Canon IXUS i7 Zoom Review

The Canon IXUS i7 zoom is a seven megapixel digital camera with a 2.4x optical zoom lens. In this case that basic description only tells a small amount of the story. The IXUS i7 zoom looks completely different to any other digital camera I can think of. Available in four colours (Steel Grey, Denim Blue, Sepia and Sizzling Pink) it has a striking design that really does make it stand out from the rest. It is also small enough to slip into a pocket.

In terms of features this is basically a straightforward, point and shoot camera.

Overall I would say that the quality of the test photos I took with the IXUS i7 zoom does not quite match up to the standard I am used to seeing from Canon. It is not that it is bad. It just not quite match up to their other digital cameras. I believe this is likely to be down to the smaller lens used in this model.

Starting off with the outdoor scenic shots the first one has a pleasant autumn glow to it. I like the colours that show up in the photo even if the brighter, more striking colours I am used to seeing where absent on the day the photo was taken.

The IXUS i7 zoom is capable of focusing well in most situations and the level of sharpness is maintained as you move out towards the edges of the photo. The shorter zoom this camera has means that I cannot get quite so close in as I normally can and this detracts a little from the overall sharpness of the brickwork on the building.

Glare back from the boats is handled well, but darker areas could be lighter. This is especially true in the second outdoor shot where the smaller lens finds it hard to allow enough light into the camera. This is a problem I am used to seeing when the zoom is not being used, but it is more pronounced here than is the norm.

Out of all my test shots this wide angle shot is less sharp than the others and is something to be aware of if you are planning on taking lots of shots where you will not be using the zoom. This type of shot can include groups of people, wide expanses of landscapes and also buildings.

I have no complaints about colours in any of the test shots. The dedicated test for colour shows the IXUS i7 zoom is more than capable of producing the strong colours normally seen from Canon digital cameras.

Both the indoor and outdoor portraits work well in terms of focusing as Canon's special face detection focusing kicks in. The indoor portrait is blighted by quite a severe case of red eye. This photo also shows a slight speckling effect in the hair. This is due to the camera choosing a higher ISO setting to boost lighting levels. The downside is that a small amount of noise creeps into the picture. Natural colouring in the outdoor portrait helps to produce pleasing skin tones. I am confident you should be able to take decent outdoor portraits with this camera.

One shot I had a problem with was the macro shot. The camera should be able to focus from 10cm away from the subject, but I had to place the camera further back to get a sharp shot. This means I had to crop the photo heavily to get it to look like a close up. Focusing levels are still below what I look for in this shot.

My test for higher ISO catches many cameras out. The IXUS i7 zoom has a setting that allows you to shoot at ISO 1600. To be honest at ISO 400 there is more deterioration than I am used to seeing. At ISO 1600 my test shot turned into a minor disaster. I am not sure just how often you would use this setting as higher ISO is usually used in lowlight conditions. Even so the test shot was a disappointment.

I was able to take a single photo in 0.25 seconds and five photos in 9.58 seconds. These are very respectable times.

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

The first point worth noting is that the zoom lens is below the standard length at 2.4x. This will have an impact on the photos you can take. You can boost the zoom up to a maximum of 4.6x if you are prepared to sacrifice some of the megapixels. The focal length is equivalent to 38 - 90mm in 35mm format. Digital zoom up to a maximum of 4x is also available.

In this case a small camera means a small LCD screen. It is just 1.8" in size. The screen is made up of around 118,000 pixels. There is no room for a viewfinder.

Canon have incorporated a special face detection mode into the camera for focusing. This helps the camera to focus on the face for portrait type shots. If you are looking to take close up shots the IXUS i7 zoom is meant to be able to focus from 10cm away from the subject.

The built in flash unit has a maximum range of just 2m. This falls further to 1.3m when the zoom lens is in use. You can boost the flash power by purchasing Canon's external flash unit the High Power Flash HF-DC1. The flash modes are automatic, on and off. You can also turn on or off red eye reduction and slow sync speed.

To help you take the best possible photo there are a series of preset scene modes. These are Portrait, Landscape, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium and Underwater. When you select a scene mode the camera will use what it considers to be the optimum settings. There is also a stitch assist mode to help you stitch together panoramic shots.

Other features available to you include a wide image setting (ideal for playing back photos on a widescreen television), a self timer (delay time of two or ten seconds, plus a custom mode), a histogram and a sound memo (to add up to 60 seconds of commentary to a photo you have already taken).

To add something different to your photos there are a comprehensive set of colour effects you can use. These are: Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green and Vivid Red. You can also create a Custom Colour. Color Accent and Color Swap settings are available too.

There are a series of more advanced settings you are able to control. These are: metering (Evaluative, Centre-weighted average, Spot (centre or linked to Face Detection AF frame)), exposure compensation (+/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments), ISO (AUTO, High ISO Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600) and white balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H and Custom). Continuous shooting is available at a rate of 1.6 frames per second until the memory card is full.

The maximum aperture is in the range f/3.2 - f/5.4. Shutter speeds work in the range 15 - 1/1600 seconds. Although you have no true manual control over either the aperture or shutter speed speeds of over one second are only available if you place the camera in long shutter mode.

You can shoot movies with a maximum duration of one hour or four gigabytes (whichever is reached first). The maximum resolution is 640 x 480 pixels. This type of movie has a top recording speed of thirty frames per second. Digital zoom is available while the movie is being recorded and sound can be captured as well.

A second type of movie is also available. This allows you to record up to one minute of footage. The resolution is 320 x 240 pixels and the speed is set at 60 frames per second. This allows slow motion playback. This type of recording is often used to analyse subjects such as golf swings and tennis serves.

Canon supplies all the necessary cables and software, plus a cradle to connect the IXUS i7 zoom to a computer, television set and a PictBridge compatible printer.

A useful accessory worth mentioning is a waterproof case (AW-DC40). It should be noted the case is only waterproof to a depth of 3m. This is o.k. for the beach and swimming pool, but not for anything deeper.

A remote control is included in the box.

As I have stated in reviews of other Canon digital cameras I find cameras from Canon a bit harder to get to grips with than those from other brands. Part of this is due to a larger number of features and part of it is due to settings being divided into two separate groups for functions and menu options. Therefore you need to understand which settings are placed where before you can feel completely at home with the IXUS i7 zoom.

You can pick up a Canon IXUS i7 zoom for around £175. This compares to around £190 zoom for a Casio Exilim EX-S770, £230 for a Nikon Coolpix S7C and £235 for a Sony DSC T30.

As the IXUS i7 zoom is somewhat unique it is very difficult to price compare it against other cameras or even to say whether or not it offers good value for money. This is because if you like the design and style you are far more likely to think it is worth buying than if you are not so keen. The other cameras I have price compared it against are all seven megapixel pocket sized cameras.

As I mentioned above the style is a key factor for the IXUS i7 zoom. If you like the way it looks and the choice of colours then I would say you would be likely to buy the camera. It is not especially thin, but it does have a very compact shape.

It has dimensions of 96.1 x 45.1 x 23.9 mm and weighs a very lightweight 105g.

Power is supplied through a lithium ion rechargeable battery (NB-4L). Both a charger and a battery are supplied with the camera as standard. Canon estimates 190 shots can be taken before the battery needs to be recharged.

A 16mb SD card is supplied with the IXUS i7 zoom. I was able to take seven photos before the card was full. That is barely enough to test the camera. Therefore I would suggest picking up a high capacity card to go with the camera. The IXUS i7 zoom is also compatible with the new SDHC (High Capacity) cards.

Click here to save money on SD cards.

Style and design
Build quality

Small LCD screen
Very limited flash range

The Canon IXUS i7 zoom is very difficult to judge. In my opinion the picture quality does not match up to that produced by other more standard Canon digital cameras. If you would like a camera looks different to all the rest and will draw admiring glances from others then this is one of the very few digital cameras capable of achieving that.

Canon IXUS i7 zoom Front View

Canon IXUS i7 zoom Back View

Canon IXUS i7 zoom 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 i7 Zoom