Canon IXUS 65 Review

The Canon IXUS 65 is a pocket sized digital camera. It has six megapixels and a three times optical zoom lens. It is well made with a good build quality. In terms of features it is basically a point and shoot digital camera. Therefore the IXUS 65 is likely to appeal to anyone who is looking for a good quality, straightforward camera.

In terms of features and style it is very similar indeed to the Canon IXUS 60. The main difference between the two models is that this camera has a larger three inch LCD screen, but does not have a viewfinder.

When it comes to image quality Canon consistently produce excellent digital cameras. One of the key features of each camera is the sharpness of each image. The IXUS 65 upholds this reputation.

Looking through the test photos starting with the outdoor scenic type shots for a pocket sized camera the photos are very well focused. The brickwork on the building and the tiles on the roof are sharper than with the majority of ultra compact models. The camera also manages to retain a good level of focus towards the edges of each shot.

Taking a further look at the outdoor images the IXUS 65 also produces strong colours and I am also impressed by the level of detail the camera manages to capture. This is especially true in very light areas of the photos.

Not surprisingly the dedicated test for colours works well. Canon digital cameras on the whole tend to produce strong colours and again the IXUS 65 manages to continue this trend. Vivid colours bode well for just about all types of photograph and this helps to bring the pictures taken with this camera to life.

Both of the portrait shots are good. With the outdoor shot I felt the camera managed to get the exposure just about right. The picture was taken on an overcast day and I used the cloudy white balance setting to add a warmer feel to the colours. The indoor shot is sharp too. This is also another example of the camera being able to bring out a good level of detail. There is a drawback though. As with many other cameras in the Canon IXUS range the IXUS 65 produced a greater amount of red eye than the majority of similar digital cameras.

The other lowlight shot is of some beer bottles. This is taken in more or less complete darkness. Considering the conditions the camera makes a very good attempt at both lighting the shot and focusing.

For close up photography the camera again managed a sharply focused close up shot. Whilst I would not go as far as recommending this camera specifically for macro photography you should be able to take decent close up shots when needed.

As with just about all other digital cameras there is a decrease in picture quality when the ISO level is pushed up to 400 and beyond. To be honest the camera makes a fair attempt at this, but there is a bit of a grey caste to my test shot.

It took me 0.37 seconds to take a single photo. Although not excessive I would like to have seen a faster time. To take five photos took 7.72 seconds. This is slightly faster than average.

You can compare this camera to other models by taking a look at the Shutter Lag Comparison Table.

The three times optical zoom lens has a focal length equivalent to 35 - 105mm in 35mm format. The lens has a maximum aperture of f/2.8 (wide angle) and f/4.9 (telephoto).There is also a four times digital zoom feature. For close up photography the IXUS 65 can focus from 3cm away from the subject.

For composing photos there is a very large three inch LCD screen. The downside of this is there is not room for a viewfinder. You can adjust the brightness levels of the screen. I would describe the readability of the screen as average in sunny conditions. The screen is made up of around 173,000 pixels.

The built in flash unit has a maximum range of 3.5m. This falls to around 2m when the zoom lens is in use. The flash modes available are automatic, on, off, slow sync speed and red eye reduction. To increase the power of the flash unit an external flash pack is available. This is the HF-DC1.

To help you take better photos there are a number of preset scene modes. By selecting a scene mode the camera knows the type of picture you are about to take and uses a combination of settings it believes will produce the best picture. The modes available are Portrait, Night Snapshot, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Underwater, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Color Accent and Color Swap. Stitch Assist is also available to help with panoramic type shots.

To add different effects to photos a wide range of colour modes are on offer. These are Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green and Vivid Red. There is also a Custom Color setting.

For when you would like to appear in the picture there is a self timer. This can be set to a delay of either two or ten seconds. There is also a custom setting. This allows you to set a delay time of up to thirty seconds. At the end of the delay time you can specify up to ten photos to be taken. A histogram is available to help you to check exposure levels. Once a photo has been taken you can add up to one minute of voice memo to it.

As well as the standard 4:3 aspect ratio there is also a 16:9 ratio. This is ideal for viewing images on a widescreen television. There is no 3:2 ratio available. These are ideal for 6x4" prints.

Among the more advanced features are three types of metering (Evaluative, Centre-weighted average, Spot), exposure compensation (+/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments), ISO sensitivity (Auto, High ISO Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800) and white balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom).

Shutter speeds range between 15 and 1/1500 seconds. These are controlled automatically by the camera. There is also a continuous shooting mode. This allows you to shoot at a maximum speed of 2.1 frames per second until the memory card is full.

You can shoot TV quality movies with the IXUS 65. The maximum resolution is 640 x 480 and a movie can be recorded at up to thirty frames per second when shooting at the maximum resolution. A standard movie can take up 1gb of space. Sound can be recorded and digital zoom is available too.

There is a second type of video that can be recorded. These are short bursts of up to one minute. The maximum resolution is 320 x 240 and the top frames per second speed is 60. The frames per second speed is important as this fast speed allows the video to be played back in slow motion. This helps you to analyse movement such as golf swings.

Canon supplies all the necessary cables and software to connect the IXUS 65 to a television set, computer and PictBridge compatible printer.

If you are considering using your camera underwater you will be pleased to know a waterproof case (WP-DC3) is available. This protects the camera to a maximum depth of 40m. Waterproof weights are available too (WW-DC1).

As a rule I don't class Canon digital cameras as being amongst the easiest to use. Part of the reason for this is they tend to come with a few more features than many of their counterparts. On top of this the options are stored in two different areas. These are the function settings and the menu. Once you have worked out in which grouping the options lie the camera does become more straightforward.

On the IXUS 65 buttons are kept to a minimum. This does make it easier to get up and running. Zoom is controlled by a ring on the top of the camera. This is also where you will find a slider to select the camera mode (shoot a movie, take a still image or review a photo). Flash, self timer, macro, changing ISO and deleting images are controlled through buttons on the back of the camera.

You can pick up a Canon IXUS 65 for around £230. This compares to around £215 for a Sony DSC T9, £155 for a Casio Exilim EX-Z600 and £205 for a Nikon Coolpix S5.

As you can see the IXUS 65 is one of the more expensive six megapixel, pocket sized cameras. In fairness in terms of picture quality this is one of the better models you can buy. The large three inch LCD screen is another feature people may be prepared to pay a premium for.

The IXUS 65 is a very stylish model. I also feel the build quality is above average too. Rounded edges and an attractive design around the lens stop the camera from looking like a typical model. Dimensions of 90.3 x 56.8 x 20.2 mm mean the camera should have no problem slipping into a pocket. The camera weighs 145g.

As with other digital cameras with such a large screen there is a price to pay. In this case the control buttons are placed on the right hand side of the camera. They are in more or less exactly the place you would like to rest your thumb when taking a picture. This means that you either end up changing a key setting as you are about to take a photo or it is difficult to hold the camera rock steady.

A rechargeable lithium ion battery (NB-4L) is used to supply power to the camera. Both a battery and charger are supplied as standard. Canon estimates you should be able to take around 160 photos before the battery needs to be recharged.

Images are stored on SD cards. Canon supplies a 16mb card with the IXUS 65. I was only able to take eight photos before the card was full. Therefore you are likely to need a high capacity card to go with the camera.

Click here to save money on SD cards.

Picture quality
Style
Build quality
Very large LCD screen

Small SD card supplied with camera

As with all Canon modes the IXUS 65 does not come cheap. What you get for your money though is a very high quality camera. Picture quality and build quality both match the best in terms of pocket sized digital cameras.

Canon IXUS 65 Front View

Canon IXUS 65 Back View

Canon IXUS 65 Top View

Sample Menus

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Canon IXUS 65