Canon PowerShot SD 990 IS …The Evolution Of The Elph Series Continues!

Author's Rating:

Pros: 14.7 Megapixel, Fast Processing, Functionality Plus!

Cons: I Am Hard Pressed To Think Of One!

The Bottom Line: 

Canon has a winner on their hands with the full featured PowerShot SD 990 IS!

Author's Review
This is an exciting time to be a amateur or professional photographer, given the rapid technological advances in the field. Never has it been so easy to get the shot right the first time in a format where you literally can be ready 24/7 without the cumbersome gear that was required to achieve much the same results. As a lifetime Nikon aficionado, I have given Nikon Coolpix and Canon Elphs as gifts over the years, on the strength of articles and reviews I had come across, and was impressed with the facility and quality that was had from these little Elphs. While I am not advocating tossing the SLR digital to the trash heap, Canon does make a compelling case for carrying around a top notch point and shoot. Having raised the bar, yet again, with their latest flagship in the Elph Series, the new Canon SD 990 IS represents the latest refinements in Canon's proprietary technologies. My turn to be on the receiving end happened this past Christmas, and I must admit, I couldn't be more pleased!

A Closer Look
 
In the box Canon includes:

•·        32MB SD memory card
•·        Lithium Battery
•·        Charger
•·        Wrist strap,
•·        USB and A/V interface cables

The diminutive Canon PowerShot SD 990 IS is sized just right at 4" x 2.5"x 1.12" fitting easily in a pocket or purse. The 2.5 TFT Color LCD with widescreen capability and real image optical viewfinder provide the utility to capture the shot no matter what. DIGIC4 Technology now allows you to recognize and zero in on multiple faces immediately on the LCD confirmed via rectangular face marker with the added capability to enter the picture with complete face recognition 2 seconds after you enter the shot in timer mode, in addition the SD 990 face recognition technology can track your subjects which makes action shots a lot more viable.

The SD 990 IS powers up and is ready to shoot in about 2 seconds with the 7.7-28.5mm, f/2.8-5.8 lens ready to take your first shot which is remarkably fast! The 3.7 Optical, 4x digital and 15x combined zoom features an Optical Image Stabilizer making fast, clear shots a reality. Focusing Range specs in at:

•·        Normal - 1.6 ft to infinity
•·        Macro - 2 inches to 1.6ft in (w), 1.3 to 1.6ft (t)
•·        Digital - Macro 2.0 inches to 1.6 ft

The 7.7 to 28.5 mm focal length, on the all glass aspherical zoom lens, is the 35mm equivalent of 36-133mm which is adequate to capture a host of close-ups or your kids on the soccer field as well, provided you stand midfield (the digital zoom is quick but not really best suited for long field shots) with continuous shot capability at 1.3 frames per second. Through the lens (TTL) auto focus is rapid and shutter ready at startup with shutter speeds of 15 seconds to 1/1600 sec at your disposal with Auto Noise reduction at 1.3 and slower second shutter speeds.

The LCD is bright and crisp with 100% coverage though you will find much more content in your image than you see in the viewfinder which is a bonus for those who choose to edit their work. It would be nice to have a larger LCD screen but clearly the physical limitations of the SD 990 IS prevent it, but it's a non issue, given the sheer functionality of this pocket-sized 14.7 Megapixel powerhouse. The anti-scratch and anti glare surface address some to my complaints of digital cameras in the past. Nothing bugs me more than having to look at a surface scratch every time you look at the LCD!

I have taken some of the best shots with this little Canon than I have with any camera. My sister in law has actually told me she likes some of the shots I have taken of her, and she has a history of hating every picture taken of her; that speaks volumes to me! Lag time is a non issue; when the shot looks right, you capture the moment! Setting up your shot is a breeze with any of a host of shootings modes including:

Auto - Super Fine, Fine, Normal file size selection
Program/ Manual - Flash & Exposure compensation +2/-2 , (Auto White balance, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom) My Colors (Vivid, Neutral Sepia, B&W, Positive Film, Lighter or Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Green Red Custom Color Skin), +/- Light Metering (Evaluative ,Center Weighted, Spot Metering) Recording Pixels (640x480/ 1600x1200/ 2592x1944/ 3459 x 2592/ 4416 x 3312 Widescreen 4416 x 2480) at 16:9 aspect ratio for HDTV
Quick - Utilize the View finder to frame your shot with all the shot data settings on the LCD screen
Special Scene - (Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Sunset, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, ISO 3200, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot, Color Accent, Color Swap, Digital Macro, Stitch Assist),
Movie - Shoot video for up to near 5 hours with an 8GB card at 320 fps or 1 hour 35 minutes at 640 fps with an 8 GB card.

Navigating through the many functions is easily accomplished as Canon has wisely opted for a direct simple approach to function, making all applicable settings visible in each shooting mode, framing the shot with all available settings. Navigating around these settings is made simply by pressing the Function/Set button/ring and setting the cursor to your desired function, much like an iPod.

The features onboard this SD 990 IS are many, to be sure. Know that all the expected features, including refinements, are here.  There are a few that are a few standout features like Canon's Optical Image Stabilizer, which keeps images in focus, even at fully extended focal lengths, that goes a long way to help anyone effectively use the  Canon. Features like Print Share, Flash On/Off, Image Auto Rotate, 20 image playback modes, 5 Movie playback modes just make life easy for usual consumer expectations. For those who are haunted with images lost to bright backgrounds, Canon's i-Contrast (Intelligent Contrast Correction) comes to the rescue brightening subjects or backgrounds as needed addressing another issue many less experienced users have with digital or for that matter analog (remember them?), cameras.

Performance
 
Out of the box, anyone with a remote sense of digital cameras can start collecting images with the Canon PowerShot SD 990 IS. The control panel on the back consists of the :
 
•·        Shooting Mode Dial
•·        Print Share Control
•·        Playback Control
•·        Function Set Control and Function Ring
•·        Menu
•·        Display Control
•·        Quick Start & Full Manuals
 
Navigating through the controls is a simple process that minimizes steps between settings. The interface is set up for quick changes between shots. A steeper familiarity of basic photographic principles applies when you take the SD 990 IS into Manual mode but, for the most part, previews of light conditions can be taken with the Flash Output meter facilitating on the fly setting changes. Flash Lag is not really an issue as the SD 990 IS reads the shot quickly. There is some evidence of it in very low light situations where experience and camera familiarity has to be your guide there.
 
Since the holidays, I have literally had the SD 990 IS at my side constantly recording everyone's coming and going as I familiarized myself with the little Canon. A family holiday party proved a shutterbug feast as the combination of holiday spirit, reunited hams, and a little liquid encouragement made for some rather interesting shots. Shooting behind the scenes is the key to making everyone feel at ease. I was able to take warm detailed shots 95% of the time simply by a quick preview in Auto, Program and Special Scene Modes. Moving into Manual may prove a bit more challenging for those unfamiliar with basic photographic principles but all things considered, great shots just seem to come out of this camera time after time. A little time with the 170 page manual would be time well spent, though the Quick Start manual will get you and running with basic functions. I especially like the capability of adding voice tags with images. Low light conditions prove most challenging with the SD 990 IS with added noise and detail loss but little practice and familiarity with controls should go a long way to improve results there. As with any digital camera, you need to become familiar with the capabilities and tolerances of the camera in order to effectively apply them in the field.

Canons Zoom Browser v 6.2 is efficient providing some basic editing capability along with EOS utility software giving you full facility of downloading onto your computer or Image software. Interestingly enough, Canons Zoom Browser is quite similar appearing to Nikon View software though many digital photo browsers perform many of the same tasks. Getting to your shots and emailing them for instance is quick and instinctive enough that new users will quickly become familiar navigating around it.

So, at the end of the day, when you Franklin Square the Canon SD 990 IS against the competition, is it a better buy? Better, being a relative term, I would have to say Canons latest entry in the Elf series is a wise choice for the well rounded photographer who likes manipulating their images, incorporating moderate to expert photographic skills or the aggressive newbie who has an active interest in photography. The Canon SD 990 IS is a shooters camera that comes with a great manual to reference and not a manual with a camera hidden under a pile of menus, dual function controls and confusion. Personally, I have over 1500 shots from the holidays with more "keepers" than I can remember from any other occasion. In my Lowepro case, the little Canon SD 990 IS unobtrusively sat there on my belt, under a sweater; there just wasn't any reason not to snap some great shots! This is one really great camera!