About me:Hi, I'm Leebee. I'm 22/F and I currently live in Surrey. I moved here from Australia in June 03. I a...
Member since:27.09.2003
Reviews:38
Members who trust:7
Review rated by 7 Ciao members on average: helpful
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I purchased the Canon Ixus v3 in feburary this year. i consider it money well spent. Compared to other "user friendly" digital cameras of a similar price, i would say this is the best of them.
the camera is very small, and not too heavy or light. it fits easily into a handbag or pocket, which i find great - the joy of digital is being able to pull it out and shoot many quick shots. the case is mostly metal, and very sturdy. some components (mainly buttons) are plastic but this is not a problem. the USB cable cover, however, is a flexable type of rubber, and is tethered by only a corner, so i am careful when using it.
the isxs is very easy to use with the pre-set settings. it has manual zoom and digital zoom. although the 6x digital zoom can leave the pics looking a little grainy on the LCD, i find that once uploaded this isnt the case, but it does depend on ambient light etc. it is possible to override the presets but the camera revets to these everytime it is turned off.
the flash is quite good for dark shots, but it does tend to focus on only the foreground to the exclusion of everything else. i usually turn it off as i find the images look better without it. my photos often have redeye, but this is easily correctable with any imaging software and i dont consider it a disadvantage.
the camera takes very clear photos, however, if the camera is moved at all the photo will be blurred. this isnt always evident on the LCD so do be careful. a small tripod is useful (theres a screw-in point at the base) for stanged photos and landscapes.
i cant comment on the bundled software as i dont use it. i use iphoto for mac. similarly for the insturctions, i have never refered to them. the camera is very straightforward.
the ixus comes bundled with a strap, but no case, which i do think is a bit tight of canon. as the camera is quite small, its best to take it with you when you buy a case. i got mine at the airport in NL for about 15Euro. a 16mg compact flash card is also bundled, but this only holds 15 or so photos (using factory settings), which i find useless.
the movie feature is quite good. note that although the advertising says it will record for 3 mins, this is not the case. it will record for however long your CF card is.
the battery is rechargable (why would you bother with a digicam that runs on AA's?), recharges in under an hour, and has a run time of 4 hours. i find this lasts a few outings.
i tested and read reviews for many digital cameras before purchasing the ixus 3, and i think it is money very well spent. the positives far outweigh the negatives for a point-and-click digital camera with extra, *useful* features.
10.10.2003 23:43
This sounds lovely,and a grand first opinion,welcome to ciao,Take care,Pat.