Introduction
I’ve always been a massive fan of the Canon IXUS range. I’ve had 2 models before and have recommended the range to other people. Their design is sturdy and the navigation is quite good and consistent so whenever I jump onto another canon, I know how to use it already. 

Design

The IXUS range has always looked very much the same and the IXUS 200 IS is actually no exception despite the one big difference between this model and all the others from the series. It has a touch screen! Why does this not change the basic design of the IXUS. Because the menu buttons that I’ve come to recognize so much with Canon are still here, to the right of the touch screen. Why are these buttons still here when the device has a touch screen? Let me explain.

Touch Screen!

Like the rest of the Camera, the IXUS 200 IS touch screen is quite tough and Canon has done a good job of protecting the screen with layers. I love the iPhone with its touch screen and so it’s very pleasant to get the same feel from the IXUS.

• I can look over the thumb nailed photos on the screen with a flick of my finger.
• When I’m taking a photo I can also use my finger to touch the area on the screen I want to focus on

Controls

I’m discovering that there are features of the IXUS 200 IS that can be manipulated by both the touch screen and the hard controllers and I’m extremely glad Canon took this step. It’s a short learning curve before you start to realize what can be achieved by the screen and controls and I found my intuition kicking in to use a combination of both to achieve what I wanted with ease. I imagine another user of the camera will have their preferred use of controls also.

Another aspect of the controls that I have a great appreciation for is the jog dial that circles the usual items above the menu button. I love using jog dials to make selections, change exposure etc. Just another tool to make using this camera a pleasure.

Features

• 24 mm wide lens. Capture more!
• 12.1 megapixels. This is good
• 8x optical zoom (do yourself a favor, always ignore digital zoom) and pop that hood, there’s a Digic 4 processor in there. Woooo.
• Full High Definition video on the IXUS is fantastic. It’s a bit unfortunate though that its not bundled with a HDMI cable, but this is no big deal, I’m happy to buy the well priced IXUS and decide myself as to whether I need the extras later.
• I’ve already covered the touch screen but let me just mention again how it adds another element of usability to the IXUS range and the size and clarity of the screen itself is great.
• Image stabilizer

Photo Quality

Probably the most important part of the camera, does it actually take good photos? The answer is yes, of course it does. The IXUS range of cameras has always, in my opinion, taken fantastic photos for the purpose they serve. As a compact, easy to use, portable point and shoot. I’ve never downgraded my point and shoot so I can honestly say that the images from this camera are the best of all my point and shoots.

The lens allows me to take in plenty of scene with its wide angle, definitely something that feels like a bit of a luxury after using smaller lenses.

I have a friend who loves to take photos but doesn’t have very steady hands so it was great for him to be able to take good scenic and macro shots with the camera that came out crisp and un blurred thanks to the image stabilization.

Video Quality

What can I say but, WOW! I haven’t had any camera, let alone a compact, with 720p video. For those that don’t know what this means, we are talking very crisp, crystal clear video. This translates to even fantastic quality on large monitors and LCD / Plasma T.V.s – very impressive quality.
 
Ergonomics

With the touch screen and the menu side by side, ergonomics is one area where this latest IXUS suffers. The back of the camera is now completely filled with buttons AND the touch screen so that leaning any digits on the back of the camera is likely to result in pressing something while you’re trying to take a photo. Not something you should be concentrating on. Because of this, there has been a slight backlash about it not having a thumb rest of some sort.

I also found it a bit awkward to grip on the left hand side without covering the flash, another common complaint.
 
Overall

When I first started using Canon IXUS 200 IS I was a little bit iffy about the touch screen. I was actually a little concerned that it would lose the functionality and ease of use I’d come to love from Canons menus and navigation. On the contrary, the touch screen has just added to it’s usability with more flexibility and options for use.

The biggest complaint I would give are its ergonomics. I can get use to it, but it would be nicer if I didn’t have to get used to the build and could just use it like a glove, rather then adapting to its shape in order to not press buttons accidently or cover the flash.

This little point and shoot that shares the same sturdy body as its predecessors packs quite the punch with HD video recording (make sure you have a large SD Card to take advantage of that) and a 24mm wide lens that takes fantastic shots.

I was expecting a camera that would be a nice continuation of the IXUS Canon line but I really feel like I have myself a new camera to be excited about seeing the results it can achieve. I picked mine up for almost $200 off the recommended retail

My rating: 8.0/10
Price: $600 RRP

Related posts:

1. The Apple iPad Review
2. Iphone Apps Review: Sleep Cycle
3. Iphone Apps - Shazaam - FREE!
4. Amazon Kindle - Review
5. Iphone Apps Review: RadioTime radio tuner

Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.