Review on 📷 Canon Powershot SD990IS 14.7MP Digital Camera: Crystal Clear Images with Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Silver) by Mike Wieneke

This is my eighth digital camera after Kodak, Canon S50, G5, Sony T5, Canon 20D, 40D. I bought my wife an SD950 last year and we both loved them so I decided to get another one for my bag when I can't carry my bulky 40D with all its lenses etc. This SD990 is a newer model so I bought it without doing too much research. I've been using Canon for many years and figured I couldn't go wrong. Initially I was very surprised by all of its features, especially the manual exposure control mode (although the aperture control is limited to only two settings - F2.8 and F8 when zooming out, I think this is due to the limitation of the "point and shooting mode") manual focus increase is great. It also has a live histogram which I can't live without on my DSLR. The steering is comfortable and very well done. Also a lot of improvements to the UI for browsing. But I can see that all the features are great which are packed in a dial can be confusing for someone unfamiliar with photography. Face detection works well. Image quality is excellent as usual from Canon. I also like the big screen. I got this model because of the Bought an optical viewfinder which comes in handy in bright sunlight and also to save battery, so I enjoy the big picture screen in addition to the viewfinder. Minor disappointments: - Surfer image quality in low light, especially at high ISO. Since I'm pretty good at photography, I would stabilize the camera and set a low ISO in these situations. But for those who just point and shoot like my daughter, a lot of party photos end up getting deleted. - The shutter lag is still very strong. With all the new technology, I was disappointed to still have a shutter lag, especially after using it at an amusement park. But then again, I was spoiled for performance with the 40D SLR, so it's not a very fair comparison. Again, I hate the direct print button on Canon cameras. It's a waste of precious space. At least Canon can make it programmable for other functions. I'm very picky about listing these disappointments. But overall this little camera is great - compact size, lots of features, great image quality (in the right conditions). If I need another camera I will buy it again.