Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS Review
(also known as the PowerShot SD990 IS Digital ELPH)

Review Date: December 15th 2008
Author: Zoltan Arva-Toth

Leave a comment about this review

Page 1
Introduction / Ease of Use
Page 2
Image Quality
Page 3
Sample Images
Page 4
Design
Page 5
Specifications
Page 6
Conclusion

Specifications

IMAGE SENSOR
Type 1/1.7� CCD
Effective Pixels Approx.14.7M
Colour Filter Type Primary Colour
IMAGE PROCESSOR
Type DIGIC 4 with iSAPS technology
LENS
Focal Length 7.7 - 28.5 mm (35mm equivalent: 36 � 133mm)
Zoom Optical 3.7x. Digital approx. 4x (with Digital Tele-Converter approx. 1.7x or 2.2x and Safety Zoom �) �. Combined approx. 15x
Maximum f/number f/2.8 � f/5.8
Construction 7 elements in 5 groups (2 aspherical elements including 1 double-sided UA element)
Image Stabilisation Yes (shift-type)
FOCUSING
Type TTL
AF System/ Points AiAF (Face Detection / 9-point), 1-point AF (fixed to centre or Face Select and Track)
AF Modes Single, Servo AF�
AF Point Selection Size (Normal, Small)
AF Lock On/Off Selectable
AF Assist Beam Yes
Manual Focus Yes
Closest Focusing Distance 5cm (W) from front of lens in macro
EXPOSURE CONTROL
Metering modes Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (centre)
AE Lock On/Off Selectable
Exposure Compensation +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments.
i-Contrast for automatic dynamic range correction
ISO sensitivity* AUTO, High ISO Auto (incorporating Motion Detection Technology), 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600
SHUTTER
Speed 1/60 - 1/1600 sec (factory default)
15 - 1/1600 sec (total range - varies by shooting mode)
WHITE BALANCE
Type TTL
Settings Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom
VIEWFINDER
Viewfinder Real-image zoom, optical viewfinder
LCD MONITOR
Monitor 2.5� PureColor LCD II (TFT), approx. 230,000 dots
Coverage 100%
Brightness Adjustable to one of fifteen levels
FLASH
Modes Auto, Manual Flash On / Off
Slow Sync Speed Yes
Red-Eye Reduction Yes
Flash Exposure Compensation +/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments. Face Detection FE.
Flash Exposure Lock Yes
Manual Power Adjustment 3 levels with internal flash
Built-in Flash Range 50cm - 4.6m (W) / 2.4m (T)
External Flash Canon High Power Flash HF-DC1
SHOOTING
Modes Auto, P, M, Quick, Movie, Special Scene (Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Sunset, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, ISO 3200�, Digital Macro, Color Accent, Color Swap, Stitch Assist)
Photo Effects My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color)
Drive modes Single, Continuous, Self-Timer, FaceSelf-Timer
Continuous Shooting Approx. 1.3 shots/sec.� (until memory card becomes full)�
RECORDING PIXELS / COMPRESSION
Image Size (L) 4416 x 3312, (M1) 3456 x 2592, (M2) 2592 x 1944, (M3) 1600 x 1200, (S) 640 x 480, (W) 4416 x 2480. Resize in playback (M3, S, 320 x 240)
Compression Superfine, Fine, Normal
Movies 640 x 480, 30fps
320 x 240, 30fps
Movie Length Up to 4GB or 1 hour �
FILE TYPES
Still Image Type JPEG compression, (Exif 2.2 [Exif Print] compliant) / Design rule for Camera File system, Digital Print Order Format [DPOF] Version 1.1 compliant
Movies MOV [H.264 + Linear PCM (monaural)]
Sound Files WAVE (monaural)
DIRECT PRINT
Canon Printers Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and Canon Inkjet Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Fixed Size Print and Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP & ES printers only)
PictBridge Yes
OTHER FEATURES
Red-Eye Correction Yes, during shooting and playback
My Camera / My Menu Start-up image and camera sounds customisation
My Category Image tagging feature
Sound Memo Up to 60 sec per image
Intelligent Orientation Sensor Yes
Histogram Yes, live histogram
Playback Zoom Approx. 2x � 10x
Self Timer Approx. 2 or 10 sec., Custom or FaceSelf-Timer
Menu Languages English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Ukrainian, Romanian, Farsi
INTERFACE
Computer Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible)
Other A/V output, dedicated connector (PAL/NTSC)
MEMORY CARD
Type SD, SDHC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus. 32MB memory card supplied
SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEM
PC & Macintosh Windows XP SP2 / Vista (including SP1)
Mac OS X v10.4 - 10.5
SOFTWARE
Browsing & Printing ZoomBrowser EX / ImageBrowser
Other PhotoStitch
POWER SOURCE
Batteries Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-5L (battery and charger supplied)
Battery life Approx. 280 shots �
Approx. 360 min. playback
A/C Power Supply Optional, AC adapter kit ACK-DC30
ACCESSORIES
Case Soft Leather Case DCC-70, Digital IXUS Metal or Leather Strap
Waterproof / Weatherproof Case Waterproof Case (40m) WP-DC27, Waterproof Case Weight WW-DC1
Flash High Power Flash HF-DC1
Power Supply & Battery Chargers AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC30
PHYSICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Operating Environment 0 � 40 �C, 10 � 90% humidity
Dimensions (WxHxD, excl. protrusions) 96.7 x 62.2 x 27.9mm
Weight (body only) Approx. 160g
Zoom � Depending on the image size selected.
� Digital zoom available for still image and standard movie modes only. Optical zoom may not be available during movie recording.
AF Modes � Some settings limit availability
Modes � Recording pixels fixed at 1600 x 1200.
Continuous Shooting � Under conditions where the flash does not fire.
� Depending on memory card speed / capacity.
Movie Length � Depending on memory card speed / capacity.
Battery life � Using the batteries and memory card format supplied with the camera, except where indicated.
*Standard Output Sensitivity / Recommended Exposure Index.
According to ISO 12232:2006 (20th April 2006) which specifies the method for assigning and reporting ISO speed ratings for digital still cameras.
All data is based on Canon standard testing methods (according to CIPA Standards) except where indicated.
Subject to change without notice.
 
Page 1
Introduction / Ease of Use
Page 2
Image Quality
Page 3
Sample Images
Page 4
Design
Page 5
Specifications
Page 6
Conclusion

DIWAPhotographyBLOG is a member of the DIWA organisation. Our test results for the Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS have been submitted to DIWA for comparison with test results for different samples of the same camera model supplied by other DIWA member sites.

Compare Prices

Support PhotographyBLOG: Buy the Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS from one of our affiliate retailers: