Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon Digital IXUS 980 IS Camera - Black (14.7MP, 3.7x Optical Zoom) 2.5 inch PureColor LCD II Viewfinder

This is a perfect replacement for the CANON IXUS V that I have used for years without any problems at all; it is one big step up in the digital age.
I have quite large hands so I wanted a camera with controls that are easy to use; this is perfect for my large fingers to operate.
I recommend that you order a SanDisk 8GB SDHC Secure Digital Card for a little more storage and a spare battery for long days when you forgot to charge the one in the camera.
This camera will do everything I ask it to do. 10 / 10

Without doubt the best camera I've had out of the 5 I've used over a 6-year period. Given that 3 of them have broken down or gone faulty in some way (a Fuji Finepix, a Casio, and a Canon PowerShot A640 which has had so many faults I've now given up on it)- I must say that as I've only had this Ixus for 4 months I suppose it could still go the same way as all the others, but I can't see into the future!
The build is solid, the startup is quick, there's very little shutter-lag, it handles all types of light (for some portrait pics indoors I've got some great results by deselecting the flash because it can wash-out skin tones), locks its focus on quickly, has good manual controls that I've yet to use to their limits, nice clear screen AND the option of using a viewfinder (which in really bright sunlight is a bonus), the 14.7 megapixels give crisp image and colour and although it seems an excessive number of pixels, even cropped images come out great because of the tight quality of image, similarly on digital zoom beyond the optical, there's still plenty to play with. It has image stabiliser, good battery life on a full charge, and does fantastic quality video.
All this in something that fits neatly in hand or pocket; it is a joy to have. I really can't fault it, so as long as it doesn't go wrong on me I'm a happy man. I sometimes need to "point and shoot" on auto for stuff I do for a newspaper, and it stands up well. No doubt the pro photographers may sniff at such a small unit, but I can have this little beast in my pocket just in case, whereas they have to struggle around all day with massive-bodied cameras and humungous lenses.
If I'm by any chance near the next tsunami or volcanic eruption or plane crash I also know I'll be able to get hours-worth of excellent quality video on my 16 GB card and still have space for loads of stills! Steve Riches.

I purchased a Canon Ixus 980IS in November 2008. I took it with me when I went hiking in the UK, in Winter. This means, basically in cold and wet conditions. I carried the camera in my backpack in a waterproof bag, or in the pocket of my quality waterproof jacket. After five times of using the camera, it stopped working. I sent it to Canon for repair. They told me the camera was suffering from "corrosion" and I was liable for the £120 repair bill. This camera was six weeks old and had been used five times.

Before buying the Canon, I had been using a Casio Exilim EX-Z1000 which had been used in the same conditions many many times, and is still going strong. The corrosions in the Canon seems to have been caused by condensation - I would avoid this camera if you are going to use it in anything but dry warm conditions.

I had originally considered getting either a Panasonic TZ7 or an Olympus mju9000 both of which have long zoom lenses (around ten times magnification) and similar numbers of pixels (about 10MP).

When I started checking the review sites I discovered that there seems to be an insurmountable optical problem when trying to combine a long zoom lens with an extremely compact body namely that the sensor has to be very small for the extreme telephoto image to fit onto it.
This naturally causes problems (such as horrendous barrel distortion) which are really to do with the laws of physics and therefore unavoidable.
The manufacturers try to get around it with a lot of post processing of the resulting image by the camera's electronics but it never really works that well. The picture quality always suffers.

I decided therefore to do without the long telephoto zoom.
If picture quality is your absolute priority then you may choose to do the same in which case this camera is probably the best available compact at the moment.

Personally I would have preferred a slightly wider angle minimum setting for the zoom although this will probably only be a problem if you're taking pictures indoors.

The quick shoot mode (using only the optical viewfinder) is exceptionally good and produces the most accurate exposures whilst also reducing power consumption. The Program mode is nearly as good.
It's worth playing about with the exposure metering options and the exposure compensation for a while to get the best combination.
The manual mode is not truly manual since it doesn't allow complete control over all parameters but it does give some choice and it's probably the best you're ever likely to get on a compact camera.
Full automatic tends to overexpose slightly for my taste - but then I suppose it's set to produce cheery holiday snaps rather than angst filled landscapes so most people may find it useful in most circumstances.
I haven't really bothered much with the various 'scene' modes which include things like 'fireworks', 'underwater' and even 'aquarium' (?!) which seems a bit esoteric.
The most useful of these is probably 'ISO 3200' which increases light sensitivity for night scenes but is predictably grainy.

If you want more detail about how it works I would strongly suggest that you go to the Canon website and download the user's manual BEFORE you buy - I think this is a good idea with any camera (or technical product of any kind for that matter).

In terms of appearance the camera is startlingly small especially if you're used to 35mm SLRs or even compact film cameras. Its quality of construction is excellent as are the materials. It's slightly heavier than I expected given its size.
I prefer the black finish - less conspicuous - (although it is available in silver) and the 'organic' curves.
The battery takes about an hour to charge and lasts well despite only being c.650mAh capacity. I thought I'd need a spare but probably won't.

The on/off button glows green when switched on and takes quite a firm push to operate which is a good idea since the motors extending and retracting the lens segments would probably be damaged if it tried opening in your pocket or a case as a result of a bump or accidental pressure.
The zoom ring surrounds the shutter release button and the whole arrangement is very neat.
The layout of the other controls and their method of operation is pretty typical except that the main mode selector control is a fairly stiff five position rotary switch rather than the usual cursor/display method of most cameras.

I found the LCD display (which protrudes slightly from the camera back) a little over-bright even at the minimum brightness setting but this was with indoor use, outdoors you probably wouldn't notice.
Because of the provision of an optical viewfinder the display is a little smaller than on other compacts but big enough to do what's necessary.
The optical viewfinder is more useful than you might expect (re. my comment above about 'quick shoot' mode).

Overall the pictures are of extraordinary quality and the camera is a beautiful piece of work.
If you're used to using 35mm SLRs then you'll probably appreciate this as a highly portable reserve to carry at all times.
I think Canon have got their priorities (i.e. picture quality v. gimmickry you probably won't use anyway) about right.

This is a great little camera. Bought it for a trip to New York, didn't want to take bulky SLR. Fits in pocket just right and has a really good resolution.

Zoom okay, though it IS only 3.7 which isn't much. But what do you expect from an compact!? The macro on the other hand is very good. Took some excellent images of butterflies in the Natural History museum without flash.

Quite cheap for what you get as new models are being released. You will need a seperate SD card as the 32Meg one which comes with it takes about four images on hi res.

It's got quite a few features and you can get good results. It's even got some smart face recognition software if you're out partying and want to take some pictures for facebook.

The lag time between pressing button and taking image is minimal as it's got a decent processor in it like all new Canon compacts. Tons of other features too which I've used and they're pretty good. You won't get the full diversity of an SLR, but you will be spoilt for choice.

Highly recommend this if travelling or going out and want to take some quick snaps.