BIOS: Technology Means Business

Sitting at the top of the company’s Digital IXUS range, Canon’s Digital IXUS 900 Ti (PowerShot SD 900 Digital ELPH in the US) is a stunning piece of engineering. Finished in precision-crafted titanium with the attractive Perpetual Curve (i.e. rounded) design of its predecessors, the slender Digital IXUS 900 Ti (Best Current Price: £245) offers a class-leading resolution of 10-Megapixel resolution, ultra-compact 3x optical zoom lens and Canon’s latest DIGIC III image processor with Noise Reduction technology.

The latest DIGIC III also features Face Detection AF/AE, a new Canon technology that automatically detects faces in people shots and optimises focus and exposure accordingly. Other key advancements include a Touch Control Dial, 2.5-inch wide angle LCD screen and ISO 1600 shooting. More creative photographers should also appreciate the Digital Tele-Converter and Safety Zoom for extra telephoto reach, 18 shooting modes (including XGA movies), ‘My Category’ automatic image tagging, and a range of optional accessories - including an underwater case.

Further developing its Perpetual Curve design, the Digital IXUS 900 Ti’s (91x57x28mm, 205g) accentuated contours are realised through a solid titanium body. Extensively used in the aerospace, medical and defence industries, titanium is stronger than steel but significantly lighter. Its strength and anti-corrosion properties combine with the camera’s high build quality to offer durability without compromising size or weight. True to tradition, the Digital IXUS 900 Ti matches stylish form with innovative function, highlighted by the addition of a Touch Control Dial that provides fingertip access to camera settings while allowing the camera to maintain a sleek profile.

The camera’s 10-Megapixel CCD sensor offers the highest resolution in the Digital IXUS range to date, providing enough detail for high quality poster size prints with room for creative cropping. A new Safety Zoom feature uses the high resolution to offer extra magnification without affecting image quality - up to 12x zoom when shooting ‘Small’ size images. You can also activate the Digital Tele-Converter for extra telephoto reach on all shots, similar to adding an optical tele-converter lens to the camera.

The third generation of Canon’s DIGIC processor offers increased responsiveness and improved image rendering, as well as several new functions such as Face Detection AF/AE. This proprietary Canon technology works in partnership with 9-Point AiAF to quickly detect the main subjects in a people shot and optimise focus and exposure accordingly. Fast and relatively accurate, the system is capable of distinguishing up to nine faces in a scene.

If Face Detection AF/AE determines that the main subject is non-human, the camera reverts to 9-point AiAF. DIGIC III also incorporates advanced Noise Reduction technology to enable shooting at ISO 1600, for reduced blur in low-light conditions. Having said that, shooting at such a high ISO does produce quite a lot of noise. In addition to DIGIC III’s speed, the Digital IXUS 900 Ti uses DDR-SDRAM - similar to that found in Canon’s EOS DSLR cameras - to substantially increase data throughput rates. Images and video are stored onto SD/MMC, and the Digital IXUS 900 Ti also supports brand-new SDHC memory cards. Typically, a 2GB SD memory card (32MB card supplied) allows you to store 464 images in the highest quality (JPEG 10 Megapixels Super Fine). A single image in this quality occupies approximately 4.1MB.

The Digital IXUS 900 Ti offers photographers a range of 18 shooting modes, including two new Special Scene modes - Aquarium and ISO 3200. Aquarium mode is an unusual mode which turns off the flash, raises the ISO and adjusts the white balance to return images when shooting aquatic life through glass tanks. ISO 3200 (can only be used in a resolution of 2-Megapixels) allows you to capture images at 1600x1200 pixels in very dark environments where the flash cannot be used. You can further expand your creativity with My Colors, which allows photo effects (Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, B/W, Positive Film, Lighter/Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red) to be applied in-camera both during and after shooting.

Similar to the Digital IXUS 800 IS (Best Current Price: £199), the Digital IXUS 900 Ti’s movie functions are superb and include impressive XGA (1024x768) quality recording with sound at 15fps - a first for Digital IXUS - and smooth VGA (640x480) movies at 30fps. The Canon NB-5L Li-Ion battery has a capacity of 3.7V 1120mAh, which according to Canon should enable you to capture approximately 230 images with a fully charged battery.

The 2.5-inch (230,000 pixels) LCD screen allows for comfortable composition and playback, even on relatively bright days. The Image Inspection Tool makes use of the screen by simultaneously displaying a newly shot image and a magnified section - ideal for checking details such as facial expressions before leaving the scene. You can also enable a helpful 3:2 ratio overlay during shooting to display the printable area for standard photo prints. The camera retains a real-image optical viewfinder for accurate framing without the LCD, but it’s so small that using it is uncomfortable. You’ll also find that your nose will be squashed up to the LCD screen.

Managing images in playback is made easier by My Category, which automatically tags each image with a category - People, Scenery or Event - according to face detection and shooting mode used. These categories - which can be manually assigned in camera - are also recognised by Canon’s ZoomBrowser EX software for easy filtering of images on your computer. The Digital IXUS 900 Ti comes bundled with Canon’s ZoomBrowser EX 5.7 (Windows) and ImageBrowser 5.7 (Mac) for organising and editing images, movies and slideshows, or creating and printing digital photo albums. PhotoStitch 3.1 lets you create panoramic photos from multiple images (Windows and Mac).

Since Canon’s first APS camera in 1996, the IXUS range has consistently set new benchmarks for camera technology and design. The Digital IXUS 900 Ti is a fitting addition to mark a decade of IXUS innovation. Upon taking the Canon Digital IXUS 900 Ti into your hands, you instantly notice the quality. The camera is comfortable to hold and a fast start-up time of approximately 1 second, during which the 3x optical zoom lens fully extends from the housing, means you won’t miss an important shot. Canon’s IXUS cameras have always proved popular at BIOS, and the flagship Digital IXUS 900 Ti is no exception. The camera is user-friendly and offers excellent image quality. The only drawback is that experienced photographers may be frustrated by the camera’s lack of manual exposure.

[9] - Editors’ Choice

[Best Digital Camera Pricing UK]
[Best Digital Camera Pricing US]