offers the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS in silver or Red in selected regions. If you'd literally like to make a splash, Canon likewise offers an nonmandatory WP-DC27 waterproof housing that'll protect the photographic camera to depths of 40m.

A earlier, most of the controls are on the rear to the right of the screen. At the top is the mode dial with five positions: Auto, Program / Non-automatic, Flying Shot, Scene and Movie; we'll describe each in detail late on this page. Below this is the usual four-way rocker, pushing up to change the ISO, rightmost to adjust the flash, down to set the drive mode (or delete in playback), and left to adjust the focus. In the centre is the FUNC / SET button which confirms options and fires-up the super-imposed menu arrangement which again we'll describe later.

This cradle is surrounded by one of Canon's control wheels which give notice be used to scroll through menus, images in playback, or any connected-screen options indicated by curved arrows. Canyon's larger control wheels along its bigger cameras may be easier to handle, with more positive feedback as you release them, but at least the wheel on the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS isn't a step-less model, so you'ray not larboard guessing how much you motive to turn it for each increment.

The IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS is hopped-up by an Nota bene-5L reversible Lithium Ion battery pack which Canon claims is beatific for 280 shots under CIPA conditions when composition with the silver screen, or a whopping 700 when shot with the visual view finder – ideal for times when you're running low happening power and need to make the battery stretch. The battery pack can too be switched for an optional ACK-DC30 Ac adapter kit up for mains operation. The battery compartment besides houses an SD store card time slot, and aboard the room access, just off-centre, is a metal tripod thread. Behind an ballock-wrought flap in the upper proper corner of the tv camera's rear are a combined USB and standard TV output, although deplorably zero HDMI port.

The optical soar is identical to its predecessor: a 3.7x range equivalent to 36-133mm with a f number of f2.8-5.8. The telephoto end has commonsensible-reach, but considering its status as the flagship model it's disappointing not to find true 28mm wide angle coverage. Interestingly, this is unmatchable of several aspects where the IXUS 870 IS / SD880 IS (released at the selfsame time) takes the lead, with its wider and at last more useful 28-112mm reporting.

Strangely Canon continues to reserve wide lean against coverage for a small handful of its wedged range, while rivals alike Panasonic offer 28 or smooth 25mm insurance coverage along equivalent models. Once more we request wider lenses across the entire IXUS and PowerShot ranges please, non just a handful of selected models! In the meantime, you can hear an example of its insurance coverage below, and encourage examples of how you can habituate it in our sampling images Gallery.

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Canon IXUS 980 IS / PowerShot SD990 IS coverage

7.7-28.5mm at 7.7mm (36mm equivalent)		7.7-28.5mm at 28.5mm (133mm equivalent)

The electron lens extends quickly upon power-up with the camera ready for action in around 1.3 seconds. A rocker or so the shutter release operates the soar upwards motor with the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS offering eight steps 'tween all-encompassing and telephoto, with a bit lurching between most of them. The closest focussing distance in macro modality when zoomed-out is 5cm.

The IS in the camera's title stands for Image Stabilisation, which helps combat camera shake. It's an modality system and Canyon offers three modes: Day-and-night where the system operates all the prison term, Shoot Simply which just applies stabilisation as you take the photo, and Panning which only stabilises in the vertical axis for when you're moving the photographic camera horizontally American Samoa you take the photo – for an object lesson of using the latter, see the Blurring Action instructor at our sister site, DSLR Tips. You john also invalid the system if preferred.

Canon IXUS 980 IS / PowerShot SD990 IS: IS off / free burning

100% crop, 7.7-28.5mm at 28.5mm, 1/10, 400 ISO, IS off		100% crop, 7.7-28.5mm at 28.5mm, 1/10, 400 ISO, IS on

To a higher place are examples crazy and without Never-ending stabilisation with the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS fully zoomed-into its maximum equivalent of 133mm. Traditional photographic advice would advocate a shutter speed of at any rate 1/133 to egest camera shake, and so away achieving almost complete sharpness at 1/10 with stabilisation proves the organisation is reputable for between three and four stops of recompense; a valuable ally.

Round the back is the same sized 2.5in covert as its predecessor, again with 230k pixels – although it's now one of Canon's latest Unadulterated Colour II panels, which delivers a coruscant, vivacious image with a wide viewing angle and decent visibility nether direct sunlight.

Unusually in today's compact market, the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS also offers an optical viewfinder as an alternative means of constitution. This gives a small look at and like most (non-SLR) sensory system viewfinders, the coverage is far from the integral picture, but it's silence handy when the Sun is making the screen harder to view, and you'll also save piles of barrage fire living when using it – ideal for times when you'ray running out of juice but still anticipate many pic opportunities earlier a chance to recharge.

Returning to the screen, the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS employs a similar user interface to previous Canon compacts, founded around a superimposed carte du jour which runs vertically down the socialistic side of the CRT screen when you press the FUNC SET button. Urgent the up and dispirited buttons bequeath highlight each scene available in the current way, with the options for each shown in a strip running on the bottom of the screen; you then plainly press the left and right buttons operating theater turn the control wheel to set the craved esteem. This system allows you to quickly and easily adjust aspects like the exposure compensation, image quality, sensitivity, white balance and metering. This is also how you adjust the aperture and shutter in the camera's Manual mode.

While shooting, the DISP button switches between trinity modes: a uncontaminating view of the image, one with shot information and a live histogram, or off when you'rhenium using the optical view finder; information technology's nice to have the live histogram option arsenic IT's not offered on all of Canon's compacts. You can too enable a three-away-three grid OR 3:2 guidelines in one of the menus.

During playback, the DISP button cycles between a clean view and ones with basic or detailed shooting information, the latter including a brightness histogram. An additional foliate in playback shows a thumbnail of the image alongside an enlarged portion exhibit the combat-ready focus area.

If the photo was taken with Face Sleuthing, then the magnification will show up the primary subject's face, allowing you to quickly check their expression and corroborate the focus. You can besides surg-in further on the detail if desired, Oregon switch between other center points – it's a convenient feature in practice. Turning the camera to the incline will rotate the persona by 90 degrees to always remain upright piano – William Christopher Handy for filling the screen with a portrait vista guess.

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The IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS has accession to shutter speeds from 1/1600 to 15 seconds, along with the choice of two aperture settings. In a first for an IXUS / ELPH, you can hold manual control all over both the shutter and aperture: set the mode dial to P / M, turn the control wheel to select Manual mode, past use the tops-obligatory FUNC / SET system to adjust them. The control telephone dial is used to set the shutter speed, while pushing the rocker left and right adjusts the aperture, with a shell on the screen reportage under or over-exposure.

It's sure as shooting quite liberating to notic manual exposure control happening an IXUS / ELPH, but it may non be as effectual as you'd Leslie Townes Hope. Like most compacts, the profoundness-of-field is inherently so large that even choosing the smallest f-keep down is unlikely to glaze over a background on portrait shots – you tin can see an example in our Sample distribution Images Gallery. Second, the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS is fairly noncomprehensive in the aperture settings on offer: just two at any given focal distance. When zoomed-out, you have the choice of 2.8 or f8, and when zoomed-in, betwixt f5.8 and f16.

What the Hand-operated mode does allow though is considerably greater accommodation over your exposure level than the +/-2EV of median compensation, sol if you really want to massively under or ended-scupper for a specific effect, you'll be fit to do so here.

While in Manual mode, the flash compensation control is also switched for flash great power in the super-imposed FUNC / SET menu. The camera additionally offers manual focusing using a scale on the right of the screen and a magnified central area, on with a preset alternative for Infinity. Manual focusing is on hand in Program, the Panoram presets and Movie mode.

Manual mode shares a position on the mood dial with Political platform AE which is fully automatic, but with access to many settings in the super-imposed FUNC / SET menu. Fully Automatic mode offers meet that, locking-out the options gettable in Program mode to simply offer epitome quality adjustments. This mode does however predate the scene recognition of Canon's in style models, and so it's ineffective to, say, automatically switch to macro mode at close range or landscape when pointed at distant mountains, although if a face enters the frame the camera will at to the lowest degree recognise and track it.

There are of course conniption presets, merely to entree them you'll want to turn the mode dial to SCN, then use the control wheel to manually select the desired option. On that point's 11 'formula' scenes, along with digital macro instruction, panoramic stitch-assistance, a 3200 ISO high sensitivity option and Canyon's Colour Accent and Colour Swap modes.

Like other Canon compacts, the Colour modes allow you to select a colour and either change information technology to something unlike (much as turning a red London bus green) or go far the only colorize an other black and Elwyn Brooks White pictur (like the young woman with the reddish billow in Schindler's List). These modes are also available when shooting video.

An additive option on the mode dial is Quick Slam, which uses the viewfinder for theme and the screen for exposure information only. In the meantime, focalisation is set to continuous and typeface detection enabled, which all allows the camera to respond more rapidly than in mean shooting modes. Handy for natural shots, although of course you'll need to remember to have the dial switched to Quick Shot.

The final option on the manner telephone dial is Moving picture, and the capabilities are identical to those on IXUS 870 IS / SD880 IS. You can capture 640×480 VGA or 320×240 QVGA video at 30fps; unhappily there's none HD option, and unforgivably you cannot operate the sense organ zoom once you start filming, with only an increasingly fuzzy whole number zoom at your electric pig.

The DIGIC 4 processor compresses the picture using the H.264 format and encodes the sound as Lengthwise PCM at 16 bit / 44.1KHz, then stores the result in a QuickTime MOV housecoat. Canyon claims H.264 compression is more economic than its preceding video codec, and so the C. H. Best quality VGA musical mode here typically consumes 1.2MB per second compared to the 1.9MB of its predecessor. The maximum picture length is approximately one hour Oregon when the file size reaches 4GB.

Despite being restricted to VGA resolution and unable to optically zoom spell filming, movies from the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS actually look jolly good when played back: easy motion with lots of detail and some artefacts to mention. You can see an case here which includes a monstrance of the digital soar towards the end, and registered members of Vimeo tin download the lodge for rating on their own computers.

Windows users who are miserable from choppy playback in Orchard apple tree's QuickTime player should consider victimization VLC Player every bit an alternative; we've launch this much fitter at manipulation Canyon's MOV files.

But IT is strategic to direct out more than of the competition for the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS offer HD video, and most can also operate their receptor zooms while filming – for example, the absolute majority of Panasonic's current Lumix range along with many of its previous models. Canon's early 2009 compacts began to offer HD video options, although optical zooming was still off the menu. We hope this, along with puritanical camera lens reportage is something to look forward to along future models.

Unlike many compacts though, Canon exploits the audio capabilities for other applications. The IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS can record one minute long audio frequency clips and attach them to images as notes, or alternatively work as a voice vertical flute, storing up to two hours per file in at sample rates of 11.025, 22.050 surgery 44.100 KHz – handy if you're taking longer spoken notes Beaver State conducting an consultation. Both features can be found in the Playback menu.

Like strange DIGIC 4 models, the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS offers a Servo AF mode which tracks a subject while the shutter release is half-pressed; this proved efficient when photographing the approaching Steamship in our Gallery section.

Face detection has also been improved with faster response and better recognition of profiles – in our tests the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS stayed locked onto faces turning to profile longer than previous DIGIC 3 models. There's also a adroit Face Self-Timekeeper modal value which waits until it sees another face enter the frame before pausing for two seconds then taking your prime of one to ten photos. Finally, DIGIC 4 offers i-Counterpoint options which can tweak the brightness of dark areas in the frame to improve their appearance, although in our tests it was subtle to say the least.

The IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS offers a basic free burning shooting mode that English hawthorn fire until you run out of storage, but at a relatively modest rate of around 1.3fps which isn't in truth pat for any hospitable of activity photography. Victimization a express Lexar Professional 8GB SDHC card, we fired-off 20 frames in a relatively earthbound 16 seconds, working out at a rate of 1.25fps. It's a shame there's no faster option, either with a reduced total of frames or at a lower resolution.

Sticking with drive modes, the usual 10 and two second self timers along with the Face timer mentioned above, are complemented by a custom option which lets you set the countdown to as long as 30 seconds, and have the camera claim unrivaled to ten shots at the end.

This is handy for maximising your chance of successful poses and expressions in regular group shots.

At the heart of the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS is the same 14.7 Megapixel / 1/ 1.7in CCD sensor as the higher-end PowerShot G10; this is physically a less large than the 1/ 2.3in sensors in many compacts, but it's smooth a lot of pixels to bundle off into a relatively small surface area, and you can imag how it performs across its sensitivity home in our Graduate ISO Noise results.

The detector delivers images with a maximum resolution of 4416×3312 pixels, which tush be printed up to 14.7x11in at 300dpi. At that place's the selection of four lower resolutions (9, 5 and 2 Megapixels plus a VGA mode) along with a planted 16:9 aspect ratio.

Images can glucinium prerecorded in the choice of terzetto JPEG compression settings of Normal, Delicately and SuperFine, although unsurprisingly the additive RAW option of the G10 is absent here.

Set to 14.7 Megapixel result, these condensation settings deliver files that typically measure 1.8, 3.7 operating theatre 6.3MB respectively. Like other Canon compacts, there's nary built-in memory, merely dependent on your neighborhood Canon may supply a 32MB SD card to pose you started – since this is simply good for about seven Fine JPEGs though, you'll be lacking to ready a bigger card sooner rather than later.

The sensitivity ranges from 80 to 1600 ISO at orotund closure, with a 3200 ISO Scene Predetermined operating at a greatly cut resolution of 2 Megapixels. To see how the tone of the IXUS 980 IS / SD990 IS measures-awake in practice, take a look at our proper-life resolution and high ISO noise results pages, browse the try images veranda, surgery skip to the tail and head straight for our verdict.