May 17, 2008Your source for the most comprehensive and informative digital camera reviews
Camera home > Camera Reviews > Canon Reviews > Canon PowerShot SD890 IS Digital ELPHFirst Shots
Canon PowerShot SD890 IS First Shots includes test images straight from the lab. (more)
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Canon SD890 IS

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Test Images
(click to enlarge)

Still Life

Multi Target

10.00
Megapixels
5.00x zoom
2.5 inch
LCD
 
Basic Specifications
Resolution: 10.00 Megapixels
Lens: 5.00x zoom
(37-185mm eq.)
Viewfinder: Optical / LCD
LCD Size: 2.5 inch
ISO: 80-3200
Shutter: 15-1/1600
Max Aperture: 3.2
Mem Type: SDHC / SD
Battery: Custom LiIon
Dimensions: 3.8x2.3x1.1in
(95x57x27mm)
Weight: 5.5 oz
(155 g)
MSRP: $400
Availability: 04/2008

Canon SD890 IS Intro

The Canon SD890 IS Digital ELPH couples a ten megapixel 1/2.3" CCD imager with a longer-than-average, Canon-branded 5x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilization. The SD890's multi-control dial enables the user to easily switch between shooting modes, settings and images during playback.

Canon SD890 IS Features

The SD890 IS' lens covers a focal range from 37mm wide-angle to 185mm telephoto equivalents. Like other ELPHs, exposure control on the SD890 IS is fully automatic, but the user can tweak it with 2.0EV of exposure compensation and four metering modes to handle difficult lighting, including a mode which ties metering to the camera's face detection system. Twelve scene modes keep the SD890 IS approachable for beginners. A long-exposure mode in the Canon SD890 IS ELPH lets you set exposure times as long as 15 seconds manually, and a 2.5" LCD display plus an real-image optical zoom viewfinder - rather rare on digicams these days - caters for framing images. The SD890 derives its power from a proprietary NB-5L lithium-ion battery pack, and is rated at 320 shots per charge with the LCD on (CIPA method).

Additional SD890 IS features and details (adapted from the press release):

Beating The Blur
Among the significant technological advances implemented in the PowerShot SD890 IS Digital ELPH camera is Canon's intelligent anti-blur system. Developed by linking four of Canon's most cutting-edge achievements: Optical Image Stabilization, Motion Detection technology, Hi-ISO Auto and Noise Reduction technology, helping to produce sharp and clear pictures, even when the shooting conditions and circumstances may not be ideal.

The most common cause of blurry pictures is actual camera shake. This can be caused by anything from a photographer's unsteady hands to movement in a car along a bumpy road to shots where the zoom lens is extended to a maximum telephoto length or even dimly lit conditions without benefit of flash that causes the shutter to stay open longer in order to admit enough light to make a proper exposure. Canon's proprietary Optical Image Stabilizer (OIS) physically compensates for camera movement and shake by actually shifting the lens (unlike other Image Stabilization systems that merely mask the undesirable movement electronically).

Adding to the SD890's anti-blur effectiveness, Canon's Motion Detection Technology is linked to the camera's High ISO Auto mode. This improves image clarity by raising ISO speeds (and shutter speeds) for fast-moving subjects (such as a child hitting a baseball from home plate and then running towards first base) or lowering ISO speeds to reduce noise when the subject is stationary. In short, when this impressively intuitive technology detects movement it automatically raises the ISO just enough to reduce image blur. When no movement is detected, it optimally lowers the ISO to reduce noise.

Genuine Canon Face Detection Technology
The Canon SD890 IS Digital ELPH features the latest and most advanced generation of Genuine Canon Face Detection Technology, thus helping to ensure that up-to nine forward-looking faces in the frame - whether posed for a family portrait, candidly capturing friends and fun, or spontaneously snapping a toddler's expression of triumphant glee as two halting steps - are in focus and properly exposed, with or without flash. In addition to focus and exposure control, the SD890's Face Detection feature is designed to capture truer, more accurately lit skin tones (and hence more beautifully rendered pictures) thanks to Canon's improved Face Detection White Balance. There's also a new optional "AF Point Zoom" feature that digitally enlarges the face of the main subject on the SD890's LCD screen to make it easy to determine the optimum timing for clicking the shutter to capture the moment.

In-Camera Image Enhancement
The Canon PowerShot SD890 IS offers an array of in-camera processing features that once required tweaking with computer-based photo software. Now, newly developed Automatic Red Eye Correction can be engaged while shooting, minimizing the need for correction before printing or sharing images.

With Canon's Image Inspection Tool, users can review pictures recently taken on the SD890's bright, brilliant and easy-to-read 230,000-pixel PureColor LCD II display by zooming in to ensure that the subjects are in focus and to check for such picture-damning details such as closed eyes or inappropriate expressions. What's more, with the SD890's Trimming Function, users can easily crop images, centering and creating memorable close-ups whether they are smiling faces or iconic cityscapes.

DIGIC III Imaging Processor
The "brain" in every new Canon digital camera is Canon's proprietary DIGIC III imaging processor. This exclusive chip is responsible for the camera's claimed higher performance levels including faster start up, faster autofocus and quicker shutter response times that leave long lag competitors far behind. What's more, the DIGIC III processor is designed to improve both the image quality and the SD890's power consumption, extending the battery life under typical shooting conditions.

Canon SD890 IS Pricing and Availability

The Canon PowerShot SD890 IS Digital ELPH ships from early April 2008, with a suggested list price of about US$400.

 

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