Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Best Selling in Digital Cameras
Current slide {CURRENT_SLIDE} of {TOTAL_SLIDES}- Save on Digital Cameras
My virtually indestructable Pentax 'ME-Super' has served me well over the years. That 15 year-old camera has been to several countries and taken some excellent photographs. But the time came when I decided to buy the Canon 'IXUS 800 IS' for its features and small size. My honest opinion? Well, it is simply brilliant fun to use and fairly versatile! It's just what you need to hand when a photographic moment arises. The display is one of the biggest for a camera of this size, the menu system is easy to navigate, the optical zoom has a good range and the quality of the pictures is impressive. The shutter lag (time delay between the button press and picture taken) is reasonable, but not instantaneous like my old SLR. It's in the order of a few hundred milliseconds, and linked to the flash recharge cycle, like most cameras. Battery life is pretty good (it's a lithium pack) and usage can be extended if you turn off the LCD backlight and use the optical viewfinder instead. Battery charging is achieved in just over two hours. At 6MP, most users would not notice any pixelation for typical print sizes up to A4, and remember, the more pixels the more storage memory you need. It will even take video clips at 30 frames per second, at 640 x 480 (VGA) resolution. That's pretty good quality. For stills, there are preset modes that adjust the gamma and light sensitivity. Panoramic shots are so easy too - the PC editing software allows you to stitch together the sequence of pictures. Unusually for the price tag is the image stabilisation technology. It's what the 'IS' stands for in the product name. Why should you care about this? Well, most digital cameras actually determine focus by detecting edge blur somewhere within the image. However, factors of handshake and noise can interfere with this evaluation. Image stabilisation removes some of the noise to bring the picture into focus more accurately. This is particularly needed when taking pictures in low light conditions. It's when image sensors, based on CCD technology, become electrically noisy and is an artifact of the way they work. I'll spare the physics! It's almost a shame to house this camera in a pouch - you make it bigger that way. It is advisable to protect it from accidental drop, though it's most vulnerable with the lens extended (and probably out of the case). Just use the wrist strap. Your choice is the Canon DCC-70 leather case which is the slimest option, or if bulk isn't an issue, go for a LowePro case. My top tip is to go to LowePro's website and download the chart of suitable cases based upon your camera model. You will find several options. The download software is easy to install and use. It even auto-detects when your camera is plugged in and pops up the image download navigator. Options include selective or bulk download, even transfer of camera settings. User documentation is partitioned into separate booklets for basic operation and for advanced use. My top tip is to download documentation in PDF format from the USA Canon website - over there the IXUS is called the 'PowerShot', which is virtually the same camera. Here, you can also preview "What's Inside The Box" before you buy one. Consistently I have seen above average reviews at around 4/5 rating. There are some niggles, like with anything in life, which stops it from achieving the 5 star status. Here's my gripes. The main annoyance is the low crackling sound that you'll hear on video clips - I'd hope that Canon wouldRead full review
This was purchased to complement a Canon 300d SLR as a smaller 'take anywhere' camera. The first part you notice is the large screen (about 30% larger than my slr. As it uses the newer 'digic 3' processor it's much faster between shots and start up than previous generations of canons. The auto-focusing of faces is very good and does a good job of group photos, so is excellent for weddings. I would recommend a silicone skin if you prefer not to always use a case, this helps protect the excellent finish and gives a clear hard plastic cover over the screen. The price on ebay (inc postage) was about £50 cheaper than online retailers and there was a 2Gb SD card included. A faster card may improve the continuous shooting speed, but the free card was fine for video and allowed almost 20min 640x480 30fps filming. You can't use optical zoom while filming which is disappointing. If there was greater manual control i.e. shutter & aperture then this camera would of been 5/5. It is basically a v.good point and shoot and the excellent IS function which makes the difference in low light. The charger is small so perfect when you want to keep weight down when traveling. All in all, a good compact camera but coming from a SLR I missed the lack of more manual control.Read full review
I decided to buy the IXUS 800IS as I'd bought the IXUS 500 when it came out and I've taken nearly 10,000 pictures with it and it's still going despite being dropped and kicked (but not drop-kicked) many times. The IXUS 800IS has a 4x optical zoom as opposed to 3x in a smaller camera than the 500. To be honest, I was actually looking for a camera for a friend, two of 800IS were for sale from the same guy at an absolute bargain, brand new and boxed. so I bought both of them! It's well made, stylish, easy to use and much better priced now it's been out over a year which was the selling point that clinched the deal. More recent cameras have higher megapixels (and price) but 6 is really adequate. I was happy with 5 on the 500 and the 800IS cost me half as much as the 500. It's a versatile camera for use day and night, action and portrait, close up and landscapes, all come out very well. It doesn't quite have the depth or feel to the pictures that a Canon D-SLR has, but at a quarter of the price, weight and size, I just had to buy one! Anything I don't like? Well, the big screen on the back does seem a tad vulnerable. I keep it in a hard case when not in use, but I feel that it won't take as much of a battering as the 500 which is completely metal, whereas the 800IS is mainly metalised plastic.Read full review
I can't believe this camera was announced in the beginning of 2006, I just bought one as a back-up pocket camera to my DSLR, I'm amazed by how good it's 6 megapixels is a good resolution unless if you are going to print large posters, IS works great, I think this was the first IXUS to have it and today's new compacts from Canon have same image stabilization performance, very good. But is the build quality that makes this camera stand out from the rest, it's metal body and very solid feel is superb, even the LCD benefits from protection due to excellent design. On/off button is the best I've ever used in a digital camera. ISO auto works great, very good image quality at ISO 80, try to keep it low for best results. LCD is bright and the resolution is great too. Viewfinder is better than the latest IXUS with a tiny one. The only bad point: it won't accept the new "SDHC" type cards, so you have to find a 2gb SD instead, the Sandisk Ultra II is perfect for it. An excellent buy for anyone from a first time buyer to a semi-pro photographer. Definitely recommended! 6 stars, better than excellent for the price and excellent features in a camera that came from the future :-DRead full review
Basically, there are plenty of other websites for you to read good technical reviews of this fantastic little camera - I won't attempt that here. All I have to say is that I have purchased this camera 3 (yes THREE) times after each once met its maker, not due to wearing out I hasten to add. (They were both unfortunately KIA - dropped one at a party and landed on lens - the other went for a swim in a pool in Greece. So admittedly not waterproof or shatter proof but it wasn't designed for that!) The reason I have kept coming back to this camera is the great photos it takes straight after switching on, in ALL light conditions. No blurs, no dull illumination just crisp clean snaps. Manual mode is a doddle to adjust flash settings, plus cool little features like colour accent make for some interesting shots. The main thing I like is the SPEED at which it shoots - you won't miss much with this camera, or make your subjects wait for their smiles to crack before the camera takes a decent shot. Time to switch on, focus and shoot still outclasses more modern versions of the same camera. Megapixel count is starting to look dated, but unless your printing above A4 or A3 regularly who really needs to fill their hard drive with bloated image files? Video is also limited to avi output, and is outclassed by modern HD equivalents but I bought this camera as a compact shooter for taking out at night, parties and city breaks etc and when all's said and done for those kind of shots this little snapper is still hard to beat even after 5 years from when it was first launched! Pick one up for under £50 and you'll have a camera that outshines newer models at 3 times the price!Read full review