New Canon Cameras: Ixus 105, 130, 210

Canon launched its range of cameras for the first half of 2010 today.  There weren't many revolutionary changes on the agenda, but plenty of sensible changes amongst the new models.  There are nine in total, but some of the manufacturer's competitors haven't held back from launching twice that many. 
 
Let's start by looking at one new feature that's found across Canon's new entry-level cameras: 'intelligent' automatic flash.  It doesn't just automatically trigger the flash when light levels are low, but adapts to the current situation: if you're shooting outside but in the shade, it knows to still use the flash to pick out details in a darker areas.  We hope that it will also be automatically turned off when the subject is too far away for it to do any good, something that manufacturers still can't manage, even though other equally easy situations are handled without any intervention from the user.

The other new feature is an intelligent playback mode, which promises to suggest similar photos.  It will examine the photo currently on screen and come up with four others on your memory card that are similar.  We'll see what it's like in real life. 

Less essential, but interesting nonetheless, the new collection is SDXC compatible and can recognise Eye-Fi memory cards.  Finally, Canon has decided to stop including 'Digital' and 'IS' in the model names amongst its Ixus range, given that all of its cameras have been both digital and image-stabilised for years now.

Here are the first new members of the family, which will be available in March:

Canon Ixus 105

Canon Ixus 105

This replaces the Ixus 95 IS and doesn't bring that many surprises with it.  The main improvement is the arrival of a wide-angle lens, which seems very close to the Ixus 120 IS' 4x zoom.  The lens seems to have been to have been downgraded to bring down the cost of an entry-level camera, and we're not complaining about that.

It's an otherwise fairly ordinary 12 Megapixel compact that follows in the footsteps of the rest of the Ixus range: a basic body and more lightweight frame than intermediate models, but still classier than the all-plastic PowerShot A range.

The Ixus 105 will go on sale for £189, which seems a little expensive for a camera that only films at a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels.

Canon Ixus 130 MARCHANDS €     Pixmania  93.00  Comet  99.99  Amazon.co.uk  128.00  Viking direct  149.99  Uk digital ...  199.99  John lewis  199.99  Compare prices

Canon Ixus 130

The Ixus 130 is set to replace the Ixus 120 IS, one of our favourites from last autumn, and so we're very much looking forward to it.

Our first impression was that it's even thinner than its predecessor.  It might sound much on paper (there's just 2 mm between the two models) but you can definitely feel the difference in your hand, and the successful new design really brings out the slim form factor.

We were less impressed by the new zoom control, a tiny little slider next to the shutter release button.  Inspired by Sony cameras like the TX1, it's much less comfortable to use than the traditional ring around the shutter release that has been preserved on the other members of the family.

The tech specs haven't budged, with a 28-112 mm zoom and a 14 Megapixel sensor that has been around for a month that we're very keen to try.

The Ixus 130 will cost £279.

At the same time, Canon will also launch an underwater cover, the DC37.  Capable of reaching depths of forty metres, it's as incredibly small as the camera itself and won't have you stretching your fingers.  There's a mechanism that allows it to tell the camera that it's inside the case, meaning it can automatically adjust the white balancing for shooting underwater.  We don't yet know when the DC37 will be launched or how much it will cost.

Canon Ixus 210 Find the best price

Canon Ixus 210

The 210 is an overhaul of Canon's touchscreen camera, the Ixus 200 IS.  After hesitating over a tricky mixture of virtual and physical controls, Canon has followed the rest and got rid of all of the real buttons.  The back of the Ixus 210 is entirely taken up by a 3.5'', 460 000 pixel display.  You can adjust the icons it displays according to your own preferences.

The lens, though, hasn't changed, and it's the same 24-120 mm model that we approved of in its predecessor.  The new 14 Meagpixel sensor is there, but Canon hasn't gone for a back-illuminated CMOS part like some of its competitors.

What remains to be seen is how much influence this decision will have on consumers.  On sale for £349, the Ixus 210 comes between Sony's TX1 and TX7, which offer two very different options (the former doesn't have wide-angle, while the latter has Full HD video and a VGA screen) but share a slim, stylish frame--and that famous Exmor R sensor.


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