• Home
• /
• World
• /
• Gulf

More pixel power with Canon Ixus 1000 HS

It’s been 10 years since the first digital Canon Ixus camera saw light of day. The Ixus S100 released in May 1991 cost about Dhs 3,000. It may have been expensive with today’s camera prices in mind but it was the start of a very successful line of digital cameras of which the Ixus 1000 HS is the latest example.

What strikes me immediately when picking up the 1000 HS is that it feels like quality. Arguably that’s because it’s mostly metal on the outside but I think it’s also because it feels heavy. The combination gives this camera a pleasant balance and feeling of great build-quality.

Apart from the build quality the lens is what stands out about the 1000 HS. Even though the camera itself is rather small, the lens is 10x optical zoom, 36-360mm in 35mm equivalent. Personally I’d like something like 28mm as 36mm is not much of a wide angle when you want to capture a lot in one shot.

Photo quality is very good, in fact good enough to do really big enlargements if you like. I’d attribute that to a combination of the lens, the 10-megapixel sensor and Canon’s DIGIC4 processor. “HS” supposedly stands for “High Sensitivity” meaning you should be able to get good exposures in low light. One part of that is an ISO range up to 3,200. At that high setting exposures are usable but not very pretty to be honest.

This latest Ixus from Canon records full HD video at 1,920 x 1,080 24fps and quality is very good, better than we’ve come to expect out of these small cameras. With the HDMI-out you can connect the camera to an HD TV and watch photos and video in all the high-resolution glory.

In terms of functionality Canon has packed this camera full. There’s Dynamic Image Stabilizer to get less blurry photos; Smart Auto mode where the camera makes all the decisions from about 28 variables; Super Slow Motion where the camera takes 240fps so action can be slowed down; Burst mode that captures 3.7fps at full 10-megapixels (8.8fps possible but at lower resolution 2.5-megapixels); and much more. To sum it up, there’s enough functionality to shoot fully automatic and get excellent results as well as have a little fun with some different effects.

It’s confusing to me why Canon has not made the 3-inch LCD display on the back of the 1000 HS touch. That would make sense to me given the high-end profile of the camera. But as it is you have to find your way through the menus with some buttons and a click wheel in a not so straightforward way. That detracts from a camera that is otherwise excellent to use.

Another weakness of the camera is the short battery life. You basically need to buy a second battery or always be close to a charger. The battery is rated by Canon at 150 shots, which seems about right, and more would certainly be welcome. Expect that number to fall drastically if you shoot a lot of video.

The bottom line is that the Dh1,499 Canon Ixus 1000 HS is not the cheapest camera in its class but it’s the classiest. Image quality is first-rate as is video, functionality is well-suited for most photographers and it has a few modes, like Super Slow Motion, which will entice you to experiment a bit, and that’s a good thing.