Canon Digital IXUS 870 IS

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Another day, another IXUS on the market. The already crowded point-and-shoot range from Canon has another competitor entering the fray, and one that looks as good as it performs. The IXUS 870 IS succeeds the IXUS 860 IS which polarized many because of its gawky wide-angle lens and styling. Fortunately, the latest iteration learned from those mistakes and is a nicer overall package to boot.

Editors' note:

This review is based on tests done by our sister site CNET.com.au. As such, please note that there may be slight differences in the testing procedure and ratings system. For more information on the actual tests conducted on the product, please inquire directly at the site where the article was originally published. References made to some other products in this review may not be available or applicable in Asia.

Design

One of the guarantees with the IXUS range is that if you know how to work one, you'll know how to work them all. We took it out of the box and were instantly at home with its compact size and layout. Buttons and toggles have been given a cleaner look to fit in with the camera body, and it's a satisfyingly compact camera to hold, if a little on the heavy side. Available in a sleek silver or more opulent gold, the front panel contrasts nicely against the black behind of the point-and-shoot. The IXUS is--like a good pie--gently curved in all the right places.

Not many cameras are clad in gold, and the IXUS 870 IS looked really nice in this chassis.
(click for larger image)

The front of the camera does mark very easily though, and we're sure that over time it will collect scratches on it, as it already started to do after a couple days of normal use. The in-built flash unit is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it affair--one of the slimmest versions we've seen this side of a wafer.

At the back sits the ISO, macro/landscape, timer and flash buttons enclosed in the control wheel, which can be used to navigate through menus and advance through photos. The wheel itself is flanked by the playback, direct print, menu and display buttons, all redesigned and enlarged from the IXUS 860 IS. All felt satisfyingly well-made and provide an excellent level of feedback when pressed. There's also the addition of a thumb rest, something which was sorely lacking on its predecessor.

To make way for the 3-inch LCD screen, Canon has gotten rid of the optical viewfinder, much to the cries of low-light shooters and battery conservers everywhere. It's a much-missed feature that really did set the IXUS range apart from many of its competitors in the past.

Tags: Camera, LCD, LCD screen, battery, photograph

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