Canon Ixus IIs Digital Camera [3.2MP , 2 x Optical]

I did not have a camera case to begin with and regret not buying one (any make, not only Canon) as the silver paint on the surface of the camera, particularly in the corners, has chipped off slightly and is slightly visible due to being rubbed against items in my bag. Not good!

I would also say that a disadvantage of this camera is the fact that there is no battery display on the screen. I've seen that most cameras do have this feature and it is really handy to know how much battery you have before you set off and not literally just before it dies on you! I would therefore advise that you buy a second battery back (can buy cheaply on internet) and then you're less likely to be caught out. I keep my second battery in a small zipped up purse with a spare memory card and it stays fully charged in my bag all the time.

I would also say that both optical and digital zooms (particularly optical) are not quite enough for use in all circumstances and could do with being a bit more powerful.

All in all, despite these few faults, it's a lovely little camera and produces excellent pictures. Digital photography makes life so much easier and it's a joy to be able to delete bad photos instantly rather than to get a conventional film developed and find out that most of them are rubbish.

It would be a great present or a treat for yourself like mine was. You won't be disappointed!

I must admit that I had never heard/considered this camera before, since its bigger brothers the 430 and 500 usually take the limelight. The Ixus IIs is however, something you should strongly consider if like me your are not willing to spend over £200 on your first camera. The Ixus IIs is an updated version of the popular Ixus II (see amazon for loads of more reviews), not much has changed except for a print button, slightly improved power consumption (hence battery lasts a bit longer) and a brushed metal finish which doesn't smudge with fingerprints as easily.

http://www.steves-digicams.com/2004_reviews/sd110.html has an excellent in-depth review, however there are a few things I should add after some 2 weeks heavy use! There are very few things that bug me about this camera and all are minor and do not make me regret ONE bit ever purchasing the Ixus IIs. The optical zoom is only x2 which is a shame, and there is no battery indicator icon except for when your battery is low (i.e about 5-10 mins more usage left). Speaking of battery, the 790mah battery is Li-ion (90mins to charge!) and lasts for a reasonable time, nowhere as bad as I would lead to believe. The batteries can be expensive, but check on ebay where you can pick up an extra one for under £10.

Operation wise I cannot fault this camera, all the menus and functions are laid out perfectly right where you would expect them to be. The same can be said for the manual that is thorough unlike many other I have seen. The review below states the software is slow, and I could not agree more. Although you can do loads (canon bundle a lot with your camera) it takes about 20 secs to load compared to being able to open via my computer. My biggest complaint is that when you plug in the camera via USB, the XP popup does not give you the option to browse using windows explorer.....so just drag the camera icon to your desktop to make your own shortcut.

Most importantly is picture quality and I'm truly amazed at the colours (especially those canon blue hues WOW!). The camera performs amazing in low light....I took a pic of my living room at 1am with all the lights off and the flash lit the whole room as per daylight! With long shutter speeds of upto 15 secs you can take pics of the stars or take those mad shots with streaking lights with no noise/hot spots present! I should also add that this is truly 3.2mp coz the sensor is 3.3mp (unlike other manufacturers in which 3.2mp means 3.1mp pictures!) I could rant all day about this camera as its not often that I'm that happy with a purchase! If you do take the plunge I would consider the following as highly recommended although adding to the overall cost!

A larger SD card (128mb if possible), a 2nd battery, a case - get only the DSC-20 no other! and a mini tripod to take advantage of those long shutter speeds.

Watch out for:
- Windows 2000 or lower compatiblity - the camera does not show up as a 'hard drive' in windows explorer - must install the twain driver. This means slower interface when downloading except windows XP. This is an issue I found with all canon's.
- I found the photos a bit dull and in need of sharpening.

You can judge for yourself this way: Connect the camera with its AV cable to a TV monitor - most shops will have this setup. Shoot a portrait with its flash and playback the photo enlarging the 'hair strands' on the TV, magnifying using the zoom lever on the camera. If you can live with the sharpness, look no further!