Canon's PowerShot SD990 IS and SD880 IS for 'trendsetting techies' -- right

Finishing off Canon's new gear launches today are the PowerShot SD990 IS and SD880 IS Digital Elph series of cameras. Both start with optical image stabilization and Canon's new DIGIC 4 image processor. The $400 SD990 IS then sprinkles in a 14.7 megapixel sensor, 3.7x optical zoom, and 2.5-inch LCD while the $300 SD880 IS drops the sensor to 10 megapixels while boosting the LCD and Zoom a bit to 3-inches and 4x, respectively. Both should land for retail sometime in October.

Gallery: Canon's PowerShot SD990 IS and SD880 IS

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[willrs @ Sep 27th 2008 4:31PM]

14.7 megapixel sensor? is that really necessary in a point-and-shoot?

[Intrepid @ Sep 17th 2008 6:01AM]

Yes. I for one like the idea of being able to study my cellular structure with my digital camera.

[Mehul @ Sep 17th 2008 10:20AM]

I am a huge Canon fan but I am so disappointed at these, I had to post again.

These seem to be merely a bump in unnecessary MPs. Other manufacturers have begun shipping compacts with 5X zoom, 24mm wides and HD videos. Granted this may have a better picture quality than some of those 'other' cameras but why not have some features with great picture quality??

[Jason Litka @ Sep 17th 2008 11:29AM]

@Mehul,

I agree, sort of. I think that Canon has to increase the MP count to remain competitive with the uninformed and to make people want to buy one of these over last year's model, but that's no reason not to improve the optics as well.

Sorry, but a $400 P&S should have a zoom somewhere in the 5-7x range and I'd expect it to be at least 28mm-equivalent on the wide end.

If I were interested in one of these I'd go with the 880 over the 990 as, aside from the pixel count, it seems to be a better camera. In fact, I think I may get one as a companion for my XSi when I want something a little smaller but still capable.

[peestandingup @ Sep 17th 2008 2:46AM]

14.7 megapixels?? These companies are getting outta control with their megapixel bloat.

[vbtrash @ Sep 17th 2008 2:46AM]

did someone sit on that 990IS? looks cool tho.

[MastrCake @ Sep 17th 2008 2:46AM]

I was just looking at the sample pictures of the SD990 IS on the canon site, and they look incredible.

I think I want...

[MastrCake @ Sep 17th 2008 2:49AM]

Here's that sample image. Make sure you zoom in around the middle part and look at the amount of detail. If you are in "fit to screen" mode, then it looks all jagged and stuff.

http://www.usa.canon.com/app/images/PowerShot_2008/PS_SD990/sampleimg/sampleimg_3.jpg

[gad get @ Sep 17th 2008 5:19AM]

You're right, that picture does look pretty impressive, but sample shots don't tell the whole story, unfortunately.

[Daza @ Sep 17th 2008 5:21AM]

I think the sample shots are a reasonable representation of what you can take with a P&S -- if you're a pro photographer. Unfortunately most people won't get shots nearly as good as that because they leave the camera on "Auto" and click away.

But then when you're printing a 6x4, even auto looks good most of the time.

[THJ @ Sep 17th 2008 10:46AM]

replace the '3' near the end of the URL to '1' or '2' for other sample images, she's way hotter.

Besides the hotties though, the picture is impressive for a point and shoot. Going to keep an eye on Amazon for some consumer reviews (Amazon camera reviewers are a rabid and meticulous bunch).

[PCIV @ Sep 17th 2008 5:18PM]

I for one don't think people should be shot at such detail...

[Jakob @ Sep 17th 2008 3:20AM]

It IS!

[Yem @ Sep 17th 2008 3:22AM]

880IS sounds like the bargain there - less pixels (and noise) and better zoom + LCD.

[gad get @ Sep 17th 2008 5:26AM]

Precisely my train of thought.
Does that make us twins?

[kadajawi @ Sep 17th 2008 7:27AM]

To me the better zoom hints at a smaller sensor... Also, on the lens you can read that the 880 has a starting focal length of 5mm, the 990 one of 7.7mm. Thus the 990 almost definately has a larger larger sensor, so noisewise the 880 might perform just as good as the 990.

They look nice, too. Smooth. And the sample picture is pretty nice, though it only shows how nice it CAN get, under ideal conditions. Nevertheless, impressive.

[Mehul @ Sep 17th 2008 9:43AM]

I wish they had HD video for that price. Panasonic and other companies have it and I hoping Canon would join the bandwagon.
Yes, the SX1 IS has it but it would be nice to have it in a pocket friendly camera.

I was holding off on buying an Elph, now I think I'll just get the SD870 (8MP, 28mm wide) for around $230.

[Drew @ Sep 22nd 2008 11:30PM]

@kadajawi:
Whether or not the SD880's zoom is "better" depends on your definition anyway. The 4x zoom does not mean what I think you think it means.

The SD990 has a 36-133mm (35mm equiv.) lens. The SD880 has 28-112mm. That means that the SD880 has a wider angle of view, but the SD990 has a longer telephoto or "reach".

[uShak @ Sep 17th 2008 3:30AM]

why does the 14MP one have a smaller screen?

[gad get @ Sep 17th 2008 5:24AM]

Yeah, and why does it take noisier pictures?

[AJ @ Sep 17th 2008 5:58PM]

"why does it take noisier pictures?"

Because the greater number of pixels means each one on the sensor is smaller and therefore a little bit less sensitive, ultimately increasing noise in the image.

[Nelson @ Sep 17th 2008 7:00AM]

Cannon's P+S cameras have a smaller screen if there is a viewfinder, a larger screen without. Nothing to do with resolution.

[gad get @ Sep 18th 2008 12:59AM]

@ AJ

That was actually the point I was trying to make: why does the more expensive one have to take noisier pictures? I know why it does, I just don't know why they did that. Know what I'm saying?

(It should be noted that I actually don't know whether one takes noisier pictures than the other, I just assumed that they have the same size of sensor and therefore the one with the higher pixel count would have more noise.)

[Bluesman @ Oct 1st 2008 5:52PM]

viewfinder

[Funkdafied @ Sep 17th 2008 3:56AM]

what's with the tiny flash on the SD880 ?

[kyle allen @ Sep 17th 2008 4:08AM]

i dont think it likes you

[kyle allen @ Sep 17th 2008 4:12AM]

... because it looks angry

[kyle allen @ Sep 17th 2008 3:56AM]

i just found a 3.1mp kodak easy share with 4x zoom and a 1gb sd card at goodwill for $10 more than enough camera for just takin random pictures. maby if i were makein a big ol 4 foot wide print id need something a little better but u really dont need more than a few MPs

[Fabio @ Sep 17th 2008 4:08AM]

What size is the sensor? By the prices, I would guess pretty small, which, @ 14.7MP, that's a really bad signal to noise ratio. Good luck taking pictures in anything but the most ideal lighting conditions.

[mayq @ Sep 17th 2008 4:25AM]

it seems that the high end model lost the titanium shell :(

[mayq @ Sep 17th 2008 4:26AM]

it seems that the high end model has lost its titanium shell :(

[JohnA @ Sep 17th 2008 4:48AM]

I've always hated the design of the Canon camera's

they look like they have been designed by Nickelodeon or Dr. Seuss.

Even though I do like Dr. Seuss's drawings....

and did they employ the same person who choose the original Zune colors?

The internals might be good but they need to get their act together in the hardware.

Stick to a brand who just makes Cameras like Nikon.

[gad get @ Sep 17th 2008 5:22AM]

Does every sentence really have to be its own paragraph?

[Murphy Mac @ Sep 17th 2008 7:34AM]

I like canon design, especially the boxy elphs which are functional and kind of retro. Have had bad luck with nikon p/s, but love my d70.
Elphs need to add mass storage mode.

[Darth Lord @ Sep 17th 2008 5:45AM]

hehe..all that I can think of is PhotoSynth

also they need to start putting GPS and compas features on these things.

by next summer these should cost $199

[Glenn @ Sep 17th 2008 5:47AM]

When 3MP cameras were the norm and 5MP ones came online did you guys cry about sensor bloat then? How about when we went from 5-7MP range to the current, commonly available, 9-12 MP range...is that excessive? One day in the not too distant future these 14MP cameras will be a joke just as 1.3MP ones are now.

[Wolfticket @ Sep 17th 2008 6:14AM]

That argument would make sense if peoples ability to see pixels increased over time.
As it is, it's just silly.

[Wwhat @ Sep 18th 2008 4:37AM]

The more/smaller the pixels get the less noticeable noise is though, that you can see with coarse VGA size phone picture, so even if noise increases slightly you''ll notice it less.

[Dr. X @ Oct 3rd 2008 4:18PM]

On the contrary, the smaller each pixel sensor gets, the more prone it is to collect noise. The reason why DSLRs have a much larger sensor so that the sensor pixel density is lower.

[Liam @ Sep 17th 2008 6:22AM]

This 3x, 4x business doesn't tell you an awful lot, unless you know where the zoom was starting in the first place.

[Wolfticket @ Sep 17th 2008 6:26AM]

Is it just me or does the SD990 IS look like the normal Power Shot shape, but sliiiightly inflated.

[Unbangyourmom @ Sep 17th 2008 7:20AM]

The sensors seem to be a little bit bigger on these as you do the conversion on the focal length of the lens compared to the MP. But 14MP is ridiculously excessive when they beat almost all the prosumer SLRs out there.

[:) @ Sep 17th 2008 7:11AM]

Meh! I guess its ok. But I'd rather see a camera with 8MP but with 5x to 10x optical zoom.
Don't get me wrong. 10MP is impressive. But I think 8MP is fine for a Point and Shoot. A bit more zoom tho would make me happy. I realize it is difficult on a point and shoot size camera b/c of the compactness of them. But.....

[extinctdoughnut @ Sep 17th 2008 8:04AM]

880 video specs claims new compression:

Movie: MOV (Image: H.264; Audio: Linear PCM (Monaural))

But file sizes seem the same as older models with AVI only. I was looking to replace my SD630 but was hoping for smaller video files.

[pito189 @ Sep 17th 2008 2:26PM]

Yeah my SD630 is on it's way out but I love the huge screen. And these aren't really showing any improvement in zoom. That new Sony DX700 (whatever it is called) is starting to look really good. I would like at least 720p at 30fps

[bert @ Sep 17th 2008 8:51AM]

pretty excited to see an IXUS with manual controls
This is what is new, from (canon website)

Advanced optics
A high quality lens with 3.7x zoom ensures versatility and superb results when shooting both stills and movies. Canon’s renowned optical Image Stabilizer technology counteracts camera shake for outstanding image quality.

Take control
The first Digital IXUS with Manual Control, the Digital IXUS 980 IS allows shooting in more demanding conditions, or creative experimentation. A further 20 automatic modes include QuickShot, for extra-responsive shooting of fast moving objects or fleeting events.

DIGIC 4
Incorporating the latest in image processing technology, DIGIC 4 delivers extraordinary noise reduction. The result is richly detailed, clean images, even when shooting at high ISO speeds. DIGIC 4 also drives exceptional processing speeds and responsive operation.

[greatgatsby @ Sep 17th 2008 9:20AM]

I work at the unholy Best Buy and the only reason they have keep putting the higher megapixel sensors in there is because in stores people see the 8 megapixel Canon compared to the 18 megapixel Kodak POS and think "them megrapixals are higher so that one takes better pictures". So they have to keep up with the other companies in the "megapixel race".

[Fahad @ Sep 17th 2008 9:56AM]

Check for the 160 MP from Sony at www.blushberry.net

[The Drunken Blogger @ Sep 17th 2008 9:32AM]

PowerShot SD990 IS and SD880 IS Digital Elph these cameras take picture taking into the 2100 century. For $400 SD990 IS features a 14.7 megapixel sensor, 3.7x optical zoom, and 2.5-inch LCD. Now witth this there is not end to what you can do.

[JADEDFUCK @ Sep 17th 2008 10:45AM]

Presenting the new CANON POWERSHOT E18.