(Max zoom)
My first impression was disappointment that this model, currently top of the range, does not have the Optical Image Stabilising lens that the two lower models have (ixus 800, ixus 850). It also has a shorter zoom than the ixus 850, only 3x instead of 3.8x, so it cannot go as wide or as far. The only redeeming feature seems to be the 10 megapixel sensor.
Since my previous camera is an ixus 40 (4 megapixel) this is quite a step up, but bear in mind that not as impressive as it sounds. A feature (for example a hair) which is one pixel in the 4MP camera is still less than 2 pixels in the 10MP camera, so despite the jump from 4 to 10 you are still not gaining that much in the way of resolution.
The other two unique features I can think of are high resolution movies and a maximum ISO 3200. The movies would be most welcome but if it is at the expense of frame rate then I am not interested. 15 fps is too slow for me.
A maximum ISO of 3200 might make up for the lack of an optically stabilised lens. I will need to test this.
Optical Image Stabilising lenses: I didn't get a chance to test this feature properly on the ixus 800 before it was stolen :-( But a brief test didn't give the impressive result I was hoping for; an indoor shot was still blurred. Of course one cannot expect miracles (more like a two stop improvement) but if, on average, photos are still blurred then what is the point?
Face detection: this is present on the ixus 800 too. I've not tested it yet.
The ixus 900 seems slower than the ixus 800, especially when reviewing pictures, no doubt because of the larger files. But if thumbnails are done properly this should not happen so I don't know why it seems slower.
The mechanism of the ixus 900 seems more noisy than the ixus 800, maybe I was lucky with my 800, or unlucky with my 900, or maybe the OIS lens on the 800 makes for a better-built camera.
The ixus 400 is the oldest, followed by the ixus 40; the ixus 900 is the latest top-of-the-range model (at the time of writing!).
There are four photographs of Dundee: one of The Law, three of the River Tay. The last photograph is at maximum zoom to show the detail of the ship (RRS Discovery). All were taken on Automatic at maximum size and Superfine resolution.
See the comparison images: click on an image for each camera to compare the results. Look for fine lines (eg. ropes on the ship)
| Crop | Test 1 | Test 2 | Test 3 | Test 4 (Max zoom) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ixus 400 |
|
|
|
|
|
| ixus 40 |
|
|
|
|
|
| ixus 900 |
|
|
|
|
|
See all three crops on one page.
Back to arb's home page