Canon PowerShot SD980 IS vs Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR: Small Sensor Compacts Under the Microscope

In an era where smartphone cameras dominate casual photography, there remains a dedicated segment of photography enthusiasts who appreciate the potential of compact cameras - especially those offering versatile zooms and manual controls. Today, I’m diving deep into a side-by-side comparison of two notable small-sensor compacts from the late 2000s and early 2010s: the Canon PowerShot SD980 IS (aka Digital IXUS 200 IS) and the Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR. Both seek to pack respectable imaging performance and useful features in pocketable bodies, but they reflect distinct philosophies - and reveal a lot about how camera tech evolved in the compact category.

I’ve personally put these two through their paces over extended testing sessions, evaluating everything from sensor and autofocus behavior to real-world ergonomics, image quality, and user experience. Whether you’re a casual snapper, a budding enthusiast, or a seasoned shooter looking for an ultra-portable backup, this detailed review will help you determine which model is best suited for your needs.

Let’s start by setting the stage with their physical dimensions and ergonomics.

Size and Handling: Comfort vs Compactness

When selecting a compact camera, size and ergonomics often take precedence - after all, portability and ease of use are part of their allure.

The Canon SD980 IS goes for an ultra-slim, minimalist design. Measuring just 100 x 53 x 23 mm and weighing 150 grams, it slips easily into any pocket or purse without fuss. Its rounded edges and flat profile feel unobtrusive. In contrast, the Fujifilm F800EXR is chunkier - clocking in at 105 x 63 x 36 mm and weighing 232 grams - primarily due to its superzoom lens. It feels more substantial in hand, which I appreciate for extended shooting sessions that demand a firmer grip.

The ergonomics reflect these physical differences: Canon’s SD980 IS opts for a fashion-forward lean, prioritizing sleekness over grip comfort. I found prolonged use taxing since there’s limited surface for your fingers to rest, and the flat body feels almost fragile. The Fujifilm, meanwhile, offers subtle finger contours and a more pronounced grip bulge, providing reassuring handling despite its larger footprint.

If pocketability is non-negotiable - say, for street shooting or travel - Canon’s slender body makes it a winner. For anyone shooting longer or who prefers balanced handling, Fujifilm’s more substantial chassis is preferable, even if it demands dedicated storage space.

Top Controls and Interface: Quick Access for the Shooter

Next, I examined the top control layout. Small compacts often sacrifice intuitive controls to keep things simple, but the experience can be quite different between these two.

The Canon SD980 IS offers minimal physical controls - just a shutter release, zoom toggle, and power button on top. There’s no dedicated exposure compensation dial or mode dial. While the touchscreen helps navigate menus, it’s a bit sluggish and not as responsive as modern standards, and navigating settings quickly can feel clunky under time pressure.

On the other hand, the Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR packs more useful dials and buttons. The mode dial includes aperture and shutter priority alongside full manual modes, which is a boon for enthusiasts. Exposure compensation is quickly accessible, and there’s a dedicated ring around the lens for zoom or sometimes focus control, speeding up adjustments without menu diving.

From an experienced shooter’s perspective, Fujifilm’s control layout empowers creative freedom and responsiveness, whereas Canon’s design feels geared toward point-and-shoot simplicity.

Under the Hood: Sensor and Image Quality Fundamentals

The heart of any camera - and the core determinant of image quality - is its sensor. Despite their compact categories, these two differ significantly in sensor tech and resolution.

• Canon SD980 IS: A 12-megapixel CCD sensor sized 1/2.3" (6.17 x 4.55 mm), with a sensor area of 28.07 mm².
• Fujifilm F800EXR: A 16-megapixel EXR CMOS sensor slightly larger at 1/2" (6.4 x 4.8 mm), with 30.72 mm² area.

The CCD sensor in the Canon is characteristic of the late 2000s compact technology - delivering respectable color science and low image noise at base ISOs, but lagging significantly in dynamic range and high ISO performance compared to modern CMOS counterparts. The EXR CMOS sensor in the Fujifilm is a marked improvement - offering higher resolution and a wider ISO range (up to 3200 native, boosted to 12800 software) with better noise control.

I ran extensive tests under controlled lighting and real-world scenes. The Fujifilm’s sensor clearly yields cleaner images above ISO 400, retaining more highlight and shadow detail - a major advantage for landscape and low-light shooters. Canon prints nicely at ISO 80-160, but struggles visibly beyond ISO 400, with color shifts and grain becoming distractions. The EXR tech also enhances performance through pixel binning and dynamic range optimizations not present in Canon’s older sensor.

Screen and User Interface: Looking and Composing Made Simple

Viewing and composing images is key, especially for photographers who prefer LCD over optical or electronic viewfinders.

Both cameras feature a 3-inch fixed LCD screen, but their specifications and usability differ widely:

• The Canon SD980 IS offers a low-resolution (230k dots) touchscreen display. While touch input supports basic menus, the low screen resolution and lack of brightness adjustment render it disappointing in bright sunlight or detailed previewing.

• The Fujifilm F800EXR sports a brighter, higher resolution 460k-dot non-touch TFT LCD. Colors appear punchier and the increased brightness improves visibility outdoors - critical for discerning focus and exposure on the fly.

Neither model includes a viewfinder, meaning they rely entirely on back screen framing - a minor inconvenience outdoors in bright conditions for Canon users specifically.

Autofocus and Shooting Performance: Speed and Accuracy in Action

Autofocus (AF) is a critical component for capturing spontaneous moments, particularly in genres like wildlife and sports.

• The Canon SD980 IS utilizes contrast-detection with 9 focus points. AF is sluggish by modern standards - around 1 second to lock focus in good lighting and noticeably slower in dimmer conditions. The camera supports only single AF and lacks tracking or face detection, limiting its efficacy for moving subjects or portraits.

• The Fujifilm F800EXR ups the ante with continuous AF, face detection, and AF tracking, offering much faster and more reliable focusing. Its burst mode speeds up to 11 fps, compared to the Canon’s meager 1 fps continuous shooting rate. For capturing action or wildlife, Fujifilm is the clear winner.

The practical impact? I found the Canon frustrating for candid street shooting or wildlife as it often hunted endlessly, missing fleeting moments. The Fujifilm provided confidence to track moving subjects and anticipate shots better, especially under ample light.

Optical Performance and Zoom Range: Versatility vs Compactness

Lenses are paramount in shaping a camera’s versatility and creative scope. Here the two models differ drastically.

• Canon SD980 IS sports a 5× zoom range, 24-120mm equivalent focal length, with an aperture range from f/2.8 (wide) to f/5.9 (telephoto). This range is versatile for casual street, portrait, and landscape photography, offering bright wide-angle coverage and moderate telephoto reach.

• Fujifilm F800EXR ventures into superzoom territory, with a 20× zoom spanning 25-500mm equivalent and apertures ranging from f/3.5 to f/5.3. This extended reach excels for wildlife, sports, and distant landscape details - at the expense of bulk and somewhat slower apertures.

Image sharpness is quite good on the Canon at wide focal lengths but softens noticeably near its 120mm limit. Fujifilm, although softer at full 500mm zoom, remains surprisingly usable for a compact superzoom, especially paired with its superior autofocus and image stabilization.

Stability and Shutter Performance: Sharper Shots with Less Effort

Image stabilization is particularly important for handheld shooting, especially at telephoto and low shutter speeds.

• The Canon SD980 IS features optical image stabilization which compensates well for gentle hand shake at the wide end but becomes less effective near the telephoto limit.

• The Fujifilm F800EXR employs advanced sensor-shift stabilization, generally more flexible across focal lengths. Combined with its higher top shutter speed (1/2000 sec vs Canon’s 1/3000 but with slower response times), it proves effective for a wider range of shooting scenarios.

Shutter lag, the delay between pressing the shutter and image capture, was slightly more noticeable on the Canon, which annoyed me during spontaneous shooting sequences. Fujifilm was snappier to respond - a subtle but satisfying difference.

Genre-Specific Performance: Who Excels Where?

To give you an actionable, practical frame of reference, here’s how both cameras fare across key genre demands:

Portrait Photography

• Canon SD980 IS: The faster wide-aperture f/2.8 helps create decent background separation for portraits in close-up. However, no face or eye AF means manual framing and timing are more trial-and-error.

• Fujifilm F800EXR: Face detection autofocus works well, easing accurate framing. The sensor’s higher resolution captures more skin detail, but the smaller aperture at the wide end (f/3.5) yields less bokeh - compensated somewhat by better overall sharpness.

Landscape Photography

• Canon SD980 IS: Lower resolution and narrower dynamic range limit landscape detail and tonal gradation, but in bright light it yields acceptable, balanced colors.

• Fujifilm F800EXR: With a 16 mp sensor and improved dynamic range, it’s better suited for capturing nuanced landscapes, but the superzoom lens introduces some softness at extreme tele ends.

Wildlife and Sports

• Canon SD980 IS: With slow AF, limited zoom, and lack of tracking, it’s ill-equipped for fast subjects.

• Fujifilm F800EXR: Superb here - fast continuous AF, high burst rate, and long 500mm zoom give you toolset to capture action effectively.

Street Photography

• Canon SD980 IS: Its compact, low-profile design is great for discreet shooting. Quick power-up and simple operation appeal to spontaneous shooting.

• Fujifilm F800EXR: Bulkier presence makes it less discreet; however, better AF and faster burst shooting help catch fleeting moments.

Macro Photography

• Canon SD980 IS: Closer focusing distance of 3 cm is favorable for tight macro shots.

• Fujifilm F800EXR: Macro focusing only down to 5 cm - less close but manageable.

Night and Astro Photography

• Canon SD980 IS: Max ISO 1600, using older CCD tech, produces substantial noise.

• Fujifilm F800EXR: Native ISO 3200 with boosted ISO 12800 support makes it more flexible for low-light, though noise is still prominent past ISO 800.

Video Capabilities

• Canon tops out at 720p HD video at 30 fps with H.264 compression.

• Fujifilm supports full HD 1080p recording also at 30 fps with MPEG-4 and H.264, delivering sharper footage. Neither offers microphone input or advanced movie modes.

Travel Photography

• Canon’s ultra-compact form and light weight make it addictive for travel. Lens range sufficient for typical tourist shots.

• Fujifilm, while heavier, covers more focal length and allows more creative freedom without carrying extra lenses - suiting varied shooting conditions.

Professional Use

Both cameras have limited appeal in pro workflows. No RAW support for Canon; Fujifilm supports RAW, but sensor size and crop factor limit quality relevance beyond casual or enthusiast use.

Build Quality and Weather Resistance

Neither camera offers environmental sealing or ruggedness features such as dust-, shock-, or waterproofing. Both require careful handling in adverse conditions.

Connectivity, Storage, and Battery Life

• Canon SD980 IS lacks wireless connectivity, USB 2.0 only for data transfer, and uses NB-6L battery (capacity details often vary). Storage is via standard SD cards.

• Fujifilm F800EXR features built-in wireless (albeit basic), USB 2.0, and uses NP-50A battery with claimed 300-shot life. Storage options include SD, SDHC and SDXC cards, allowing high capacity.

Wireless convenience and improved battery life give Fujifilm an edge for remote or prolonged shooting.

Real-World Sample Gallery: Image Quality In Practice

To put their imaging capabilities in context, I’ve included a selection of photos taken side-by-side in multiple scenarios, from daylight landscapes to indoor portraits.

Canon SD980 IS screen back Fujifilm F800EXR front Fujifilm F800EXR screen back

Observe how Fujifilm’s images maintain finer detail and dynamic range, particularly in shadow retrieval. Canon shots exhibit warmth in color but fall short in highlight preservation and sharpness.

Overall Scores: How They Stack Up Technically

Our comprehensive expert benchmarking, incorporating sensor traits, AF, optics, and handling, rates the cameras as follows:

Not surprisingly, Fujifilm’s newer sensor and feature set garner a higher rating in image quality and performance, though Canon scores respect for size and simplicity.

Performance by Photography Genre: Strengths and Weaknesses

Breaking down scores by photography type highlights situational advantages.

Fujifilm dominates wildlife and sports, while Canon shines in street and portrait thanks to compactness and lens aperture, respectively.

Verdict: Which Compact Camera Should You Choose?

Canon PowerShot SD980 IS
Best for: Casual photographers prioritizing ultra-portability and ease of use for everyday street and travel photography. It’s ideal if you appreciate a slim design and straightforward operation with minimal menu complexity. However, expect slower autofocus and limited zoom, making it less suitable for action or low-light.

Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR
Perfect for: Enthusiasts seeking a flexible superzoom compact with manual controls, better autofocus, and higher resolution. Its 20× zoom opens creative doors spanning wildlife to landscapes, and features like face detection add usability. Despite its larger size, it strikes a solid balance for advanced casual shooting or as a lightweight secondary camera.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

After hours of hands-on testing, I’m convinced the Fujifilm FinePix F800EXR remains a compelling choice in the small sensor compact realm for photography enthusiasts willing to accept its bulk. Its superior sensor, autofocus, and expanded zoom deliver meaningful creative benefits and improve image quality in challenging scenarios. Conversely, if your priority is stealth, pocketability, and quick snapshots, the Canon SD980 IS’s streamlined design and faster optics (at the wide end) make it charming and fun - albeit with functional compromises.

It’s also noteworthy how these cameras encapsulate transitional moments in compact camera evolution: Canon leaning toward style and simplicity circa 2009, Fujifilm embracing sensor advances and feature-rich performance by 2012. If you’re weighing these models today, user budget and shooting discipline should guide the choice.

For photographers valuing travel, street shooting, and compactness with basic performance, go Canon SD980 IS. For those craving greater zoom reach, faster AF, and manual control options, FujiFilm F800EXR remains a versatile small-sensor stalwart.

Thanks for reading this thorough comparison. Feel free to ask questions or share your experiences with these models - I’m always eager to discuss camera tech and help fellow photographers find their perfect gear.