Canon Ixus 870 Is

Admittedly, appearance should be one of the last factors considered by prospective camera buyers but there is no doubt that the Canon 870 is a fairly attractive piece of technical equipment. Also available is the "gold" finished version, which looks almost like a piece of jewellery. Size wise it's about the same as a packet of poker cards and that means it can fit into a handbag or pocket.

The Canon Ixus 870 is more than just a good looking digital camera, it packs serious photographic technology. The lens is the equivalent of a 28 millimetre-112 millimetre, which provides a much wider angle of view than most of its competitors. No longer is Canon's image-stabilisation technology only available in high-end models. Now also a feature of the Canon Ixus 870 IS, his means that with a bit of effort you can produce acceptably sharp images without a tripod down to about 1/25 of a second.

Also available in the Canon 870 is automatic face detection. This works nicely and usually appears able to detect a face even in part-profile. A face self-timer function, although a bit gimmicky waits until you join the group before taking the photo. It has 19 scene modes as well as a handy macro setting and a 30fps VGA movie mode.

Boasting Canon's DIGIC 4 processing technology, the Canon 870 provides less noise at the top end of ISO settings though at 1600 there is still a lot of noise but still not bad for this class of camera.

Also, the Canon 870 features a 28mm wide-angle lens allowing for great photos of picturesque landscapes and delightful group photos. Viewing your favorite photos has never been so good with the awesome 3.0 inch PureColor LCD screen.

It's not a "serious" Canon Digital camera in the usual sense and no one is going to mistake the Canon 870 for one. There is no manual mode and no optical viewfinder for example. But no biggie if all you want are fabulous photos, then this camera won't disappoint.