» Price: $599 » Available at: Canon authorised dealers
By Alvin Lim
The IXUS 870 IS comes with Digic 4 - Canon's latest image processor - and boasts 10 megapixels of resolution. Like its predecessor, the IXUS 860 IS, it accepts SD memory cards.
Weighing in at 195g with its lithium-ion battery, the 870 IS may seem heavy to some but, really, the camera's weight is nicely balanced for comfortable shooting.
Build quality is excellent. The controls have a solid press to them and are comfortably sized. The metallic finish certainly looks and feels expensive.
The large 3-inch LCD screen is bright and easily read in direct sunlight. This is important as there is no optical viewfinder.
A nifty jog dial lets you switch between the Auto and Program modes on the fly, but may take some getting used to as it is integrated with the four-way directional pad.
Image quality is very good. The built-in zoom lens produces sharp images with accurate colour reproduction. The 28mm wide-angle perspective is very useful when I am shooting in confined spaces, as well as wide landscape shots.
Photos taken above ISO400 start to appear grainy but even at ISO1,600, details in the shots were not severely obscured - a commendable performance indeed.
Video recording is available in the MPEG-4 format. My clips have crisp audio and sharp picture quality. Battery life is very good - I took over 150 photos on a full charge without any drop in the battery indicator.
Final say
Thumbs up for its ease of use, stylish looks and excellent image quality
This article was first published in The Straits Times Digital Life on Dec 3, 2008.
