BIOS: Technology Means Business

The first thing that strikes you about the Digital IXUS i zoom (PowerShot SD30 Digital ELPH in the US) is its diminutive size (96x24x45mm, 105g). Building on Canon’s Digital IXUS family, the Digital IXUS i zoom adds a 2.4x optical zoom and embraces the perpetual curve design of its big brother, the Digital IXUS 750. However, don’t be fooled - the new model isn’t a patch on the excellent IXUS 750 in terms of features or performance. Its styling is also a little feminine, which is sure to put off male shutterbugs. Should you not be deterred, you’ll be pleased to know that it's available in a range of colours: Jet (Black), Sahara (Gold), Cranberry (Red) and Ultra-violet.

The compact Digital IXUS i zoom (Best Current Price: £203/$339) comes with a 5-Megapixel CCD (up to 2592x1944 pixels) and Canon’s DIGIC II processing for decent image quality. You also get a USB 2.0 Hi-Speed interface for fast transfer speeds, and the supplied Camera Station allows for easy connectivity to your computer, printer and television (there’s a built-in A/V port and bundled cable). The Camera Station also charges the camera when docked (power adapter supplied).

A first for a Digital IXUS i camera, the Digital IXUS i zoom now features a 2.4x (f/3.2 to f/5.4) optical zoom, with a high contrast Ultra High Refractive Index Aspherical lens for sharp results. When combined with digital zoom, the Digital IXUS i zoom delivers 10x magnification, although picture quality suffers severely compared to the optical zoom. Thankfully, the new focusing system is both faster and more power efficient, making the auto focus more responsive and helping to extend the number of shots possible before charging the battery.

The 1.8-inch (118,000 pixels) colour LCD monitor on the rear of the camera is useful for framing and viewing shots, and improvements in the user interface include larger animated icons and the addition of a world time zone display. The menu can also be displayed in 22 different languages. The camera is a snap to use thanks to the intuitive menu system and the minimal amount of buttons means you shouldn’t get bogged down with options and settings. There’s even a dedicated button to print directly to a PictBridge-compatible printer.

Should you want to take more control of your shots, the Digital IXUS i zoom features 9-point AiAF (1-point AF, fixed centre) to keep even off-centre subjects sharply in focus. There’s also a 10cm macro mode. With 16 different shooting modes, the camera’s settings are optimised for a wide range of situations. A selection can be made from Auto, Manual, Macro, Portrait, Landscape and Night Snapshot modes, or from the Scene Modes which now include an underwater setting, allowing you to take advantage of the optional All Weather Case (waterproof to 3 metres). ISO modes available include AUTO, 50, 100, 200, 400.

And with the addition of My Colours, you can become more creative with your digital photography. Special effects such as Vivid, Neutral, Low Sharpening, Sepia, Black & White and My Colors (9 settings) can be performed in camera while shooting both stills and movies. Typically, this level of image enhancement was only possible after downloading to a computer and using specialised software. White balance modes include Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H and Custom.

For fast and convenient charging, printing, downloading and connection to televisions and home cinema systems, the Digital IXUS i zoom comes complete with a Camera Station (CS-DC1). The station acts as a dock, or cradle, for the camera, ensuring quick and easy connectivity without having to attach and reattach multiple cables. The supplied wireless controller allows the docked camera’s playback to be operated remotely. This allows the new slideshow and playback features on the Digital IXUS i zoom to be controlled from the comfort of your sofa when sharing photos and movies on a television. When connected to both a direct printer and TV, you can view your images and use the print menu on screen to edit before printing.

The Digital IXUS i zoom incorporates an Intelligent Orientation Sensor that automatically rotates images for review, regardless of the orientation of the camera. The sensor also activates the FUNC/SET button at the rear of the camera to act as the shutter release when it detects that the camera is in the vertical orientation. This allows you to shoot stills in portrait orientation, using one hand, while maintaining camera balance.

In addition to still images, you can record movies with sound up to 1GB or 60 minutes long, whichever is reached first. Digital zoom can also be used while shooting. As well as being able to select from VGA and QVGA (at 10fps and 20fps respectively), the Compact Movie mode (QQVGA/15fps) makes sharing movies via e-mail as simple as possible, but you should look elsewhere if you’re looking to make your first blockbuster. Images and movies are stored onto SD or MMC Cards (16MB SD card supplied).

The Digital IXUS i zoom is aimed at general users looking for effortless point-and-shoot operation, so you shouldn’t expect top-end picture quality. Images taken generally turned out well in our tests, though night photos were a little disappointing (too dark). Another downside is that the microphone is positioned beside the shutter button, meaning you’ll likely fully cover it when shooting movies. On a more positive note, the camera’s removable Lithium-ion battery should last approximately 250 photos on a single charge, and the time-to-first shot of about 3 seconds means you shouldn’t miss out on any spontaneous shots. [7]

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