Canon Ixus 870

Admittedly, appearance should be one of the last factors considered by prospective camera buyers but there is no doubt that the Canon 870 is a fairly attractive piece of technical equipment. Also available is the "gold" finished version, which looks almost like a piece of jewellery. In terms of size, it's about the same as a pack of playing cards, which means it fits easily into a pocket or handbag.

The Canon Ixus 870 is more than just a good looking digital camera, it packs serious photographic technology. The lens is the equivalent of a 28 millimetre-112 millimetre, which provides a much wider angle of view than most of its competitors. Previously only available on high-end models is Canon's image-stabilization technology. It's been incorporated into the Canon 870 and that means that sharp images can be produced without a tripod down to approximately 1/25 of a second.

Automatic face detection is also an added feature of the Canon Ixus 870 IS. This works well and also is able to detect faces in partial profile. A face self-timer function, although a bit gimmicky waits until you join the group before taking the photo. Nineteen scene modes have been added, including a 30fps VGA movie mode and a nifty macro setting.

The Canon Ixus 870 IS boasts Canon's DIGIC 4 processing technology that promises less noise at higher ISO settings but still there is much noise at 1600 ISO which is not-bad considering the class of camera.

Featuring an 28mm wide-angel lens, the Canon Ixus 870 IS takes great photos of beautiful landscapes and great group shots. Viewing your favorite photos has never been so good with the awesome 3.0 inch PureColor LCD screen.

It's not a "serious" Canon Digital camera in the usual sense and no one is going to mistake the Canon 870 for one. For example, you won't find an optical viewfinder or manual mode. If that's not a big deal to you then you can expect to be rewarded by some fabulous photographs from this little beauty.