Give Me the Moonlight (Canon Digital Ixus 800 IS)

Member Name: Zmugzy

Product:	Canon Digital Ixus 800 IS
Date:	03/10/06 (257 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great pics & great dideo

Disadvantages: AI autofocus is a bit dodgy

For those who are looking for a pocket aim and shoot camera this camera night be right up your street. I really liked the overall design of this camera even though for me this isn’t usually one of the most important things when making a purchase. My Ixus 800 model came in a sleek brushed silver finish or what the manufacturers refer to as “a striking tri-coloured design – 'ice metal' silver and 'moonlight' silver in satin and glossy finishes, complemented by an ebony black gloss surrounding the LCD screen”.

For a compact camera there are many impressive features to behold including a 6 megapixel sensor, 2.5" LCD screen, 4x optical zoom, 16 shooting modes and Canon's DIGIC II processor. There is a nice range of 14 picture modes that include Night snapshot, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Colour Accent, Colour Swap, Digital Macro, Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater, Stitch Assist, Movie.

I really like the large 2.5" LCD screen on the back of the camera which features a wide viewing angle for easy sharing of images. The LCD seems bigger and clearer, and the design further refined than my previous Ixus 65. There is a grid line display that is useful for image composition. It also incorporates a Night Display screen that is useful for viewing images in the dark.

Another feature that I liked on this camera and which was the first time I’d come across it was the Widescreen recording mode (2816 x 1584 recording pixels). This enables you to capture images in 16:9 format. This is handy if you want to view watch your photos on a widescreen television.

There are a powerful movie features on this camera and I found the quality of the video outstanding. You can record 30fps VGA movie clips of up to 1GB. The 60fps QVGA mode is ideal for recording fast action sequences and analysing them in slow motion, while the handy Compact mode records up to three minutes of footage in low resolution.

One major improvement over a previous camera I have used, the IXUS 65, is that this camera incorporates image stabilising. This is a useful feature for those who suffer from shaky hands. I was also quite impressed with the battery life. I took over a 250 photos before it began to run down, although this was without the use of Flash.

I would recommend using the different exposure compensation options such as Cloudy and Sunny etc - they will make a significant difference to your finished images. I would also recommend switching off the AI Auto Focus as I don’t find that it works all that well. There is a tendency for it to select the wrong areas of photo composition to focus on.

Hooking up the camera to you computer in order to upload your pics is an easy procedure. The results of the shots were bright, good colour variation and contrast and, at 6 mega pixels, sharp enough. I would highly recommend for those who want a highly portable camera that takes pretty good shots and nice video.


Feature Summary

6.0 Megapixel
4x optical zoom UA lens with optical Image stabilizer
ISO 800 and IS for reduced effects of camera shake and subject blur
Delightfully compact with avant-garde two tone finish
DIGIC II & iSAPS
2.5"LCD with viewing angle
16 shooting modes
My colours for in-camera photo effects
Widescreen 16:9 mode
Long 30fps VGA movie clips
Pictbridge


In the Box

2 CDs containing software and drivers and Arcsoft software
Wrist strap.
An AV cable.
White mini-USB cable
1100 mAh 3.7v battery
Battery charger.
Small manual and a more detailed second manual.
16MB SD card


Price: You should find this camera at a number of outlets for around £230

Summary: Good all round snapper for the price

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