Canon IXUS 800 IS Digital Camera [6MP 4 X Optical]

I received my IXUS 800 IS and Selphy CP710 printer the day before going on holiday so I had little time to experiment before putting them to use.

My previous camera was a Casio EX Z4, which produced excellent photos in bright sunlight but tended to produce grainy images with a purple fringe around foreground subjects in low light. Whilst the Z4 was reported to have a fast start up and shutter response time, it was hard to capture action shots. With the Z4, I would say that 25% of the pictures were poorly focused.

I waited for the IXUS 800 IS to come out as a number of my friends and familty have other IXUS models, ranging from the 50 to the 750 and all found them to be high-quality cameras that produced good results. I was told by a camera shop that the Image Stabiliser was worth waiting for to improve the sharpness of action shots, shots using the zoom and shots in low light, and so addresses many of the concerns I had with the Z4. They were right!

I took 134 pictures on holiday. I need not worry about not having time to experiment as the camera is very simple to use, either with its point-and-shoot option, the pre-sets or the manual mode. Only two of the pictures were less sharp than I would like - both being action shots of the kids in the pool with the evening sun. Some of the pictures taken with a flash are a little dark, which I think were using the zoom, so to be expected. The shots taken at the maximum 4x zoom in daylight were as sharp and clear as the ones with no zoom. The low light shots are all clear with no fringe or ghosting around the foreground subjects. All in all I'm very impressed with the ease of use and the quality of the images in all conditions.

When I returned home, I printed a selection of the pictures on the CP710 directly from the camera onto 10x15cm Canon photo paper. The prints looked sharper than the same prints from my HP Photosmart 7960 printer on HP Premium Plus Photo paper but the colour was not as bright. Shots taken on the beach in bright sunshine looked like they were taken on a dull day in comparrison. I then printed the same images from my PC to the CP710. The prints were much brighter than the prints made directly from the camera and thus overall superior to the HP 7960 (which has 8 colours of ink and many more DPI than the 3 colours and the 300 DPI of the CP710). I have sent a question off to Canon Support to ask if there is any way of improving the brightness from the camera and I await their reply. [Update - Canon did reply but their response did not really help, so I always print from my PC, which is not a problem.]

The only other downside of the camera I can think of is that it does not have a battery power level indicator, so there is no way of telling how much power is left when you leave home. This is not a major problem so long as the battery is put on charge every few days.

Overall, both the camera and printer are proving to be an excellent buy so far. Roll on the next holiday!

This is a great camera. Not exactly as small as my previous PENTAX S4i, but the quality of pictures and video is outstanding. Even my wife (the non gadget type)is impressed. A shame as she and my daughter now have taken over this little gem.

Just one thing was annoying. No ADVANCED MANUAL was included in the box. According to AMAZON's efficient helpline something that has happend before. They kindly offered a complete replacement. This is not necessary as you can download ALL manuals in PDF from the CANON USA website. Don't go to the CO.UK as it will link to a site that charges. Free CANON PDF manuals are at www.usa.canon.com. Follow the link to CONSUMER. BTW the IXUS 800IS is identical to the PowerShot SD700 IS.

I am not a camera expert, far from it. However, I have recently succeeded in gaining a free Ixus 800 via the digital freepay company.

I am overwhelmed by the quality of the product and have already taken many photos I would not have taken previously. This particular camera makes me look like a true professional!

The colours are great, the pictures very clear and the movies also are of excellent quality.

One tiny downside is the memory size. Only 16mb came with the camera. Useless. I purchased a 2 GB memory from Moby Memory and have ample space to click forever!

The software to download to my computer is supreme and fast. The instructions clear and easy to understand.

The camera weight seems to be an issue for some. I find it just right. I was afraid of a light camera moving when I pressed the picture button. This is just that little bit weightier and gives great control.

Fits in my pocket easily. It is small.

Brilliant and recommended!