Canon Ixus 870 IS in our Product Face-Off

Canon Ixus 870 IS Find the best price

One of the most eagerly-anticipated compact cameras for Christmas 2008 has arrived in our labs.

The Canon Ixus 870 IS, the follow-up to Canon's incredibly popular Ixus 860 IS, is going through our tests right now.

We've already taken out for a spin, though, and we've decided to post our first photos so you can get an idea of what it's like.

In advance of our full test next week, the 870 IS' results in our Product Face-Off have helped us answer a few preliminary questions:

• Do the two extra Megapixels on the 870 IS result in better photos than the 860 IS?

• How does it compare to the Ixus 970 IS and its fourteen Megapixels (tested here)?

• And is it any faster than its predecessor?

• What about compared to the Panasonic FX 37, which we've already tested?

• Has Canon managed to get a grip on noise in its digital photos, or do the Fujifilm F100fd (test) and the Panasonic FX37 (test) still do better?

• How does it stand up to one of today's cameraphones, like the eight Megapixel LG Renoir?

Well, take a look and see what you think  … we'll have a full test next week!