Icky Tricky Ixus (Canon Digital Ixus 75)

Member Name: Zmugzy

Product:	Canon Digital Ixus 75
Date:	27/05/08 (153 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very good colour reproduction .

Disadvantages: AiAF multi - point focusing system a bit suspect

I borrowed this camera from a family member and gave it a thorough test over a 4 week period. The IXUS 75 is a 7-megapixel high-spec ultra-compact, featuring an f/2.8 - 4.9 3x zoom lens with a focal length range of 35-105mm, a large 3-in LCD monitor and face detection focusing. With dimensions of 91.6 x 56.8 x 19.6mm and weighing only 130g, this really is an ultra-compact model that will slip nicely into a jacket pocket.

Build
In terms of construction and design this is a nice camera to look at but I didn't really find it that comfortable to hold. The body comprises a sleek metal and plastic body that is a bit slippery and lacks grip. Another negative factor are the rather fiddly controls. The zoom control situated around the shutter button is especially tricky to use. In fact most of the controls are rather small and cumbersome. On the plus side I did like the three-inch LCD monitor which produced crystal clear images and was very bright with superb contrast and colour reproduction even in sunny conditions. As is the current trend the IXUS 75 has no optical viewfinder.

Main Features
As you might expect from a camera in the Canon Ixus range, the features are quite extensive. There is a three-position slider switch to select between video mode, scene mode and program auto on the main panel. There are 10 scene programs in scene mode. The video mode offers a satisfactory maximum 640 x 480 resolution at 30fps, with mono audio. As with many such cameras you cannot use the zoom whilst filming. The video format is Motion JPEG and if using maximum quality you should squeeze 8 minutes out of a 1GB card. I do find video capacity on such camera to be a bit of a gimmick and really not necessary.

Batteries
Power is supplied by a lithium ion battery which comes in the box along with the charger. According to the manufacturers you should be able to take around 210 shots in between charges. I found this estimation to be about right.

Memory Card
The camera come supplied with a 32mb SD card. I was able to take about 20 shots before the card was full. The camera is also compatible with SDHC cards.

Performance
Overall the camera performs well. It only takes a second to switch on and the AF system is one of the fastest I've ever used. I managed to get some really good shots in low light situations largely due to the AF assist light. However image quality does start to deteriorate noticeably when you push up the ISO settings. Anything above ISO 400 and you will begin to see image noise. At the top setting of ISO 1600 noise is a major problem and I really wouldn't recommend taking a photo at this setting. I also found the AiAF multi-point focusing system a bit suspect, and at times I found the lens to automatically focus on the wrong object. As such I recommend using the centre-spot focusing. The face detection system worked quite well as long as you focus on faces looking straight towards the camera in well lit conditions.

Conclusion
I found the photographs produced with this camera to be satisfactory rather than outstanding. Although the camera produces excellent colour saturation, images do lack sharpness of detail when blown up. For most people this won't matter and the camera should be good enough for taking your average set of holiday snaps but I always feel that the consumer should expect more from a camera that is clearly marketed as something above the average.

Originally selling for £190 you can now find this camera for around £130. It presently sells at Currys for £129.99.

Summary: An all round average Canon camera.

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