Canon PowerShot SD970 IS

The FujiFilm FinePix F200EXR marks the introduction of a new image sensor design. In addition to shooting at full 12-megapixel resolution, this sensor supports a technology called ‘pixel binning’ that combines the data from multiple sensors to produce a lower-resolution image, but one with enhanced dynamic range or lower image noise (they two are separate shooting modes). The technology is undeniably intriguing but, when we took the camera into our labs for testing, it seems to be a work in progress rather than an immediate breakthrough. We saw a modest improvement in dynamic range, particularly in keeping brightly lit parts of an image from blowing out. While image noise using the enhanced shooting mode was significantly lower than the Fujifilm’s performance at the full 12-megapixel resolution at the highest ISO settings, it didn’t make much difference below ISO 800 and, more importantly, still couldn’t match the Canon full-resolution results at high ISOs.

The Fujifilm camera does provide bettet exposure control, with both a full manual mode and aperture-priority shooting, both of which are sorely lacking in the Canon, and also shoots at higher ISO settings; the Canon tops out at a modest ISO 1600, the Fujifilm reaches ISO 3200 at full resolution and can be pushed to ISO 6400 at six megapixels and ISO 12,800 at three megapixels. The Canon delivers a far superior video mode, shooting at 720p high def where the Fujifilm is still back in the 640 × 480 world. In our performance testing, the two cameras are neck and neck for color accuracy and image noise, the Fujifilm posts better results for resolution, and both fare poorly when it comes to continuous mode shooting.

The Canon does offer a far superior LCD, a 461,000-dot model compared to the routine 230,000-dot Fujifilm screen, along with a better camera control system. Our call here: even without the knockout performance we’d hoped for the new EXR sensor, the Fujifilm offers the manual controls the Canon lacks, if that’s important to you, while the Canon holds sway if a beautiful LCD, superior menu system and high-def video shooting are key concerns.

Canon PowerShot SD970 IS vs Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
	Canon PowerShot SD970 IS	Fujifilm FinePix F200EXR
Price	$379.99	$399.95
Colors	silver with gold	silver, black
Dimensions	94.742mm x 26.416mm x 56.896mm	96.52mm x 22.86mm x 58.42mm
Optical Zoom	5x	5x
Sensor	1/2.3"-type, CCD, 12.4 megapixels	1/1.6"-type, CCD
Display	LCD, 3.0 in., 461000 pixels	LCD, 3.0 in., 230000 pixels
Viewfinder	none	none
Manual Controls	custom white balance	aperture priority mode, full manual exposure, ISO control
Connectivity	A/V, USB, microHDMI	USB, A/V
Battery	removable lithium-ion, NB-5L	removable lithium-ion, NP-50