Cell phones
Desktops
Digital cameras
Laptops
MP3 players
TVs
Deals
More categories
- Appliances
- Camcorders
- Car Electronics
  - Car Audio,
  - Car Security,
  - Car Video,
  - GPS Navigation,
  - Satellite Radio,
  - Speakers,
  - See All Car Electronics
- Computer Components
  - Cases,
  - Hard Drives,
  - Memory / RAM,
  - Motherboards,
  - Processors,
  - TV Tuner / Adapters,
  - Video Cards,
  - See All Computer Components
- Computer Peripherals
  - Keyboards,
  - Mice,
  - Monitors,
  - Printers,
  - Speakers,
  - Webcams,
  - See All Computer Peripherals
- GPS
  - Automotive GPS,
  - Marine GPS,
  - Outdoor GPS,
  - GPS Accessories,
  - See All GPS
- Home Audio
- Home Video
  - A/V Cables,
  - Blu-Ray Players,
  - Digital Media Receivers,
  - DVD Players,
  - DVD Recorders,
  - DVRs,
  - Remote Controls,
  - See All Home Video

- log in
- join CNET
- welcome,
- my profile
- log out

Canon PowerShot SD890 IS

Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 2566B001

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Video Compare with most popular

$197.00 - $219.96 at 9 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 5 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Accessories; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: A solid compact snapshooter, the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS nevertheless disappoints when compared with its predecessors and line-mates.
Read more

Where to buy

store	customer rating	inventory	tax & shipping	price
Winner of Bizrate Circle of Excellence Award 2005-06-07-08!!!	See store profile	In stock FREE SHIPPING	Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price	$199.00 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
PREMIER SOURCE of cutting edge electronics since 1973.	See store profile	In stock FREE Fast Shipping! Top Rated Auth. Canon Dealer w/Warr		$199.95 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
	See store profile	In stock Try Free Amazon Prime for one Month		$197.00 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
	See store profile	In stock Order Now-Ships Today		$199.99 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
Your Trusted Source since 1983	See store profile	In stock FREE SHIPPING		$199.00 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
	See store profile	In stock Order Now-Ships Today		$199.99 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
	Not yet rated See store profile	In stock Order Now-Ships Today		$199.99 Shop now as of 07/09/2009
Amazon.com Marketplace	See store profile	In stock		$199.00 Shop now as of 07/08/2009
	See store profile	In stock		$219.96 Shop now as of 07/09/2009

*Total price for the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS are estimated and may vary slightly based on exact tax, shipping, manufacturer rebate or any sale/promotion on the merchant site.

show

CNET editors' review

Canon PowerShot SD890 IS

price range: $197.00 - $219.96

Reviewed by: Lori Grunin
Reviewed on: 05/13/2008
Released on: 03/17/2008

The good: Optical image stabilization; optical viewfinder; decent photos.

The bad: Poor shot-to-shot performance; small LCD; awkward design; no optical zoom in movie capture.

The bottom line: A solid compact snapshooter, the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS nevertheless disappoints when compared with its predecessors and line-mates.

Read full review

Whether human or camera, it's always hard following in the footsteps of a popular sibling, and the near-universally well-liked Canon PowerShot SD850 IS is a harder act to follow than most. Rather than simply bump up the resolution and zoom range for the SD890 IS--it's now 10 megapixels, up from 8, and 5x zoom, up from 4x--Canon chose to redesign the camera as well. The result is an almost completely different--and ultimately not as satisfying--compact point-and-shoot.

With its thick 2.3-by-3.8-by-1.1-inch body, the 6.5-ounce camera can slide somewhat comfortably into a loose pants pocket. The SD890 IS sports a much curvier design than its predecessor, including a gently sloping front where you grip the camera.

Though the curved side is quite attractive to look at from the front, it results in a narrower gripping area. That, combined with too small an area for your thumb to rest on the back as well as a slippery metal body, make the SD890 IS occasionally difficult and uncomfortable to hold.

In addition to altering the overall design, Canon opted to replace its more-traditional four-way navigation switch with a four-way nav plus wheel. The wheel scrolls through some of the modes that you used to pull up via the function (Func) button, such as Stitch Assist, Color Swap, Color Accent, and Digital Macro, as well as the scene modes. The Func button sits in the middle and calls up exposure compensation, white balance, My Colors, metering, compression quality, and image size. Within this menu--and within the menu system in general--you can use either the nav switch or scroll wheel. A mode switch, which doubles as a thumb rest, toggles among automatic, manual, program exposure (scene), and movie-capture modes.

Unfortunately, I really dislike the SD890 IS' scroll wheel and mode switch implementations.

Normally, I'm a big fan of scroll wheels. But I find the free-flying wheel of the SD890 IS too difficult to control. There's no physical feedback so you can't feel you've scrolled to the next option, and I frequently found myself either zipping past my choice or frustrated because it didn't seem to be changing. If you pause to figure out which option it's going to stop at--Canon should have called it the roulette wheel--the options time out and disappear. Furthermore, when operating the menu, display, and review buttons, my thumb tends to drag the wheel with it. Finally, though the mode switch works fine for its function, it's neither big enough nor shaped comfortably enough to rest your thumb. I was tempted to give the camera a lower rating for design, but I suspect other users won't find it quite as annoying to use as I do.

The f/3.2-f/5.7, 37mm-185mm-equivalent lens represents the most notable change from the SD850 IS. Though a broader zoom range, it's considerably slower (the maximum aperture rises to f/3.2 from the SD850 IS' f/2.8) and slightly narrower (37mm-equivalent compared to the SD850 IS' 35mm). That's not necessarily a trade-off you want to make. The wider angle lenses on models such as the SD870 IS and the Panasonic Lumix TZ models make them more flexible for typical snapshots of groups or landscapes, and it's not as if the SD890 IS' zoom reaches far enough to buy you other shots you might not normally get. Features carried over from the SD850 IS include face detection and optical image stabilization; features missing from both cameras include no semi-manual exposure modes, such as shutter- and aperture-priority.

While the SD850 IS wasn't one of the fastest point-and-shoots we'd ever tested, it did clock in mostly above-average results. The SD890 IS' performance is more mixed. It wakes up and shoots in a solid 1.3 seconds, and delivers very good focus-and-shoot speed: 0.4 second under optimal lighting and 0.8 second in harder-to-focus conditions. However, its shot-to-shot performance, typically 2.5 seconds and 3.7 seconds with flash, makes it the slowest PowerShot SD model we've tested over the last 12 months in those respects. Burst shooting clocks at a mere 0.9 frame per second. I suspect it's simply too slow writing data to the SD card. (I tested with a fast Class 6 card.)

The 2.5-inch LCD is on the small side, but that's a given if you want to retain an optical viewfinder. The screen gets hard to view in direct sunlight, though bumping up the brightness helps a bit. Its colors look very saturated, though, and it offers a relatively wide viewing angle that should deliver a good group-viewing experience.

Overall, the SD890 IS' photo quality just tips over the fence from above-average to excellent, mostly because of the great color and usable high ISO shots under many conditions. It's not the best lens--the photos generally look a bit soft and there's some fringing on edges--but the camera renders good exposures with accurate, saturated colors. (Click through the slide show for more details on photo quality.) It captures very nice 30fps VGA movies--at a file size of almost 2MB per second, it had better--but you can't zoom the lens while recording, which seriously decreases the usefulness.

I miss Canon's traditional if-it-ain't-broke-don't-fix-it approach. There was very little wrong with the SD850 IS; while the PowerShot SD890 IS delivers a decent shooting experience, it can't escape the shadow of its more talented older brother.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Time to first shot

Typical shot-to-shot time

Shutter lag (dim)

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon PowerShot SD890 IS

1.3

2.5

0.8

0.4

Canon PowerShot SD850 IS

1.2

1.7

0.7

0.5

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300

1.9

1.7

0.5

Fujifilm FinePix F50fd

1.8

1.9

0.9

0.5

Typical continuous-shooting speed (frames per second)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Fujifilm FinePix F50fd

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T300

1.9

Canon PowerShot SD850 IS

1.4

Canon PowerShot SD890 IS

0.9

See pricing

show

User reviews

Write Review

Average user rating: 2.5 stars out of 5 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 5 out of 5

Sort by:
5 stars

Poor Body Design - Slips out of your hand easily

by ooHoover on September 18, 2008

Pros: The good side is the 10X zoom is great. You can buy extra batteries online for reasonable prices because you will need some extra ones if you shoot a lot. The image stabilizer works fairly well up to 4x zoom. Pictures are fairly sharp.

Cons: The worst problem is that it can slip out of you hand easily because it has rounded edges. Repeating shot after shot takes a bit a time to recycle . It seems like the quality of the material of the body is cheap plastic.

Summary: I have been a loyal Canon fan for a long time. I am going to try another company now ( probably a Sony) . With the edges being so rounded on this ...

Read more

Summary: I have been a loyal Canon fan for a long time. I am going to try another company now ( probably a Sony) . With the edges being so rounded on this camera it looks great but it can be hard to grasp in your hands.
I have never dropped a camera before and this one when down when I was just position it with both hands, The plastic body is of cheap material. The repeating of shots seems to take too long. The on off button is a joke the way it designed.

Show less

3 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 stars

SD890IS versus SD850IS

by George Shadch_en on May 19, 2008

Pros: SD850IS the best yet

Cons: SD890IS looksmnot as good as SD850IS

Summary: I love my SD850IS. I thought to buy a better one that has more optical zoom. but find that it is still the best in all areas besides optical zoom ...

Read more

Summary: I love my SD850IS. I thought to buy a better one that has more optical zoom. but find that it is still the best in all areas besides optical zoom low number.

Show less

3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
4 stars

Disappointment!

by teriyakiboy on September 11, 2008

Pros: Excellent photos, fast and strong zoom, good customer service

Cons: Poor design, user unfriendly, heat up quick

Summary: I bought it to replaced my SD700 (Canon wanted $170 for repair?) I read SD890 replaced 700, so I placed an order. What a disappointment.
First, the operation is very ...

Read more

Summary: I bought it to replaced my SD700 (Canon wanted $170 for repair?) I read SD890 replaced 700, so I placed an order. What a disappointment.
First, the operation is very difficult. I was so used to operate SD700 with one hand, I imagined the same with SD890 ? wrong! Almost every operation requires support hand, otherwise you really can?t navigate options or setting. Also its body is made of some poor plastic, and finish is very slippery. My wife also tried, but she had tough time holding as well. We also noticed the body heats up really quick, in 5 minutes you have a toasty hand warmer. anyways designers at Canon must be on summer vacation when this one came out, its just horrible camera to work with. Photo quality is awesome, typical canon quality, but I just have to say it is not user friendly at all.

Newegg doesn?t have return policy, so we are keeping it for now, but I?m sure it will be on ebay soon.

Show less

2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
5 stars

Disapointing

by neilfox on May 14, 2008

Pros: Viewfinder, camera size

Cons: Disapointing picture quality

Summary: I bought this camera at Best Buy and then returned it after just a few days (with a penalty of 15% restocking fee). The picture quality was not up to ...

Read more

Summary: I bought this camera at Best Buy and then returned it after just a few days (with a penalty of 15% restocking fee). The picture quality was not up to par with the Canon SD 550 I was replacing.
I subsequently purchased the SD 790 IS from Costco and I'm happy with it.

Show less

2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

I am very happy with this camera - colour is beautiful

by mkfathers on September 10, 2008

Pros: Easy to use out of the box

Cons: I am still not sure about the camera body shape

0 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 5 out of 5

See pricing

show

Specifications

Manufacturer: Canon USA
Part number: 2566B001
Description: In the PowerShot SD890 IS Digital ELPH, the iconic ELPH style is fully complemented by the latest in digital technology. Beautifully slim and elegantly curved, the SD890 IS Digital ELPH incorporates the most powerful optical zoom in the ELPH line - a full 5x optical zoom to really expand your photographic options. A 10.0-megapixel CCD heads up a long list of advanced features that not only deliver ultra-impressive image quality, but make the entire experience fun, exciting, and creatively rewarding.

General
Product Type Digital camera - Compact
Width 3.8 in
Depth 1.1 in
Height 2.2 in
Weight 5.5 oz
Main Features
Resolution 10 megapixels
Color Support Color
Optical Sensor Type CCD
Total Pixels 10,300,000 pixels
Effective Sensor Resolution 10,000,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size 1/2.3 in
Light Sensitivity ISO 80, ISO 100, ISO 200, ISO 400, ISO 800, ISO 1600, ISO auto, ISO 3200 (2Mpix)
Digital Zoom 4 x
Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
Shooting Programs Snow, Beach, Indoor, Sunset, Foliage, Aquarium, Fireworks, Kids & pets, Digital macro, Portrait mode, Stitch assist, Night snapshot, High sensitivity
Special Effects Color Swap, Color Accent
Image Stabilizer Optical
Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom.
Max Shutter Speed 1/1500 sec
Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
Exposure Metering Spot, Evaluative, Center-weighted
Exposure Modes Program, Automatic
Exposure Compensation ?2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
Face Detection Yes
White Balance Custom, Presets, Automatic
White Balance Presets Cloudy, Daylight, Fluorescent, Tungsten light
Digital Video Format AVI, MJPEG
Still Image Format JPEG
Continuous Shooting Speed 1.2 frames per second
TV Tuner None
Video Capture AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 320 x 240, AVI - 160 x 120
Memory / Storage
Flash Memory 32 MB Flash - SD Memory Card
Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
Floppy Drive None
Image Storage JPEG 3648 x 2736, JPEG 2816 x 2112, JPEG 2272 x 1704, JPEG 1600 x 1200, JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 3648 x 2048
Camera Flash
Camera Flash Built-in flash
Flash Modes Auto mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Flash OFF mode, Red-eye reduction
Red Eye Reduction Yes
Effective Flash Range 1 ft - 11.5 ft
Lens System
Type Zoom lens - 6.6 mm - 33 mm - F/3.2-5.7
Focal Length 6.6 mm - 33 mm
Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 37 - 185 mm
Focus Adjustment Automatic
Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
Auto Focus Points (Zones) 9
Min Focus Range 19.7 in
Macro Focus Range 2-50cm
Lens Aperture F/3.2-5.7
Optical Zoom 5 x
Zoom Adjustment Motorized drive
Lens Manufacturer Canon
Features Built-in lens shield
Additional Features
Self Timer Yes
Self Timer Delay 2 sec, 10 sec
Additional Features AE lock, AF lock, FE lock, DPOF support, Direct print, Motion sensor, Face detection, Audio recording, Date/time stamp, Histogram display, Resizing an image, Exif Print support, PictBridge support, In-camera red-eye fix, USB 2.0 compatibility, Digital image rotation, Digital noise reduction, Highlight point display, In-camera movie editing, Camera orientation detection, Automatic face tracking technology
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type Optical - Real-image zoom
Viewfinder Color Support Color
Display
Type LCD display - TFT active matrix - 2.5 in - Color
Display Form Factor Built-in
Display Format 230,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
Type None

Microphone
Type Microphone - Built-in
Microphone Technology Electret condenser
Microphone Operation Mode Mono
Connections
Connector Type 1 x USB, 1 x Composite video/audio output
Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Software
Software Canon ImageBrowser, Drivers & Utilities, Canon ZoomBrowser EX
System Requirements for PC Connection
Operating System Support MS Windows Vista, MS Windows XP SP2, Apple Mac OS X 10.3 - 10.4, MS Windows 2000 SP4 or later
Peripheral Devices USB port, CD-ROM drive
Miscellaneous
Windows Vista Readiness Certified for Windows Vista
Included Accessories Wrist strap
Cables Included 1, 1 x A/V cable, USB cable
Power
Power Device Battery charger - External
Battery
Supported Battery Canon NB-5L
Supported Battery 1 x Li-ion rechargeable battery - 1120 mAh ( Included )
Environmental Parameters
Min Operating Temperature 32 ?F
Max Operating Temperature 104 ?F

See pricing

show

Accessories

show

Popular accessories

Shopper.com strives to provide the best price, review, user opinion, and product information on the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS. Shopper.com updates pricing for all products multiple times each day. If you find a price, link, product specification, review, user opinion, or any other error for the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS, please notify us through our support form.

Shopper tools: All products; Popular brands; Deals; Rebates; Notebook Shopper; Site map

Popular topics: Apple iPhone; Apple iPod; Cell phones; Dell; GPS; LCD TV

CNET sites: CNET Site map; CNET TV; Downloads; News; Reviews; Shopper.com

More information: Newsletters; CNET Mobile; Customer Help Center; RSS; CNET Widgets; About CNET

Privacy policy
Terms of use
Visit other CBS Interactive sites:

#networkSites {display:none;}BNET | CHOW | CNET.com | CNET Channel | GameSpot | International Media | mySimon | Search.com | TechRepublic | TV.com | ZDNet

Canon PowerShot SD890 IS

Where to buy

CNET editors' review

User reviews

Submit your review

Specifications

General

Main Features

Memory / Storage

Camera Flash

Lens System

Additional Features

Viewfinder

Display

Digital Player (Recorder)

Microphone

Connections

Software

System Requirements for PC Connection

Miscellaneous

Power

Battery

Environmental Parameters

Accessories

Manufacturer info

Similar products

Popular accessories