Our first glance of the new Canon IXUS 330 was that it was pretty much similar to its predecessor, the IXUS 300--brushed metal finish, ultra-compact design, 1.5-inch LCD display, 2-megapixel capture resolution and 3x optical zoom lens. However, once we started using the camera, the new and improved side of the 330 began to surface. It didn't hurt that Canon was pricing this little performer at an affordable S$799 (US$442).

Improved Features
We reckon Canon did the smart thing by not upgrading the resolution and zoom for the IXUS 330. Not only would this have made the camera far less affordable, the extra resolution would have taxed the limited amount of flash memory while the additional zoom would have added to the IXUS' girth. Instead, Canon stuck to the standard 3x optical zoom and 2-megapixel capture resolution, which is good enough for prints of up to 4R in size.

At the same time, the Japanese camera manufacturer has beefed up the IXUS 330 with a couple of useful features, such as selectable ISO settings, long shutter options and, various focusing and exposure lock modes, which give the user more creative control over their shots.

In our Lab tests, we found the features very useful, especially the AF assist lamp which, for the most part, worked effectively in various low-light situations. This functions by shooting out a white illuminating light to aid in focusing. Close-up shots turned out fine using the integrated macro mode. In fact, most of the images we captured were sharp with good color balance, except for some indoor shots that didn't reproduce the colors accurately in automatic white balance mode.

AVI movie recording, which comes with full sound capture and playback (through the built-in microphone and speakers), was also decent, although this was limited to about 6 seconds in the highest-quality mode (640 x 480).

More Than Just Cosmetics
Ergonomics enhancements include a better grip with indented thumb rest. The new four-way navigation buttons for selecting and scrolling through the various menus is also faster and more responsive. Canon has also improved on the flash memory card mechanism, which no longer "shoots" the CompactFlash card out like it did in the previous IXUS models we tested.

To ensure a longer usage time, Canon has upgraded the rechargeable Lithium-ion battery to a higher 840mAh capacity, which gave us a good 120 shots under normal shooting conditions (LCD and flash on mostly). The only snag about the IXUS 330 is probably the placement of the metal tripod mount to one end of the camera's base. Though we can see that this allows batteries to be replaced when the camera is mounted, it also causes the camera to tilt slightly due to the weight imbalance.

A Worthy Successor
Minor glitches aside, the Canon IXUS 330 is a worthy upgrade to the popular IXUS 300. If you are considering getting a good point-and-shoot camera with a respectable set of manual features, this 2-megapixel Editors' Choice offers more for less.