Canon SD970 IS / IXUS 990 IS Reviews

PC Magazine Reviews The Canon PowerShot SD970 IS / IXUS 990 IS

by David Chin on July 28, 2009

PJ Jacobowitz issues the following image quality verdict in the review of the Canon SD970 IS / IXUS 990 IS:

In the center of the frame—typically the highest-quality section of an image—the SD970 captured an impressive 2397 lines per picture height. As you move to the image's outer edges, that number drops by an average of 33 percent, which is considerable, but still acceptable. By comparison, the Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T90 averaged 2274 lines in the center of images, but dropped by just 18 percent at the outer edges.

The SD970 does an excellent job at suppressing noise at high ISO sensitivities (which is great for shots taken in poorly lit conditions). The SD970 kept noise below noticeable levels from ISO 80 to 400, with excellent results even up at ISO 800 and 1600.

Samsung HZ15W vs Canon SD970 IS / IXUS 990 IS

by David Chin on July 28, 2009

Tim Barribeau compares both cameras and concludes:

While neither the Canon SD970 nor the Samsung HZ15W is the smallest cameras on the block, the Samsung is a significantly larger gadget. That's due to the rather large 10x zoom lens (compared to the Canon's 5x), with a significantly greater wide-angle. Both cameras have the same resolution (12-megapixels), and the same ISO range (80-1600 at full res, 3200 at reduced).

In terms of performance, it's a pretty even split between the two cameras. Their color accuracy was similar, both for still and video; the Canon has an edge in noise, stabilization and video sharpness testing; the Samsung comes out ahead for resolution and shot to shot speed.

The Canon has a slightly better interface, assisted by the use of a scroll wheel for whizzing through menus, and a higher resolution screen, as well as some nifty tricks on scrolling through images based on how the camera is held. However, it lacks the large set of manual controls that the Samsung offers, including manual shooting modes, custom color overlays, and auto exposure bracketing.

While we like the SD970 IS a lot, we have to give this round to the Samsung, due to its strength of manual controls, large zoom, and overall solid performance. That said, it did have some noise issues, and Canon knows their way around user interface design a bit better than Samsung does.

Canon SD780 IS / IXUS 100 IS vs Canon Powershot SD970 IS / IXUS 990 IS

by David Chin on July 20, 2009

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.