Lots of folks realized that the Canon A650 featured the same sensor as the Powershot G9, but how many realized that the diminuitive Powershot SD950IS packed the very same 12MP 1/1.7" sensor? What would you say if Canon were to release a 160 gram ELPH with a sharp 35mm (equivalent) f/2.8 lens and the sensor from the G10?   In fact, Canon has done that and more with the recently announced Powershot SD990 (IXUS 980) IS.

Take a moment to consider what the SD990 IS offers:

• First SD (IXUS)/ELPH series Canon with Program/Aperture priority/Shutter priority/Manual modes
• Same 14.7MP 1/1.7" sensor (presumably) as the G10
• 7.7-28.5mm f/2.8-5.8 (35mm film equivalent: 36-133mm) zoom lens as the SD950 IS
• First SD series Canon offered in black (also red)
• New rotating dial surrounding four-way controller on back
• Manual focus option
  
• Optical viewfinder, increasingly a rarity
• DIGIC IV with more sophisticated noise reduction
• Image stabilization
  
• New "Quick Mode" uses the viewfinder for display, disables the LCD, and offers a reduced shutter lag
• Weight: 160g without battery
• First SD series camera with H.264 video (640x480, 30fps)
  

Some of the things missing (versus the G10):

• RAW mode
• Hot shoe
• Wide angle
• Speed at the telephoto end
• More than half of the weight
  

It's great to see Canon getting more serious with the SD series, offering full manual exposure controls for the first time.   Panasonic made a similar move with the even more compact FX500 some time ago.  The fact that the SD990 IS couples the flagship (G10) sensor with the highly regarded lens from the SD950 makes for high image quality expectations.  I wish they could have taken the extra step and offered RAW, though in general I find that Canon is amongst the best at finding a balance between detail and noise with in-camera JPEG processing.

The SD990 IS was announced two weeks ago and is currently in stock for $387 shipped at Amazon via the link below.