Tech Buzz

Canon’s first foray into touch screen territory comes in the form of the PowerShot SD980 IS. It falls into line style-wise with the current generation of Digital ELPH cameras and it won’t look out of place sitting side-by-side with your iPod and your touch screen smartphone – it’s curvy, boldly colored, and relatively slim for a camera housing a 5x optical zoom lens.

Canon PowerShot SD980 IS Specs:
Image Processor
Image Sensor: CCD
Number of Image Sensor Pixels: 12400000
Lens Features
Camera Type: Digital Compact
Lens Mount: Fixed
Optical Zoom: 5 X
Digital Zoom: 5 X
Max Aperture: 2.8 1/f
Other Features
LCD Screen Size: 3 in
Image Stabilization: Optical
Maximum Video Capture Resolution: 1280 x 720
Flash: Built-in Flash
Interface Connection: A/V (RCA Composite)|USB
Storage
Memory Type: MMC|MMCplus|SD Memory Card|SDHC Memory Card
Dimensions
normalized-Weight: 4.59
Height: 2.1 in
Width: 3.93 in
Depth: 0.9 in
Weight: 4.59 oz
Reference
Warranty Information: 1 Year Limited Warranty
URL: URL
Quick Glance
Weight: 4.59
Memory Type: MMC|MMCplus|SD Memory Card|SDHC Memory Card
LCD Screen Size: 3 in
Camera / Lens Type: Digital Compact
Image Stabilization: Optical
Optical Zoom: 5
MegaPixels: 12.4

What the PowerShot SD980 IS does best is show off. Flipping through images with a swipe of the LCD or a flick of the wrist is sure to please a small crowd of friends and family. However, no camera is going to inspire any real “wow” factor if the images don’t look as good as the interface. The SD980 delivers dependable image quality whether or not you choose to utilize the touch screen.

The PowerShot SD980 won’t compete with Canon’s more advanced compacts, but it’s as good a performer as the popular SD1200. It hits a sweet spot between chic design and reliable performance. In the expanding world of touch screen cameras, the SD980 is as good as any we’ve seen thus far. It doesn’t offer the level of control that Panasonic’s Lumix FX580 does, but manual control is probably not what you’re after if you’re shopping for a touch LCD. If it’s reliable image quality with limited user input that you want, then the PowerShot SD980 is an excellent option.

Advantages of Canon PowerShot SD980 IS:

* Good image quality
* Touch screen is fluid, responsive
* 720p HD video

Disadvantages of  Canon PowerShot SD980 IS:

* Captures 16:9 image at lower resolution
* 720p video is only average
* Flicking gestures tricky to master
* Somewhat expensive

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 16th, 2010 at 4:14 am and is filed under Camera. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.