Both cameras are decidedly slim on manual controls, the T900 especially, to the point where it lacks even the ability to take a custom white balance. Both cameras have slightly problematic control schemes. While the Canon’s is well designed, it’s hampered by small buttons that are flush with the body. The Sony T900, on the other hand, uses an almost entirely touch-screen based control system that we found slow and inaccurate. In the Sony’s favor is that it has an incredibly high-res, 920,000-dot widescreen LCD, and maintains its sleek profile by having a non-extending lens. However, the small lens also means it has high image distortion.
In general, the testing slightly favored the Sony T900, but with a few key discrepancies. The Sony had more accurate color, a better stabilization system, faster burst rate, and higher video sharpness. However, the Canon had much lower noise, superior resolution (with significantly lower distortion), and more accurate color. We did prefer using the Canon, as it avoided the rather frustrating touch-based system of the Sony.
Latest Updates: Canon SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS Reviews RSS
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Canon SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS vs Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900
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Canon SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS vs Canon Powershot SD970 IS / IXUS 990 IS – Tim Barribeau:
The more expensive SD970 is substantially bulkier, but has a much more comfortable button scheme (including a nice little scroll wheel), and a few more settings and features than the streamlined SD780. We liked the large buttons and interface on the SD970, especially compared to the absolutely tiny controls of the SD780, however it’s surprising that the smaller model has an optical viewfinder where the larger doesn’t.
Both cameras were solid performers in our lab testing, though with different strengths. The SD970 scored better for color accuracy, image stabilization, shot to shot speed, and video sharpness. The sleeker SD780 outperformed the SD970 in image noise, resolution (especially sharpness), and video color. There’s no clear victor between the two, and if you’re trying to decide which of these models to get, one would probably have to rely on non-performance based questions. Is the small size of the SD780 worth the small controls? Are the extra features of the SD970 worth the $100 price difference? If you’re looking for the most “hands-off” camera, that you can take with you anywhere, and looks good, then the SD780 may be for you. On the other hand, the SD970 puts a bit more control in the hands of the user, but also adds some bulk.
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Canon PowerShot SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS Review at DigitalCameraInfo.com – Tim Barribeau:
The Canon PowerShot SD780 IS a decent camera poured into a very small package. It may not have the world’s most impressive range of manual controls, nor the biggest zoom we’ve ever seen, but it shoots well, with excellent image sharpness (though with low color accuracy).
Full-sized sample photos which test the camera’s resolution and high ISO noise performance have also been included.
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Nikon S630 vs Canon SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS
In DigitalCameraInfo’s Nikon Coolpix S630 vs Canon Powershot SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS comparison, Tim Barribeau wrote:
In terms of performance, the Nikon scored higher in most still image tests, but the Canon has the edge in video mode. The Canon scored slightly better for resolution due to higher image sharpness, but it had worse distortion. The image stabilization system was slightly more effective on the Canon, as was the shot to shot speed. Its real advantage was in video mode, where the high definition capabilities blew the Nikon out of the water, and the S630’s lack of manual white balance controls led to very poor video color. However for pure still image quality, we lean toward the Nikon.
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Canon Digital IXUS 100 IS / PowerShot SD780 IS ELPH Review at Cameralabs – Rating Score: 82% (RECOMMENDED), and Gordon Laing concludes:
On the whole, still image quality was pretty good, with its 12 Megapixels recording a decent amount of detail in areas where the optics perform well. Noise levels were similar to most compacts with similar sensors, which means a faint smattering of speckles if you’re really looking at the lowest sensitivities, and more visible textures at the ISO increases. As usual, the best results are below 200 ISO.
If the highlight of the camera is its tiny and perfectly-formed shell, then the biggest downside is arguably the lens within. The 3x optical range is unremarkable and lacking any kind of true wide-angle coverage.
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Canon SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS vs Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15 – Alexandra Savvides had this to say about the high ISO performance of the SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS in comparison with that on the Panasonic FS15:
Noise was relatively well controlled thanks to the Digic 4 image processor, and on par with what we’ve seen from the other Canon compacts from this 2009 range. It performed better in controlling noise than the recently tested Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS15.
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Canon Powershot SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS Review at CNET Australia – Editor rating score: 8.2 / 10, and Alexandra Savvides says:
The photos that the 100 IS delivers are full of that punchy and bright colour that you’d expect from an IXUS compact. Images were relatively sharp from corner to corner though there was a little fallout at full magnification as you reached the edge of the frame. Barrel distortion was rather prominent though, and considering the lens isn’t exactly wide this was a little concerning. That said, it’s not something you would notice in everyday use, and only really exhibited itself in a controlled environment.
Alexandra has also recorded a 1:26 video overview of the camera.
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Digital compact cameras with 720p HD video – Nice summary piece by CNET Australia, which lists the following 720p HD-capable cameras:
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX3
- Canon PowerShot SX1 IS
- Canon Powershot SD780 IS Digital ELPH / Canon Digital IXUS 100 IS
- Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 / DMC-TZ7
- Olympus PEN E-P1
- Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T900
The article has links to more comprehensive reviews for each camera.