The Canon IXUS 100 IS is a 12 megapixel digital camera with a 3x optical zoom lens. It is slim enough to fit into just about any pocket. It is one of the small number of digital cameras to have a viewfinder as well as an LCD screen. The IXUS 100 IS can capture High Definition movies.

The IXUS 100 IS takes excellent photos, is stylish and has a few extra features thrown in compared to other pocket cameras.

Outdoor 1 (Medium Zoom)
With punchy colours and plenty of brightness in the shot the IXUS 100 IS is off to a good start. I especially like the greens in the foliage. There are no problems with focusing and the camera produces high levels of edge to edge sharpness.

Outdoor 2 (No Zoom)
The IXUS 100 IS does well for such a small lens. Focusing is better than most cameras produce and there is plenty of colour in the shot. When the lens is zoomed all the way out some cameras can produce darker areas showing in the corner of a shot. It is hard to detect this problem to any significant levels in this picture.

Outdoor 3 (Maximum Zoom)
Zooming in makes little difference to the sharpness of the shot. Pointers such as trees and roof tiles suggest this camera is one of the best bets for taking sharp photos with a pocket sized digital camera.

Outdoor 4 (Building)
Taking all of my outdoor photos into account sharpness is some way above average. In this test individual bricks can be seen easily as you increase print size. The other plus point is that there is little taper of focusing as you move towards the edges of the shot.

Outdoor Portrait
The colours in this shot are just how I like them. They have a natural look, plus a touch of warmth. As this picture was taken in the shade I boosted the colour a touch by using the white balance setting of cloudy.

Indoor Portrait with Flash
This is a pleasingly crisp photo. I would like to have seen a touch of extra brightness in the shot. This would have helped to lift the picture.

Indoor Portrait without Flash
Without the flash unit switched on the photo is brighter. There is a small amount of noise in the shot and this takes the edge off the definition. This will become more noticeable if you are planning to create large prints of photos taken when the light starts to dip.

Colours
The combination of colours and brightness is one of the main attractions of this and other Canon digital cameras. I especially like the colours the camera produces for landscapes.

Macro
The macro shot produced by the IXUS 100 IS is bright and sharp. There is not much more you can ask for with such a small camera. The camera can focus from 3cm away from the subject and you will find it harder to get much better results from any ultra compact model.

ISO 400 and ISO 1600
As ever boosting the ISO rating allows you to freeze action or produce photos in lowlight, but with the problem of noise being added to the shot. Even at higher ISOs there is not a great deal of breakdown in colours unless lighting is very poor.

Overall
The picture quality from this camera compares very well indeed with other pocket cameras.

Shutter lag times are roughly as I would expect for this type of digital camera. A single photo took 0.34 seconds, with five taking 11.6 seconds. With flash turned on the times were 1.65 seconds for a single photo and 18.07 for five.

To turn the camera on and take the first shot took 2.58 seconds.

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

This is an attractive looking camera. It is very slim at just 18.4mm wide, so it will slip into more or less any pocket. It is available in black, red, silver and gold.

87 x 54.5 x 18.4mm

115g

Lithium ion (NB-4L). A battery and charger are supplied with the camera by Canon. They estimate you should be able to take around 210 shots in between charges.

The IXUS 100 IS is compatible with SD and SDHC cards. A point worth mentioning is that Canon has not included a memory card with they camera and they have not built in any memory either. Therefore you will need to already have a compatible card or you will need to buy one before using the camera.

Click here to save money on SD cards..

Good. There are a few extra features over and above those found on the most basic point and shoot digital cameras. To make full use of these features will take a little longer to master.

Picture quality, style, build quality, features for a pocket camera, viewfinder

A longer zoom could come in handy

If you are looking for a cheaper, pocket sized digital camera then try taking a look at the Panasonic Lumix FS7. It might not have quite the same look or build quality, but picture quality is very good considering its price.

The Canon IXUS 100 IS is a very good, pocket sized digital camera. It scores highly for picture quality, style and features, but it is expensive. If it is within your budget then it is likely to be hard to beat, but other digital cameras beat it for value for money.

Front View

Back View

Top View

Sample Menu

Description:	12 megapixels and a 3x optical zoom lens
Ease of Use:	8
Features:	8
Colour:	8
Macro:	9
Indoors:	9
Value for Money:	8
Style:	9
Movie Mode:	9
Image Quality:	9
Build Quality:	9
Total:	86
Verdict:	This is a high quality, pocket sized digital camera. It takes very good photos, looks attractive and is well made. You will also find a few extra features including image stabilisation, a viewfinder and High Definition movies.
Review Date:	May 2009
Related Pages:	Canon IXUS 100 IS Specification Canon IXUS 100 IS Sample Images Canon IXUS 100 IS Features
Comparisons:	Canon IXUS 100 IS vs Canon IXUS 110 IS
Comparisons:	Canon IXUS 100 IS vs Sony Cybershot DSC T90

	GBP 142.00
	GBP 164.99
	GBP 167.99
	GBP 179
	GBP 181.2
	GBP 202.1
	GBP 202.17
	GBP 219.68
	GBP 252.63
Click a flag for prices from other countries:

Camera	Rating
Panasonic DMC FX60	86
Canon IXUS 120 IS	86
Sony DSC TX1	86
Canon IXUS 110 IS	86
Canon IXUS 100 IS	86
Panasonic DMC FS62	85
Samsung ST550	85
Nikon Coolpix S570	85

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 100 IS