A simple, strong and stylish compact camera that is great for easy picture
taking
The first thing you notice about the IXUS 500 is its look.
It is very different from the run of compacts with their curvy designs,
striving to be thinner all the time. The IXUS 500, however, has an almost
completely square shape with sharp edges and a boxy design. Having said this,
the all- metal body has a striking look and feel, making it really stand out
from the crowd.
The price tag and design of the IXUS 500 would hint at it
being a more high- end compact, coming with an array to different functions.
However, it is an extremely simple camera, coming with only two shooting
options and a minimal approach to taking pictures. Depending on what you want
your camera for, this can be a very good thing. It allows you to let the camera
do all the work while you simply focus on capturing what is in front of you.
The IXUS 500 comes with a fully- automatic Shooting mode or
a partly- automatic Program mode. This allows you to adjust the exposure of the
scene, as well as select different flash and focus settings. However, do not
let this lack of control fool you in to thinking this camera will not they able
to handle most shooting situations. The Smart Auto setting has 58 variable
scenes to choose from, and program mode comes with 24 different options to
ensure you get the ideal shot.
Using the IXUS 500 is very simple, but some of the design
features can take some getting used to. However, using the top- mounted
playback button, and the simple switch to change between settings quickly
become second nature, while pressing the nicely laid out controls on the rear
make this camera a joy to use.
The picture quality from the IXUS 500 is excellent. Low-
light shooting is even fairly good with the Handheld NightScene setting. Only
at the longer end of the zoom we start to see problems, but the built- in image
Stabilizer works well to give you some usable shots.
Hands on …
The simple control layout on the IXUS 500 HS allows you to
operate the camera very easily, from jumping into video, to zooming in on your
subject, all while keeping the clean and simple design.
The body is constructed from metal, giving it a clean look
and a strong construction.
Built- in image stabilisation allows you to shoot in dearler
couditions.
Round the back you will find a bright three- inch high
resolution LCD screen to view your photographs
The 12x optical
zoom lens gives you the reach to photograph most subjects
How good is it for
Portraits
Face detection and subject tracking make it great for simple
portraits
Landscapes
Using the right scene mode gives great results for landscape
shots
Sports
You can capture all the action with Burst mode and Super
Slow Motion Movie
Low light
Handheld Night Scene mode and Canon’s HS system are great
for low light
Macro
Focusing as close as 1 cm from your subjects gives
impressive macro shots.
What is good about it
The bold design and strong build mean you can take this
camera anywhere
The simplicity of the shooting options leave you free to
focus on your subject
What could be better
The lack of manual control could be an issue for the more
advanced user
The price is quite high considering the features that are
available
We answer your questions
I want a simple, good- quality camera- is the IXUS 500
a good choice?
The IXUS 500 comes with some impressive features, but most
of them such as image Stabilization are working behind the scenes. There are
also 58 detectable scene the best possible settings for each shot you take.
The info
Price: $300
Megapixels
/ 10.1 MP
Enough
resolution for large prints without using too much memory
Zoom /
12x optical, 4x digital
A
powerful amount of zoom for such a small compact
Shutter
speeds / 15- 1/ 4000 sec
Using the
right scene mode allows for great low- light shots
ISO
sensitivity / 100- 3200
Higher
ISOs can be a problem, but this compact handles them well
Exp.
Modes / 24 scene modes, plus Smart Auto, Program
Great for
beginners who do not want to play with advanced settings
Aperture:
f3.4- 5.6
Flash
modes: Auto, Fon, SS, FOff
Weight:
155g with battery
Dimensions:
87 x 54 x19 mm
Batteries:
Lithium- ion
Storage:
micro SD, micro SDHC, micro SDXC
Screen:
3 inches
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Verdict
Features:
3/5
Design and
handling: 5/5
Build
quality: 5/5
Image
quality: 4/5
Value for
money: 3/5
The Canon
IXUS 500 is a strong and stylish camera that is easy to use and produces
excellent- quality shots. Great for beginners, but might not appeal to
advanced users : 4/5
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