Canon Digital IXUS 300

With the increasing number of professional and prosumer digital cameras appearing from big names like Nikon, Olympus and Canon, it seems like high-end users are warming to digital photography. However, for those who just want a simple picture-taking device, these cameras can be quite involved, despite the added simplicity of digital technology. Enter Canon's new Digital IXUS 300, a simple and compact 2.11 megapixel camera that provides point-and-shoot simplicity without skimping on quality.

In terms of specifications, the IXUS 300 is impressive considering its size, featuring a 2.11 megapixel CCD and a 2.5x optical zoom lens, equivalent to 35-105mm on a 35mm camera. This is a slight improvement over the preceding digital IXUS (see Labs, issue 75, p92), which featured a 2x optical zoom lens. There's also the option of a digital zoom up to a maximum total of 7.5x. Images can be viewed using the optical viewfinder or a 1.5in LCD screen, which is bright and detailed, although it can be difficult to see in sunny conditions.

For the new model, Canon has mainly made internal changes, bringing it more up to date by adding manual white balance control, an extra level of compression and video-capture functionality. However, the controls layout has also been modified to make it more intuitive.

The IXUS 300 is intended for people who want quality photos with the minimum of effort, and in this respect it certainly delivers. Using the automatic mode and shooting at the default Fine setting of 1,600 x 1,200, the IXUS 300 impressed in bright outdoor conditions, with sharp, detailed images although colours were slightly under-saturated.

The IXUS 300 also handles darker conditions well, despite a fixed 100 ISO rating, which rises to 150 automatically in low light levels. With the help of the integrated flash and AF (auto-focus) assist lamp, indoor shots and outdoor shots at night were well exposed, although some images did have an unnatural hue, probably due to various types of artificial lighting.

However, this can be minimised by opting to shoot using the limited manual mode. This allows you to set exposure compensation +/- 2EV and change the white balance for different lighting conditions - a feature that actually works very well. You also get a Red Eye Reduction function and a Slow Syncro mode. As this is a point-and-shoot type camera, though, both shutter speed (which ranges from one second up to 1/1,500 second) and aperture settings are automatically controlled.

The camera is supplied with an 8Mb CompactFlash card and proprietary rechargeable lithium ion battery, which lasted for around 50 shots, including time taken to view images using the LCD. It's worth investing in a larger memory card, though, as 8Mb is quickly consumed when shooting at 1,600 x 1,200. That said, the IXUS 300 doesn't produce large JPEG files and there's no support for uncompressed capture either.

The Canon Digital IXUS 300 is an excellent digital camera for those looking for style and simplicity of control, but with first-rate image quality. It's not cheap though, and Casio's superb 3.34 megapixel QV-3500EX (reviewed issue 81, p165) is similarly priced. But if you want a stylish, high-quality pocket-sized digital camera, the IXUS 300 won't disappoint.

Author: Gareth Ogden