At the start of the millennium, Canon's original Digital IXUS cameras were the super models of the digital compact world; looking as good as they performed, their popularity seemed a sure bet. But time has moved on, rivals have got slimmer, smaller and more feature-packed, and, with Nikon's D300 and D3 having stolen its thunder at the DSLR end of the market, there are seemingly no certainties for market-leader Canon any more. Available in a variety of consumer-targeted colors, can the 8 mega pixel Digital IXUS 80 IS – our review model boasting a 'bling-tastic' champagne-like metallic finish that equates closer to Canon's promise of 'caramel' rather than 'candy pink' – prove that it is still as much about brains as beauty? Gavin Stoker found out...Ease of Use
Correctly guessing that most people use such credit card sized compacts for snaps of family and friends in the main, with the Digital IXUS 80 IS Canon has added to and enhanced old point-and-shoot favourites, with face detection white balance and automatic red eye correction added this time around, plus a face select and track function. To help you get sharper shots in lower light conditions without the need for flash, the Digital IXUS 80 IS features optical image stabilisation in the form of a lens-shift mechanism which physically corrects the light path. As part of a belt and braces approach, this is also newly backed up by motion detection technology that assesses camera or subject movement. The latter is effectively what rivals would refer to as digital anti shake, as, activated in high ISO auto mode, it boosts ISO to a level (between ISO80-800) it considers will compensate without hopefully introducing too much noise. Still, you do get both in the same camera
Unsurprisingly, given the Digital IXUS 80 IS' compact measurements, the range of the supplied 3x zoom (38-114mm equivalent in 35mm terms) is distinctly average, as are the dimensions of the rear 2.5-inch LCD (look to the IXUS 90 IS for a 3-inch screen), though the resolution is a more impressive 230k pixels. This ensures clarity is sufficient to determine correct focus and exposure, both indoors and out. The camera itself is as well built as you'd expect an IXUS to be. It's an attractively weighty mix of aluminium and plastic, yet sufficiently lightweight to ensure it slots unobtrusively in a top pocket, its build perhaps justifying the extra £20 over its 8 megapixel rivals (at a UK SRP of £219 in total).
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