Canon Ixus 30

Over the past few years, digital cameras have become increasingly compact and portable, while the number of features they offer has continued to grow. The Ixus 30 from Canon is no exception. It weighs just 115g and is about the same size as a pack of playing cards, yet still squeezes 3.2-megapixels of snapping power into its compact, brushed aluminium body, with a 3x optical zoom.

A 2in LCD screen sits at the back of the unit, displaying images clearly and responding well to movement. Above this is an optical viewfinder, and to the right are buttons giving quick access to various camera settings.

The Menu button takes you into the camera settings menu, while the Function/Set button in the middle of the circular cursor key lets you change image dimension and quality settings, and switch between different automated shooting modes.

Modes include settings optimised for shooting portraits, night scenes, subjects that are likely to move mid-shot, indoor snaps and underwater shots. This last mode reduces bluish tones and is ideal if you're going to buy the All Weather case, (£99 inc VAT), which lets you use the Ixus underwater.

Some photographers may want to experiment with the manual settings and light-metering feature. The zoom control on top of the unit gives smooth movement and, using the macro mode, we took images at just 3cm from our subject.

Overall image quality was impressive: outlines were crisp right into the corners of photos, and colours and tricky textures such as transparent surfaces were well reproduced.

There are cheaper 3-megapixel cameras on the market, but few that will match this in terms of image quality. The Ixus 30 is available exclusively from Jessops.

Contact:
Canon 08705 143 723
www.canon.co.uk

Jessops
www.jessops.com

Specifications:

• 3.2-megapixel resolution
• 3x optical, 3.2x digital zoom
• 35-105mm focal length (35mm film equivalent)
• On, off, auto, red-eye reduction, slow sync flash modes
• 2in LCD screen
• 16MB SD memory card
• 115g
• 86 x 53 x 21mm (w x d x h)
• USB interface

See also:

Canon PowerShot A85

A moderately priced four-megapixel digital camera that's perfect for beginners  05 Nov 2004

Fujifilm Finepix A340

4megapixel camera for the novice snapper.  30 Sep 2004

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