Canon IXUS 1000HS Digital Camera Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Click on the thumbnail for the larger image.

The Canon IXUS 1000 HS was announced in August to celebrate a decade of IXUS digital compact cameras. There is a 10Mp sensor, a 10x optical zoom and a whole host of shooting modes available to help photographers of any level take fantastic pictures. The camera is available in three colours, brown, pink and silver and is available now for £299.99 from Warehouse Express. At this price there is stiff competition. Alternative 10x optical zoom cameras are the Sony Cyber-shot HX5 which is priced at £264.00 or the Casio Exilim EX-FH100, priced at £249.00. Let's see what you get for extra cost of the Canon IXUS 1000 HS...

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Features

• 10x optical zoom 6.3 – 63.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 36 – 360 mm) f/3.4 - 5.6 lens
• Image stabilisation
• Compact, stylish metal body
• 10.0Mp CMOS sensor
• 15 - 1/4000 second shutter speed
• ISO125 - 3200
• Full HD movies
• 3.0in PureColor II G LCD screen
• Super slow motion movie
• Smart auto and smart flash exposure
• Lots of shooting modes and best image selection
• Wink Self-Timer

Canon IXUS 1000 HS Features: Click on the thumbnail for the larger image.
There is just a few buttons on the back next to the 3in TFT screen.		The battery is a similar size to an AA battery and has its own compartment.
The Canon IXUS 1000 HS is just 22.3mm in depth.		Even at its longest, the lens does not extend out far at all.

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Handling
The IXUS 1000 HS is a great looking compact, as you would probably expect from Canon at this price. There aren't many buttons on the back, as it is mostly filled by the 3in screen, and the ones that are there don't feel up to the same quality as the rest of the camera. The screen is easy to see in low-light and the colours come through extremely well. The buttons are of a good size which would be great for those who struggle with touch-screens or small buttons. Taking into consideration the 10x optical zoom it is suprising that the IXUS 1000 HS feels really light-weight and very easy to grip.

The camera is ready to use within a couple of seconds of switching on. There is a sliding switch on the top which allows you to change from auto, manual and video mode. It is quite easy to switch the slide too far from one side to the other when changing mode as the slide is difficult to control. Most of the settings are changed by using the wheel on the back, which also acts as a D-pad. By placing your finger on one of the d-pad controls and pressing slightly the screen flashes up with what setting you can control by fully pressing the button.

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Performance
The images produced by the camera are excellent, with the colours accurately reproduced. At the full 10x optical zoom, the performance is mightly impressive and there is plenty of detail when zoomed right in, as you can see from the pictures of Shireoaks church below.

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Lens Performance
Shireoaks church using the camera at its widest angle.		Zoomed right in you can read the time on the church clock.

ISO and noise performance
Noise is handled particularly well by the Canon IXUS 1000 HS. At ISO125 there is no noise evident and it doesn't worsen much through ISO200 and ISO400. Noise is clearly evident at ISO800 but it is quite acceptable through this ISO level as well as ISO1600 and ISO3200.

Canon IXUS 1000 HS ISO speed test: Click on the thumbnails for larger images.
ISO125	ISO200	ISO400
ISO800	ISO1600	ISO3200

White-balance
The auto white-balance performance on Canon IXUS 1000 HS doesn't do a particulary brilliant job under the incandescent lights and the incandescent preset does a much better job. The awb mode gives a green colour on the wall, where as the incandescent setting looks a whole lot better. Under the fluorescent lights, the difference is barely noticeable and the resulting image in both modes is very accurate.

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: White-balance
Auto white-balance in incandescent lighting.	Incandescent preset in incandescent lighting.
Auto white-balance in fluorescent lighting.	Fluorescent preset in fluorescent lighting.

Shooting modes
The settings which can be changed on the Canon IXUS 1000 HS are fairly typical for a compact camera - ISO, white-balance etc... Going into the shooting modes area is where this camera differs from the typical. Here you can chose from program, portrait, kids & pets, face detection, high-speed burst, best image selection, handheld nightscene, low light, super vivid, poster effect, color accent, color swap, fish-eye effect, miniature effect beach, foliage, snow, fireworks, long shutter and panoramic.  Below are a few shots using my favourite modes from those available.

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Shooting modes
Color accent		Super vivid
Miniature effect		Fish-eye effect

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Verdict
This camera is one that will appeal to a wide audience. For the beginner, you have the vast amount of shooting modes which are great fun to use as well as giving an image which you can be proud of. A word of caution to the beginner though, if you find using menus and buttons confusing on modern technology then you may have a hard time getting used to IXUS 1000 HS and changing some of the settings.

For the more advanced photographer, the image quality and ISO performance is excellent and the 10x optical zoom works fantastically although changing the amount of zoom can be tricky, and I'm sure even the most experienced photographers would love the simplicity of creating different effects using the shooting modes.

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Pros
Lots of shooting modes available.
ISO performance is strong through all levels.
Images at the full 10x optical zoom are excellent.

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Cons:
Buttons on back don't match the quality of the rest of the camera body.
Navigating through camera menus can be confusing.
Zoom is difficult to control.

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
OVERALL

Canon IXUS 1000 HS: Specification

Price	£299.99
What comes in the box	Battery pack, battery charger, interface cable, stereo AV cable, wrist strap, getting started guide, CD-ROM and warranty system.
Contact	www.canon.co.uk
Lens	6.3 – 63.0 mm (35 mm equivalent: 36 – 360 mm)
Resolution	10.0Mp
Sensor type	1/2.3 type back-illuminated CMOS
Max. image size	3648 x 2736
Aspect ratio	4:3
LCD monitor size	7.6 cm (3.0in) PureColor II G (TFT), 16:9 aspect ratio, Approx. 230,000 dots
Focusing system	AiAF (Face Detection / 9-point), 1-point AF (fixed to centre)
Focusing modes	Single, Servo AF/AE
File types	JPEG
ISO sensitivity	ISO125 - 3200
Metering system	Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (centre)
White-balance	Auto (including Face Detection WB), Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom
Exposure compensation	+/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments Enhanced i-Contrast for automatic dynamic range correction
Shutter speed range	1 - 1/4000 sec. (factory default) 15 - 1/4000 sec. (total range - varies by shooting mode)
Continuous shooting	High-speed Burst (2.5Mp)
Anti-shake mode	Yes (lens shift-type), 4-stop. Dynamic IS (in Movie)
Movie mode	(Full HD) 1920 x 1080, 24 fps, (HD) 1280 x 720, 30 fps, (L) 640 x 480, 30 fps, (M) 320 x 240, 30 fps Miniature Effect (HD, L) 6 fps, 3 fps, 1.5 fps
Media type	SD, SDHC, SDXC, MMC, MMCplus, HCMMCplus HDMI Mini Connector. A/V output (PAL/NTSC)
Interface	Hi-Speed USB (MTP, PTP) dedicated connector (Mini-B compatible)
Power	Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-9L
Size (wxhxd)	101.3 x 58.5 x 22.3mm
Weight (without battery)	185g

The Canon IXUS 1000 HS costs £299.99 and is available from Warehouse Express here:

Canon IXUS 1000 HS