Canon PowerShot SD900 Review

The Canon PowerShot SD900, introduced along with a few other PowerShots just before Photokina, is positioned in Canon’s highly successful ELPH / IXUS range. It features the highest resolution available, 10 megapixels (on a 1/1.8″ CCD), and was announced alongside those other PowerShots. It also has Canon’s brand-new DIGIC III processor and another first: a body made of solid titanium, which, in addition to lending an air of sophistication, allows for a camera that is both more lightweight and more resistant to wear and tear.

Canon PowerShot SD900 Design and Handling

Aside from the body material (replete with a ‘TITANIUM’ logo), the SD900 is externally quite similar to the SD550 (IXUS 750). It also has a strong familial resemblance to all other models in the current line. Externally, it oozes quality, as one would expect from a small point-and-shoot camera priced at $450, and it is well made, with an exceptional fit and finish, much like its predecessor.

There isn’t much in the way of a grip, no anti-slip surface textures, and the approach to the external controls is pretty minimalistic. All ELPH and IXUS cameras are designed according to the principle of “form first, function second,” with few concessions to operational or ergonomic concerns.

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Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium 10MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom...

• 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
• 3x optical zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display
• Sleek titanium body and perpetual curve design; touch-control dial for increased usability

Last update was on: May 27, 2023 11:05 am

$149.95

More Info

• 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
• 3x optical zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display
• Sleek titanium body and perpetual curve design; touch-control dial for increased usability
• Stores images on SD cards; powered by Lithium-ion rechargeable battery NB-5L
• ISO now ranges from 80-1600; now supports SDHC cards (Secure Digital cards with over 2 GB capacity)

Canon’s finely-tuned user interface (honed over many generations of compacts) is among the best. The simple, straightforward FUNC menu and dedicated buttons for ISO, flash, drive, and focus mean that – for the average user – all commonly needed controls can be used quickly and easily. In all honesty, this is a “point and shoot” camera with a few nifty tricks under its sleeve. However, it does have a few ingenious features up its sleeve.

The pebble-smooth exterior, combined with the lack of discernible ‘grip,’ means that it can feel a little precarious held in one hand but is perfectly usable. The SD900 weighs approximately 194 grams when fully loaded, which is just heavy enough to feel solid and stable in hand. The placement of the shutter release and the zoom rocker makes operation with one hand simple; nevertheless, you should still ensure that the strap is wrapped around your wrist if the camera escapes your grasp and begins to move in the wrong direction.

Canon PowerShot SD900 Image Quality

In addition to the automatic white balance setting, the SD900 has five different white balance presets, including daylight, cloudy, tungsten, fluorescent, and fluorescent H. You can also set the white balance manually by pointing the camera at a white or gray object and using the ‘custom’ white balance setting. This setting is available as an additional white balance option.

Even if you turn the camera off, it will remember the custom white balance setting you had previously set. When usually shooting outside, the auto white balance serves its purpose admirably (as confirmed by our studio tests). Indoors, the results are a bit more hit-or-miss, as we’ve found that incandescent (tungsten) lighting causes a relatively orange solid color cast with the majority of Canon PowerShots (though switching to manual gives a pretty neutral result)

The operating range of the built-in flash on the SD900 is stated to be 0.5 meters to 5.1 meters (1.6 feet to 17 feet) at the wide end of the zoom and 0.5 meters to 3.1 meters (1.6 feet to 10 feet) at the tele end. This is a little on the underpowered side, but it is better than other recent ELPH models.

Exposure is generally excellent (a little on the underexposed and warm side, which is no bad thing). Flash recycling is quite speedy (particularly if you turn the red-eye reduction off). The AF illuminator performs exceptionally well up to approximately 2 meters in distance.

The macro mode of the SD900 is most effective at the wide end of the zoom, as is typical for most compact digital cameras. At this end of the zoom, you can get as close as 5 centimeters, which is not bad for an “ultra-compact,” which captures an area of 52 millimeters across. Of course, some cameras have better macro performance than the SD900 (even in the range of SD/ELPH cameras). Still, the capabilities of the SD900 are sufficient for the typical user of a compact “point and shoot” model.

Even though the performance is less impressive at the long end of the zoom (a subject distance of 30 centimeters captures an area just over 10 centimeters wide), it is still quite helpful. Of course, there will unavoidably be some distortion when filming significantly closes up at the wide end. Still, it is not overly severe and less potent than many competitors.

Canon PowerShot SD900 Performance

The SD900, like other contemporary DIGIC II or III IXUS/SD devices, has a highly responsive feel to it, and its performance is essentially comparable to that of the other models in the line, with the exception that playing is little slower due to the bigger 10MP files (not that you’d notice).

Although the focus speed is outstanding when there is sufficient light, it does unavoidably slow down significantly in settings with less light, when using the macro mode, and when using the extended range of the zoom. In addition, the shutter lag is reduced while using the viewfinder, but using the screen results in video lag; this is not a significant difference for most shooting situations.

It takes the SD900 around 1.7 seconds to process and save a 4.7MB 10MP/Super Fine JPEG file, which is not terrible for a camera of this sort; however, the SD900 will most likely benefit from utilizing faster cards. Playback is also relatively quick, taking less than half a second for full-sized photographs to appear after being loaded (if you use the fancy transition options, it takes a little longer to scroll through images, but it sure looks nice).

If you hold down the left or right arrow key, the SD800 will cycle through low-resolution previews of the photographs stored on your card at a rate of roughly 10 per second. This is useful if you want to look through hundreds of shots that have been recorded quickly.

Canon PowerShot SD900 Battery capacity

Like most models in the SD line, the battery life is nothing spectacular; nonetheless, with around 230 shots (according to CIPA standards) per charge, it is comparable to many of its competitors and is not much poorer. Moreover, if you turn off the screen and look through the optical viewfinder instead, you may prolong the battery life to as many as 700 shots on a single charge. This is because the beautiful big screen consumes most of the power.

Canon PowerShot SD900 Specifications

Canon PowerShot SD900 Conclusion

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• Features
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Canon PowerShot SD900 Titanium 10MP Digital Elph Camera with 3x Optical Zoom...

• 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
• 3x optical zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display
• Sleek titanium body and perpetual curve design; touch-control dial for increased usability

Last update was on: May 27, 2023 11:05 am

$149.95

More Info

• 10-megapixel CCD captures enough detail for photo-quality 18 x 24-inch prints
• 3x optical zoom; 2.5-inch LCD display
• Sleek titanium body and perpetual curve design; touch-control dial for increased usability
• Stores images on SD cards; powered by Lithium-ion rechargeable battery NB-5L
• ISO now ranges from 80-1600; now supports SDHC cards (Secure Digital cards with over 2 GB capacity)

Titanium has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any metal, so its durability, strength, and lightness offer some real benefits for large, heavy-use professional cameras. As a result, camera manufacturers have been producing expensive special-edition titanium-bodied SLRs for years.

Regarding compacts, the choice of an exotic material is not nearly as much about reducing weight or increasing resistance to corrosion as it is about achieving a higher level of elegance and exclusivity.

There will always be a market for over-engineered, premium-priced products, and the SD900 does have a certain ‘feel’ that distinguishes it from its numerous steel, plastic, and alloy competitors. There’s nothing wrong with that – it’s just that there will always be a market for such products.

Canon PowerShot SD900 FAQs