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

After a lot of research on the internet, I found this little Gem. This camera is fantastic value for it's incredible performance. The picture quality is superb and in my opinion this camera is as good as a professional photographer's camera. The different functions this camera has is unbelievable and very easy to use. My wife was so happy when I gave her this camera for her Birthday, it was also delivered very quickly and well in time for her big day. The battery life after a 2 Hour charge is not disssapointing either, many thanks and well done.

I bought a Ixus 980 as a camera for my day bag. I also have a nikon DSLR for serious work, but this little gem really impressed me. My girlfriend has had an Ixus 980 for six months and i can truely say that it is a camera that just does not stop giving. Her results have been amazing, whether using it in auto point and shoot mode or in manual mode. In good lighting conditions, differences in image quality between this and an DSLR are hard to find unless you really crop into them. In low light it still performs very well, although the distance between it and an DSLR starts to open up. My advice - get one for your day sack or even as a main camera, because for the size and price nothing comes close. Canon really do make great compacts, and with regards to comparing it to DSLRs or bridging cameras, we would do well to remember that "the best camera is the one you have with you". If you wake up and are unsure whether you want to go out shooting or carry a camera tomorrow, you are much more likely to slip this little beauty into your bag or even your pocket than something bigger and heavier.

This camera is excellent.

After a 10 days wait its finally here :) I opted for express delivery from ok-go however when it did'nt show up a week later i started to get concerned, turns out they ran out of stock.

Now the camera is here. Wow am i impressed for ages now i've been using my First and only digital camera an Ixus with 3.2 mega pixels back in the day and more recently my phone as well since it also has a 3.2 mega pixel camera. so the quality was ok on both, But even just playing about round the house the detail and quality of pictures is amazing and even in auto mode the pictures are excellent. its very easy to work and is similar to my old ixus but much better.

Design wise it is a fantastic shape. fits the hand nicely and is wonderfully small in comparison to my brother 10 mp Panason lumix. which is a good camera but which is massive in comparison, and is not as user friendly to use. Like all IXUX the quality is excelent and has an metal skin which gives it a feeling of quality many camera lack these days.

I am extremely impressed with the camera having only had it a few days.

PROMPT RESPONSE & QUALITY ITEM.
I WILL DEFINATELY BE DOING BUSINESS IN THE FUTURE.
REGARDS
JOHN

I was looking for a new camera to replace my 3.2MP Powershot A70, which produces excellent pictures. Trying a few test shots around and about I found that the Ixus 980IS does not cope as well with darker shots and you really need to ramp the ISO setting up to get comparable shutter speeds.

Taking the camera to a concert I found the limitations of the hardware and its lack of control very apparent. In the same kind of lighting conditions I never had to go above ISO 400 with the A70, and could get respectable shutter speeds. To get similar shutter speeds on the Ixus 980 I had to set the ISO right up to 1600 and it would often still opt for speeds that were too slow to be practical. Despite the high ISO, the good shots show remarkably little colour noise, but are nonetheless noisy.

The root of the problem seems to be the lack of any real aperture control, which effectively prevents you from allowing more light in to get shots on a lower ISO speed and allow faster shutter speeds. In manual mode, the Ixus 980 gives a choice between two aperture sizes (which vary), but these do not seem to affect depth of field so it seems that there isn't really a true aperture affecting the shots. The manual mode is therefore not as flexible as it would suggest since you have no real aperture flexibility with which to affect other settings.

On the whole though, the images captured by the Ixus 980 are excellent given the very high pixel count (remembering the golden rule that more pixels does not equal a better camera!). If you're used to more control over your shots and something a little closer to an SLR's flexibility you may be better off going for one of Canon's PowerShot models instead.

I opted for the Ixus for compactness and lack of protrusions but the size differences really aren't that much. Naturally with the compactness you have to make some compromises, but for its size, the 980's capabilities are still amazing. It's a beautiful little camera too, nice to hold, and the controls work very effectively though some obviously find the thumb wheel awkward. I find it well balanced and easy to use. It starts up quickly, and things like the battery and SD card slot are nice and easy to get to. Batteries charge quickly and last well.

On the whole a great camera packed into a tiny package, but be aware of its limitations if you want a little more than point-and-shoot when you hit its boundaries.