Canon Ixus 850 IS - Expert Reviews

Award: Recommended!

Pros: Good resolution, good color, Useful and fairly rare 28-105mm zoom range, Clean, detailed results at lower ISO settings, Reliable exposure system, Fast and accurate focus, Very responsive, Excellent user interface, easy to use, Face detection AF/AE (it wor

Cons: AiAF focus a bit unpredictable - turn it off, Very little manual control, ISO 200 and 400 suffer from the effect of noise reduction and loss of low contrast detail, ISO 800 and 1600 of limited use, Finish very susceptible to marks and scratches, Still no

Verdict: The SD 700 IS was perhaps my favorite point and shoot camera of last year, ticking all the right boxes (small, stylish, reliable, good output, easy to use) and showing that, for all the grumbling about Canon's dominance of this market, when they get thing

Review summary: The current crop of models in Canon's Ixus range may look very similar, but they aren't all created equal. Take the 850 IS, for example... it has all the good looks of its stable mates but comes with a 7-megapixel sensor and a generously wide angle lens

Pros: Excellent colour performance, Great wide-angle lens, Attractive looks

Cons: Image noise at higher ISOs

Verdict: A victory for substance over style. Many people may buy the 850 IS because it looks fantastic, but they'll get great images too

Review summary: Looks-wise, the 850 IS is up to Canon's usual high standards

Pros: Excellent colour performance, Great wide-angle lens, Attractive looks

Cons: Image noise at higher ISOs

Pros: Nice colour in shots, great design, fast

Cons: High chromatic aberration, some sharpness issues, noisy at high ISOs

Verdict: The IXUS 850 IS is a very speedy camera that sports a stylish design and offers good colour representation. Image quality problems including chromatic aberation and noise at higher ISO levels do however impact on it's performance.