The 12.1 megapixel Canon IXUS 105 boasts of its rich automatic features designed to make photography simple and effortless for all amateur photographers. The camera offers 28 – 112mm equivalent zoom and is equipped with optical image stabilization.
DESIGN AND BUILD QUALITY
The Canon IXUS 105 features a metal body, and incorporates a compact lens with a two-segment construction. The camera is very compact and lightweight, and the lens retracts fully into the body when the camera is switched off. All the buttons on the back panel are fitted at the same level as the body so that you can carry the camera comfortably in your shirt pocket. The battery chamber door, tripod mount, and the top panel are made of plastic.
KEY FEATURES
The 12.1 megapixel Canon IXUS 105 uses a 1/2.3-inch Type (4.62 x 6.16 mm) CCD for imaging. It features a DIGIC 4 engine for image processing, the latest from Canon. The camera features a 28 – 112 mm equivalent, f/2.8 – 5.9 lens with optical image stabilization. In normal mode, it focuses from 5cm to infinity at the wide-angle end, and from 50cm to infinity at the telephoto end. In macro mode, it focuses from 3cm to 50 cm at the wide-angle end. Shutter speeds range from 15 to 1/500 sec. Metering options are Evaluative, Center weighted and Spot, and exposure can be compensated up to +/-2 stops in 1/3-stop increments. Sensitivity of the camera ranges from ISO 80 to 1600 and White Balance options are Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, and Custom. The camera offers 14 shooting modes—Auto, Program AE, Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids and Pets, Indoor, Face Self-timer, Low Light, Beach, Underwater, Foliage, Snow, Fireworks, Long Shutter, and Movie. The built-in flash has a range of 30 cm to 4.0 m at the wide-angle end and 50 cm to 2.0 m at the telephoto end (we presume this is on Auto ISO, since Canon does not mention it, and the camera was provided to us without the manual and CD ROM). The flash modes are Auto, On, Slow Synchro, and Off. Red-eye correction, red-eye reduction, and FE lock options are also available.
The IXUS 105 features some smart modes also. In the Smart Auto mode, the camera automatically selects the optimal settings for the scene. This can identify back-lighting and make adjustments to prevent the foreground subject from getting under exposed. Similarly it identifies and corrects the problems faced while shooting night landscapes. When the subject is very close to the camera, it automatically shifts to Macro mode. The IXUS 105 also features a Smart FE (Flash Exposure) mode. In this mode, the camera automatically determines the ideal flash exposure by calculating the distance and reflectance of the subject and analyzing the shooting conditions. This results in natural looking photographs even under flash. The camera features Face Detection providing various options. Face Detect AF keeps the faces in focus, while Face Detect AE optimizes the exposure for the detected faces. Similarly, Face Detect WB captures faces with ideal color, while Face Detect FE optimally adjusts flash intensity so that the faces are properly lit.
The Canon IXUS 105 uses a 2.7-inch, 230,000-dot TFT LCD color monitor for display. The camera uses an SD/MMC-type memory card for storage. Still images are recorded in JPEG format, while Movies are recorded in AVI format. The maximum dimension of the photographs is 4000 x 3000 pixels for still images and 640 x 480 pixels for movies. JPEG files can be saved with Fine or Normal compression. The camera has dimensions of 90.5 x 55.8 x 21.2 mm and weighs approximately 140 g (including battery and memory card).
ERGONOMICS
The Canon IXUS 105 is lightweight and has a small footprint. The handling is effortless. The body seems a little slippery without a well-defined hand grip. The menus are simple and intuitive, and the buttons comfortable to operate. Though small, the LCD is bright, clear and non-reflective.
PERFORMANCE
The Canon IXUS 105 focused fast and accurately even in low light. Images were sharp. Darkening of corners was observed at the wide-angle end at the widest aperture (the camera selected the widest aperture in this case). Since there was no way we could adjust the aperture, flare was tested on P mode. The camera set f/8 for the scene and we observed prominent flare and purple fringing. Apart from barrel distortion observed till 13mm (approx. 73mm equivalent), we did not observe any other distortion in the images.
The IXUS 105 handled colors well. White Balance was accurate except under Incandescent lighting. Native print size of the images were 10 x 13.33 inches at 300 ppi. At 16.67 percent of the screen size, there was no perceptible noise in the images. Observed at 25 percent, slight noise was visible at ISO 1600. At 33.33 percent, we observed slight noise even at ISO 800. At 50 percent of the screen size, there was no change in noise characteristics, but we observed slight softness from ISO 400. Images were perfectly useable up to ISO 800. We would consider this good control of noise for a compact camera.
VALUE FOR MONEY
The Canon IXUS 105 retails at a recommended retail price of Rs.7,995. At this price, the camera is very good value for money.
FINAL SCORE
Design and Build Quality 17/20
Key Features 17/20
Ergonomics 16/20
Performance 18/20
Value for Money 18/20
OVERALL 86%
+ Excellent performance
+ Good value for money
+ Effortless to use
– No hand grip
VERDICT
The Canon IXUS 105 impressed us with its superb performance, especially in White Balance and noise control. If you are looking for an ultra compact point-and-shoot camera that can capture good images with minimum effort, the IXUS 105 is certainly worth it. Best Buy indeed.
Sujith Gopinath
