Canon Ixus 970 IS - Expert Reviews

Review summary: The 10-megapixel Canon 970 IS features a 5x zoom - the longest in the IXUS range.

Pros: Design, control as sensitivity is increased

Cons: Expensive, purple fringing

Verdict: A bit awkward to operate and slight image flaws, but a generally good performance.

Review summary: The Canon SD890 IS is a 10 megapixel point-and-shoot camera that features a 5x optical zoom lens equipped with Canon's image stabilizer that actually shifts the lens elements when movement is detected to help avoid blurry images. In addition to the ...

Pros: Optical Image Stabilization ; 5x optical zoom lens extending to 185mm (35mm-equivalent) ; Face Detection ; Ability to track with Face Detection ; Good image quality, with above average detail capture ; Pleasing color ; Good macro area and quality ; ...

Cons: Extremely inaccurate optical viewfinder ; Average speed performance ; Slow full-autofocus shutter lag ; Difficult to operate On/Off button ; Awkward Control Dial ; Some adjustment controls buried deep within My Colors mode ; Soft corners at wide angle ...

Verdict: On the technical side, the Canon SD890 IS is equipped with Face Detection that recognizes faces in a scene and automatically adjusts exposure, flash output, and white balance to help ensure that you take the best photo possible. The camera also ...

Review summary: A solid compact snapshooter, the Canon IXUS 970 IS nevertheless disappoints when compared with its predecessors and line-mates.

Pros: Optical image stabilization ; optical viewfinder ; decent photos

Cons: Poor shot-to-shot performance ; small LCD ; awkward design ; no optical zoom in movie capture

Verdict:  A solid compact snapshooter, the Canon IXUS 970 IS nevertheless disappoints when compared with its predecessors and line mates.

Review summary: With the Canon SD850 remaining one of the most popular compact cameras out there, its follow-up model, the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS, had some big shoes to fill: preserving everything that the SD850 did well is almost as important in this case as ...

Pros: AF performance remains a highlight ; Clean, vibrant shots, even at higher ISOs ; Almost too easy to use ; New styling and interface (if you like it)

Cons: Flash recycle/shot-to-shot times not improved ; Initial price is predictably steep ; Lens and white balance could be better ; New styling and interface (if you hate it)

Verdict: , had some big shoes to fill; preserving everything that the SD850 did well is almost as important in this case as pushing the envelope. With more resolution, a longer zoom, improved IS and auto focus systems, and a raft of new soft features, the "new ...

Pros: Optical image stabilization ; optical viewfinder ; decent photos

Cons: Poor shot-to-shot performance ; small LCD ; awkward design ; no optical zoom in movie capture

Verdict: A solid compact snapshooter, the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS nevertheless disappoints when compared with its predecessors and line-mates.