Now u-rate-it is officially dead and buried, I'm thinking of posting my reviews from there over here...
Now u-rate-it is officially dead and buried, I'm thinking of posting my reviews from there over here. Anyone interested?
Member since:16.06.2001
Reviews:71
Members who trust:166
The days when you needed a darkroom and trays of hazardous chemicals to experience the joys of developing your own photographs are now gone. Don't get me wrong, people will continue to perform the develop-stop-fix-stop cycle and thoroughly enjoy it, just as there will always be those that prefer their music to come from scratching a rotating vinyl disc. But with the advent of high-resolution, affordable digital cameras such as Canon's Digital Ixus, anyone can make their pictures look like a pro's.
The most important feature of this, or indeed any, digital camera is its built-in full-colour screen that allows two things; firstly, the ability to frame the shot correctly, and secondly, the chance to review and discard those pics that, were they taken with a traditional camera, would be describing a short arc to the nearest bin the minute they came back from the developer’s. I can make use of the 2x optical zoom (i.e. using lenses so no loss of resolution) and the 8x digital zoom and see on-screen the exact shot that I want. In fact, since I went digital, the "shutter" button gets much more use as I am no longer worried about wasting - or saving - film. The outcome of this is that I get more good pictures than
in my SLR days.
The pictures you take are stored on a Compact Flash memory card. The number of “exposures” depends on two things: the amount of memory on the card, and the size of resolution that you use. Canon supply you with an 8Mb card, and at the “Fine/Large” resolution that I use, this gives you an average of twelve exposures. Now I say “average” because there is actually a third factor which doesn’t have much input on smaller cards, and that is the kind of shot you take. Since the photograph is digital, that allows compression techniques to be used in storing the file in order to take less space. So if you’re doing a study of a black cat in a coalmine at midnight without lighting, you’ll get more pictures on the card than if you’re taking shots of a collection from Nelson Mandela’s wardrobe. You’ll tend to notice this variable more when you buy larger cards, which you will need when you are away from your computer or need to take more than twelve shots in a day. I have a 32Mb card that cost about £60, and a 64Mb card that cost about £50. Pardon? Yes, you read that right – the difference is explained by the time between purchases. I got the camera about a year ago and bought the 32Mb card (which holds around 52 exposures) soon after; I bought the 64Mb card (105 exposures) about three months ago. They were even from the same place on the net, jungle.com; the larger card now sells for £40 and you can get the smaller one for £25.
By the way, the “Fine/Large” resolution gives me ample detail to print out a 12” x 10” (30cm x 25cm) portrait without anyone being able to tell the difference between it and a traditional print. The camera does offer a “Super Fine/Large” resolution and a “Fine/Small” if your needs are different. The former of these offered qualities is still 1600x1200 pixels, but uses less compression, thus reducing the possibility that a colour might become one shade lighter at “shutter time”; the latter uses full compression but only resolves to 640x480 pixels. Approximate file sizes given by Canon are 1,458Kb, 580Kb and 153Kb respectively, so you can see for yourself the trade-off between accuracy and space.
Although you don’t need power to retain the contents of a memory card, you will obviously need it to take new pictures, review existing ones and so on, all of which is accessed through a simple menu system. The Canon Digital Ixus runs on a supplied rechargeable custom battery (the charger for which is also provided) and will easily provide you with a day trip’s worth of energy. A full charge from flat takes about two hours, but you don’t need to exhaust the pack – just plug in and wait for the flashing red LED to stay constant. You can of course prolong battery life if you’re worried that it’s running low by turning off the screen when shooting and/or not reviewing the results. One of only two niggles I have with the camera is that it does not warn you of low power until it is about to completely give up the ghost.
Which leads me nicely to my other niggle – the flash is a devil for inducing red-eye, even on its red-eye reduction setting. Fortunately, this photographic gremlin can be cleaned up with the software included with the camera. Adobe’s PhotoDeluxe (Home Edition) also allows you to perform all sorts of other wonderful hocus-pocus with your images and in short make the best of them; I made up a year-at-a-glance calendar from a photo I took of my children as a novel thank-you letter reverse for last Christmas – which I see stuck to fridge doors everywhere we go! There’s also Canon’s own PhotoStitch application, which allows you to easily join one or more photos together. Together with a helpful function on the camera itself, this makes recording a panorama a doddle; I have the most wonderful 180-degree view from San Francisco’s Twin Peak put together from ten separate overlapping shots that really brings back the memories of my visit earlier this year. Canon also provide their own-branded photo album and print management software, as well as the necessary drivers and cable to hook-up the camera through your computer’s USB port and download the contents of the memory card. In order to connect in this way though, you’ll need to have an original install of Windows 98 or later, or an Apple Macintosh with a PowerPC CPU running Mac OS 7.5.3 or higher. If you’re still on Windows 95, or don’t have a USB port, don’t panic, you can still read the contents of the memory card in other ways. When I first got the camera, I was running Windows 95 but didn’t have a photo-quality printer. So I put the two requirements together and purchased an HP PhotoSmart 1000, which has a built-in Compact Flash card reader. At the time, it cost £219 but you could now get one for £172. But do be careful – if you’re still on Windows 95, the chances are that your processing power is not really up to the job of digital photography. My old PC was a Pentium MMX running at 233MHz and the software ran about as fast as a twenty-year old three-legged dog with a limp.
So how much does all this cost? Well, a year ago, £450 – and that was tax-free. Now, you can buy this sexy little box of tricks from Nomatica for £370. Go digital – you won’t regret it.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Ultra-compact dimensions, fun automatic tools, good performance for the asking price (-) Cluttered menu layout, camera buttons are scarce, specs are almost identical to the Samsung ES15
looking into this at the moment to get us over our "haven't finished the film yet" problems!
rayliu 14.11.2001 17:02
Thanks for the advice, Im on the lookout for a digital camera and I was considering the Ixus myself and your review has given me some insight into it. Still think digital cameras are well expensive though!
helencbradshaw 02.11.2001 15:42
fantastic op, on this camera. I am still on the old fashioned APS version of the same camera. But I
cant see me upgrading for a little while.
Canon Camera Ixus 110iS SilverCanon Ixus 110 IS 12.1 MP digital camera Features 4.0x wide ... more
zoom and optical IS, 2.8 inch LCD, smart auto mode and scene detection technology, DIGIC 4, motion detection technology, face detection technology, HDMI output and widescreen HD movies Silver.
Postage & Packaging:£1.99 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
Canon Camera Ixus 110iS SilverCanon Ixus 110 IS 12.1 MP digital camera Features 4.0x wide ... more
zoom and optical IS, 2.8 inch LCD, smart auto mode and scene detection technology, DIGIC 4, motion detection technology, face detection technology, HDMI output and widescreen HD movies Silver.
Postage & Packaging:£1.99 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
The VikuitiTM Mobile Privacy Film completely protects your mobile phone display from ... more
sidelong glances. Your privacy is protected thanks to the uniquely 3M micro-louvre technology. Whether on the train or in a cafe: You may be writing business emails or reading private SMS messages - the people sitting close by will only see a black screen! Now you can safely utilise extended travel times or waiting periods for getting your work done on your mobile phone or PDA - without having to look over your shoulder.You decide, who gets to see what!Characteristics:Prevents sidelong glances onto your mobile phone or PDA displayClear view from the frontPrivacy protection starts at a 30° angleNo more uninvited views of your business emails, private SMS messages or imagesProtects your mobile phone display from finger print smudges and scratchesEasy application&removalUltra-thin, yet highly robustThe Privacy Film is easily removed and leaves no sticky residueSuitable also for mobile phones with touch displayOne package contains:1 Vikuiti Mobile Privacy Film. For devices with multiple displays, the package contains one film for each display.Service:- Free shipping- Delivery within 1-2 business days- 30-day return policyProcessing:- Cut to fit the specific display perfectly- Contour-precise shapes- Instructions included
Postage & Packaging:Free! Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
Battery for Canon Digital Ixus i zoom (Li-Ion)match (compatible) for follow types:Canon ... more
Digital Ixus i zoomProductdetails:CE - tested virginLi-Ion - Lithium Ion battery 3,7 Vwith overcharging and overheating protectioneasy to use, 100% accurately fittingno memory effect (anytime load, without damaging the battery)brand-new premium brand cells equippedsuper long lifecorresponds to highest safety standardsyour previous charger, you can use to continue naturallyreplaces: NB-4L1A foreign manufacturers qualityContent of one package:Battery for Canon Digital Ixus i zoom (Li-Ion)
Postage & Packaging:£3.95 Availability:Usually dispatched within 4-5 business days...
Battery for Canon Digital Ixus i7 (Li-Ion)match (compatible) for follow types:Canon ... more
Digital Ixus i7Productdetails:CE - tested virginLi-Ion - Lithium Ion battery 3,7 Vwith overcharging and overheating protectioneasy to use, 100% accurately fittingno memory effect (anytime load, without damaging the battery)brand-new premium brand cells equippedsuper long lifecorresponds to highest safety standardsyour previous charger, you can use to continue naturallyreplaces: NB-4L1A foreign manufacturers qualityContent of one package:Battery for Canon Digital Ixus i7 (Li-Ion)
Postage & Packaging:£3.95 Availability:Usually dispatched within 4-5 business days...
Oct 14th, 2001
very helpful by (100%):
