Canon IXUS IIs

The IXUS IIs is the follow-up to the successful IXUS II - the only difference being the addition of a direct print button. Those familiar with the series will recognise the excellent control system, which follows the pattern of its siblings. A four-way controller navigates the menu system, as well as providing fast access to settings, and four buttons below the 1.5in TFT grant intuitive access to the menus.

For general point-and-click use, the IXUS IIs capably handles everything from focusing and exposure, to flash. In manual mode, ISO values between 50 and 400 are available, with a manual offset of +/-2 EV. The effective AiAF auto-focusing system can also be disabled, although there's no way of setting a manual distance in its place. White balance offers five presets, plus auto and evaluative modes.

Movies, complete with mono sound, are restricted to 30 seconds at 640 x 480, or up to three minutes at lower resolutions, media permitting. You'll want to upgrade from the 16MB SD card supplied, as the IXUS IIs' small dimensions, superb build quality and 185g weight make it a package you'll want to carry with you everywhere. Just be aware that the startup time is about three seconds - not quite quick enough to catch everything.

The biggest compromise is the basic 2x optical zoom, making distance shots less viable. While the 3.2-megapixel resolution equates to a resolution of 2,048 x 1,536, quality will suffer if printing beyond A4.

Image quality was what we'd expect for the price and specification: the flash was a little harsh on interior shots, and detail resolution was lacking in complex scenes. Digital noise was present in most shots. Chromatic aberrations were mercifully lacking though, even on particularly tough subjects.

All in all, this is a perfectly good piece of kit for day-to-day events. You'll get better results from Canon's PowerShot A80, but for its sheer ease of use, portability and value, the IXUS IIs deserves a place on your shortlist.

Author: Ross Burridge