Canon Ixus i5

Like all the cameras in Canon's Digital Ixus range, the i5 is extremely stylish. It's compact enough to slip into the smallest of pockets and the brushed aluminium casing is available in four colours.

The i5 features a 5megapixel CCD sensor to snap images at a resolution of 2,592 x 1,944. Using the best quality option you'll only get around 11 pictures on the supplied 32MB Secure Digital (SD card), but four lower resolution settings are available.

Easy-to-use menus let you choose between five automated shooting modes, optimised for different types of scene or composition, while the macro setting offers close-ups at a minimum distance of 3cm from your subject. A manual mode provides access to white balance, exposure and ISO speed settings.

Just to the right of the bright LCD on the back of the camera is a circular cursor button that gives fast access to flash settings, the self-timer function and the digital zoom. Unfortunately, there's no optical zoom on the i5, which will disappoint if you're looking to move beyond basic point-and-shoot photography.

Image quality was good but, as many of our test shots suffered from red-eye, we'd recommend using the red-eye reduction setting when inside using a flash. Images were otherwise clear and colours were lifelike. By switching to movie mode, you can capture up to three minutes of video footage with audio.

A USB cable is supplied to connect the camera to a PC, but the Ixus i5 is also Pictbridge compliant, so you can connect it straight to a compatible printer, bypassing a PC altogether. The rechargeable lithium-ion cell gives good battery life, but the lack of an optical zoom is likely to disappoint the more seriously minded photographer.

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

Specifications:

• 5megapixels
• 6.5x digital zoom
• 39mm focal length (35mm film equivalent)
• Auto, on, off, slow-sync, red-eye reduction flash modes
• 1.5in LCD
• 32MB SD card
• 100g
• 90.3 x 18.5 x 47mm (w x d x h)
• USB
• Pictbridge compliant

See also:

Nikon Coolpix 4800

Nice pictures, shame about the face  24 Mar 2005

Canon Ixus 30

A compact and versatile camera which proves that paying a bit extra is sometimes worth it  09 Feb 2005

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