Canon Digital IXUS Review, Phil Askey, May 2000
(AKA. Powershot S100 Digital Elph / Ixy Digital)


Review based on a Production Model Canon Digital IXUS

Open your wallet, take out a credit card.. No, I'm not going to ask you to order one just yet, that credit card is the same size as the front of the Digital IXUS. Small? You bet. This is truly the smallest digicam I've ever reviewed and weighs in as the smallest 2.1mp digital camera on the market.

But is small good? Well, it's eminently pocketable yet with a steel case, flat front and automatic lens cover you'll not worry too much about how you handle it. What does this mean? It means you're more likely to take the camera out with you and get "that shot".

One slight confusion has been the naming convention, put simply this camera is called the PowerShot S100 Digital Elph in the USA & Canada, the Digital IXUS in Europe / SE Asia and Ixy Digital in Japan. For simplicity in this review I'll refer to it as the Digital IXUS (as I'm based in the UK).


The Pocket-Powershot Family


A5
0.8 megapixels
Fixed lens		 A5 Zoom
0.8 megapixels
28 - 70mm lens		 A50
1.2 megapixels
28 - 70mm lens
 S10
1.92 megapixels
35 - 70mm lens		 S20
3.14 megapixels
35 - 70 mm lens		 Dig IXUS / S100
1.92 megapixels
35 - 70mm lens

Canon have used an almost identically designed and sized case since the A5 , A5 zoom, A50, S10 and S20 (all pictured above). The break with that design has now come with the Digital IXUS as Canon begin to merge the distinction between traditional photography products and digital products.

 Canon IXUS II, APS camera  Canon Digital IXUS, Digital camera

Here you can see from where the Digital IXUS gets its design points, with the same stainless steel exterior, very similar design points and some "borrowed items" (spot the zoom control and flash unit). Canon are making a strong statement with this camera, and it's all about where it sees the digital market in a few years time, see this as one of the first steps. This, and the EOS-D30.


If you're new to digital photography you may wish to read the Digital Photography Glossary before diving into this review (it may help you understand some of the terms used).

Photographs of the camera were taken with a Nikon Coolpix 990, images which can be viewed at a larger size have a small magnifying glass icon in the bottom right corner of the image, clicking on the image will display a larger (normally 1024 x 768 or smaller if cropped) image in a new window.

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This review is Copyright 2000 Phil Askey and the review in part or in whole may NOT be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the author. For information on reproducing any part of this review (or any images) please contact: Phil Askey.

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