When a series of products is as successful as Canon's PowerShot line, it's almost impossible not to approach each new offering with high expectations. Canon has produced hit after hit, including our Editors' Choice picks, the SD790 IS and SD1000. While the SD890 IS ($399.99 list) doesn't quite have what it takes to be our next top compact camera, this 10-megapixel shooter still lives up to its PowerShot name, with plenty of features and innovations, as well as impressive image quality.

The SD890 IS is actually a little lighter than the Nikon Coolpix P60 I tested recently, but it's also far more compact, so the weight (about 5.5 ounces, body only) is more noticeable. And at 2.3 by 3.8 by 1.1 inches (HWD), the SD890 IS is small enough to tote around easily. Yet the camera strikes a nice balance between size and comfort, as it's big enough to hold easily without being too bulky.

The only controls on the top of the camera are the shutter button and a toggle switch for the zoom. I'm not a fan of the power button. It's a small, half-moon-shaped nub wedged into the curve of the camera next to the LCD and above the viewfinder, making it difficult to tap without a conscious effort. Turning the camera on requires a deliberate press from just the right angle, and it helps if you have a long-enough fingernail. (Those with big hands and fingers will likely struggle.) This complaint might sound minor, but it can be an issue, particularly if you're trying to turn the camera on in a hurry.

A dial next to the power button lets you toggle between automatic, manual, video, and scene modes. Underneath it you'll find the Print/Share, Playback, Display On/Off, and Menu buttons, along with the SD890 IS's scroll wheel, which also functions as a four-way controller. This last feature allows one-touch access to frequently used items like the ISO settings (only high or auto), the self-timer, flash modes, and focus options.

The SD890 IS features a slightly better-than-average 6.6mm to 33.0mm 5X optical zoom lens (35mm equivalent: 37mm to 185mm) with corresponding maximum f-stops of f/3.2 to f/5.7. The camera's 2.5-inch LCD worked well, even in direct sunlight. The display adjusts its brightness to match the light conditions, and images appear crisp and clear.

Once you're ready to start shooting, making various adjustments is straightforward. When you're in manual or scene modes, you can use the scroll wheel to select and preview specific shooting modes. For instance, with the dial turned to scene, you can frame a shot on the LCD and see how it looks when adjusted to match the scene specifications for indoor, sunset, foliage, and more. It's convenient to shuffle through and quickly preview scene settings in this manner, especially if you have the time to set up a shot carefully. For instance, while shooting in a park, I had the camera in child/pet mode but chose to switch into foliage mode while taking in the greenery. As I turned the dial, the plants went from slightly muted to a vibrant green that really popped. The same preview advantages are available for manual modes, like digital macro, color swap, and color accent. Unfortunately, toggling through the various modes using the scroll wheel can take some getting used to. The wheel is not the most intuitive or responsive, and sometimes selecting a specific mode quickly is difficult.

High ISO mode will crank up the camera to an impressive ISO 3200, though of course you'll see some serious graininess at that setting. The images actually start to show some grain at around ISO 200 and are significantly grainy past ISO 400. The camera's face detection works well and is surprisingly responsive to moving subjects.

While most cameras offer straight-up image stabilization, that of the SD890 IS comes in three flavors: Continuous, Shoot-only (activated when the shutter button is pressed), and Panning (which stabilizes only up-and-down motion). When taking pictures of moving subjects in a dimly lit restaurant, panning mode produced the best results, but all three options produced a significant improvement over the shots I took with image stabilization turned off.

The SD890 IS isn't short on shooting modes, offering 11 within the scene setting, plus four more within manual, similar to those offered by the Fuji FinePix J10. The manual settings, similar to those found on other recent Canon models, include Digital Macro, Color Accent, Color Swap, Stitch Assist. Manual also offers a number of more advanced controls, including exposure compensation, white balance, and various autofocus options. While the scene modes are fairly standard (portrait, kids/pets, and the like), there are some more-unusual options, such as separate settings for snow and beach scenes, and an aquarium mode to enhance aquatic shots, cutting down on glare and ensuring deeper, more accurate color.

In-camera editing options are fairly limited but include red-eye correction, cropping, resizing, and "My Colors," which can highlight a selected color in an image or switch to sepia, black-and-white, or other effects. Like the Nikon P60, the SD890 IS can be started in review mode by holding down the playback button. You can then jump right into shooting mode by hitting the shutter button.

The camera's performance in the lab was good. I have a few minor complaints, but the average user probably won't notice many of them. Daylight shots were a bit shadowy. Viewed alone they looked fine, but the difference was easier to see when compared with the brighter shots the Editors' Choice SD1000 produced. Flash shots tended to be underexposed but otherwise consistent, with vivid color. The images didn't exhibit any purple fringing. The lens suffers from some distortion at the widest angles, but this wasn't a major problem.

The SD890 IS is responsive enough, but it's not going to set any records. Boot-up time is fine at 2.7 seconds. Recycle time is decent at 2.98 seconds, though the SD890's shutter lag, at 1.4 seconds, was a bit disappointing. However, while using the SD890 IS in everyday situations, I didn't have any significant complaints about the time it took to power up and shoot.

Video looked crisp, and the audio was clear. Videos can be shot at 640-by-480 or 320-by-240 resolution, both at 30 frames per second. There's also a time-lapse option, to shoot video at 1 or 0.5 frames per second at 640-by-480 resolution. I was able to zoom in while shooting, though the audio was so sensitive that, while shooting in a quiet office, the sound of the lens extending was recorded with my video. Besides the video mode on the dial, you can record standalone audio in playback mode, available among other editing options in the menu.

I was really impressed with the SD890's rechargeable battery, which held a full charge during my entire extended testing period.

Thanks in large part to a generous feature set and good picture quality, the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS holds its own among compact cameras. Still, there's no getting around the high $400 price tag. The Kodak EasyShare M1033 is just one example of another 10MP shooter that rings up at about half that price. While the M1033 may not live up to the SD890 IS's performance, it's a great low-cost alternative. Nevertheless, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the SD890 IS for its ease of use, versatility, and impressive images.

Benchmark Test Results
Check out the Canon PowerShot SD890 IS's test scores.

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