I decided to upgrade from my Canon Ixus 50,which was an absolute revelation when it came out, to the Ixus 130. The 50 is still perfect and my brother is delighted with it, his first digicam. The 130 is a design masterpiece - so small, I could not see it in the box at first, but surprisingly although thinner it is slightly longer and taller. Lightweight but solidly constructed & easily fits in your pocket. Fundamentally, the controls are very similar, but more intuitive, so you do not need to digest volumes of complicated instructions. If you want a point and shoot, you cannot go wrong with this. It also has plenty of functionality, a wide angle lens for group and vista shots as well as a telephoto & the vids are amazing. If you are a real camera head, you will want to keep your SLR, but a pound to a penny, you cannot resist a compact for portability and versatility. This is simple to use and also has many advanced features, which help you take the perfect shot. If you want to get a lot more techie, you can use the program mode. I am going to have fun with this and you will too. I will update my review in a few months after I have given it a complete road test.
UPDATE OF IXUS 130
This camera will re-awaken your interest in photography. I used it on two holidays & the difference in quality between the earlier Ixus 50 & this is simply staggering. I would not have thought it possible. Point & shoot is superb, but it is easy to switch to programs specifically for sunny beach shots, sun-sets etc & zoom in on detail other cameras can not get to. Amazing, I am so pleased.