Verdict:
We first reviewed the Ixus II four months ago, when it won our Top 50 Best Buy award. Since then it has seen off all comers to hang on to its prize. This time, the competition is a little more tough.
The Digital Ixus II might be tiny, but don't underestimate it. This is more than a simple point-and-click camera - and there's certainly nothing wrong with its image quality. The colours are bright but not saturated, and the slow sync flash mode makes sure that night shots don't look flat and washed out. The only thing that might stand in the way of more creative shots is the camera's limited 2x zooming range.
If you're
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in a hurry, you can use this camera's auto-everything mode, which makes all hard choices about settings for you.
If you feel a bit more adventurous, then the manual mode allows you to change the white balance, EV compensation and ISO settings. There's also a movie mode for taking short video clips.
The Ixus II is solidly built. Its casing is made from tough metal, and should survive a few knocks and bumps - which is ideal for a camera that you'll be carrying everywhere with you.
Almost all of the most important settings in this camera are accessible through a single menu, so they're easy to get to in a rush. There's nothing worse than a shot turning out badly because you didn't have time to fiddle with menus and submenus in order to set the camera up.
The Digital Ixus is still a superb little camera, but £265 is a great deal of money to fork out for a 3-megapixel camera - particularly one that only has a 2x optical zoom. Newer challengers have come along to snatch its crown.
By Rod Lawton
SPECIFICATIONS:
3.2-megapixel camera with an optical resolution of 2,048x1,536, 1.5in preview screen (118,000 pixels) 2x optical zoom, 3,2x digital zoom, ZOOM 16MB SD memory card storing 8 pictures at maximum quality, panorama mode, battery charger. Takes lithium (rechargeable) battery.
