Overview
The Canon IXUS 200 IS is a 12 megapixel digital camera with a 5x optical zoom lens. The lens has a focal length equivalent to 25 - 120mm in 35mm format. This means it has extreme wide angle capabilities. This is likely to prove attractive if you enjoy photographing wide scenes where you need to squeeze a lot of width into a shot
The IXUS 200 IS will fit easily into most pockets. It has a metal body and is available in shades of silver, purple, light blue and gold.
Other key features include image stabilisation and the ability to shoot 720p High Definition movies. There is also a 3 inch LCD screen. Help text pops up on the screen to give you hints and tips. You can also select a small number of settings via the screen through touch control.
Why Buy the Canon IXUS 200 IS
The IXUS 200 IS is a stylish looking pocket camera. The High Definition movie mode is likely to be attractive to many people.
Main Features
Megapixels:
Zoom:
LCD Screen:
Dimensions:
Weight:
12
5x
3 inches
99.9 x 53.4 x 22.9mm
130g
Macro:
HD Movies:
Manual Controls:
Batteries:
Memory Cards:
5cm
Yes
No
Lithium-ion Rechargeable
SD/SDHC
Image Quality - See Sample Images Below
Outdoor Scenic Shots in Good Light
The camera handles the contrast in this scene well. Very little detail is lost in the lighter areas of the shot. The contrasting blues and greens look good too.
With a 24mm wide lens Canon are really pushing the boundaries with such a small camera. It works for smaller prints, but if you are to blow your print sizes up you may notice a lack of edge to the sharpness and definition of the shot. I could also see what looked like noise near where the sky met the water in larger prints.
Quite simply the test shots I have produced with the IXUS 200 IS are not as pin sharp as I am used to seeing from Canon. There is a haze around some of the boats and the sky starts to break up as you increase the print size.
This is a much better effort. With the lens not pushed to its limits the picture is a good deal sharper and more in line with the standard I am used to seeing from Canon.
Portraits
Moving in closer still the IXUS 200 IS has no problem with this standard portrait shot. The colours have been toned down from some of the scenic shots and take on a more natural look.
Despite sitting the flash unit right next to the lens there is virtually no flash bouncing back into the camera lens. The IXUS 200 IS handles this shot well. The lighting is subtle enough to ensure there is plenty of colour left in the skin tones and sharpness is very good too.
As I would expect some noise occurs in this shot and takes the edge off the definition. The photo is bright enough, but unless you are very near a window on a bright day you are likely to need to use flash to get the best results for this type of picture.
Macro, Colours and Noise
Canon digital cameras normally take excellent close up shots. With the IXUS 200 IS I found it hard to create a photo that quite matched up to the best test shots I had taken previously. You should still be able to take a decent close up snap, but despite a number of attempts the quality of my shots was good rather than outstanding.
The colours produced in my outdoor test shots were very strong indeed. I cannot recall the colour of the sky being quite as dark blue as suggested by my test shots. Still, if you like strong colours this camera is likely to be a good choice.
I found noise in some of my outdoor shots without pushing up the ISO setting. This camera falls in the mid range in terms of quality when you do increase ISO levels. I would suggest only doing this if there is no other way to get a photo.
Summary
Overall I am happy with the picture quality, but I feel this camera does not quite match up to other cameras from Canon in this range.
Style
The IXUS 200 IS looks stylish and has a well made feel to it. It has a reflective lens unit and one end of the camera is rounded.
Shutter Lag Times
Single Shot
Five Shots
Single Shot With Flash
Five Shots With Flash
Turn on Time
0.36 seconds
15.09 seconds
1.19 seconds
18.16 seconds
2.25 seconds
Ease of Use
Although perhaps not as intuitive as some pocket cameras it should not take you too long to find your way around.
Points I Like
Style, build quality, High Definition movies
Where it Could Improve
I found the LCD screen hard to see in sunshine
Product Shots
Front View
Back View
Top View
Sample Menus
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Canon IXUS 220 HS Rating 86/100
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Canon IXUS 115 HS Rating 86/100
The Canon IXUS 115 HS is a classy looking, pocket digital camera. It can shoot Full HD movies and has a high quality 3 inch LCD screen. When it comes to picture quality the IXUS 115 HS outclasses many of its direct competitors.
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Related Pages
Canon IXUS 200 IS Review Canon IXUS 200 IS Specification Canon IXUS 200 IS Sample Images Canon IXUS 200 IS Features Canon IXUS 200 IS vs Sony Cybershot DSC TX1
Review Date
October 2009
