Digital Camera Canon Powershot Review

I realize there IS no "perfect point and shoot camera". I suppose there can not be a PERFECT small camera due to the small size.
In recent months I have owned TOO many small point and shoot cameras including..the older Canon SD950, a Fuji F100FD, a Panasonic TZ5, Even an Olympus 1010 model..and lastly bought a new discontinued Fuji F30 off e-bay for indoor low light shooting. I am sort of running my own private consumer reports situation it seems. :)

This SD 990IS is maybe the best OVERALL point and Shoot I ever had. But, instead of all the usual glowing remarks Canon Elphs seem to get..I want to point out a few negatives or inconsistencies with this camera. I mostly bought this camera because of the new function..FACE SELF TIMER seemed like a GREAT and useful idea as I take more pics with my g/f, or friends, dog, whatever..on timer than anything else. Long story short Face Detection works THE best on this 990 of ANY other camera I have ever used. It's nearly flawless INDOORS. However I tend to use this Canon more OUTDOORS. Problem is is in rather bright sunshine like MANY cameras, Face detection has trouble. Simply, often it doe NOT detect a face..and won't detect the second face either. This is only in rather strong sunshine..otherwise Face detection and Face Self timer DOES work and works rather well. The lens is OK, but on such an expensive elph I feel there should be less purple fringing THOUGH it's not BAD..but it IS there...and also indoors ISO set above 250 or so tends to get a bit grainy. So much so, I set the megapixels to 10..thereby why did I need a 14.7 meg camera??

I have also noted to my eyes this camera is not producing the almost too vivid colors of most canons...DEEP greens...Deep blues. But I actually feel the colors produced by this camera are perhaps more natural than almost any point and shoot I have had so that's a good thing. Also a positive..this camera handles blown highlights (Too BRIGHT) and dark shadows better than most. To sum up..this IS a really good camera with REALLY useful features WHEN they work, ala face detection in bright sun.

I feel Canon and just about all the point and shoot cams presently out there are WAY too concerned about who's got the most meagapixels. I'd much MUCH prefer a camera closer to my OLDER Fuji F30 which BLOWS the doors of this Canon in low light no flash) WITH JUST 6 MEGAPIXELS..then a nearly 15 meagpixel camera with too much noise. The Fuji's lens sadly has THE most purple fringing outdoors of any cam I have tried, hence my search has continued. To sum up..in today's market..perhaps this 990is may be about the best OVERALL small cam out there..but as I pointed out..if you are rather picky..it has a few flaws and I feel it is a bit overpriced...BUT also a VERY good camera which will make most people quite happy. It has a nice metal body..and the battery lasts a LONG time..another plus!

I got the early version of this camera in Japan, sold as the IXY 3000 IS and am head over heels in love; this replaces an SD800IS which was a long time favorite. The new one got my attention for the whopping 14.7 MP as I have been using this for taking panoramas on a GigaPan rig - [...]-- and more pixels count for much there. Plus there is the full manual (focus and exposure modes). And then there was the thrill of getting a new camera a few weeks before it was available in the US.

Mine is set up with an 8GB SD HC card, which feels infinite.

I've been very happy with the quality, and I do a lot of macro shots, posting hundreds on my flickr site [...]

The new QuickShot mode is nice- to shoot through viewfinder where you want the quickest response time. And a bonus is a long overlooked feature- an on screen battery level indicator. There is a small button where you can instantly go to view mode, rather than flipping the shooting mode. Face focussing is very handy. Video quality is superb. Having the camera stitch mode (used for getting good overlap for single row panoramas) on the presets selection is great. And w00t! It uses the same NB-5L battery, so I now have more spares.

My negatives are minor- the black style is slick, but the plastic shell feels a little cheap/flimsy, but the camera is sturdy. My biggest gripe is the latch on the battery/SD card compartment comes open easily in your bag or your pocket; the one on the SD800 never popped open on its own. The latch for the USB dock too is odd, it is hard to figure out where the hinge part is, and I always feel like I am going to do it wrong and break it off.

Spinning the lower selection wheel takes some dexterity; so setting the aperture and f/stops in manual mode is going to take some time to be a smooth process.

I've never bought a camera just because it has a large resolution, but I am shooting 4416x3312, better than my first generation Digital Rebel.

I am in love with this little camera!

First of all, this camera is built beautifully. It is a highwater mark among the current Canon lineup (along with the G10 obviously). The metal body feels very solid and luxurious in your hand. I have only taken about 40 pictures with it thus far, in all different settings, and they all turn out great. The manual mode is what made me choose the SD990 over the aging SD950. It is nice to have this much control of a compact camera.

I was initially worried about the noise a 14.7 megapixel sensor this size would produce, but thanks to the new DIGIC 4 processor, it is always under control. I wouldn't use anything above ISO 600.

I am the type of consumer that pays more for better quality, and then holds onto things for a long time. This is one of those high-quality items. After your friends go through 2 or 3 plastic Kodak digicams, this will still be going strong. I wish I could afford a G10, but alas, I cannot. This is truly the next best thing. Way to go, Canon!

I have been using Canon cameras for many years and have been very happy with them. This new model has some annoying new problems. The on-off button is very hard to operate, its nearly impossible to operate without both hands and a strong finger depressing the button with absolute force and spot-on accuracy. Why did they change this feature that was not giving any problems in the past?? The new Quik Shot mode does not seem to me to be that much better to deserve a separate mode. Sure, we need to have as fast a shot as possible, but this one is not much faster and of course you can't see what you are shooting. As far as I can tell there is no more Slow-synchro setting as in previous models. If its there, its buried and I haven't found it yet. That was the one feature I used most in the past, now its gone. I must admit the ISO3200 setting in the 'Scenes' mode is a nice substitute, but does not give the same motion effects as you could get with the older Slow Synchro mode of the past models. I do like the design and the black finish, its definitely a pleasure to hold and I have gotten comments on the design. The new "face recognition" feature on the timed shutter release is very nice when it works, which is about 75% of the time. when it doesn't work, get used to standing there for 30 secs before the shutter goes, then be prepared to have three shots go in rapid, i mean very rapid succsssion... which might come in handy for group shots where someone may have eyes closed on one shot, but not the next. All in all its a great camera, the only really annoying feature is the on-off button which I hope they get rid of in the next upgrade.

I upgraded from the SD550, which was a great little camera.

I'm loving the SD990 IS. Pictures are awesome. Colors are right on, even when printed. There are many preset options to choose from, plus you have the option of shooting manually. Digital zoom is much less noiser than my old SD550.

I'm never fond of digital zoom, but I do have to say in full digital zoom I got an awesome shot of the moom. Very detailed to the point you could see the surface of the moon. Yes it was a little noisy, but much better than what I expected.


The camera is made very well. Feels very solid in your hands. Controls are placed nicely...very easy to access. You have the option of in camera edit for red eye, cropping, color swap...features which come in handy if you want to use direct print.

Face detect works great in the conditions I've used it in. I haven't used the self timer so I can speak for that. I do like the option of having magnified focus display which kind of zooms in to check the focus.

Macro images turned out great as well--crystal clear.

With the new software in the camera this little sucker is fast. Much faster than my old SD550.


I purchased this camera thinking I'd find some kind of flaw and have to return it after returning a few other cameras over the past few months; however, I haven't found any reason to return it. I would recommend this camera to anyone looking for an awesome compact camera that gives the user many options to choose from. My 8yr old could pick up this camera and get a great shot with the preset modes and a pro could get an awesome shot on manual as well.

Forgot to comment on video mode: It's good, but not much of a change from my SD550. I'm more a picture person so that doesn't phase me too much. It's nice to have the option for those video moments and you can even set the transfer button to video mode, which is a nice feature.

I purchased a Canon Powershot SD990 IS camera after my five-year old Powershot A70 died due to a sensor failure. (Even though the camera is long out of warranty, if I return it to Canon, they will replace the sensor.)
Shutter Lag was a major problem with A70. The SD990 IS appears to have none.
Low-light photographs with the A70 were always blurred because of camera motion. The image stabilization and the ISO 3200 setting of the SD990 IS produce low-light images with no blur.

The sensor of the SD990 IS is a 1/1.7" CCD (7.60 x 5.70 mm, 0.43 sq cm); the A70 sensor is 1/2.7" (5.27 x 3.96 mm, 0.21 sq cm)

The LCD of the SD990 IS is larger and much brighter.

Videos from the SD990 IS look good. If I wanted HD video, I would buy a video camera.

The A70 used four AA batteries; the SD990 IS uses one small NB-5L battery pack.

The SD990 IS is smaller and lighter -- 182 gm vs. 320 gm.

The SD990 IS has not experienced the e18 error or the "lens error, restart camera". Neither did the A70 in spite of being dropped on a concrete floor from a height of three feet.

Bottom Line - I am happy with the SD990 IS and think it is worth the price.

I received the Canon PowerShot SD990 today (October 7th, 2008) and I love this new camera. I bought the black version, and it is very very sharp looking. The pictures on Amazon's site just don't do it justice. It has to be seen in person to be appreciated.

The pictures that it takes are just as amazing !!

I upgraded to this camera from a Canon PowerShot SD950.

Fans of Canon's PowerShot series won't be disappointed. It is compact and lightweight, as you've come to expect. It features Canon's new Digic 4 processor. The Digic 4 is all about speed.

I put in a SanDisk 2GB Extreme III SD card, and the camera estimates it could store 309 pictures, at full resolution (4416 x 3312) and SuperFine quality. That was with a completely empty card.

The camera comes with a 32 MB card, which, at the settings I mentioned, you might get 5 pictures on it, maybe 6. I would definitely recommend that you buy a 1 or 2 gigabyte card to go with your camera.

I hope this review helps. This is my fourth Canon PowerShot camera. I have had it less than a day, and I absolutely love it.

Happy Photography!

- Safari Hood

I have an undergraduate and graduate degree in photography - but I don't do a lot with it. In fact, I've pretty much taken a hiatus for about 12 years from shooting photography as an art form - except for one series of projects about two years ago that I did using my camera phone.

One reason I've held off for the past few years is that I've been waiting for a camera with the characteristics of the SD990IS. I wanted a point and shoot camera that would fit in a pocket, that was >14MP (with fantastic image quality) and that would have long battery life.

And that's what this camera is - it has met and exceeded every expectation. While the lense is a bit limited - and not what you'd want in an SLR - that's not what I wanted. I've been taking photographs in the mountains while skiing, assembling them into massive panoramas and having them printed in very large format. And the quality of these images is stunning.

I bought this camera in early December. I've charged the battery twice, despite frequent usage. I bought a 16 GB SD card, and it's been nice not to have to worry about running out of storage.

I highly recommend this camera!

I purchased this camera just before my vacation to San Diego and Hawaii. I have not taken any photography courses in over 10 years and do not consider myself a true photographer. I do have an eye for capturing moments. However, when purchasing a camera I was determined to find one with a wide angle lens. The Canon digital elph SD990IS is the first camera I have purchased in 5 years...and I am glad I did not waste any money on anything else between that time. For those of us who want quick shooting, have an artistic eye of what we want to capture, and want to do so with minimul fuss in a point & shoot camera, you will be hard pressed to find something with the equivalent performance in a compact package. I am heavily impressed with this camera and it turned out to be the perfect camera for my vacation documentary. The sheer technological brilliance that Canon has packed into this camera has forced me to write my first and possibly only review of such a product. Albeit, it does not do HD video recording but for those small moments you may want to capture, it will suffice and capture them in different settings (Sepia anyone?). I cannot stress how many pictures I have taken that came out crisp in a moving vehicle, or low light settings I may not have had enough stabilization. The camera was smart enough to recognize even without small setting changes (e.g., face detection vs center). Very little noise is produced even in digital zoom mode. I took well over 1000 shots in gist. There are possibly a handful that did not come out correctly. I will try set a public album for review in which this camera was the sole device used to capture my best vacation ever. The other reviews can provide technical aspects but I'd like to mention just a few things here from a more simple perspective. If you like capturing:

- Mountains, beaches, blue skies and water in wide angle views that may take your breath away a second time around...

- The precious face of a 3-year old with mountains and landscape in the background

- The magnificence of nature itself or the world from an airplane window

- A night on the town with your closest people...

This camera is absolutely for you...links coming soon.

I have upgraded from an SD630 to the SD990is.
Pros:
Image stabilization - Awesome!
Color quality - Excellent
Video - Superb (blows away the Canon FS1000)
Look - Sexy
Battery: L-O-N-G life.
Cons:
1) A little slow on the draw. My SD630's beats the 990is by half a second on focusing. I have some more research to do so this could be UE.
2) Size: Heavier and fatter than my SD630 but not so much so that I care.
3) Price: But that's what we have Amazon for.
4) Having to read the silly review by the dude with 16mb card comment. Come on....