Introduction
Just in case you don't know, the IXUS range is now in its eighth year. The Canon DIGITAL IXUS 400 launched last year was a best-seller in Singapore for several months. The chic looks, ease of use, and impressive image quality made it the camera of choice for those looking for a point-and-shoot digicam.
This year, Canon followed up the success and added three more cameras to the IXUS range. They are the five-MegaPixel IXUS 500, the four-MegaPixel IXUS 430 and the three-MegaPixel IXUS IIs. And in this review, we look at the top-of-the-line digicam in the IXUS family the DIGITAL IXUS 500.
Vertical view of the IXUS 500. The camera has an orientation sensor which means that portrait shots are automaticaly rotated in your image editing program.
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The table below is the list of specifications for the DIGITAL IXUS 500:-
Technical Specifications for the Canon DIGITAL IXUS 500:-
| General |
| Suggested Retail Price* |
S$799 |
| Dimensions |
87.0mm(W) x 57.0mm(H) x 27.8mm(D) |
| Weight (without battery and card) |
Approx. 185g (body only) |
| Tripod Mount |
Yes, metal |
| Image Capture |
| Sensor Type |
CCD |
| Image Sensor Size |
1/1.8-inch |
| Effective Pixels |
Approx. 5.0 million |
| Number of Recording Pixels (Image/Video Size) |
- Still Images:-
- 2592 x 1944 (Large)
- 2048 x 1536 (Medium 1)
- 1600 x 1200 (Medium 2)
- 640 x 480 (Small)
- Movies with audio:-
- 640 x 480, approx. 30 sec, 10 frames/sec
- 320 x 240, approx. 3 min, 15 frames/sec
- 160 x 120, approx. 3 min, 15 frames/sec
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| Compression |
Superfine
Fine
Normal |
| Exposure Control System |
Programmed AE |
| Metering Modes |
Evaluative
Center-weighted average
Spot |
| Lens |
| Aperture Range |
f/2.8 (W) - f/4.9 (T) |
| Focal Length |
7.4 - 22.2mm (equivalent to 36mm - 108mm in 35 mm format) |
| Optical Zoom |
3x |
| Digital Zoom |
Approx. 4.1x |
| Focus Range |
Normal: 46 cm to infinity
Macro: 5 to 46cm (W)/30 to 46 cm (T) |
| AF System |
TTL autofocus
Focusing frame: 9-point AiAF/1-point AF (center) |
| Display |
| Optical Viewfinder |
Real-image zoom viewfinder |
| LCD Monitor |
1.5-inch
118,000 pixels
Low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD
Picture coverage 100% |
| Exposure |
| ISO Settings |
Auto
Manual ( ISO 50, 100, 200, 400) |
| White Balance |
TTL auto
Daylight
Cloudy
Tungsten
Fluorescent or Fluorescent H
Custom |
| Exposure Compensation |
-2EV to +2EV in 1/3-stop increments |
| Shutter Speeds |
15 - 1/2000 sec
15 - 1 sec. possible in long shutter mode
Slow shutter speeds of 1.3 sec or slower operate with noise
reduction |
| Self Timer |
2 or 10 sec |
| Flash |
| Modes |
Auto
Auto with Red-Eye Reduction
Flash On
Flash Off
Slow-Synchro |
| Range (ISO Auto) |
Normal: 46 cm - 3.5 m (W), 46 cm - 2.0 m (T)
Macro: 30 cm - 46 cm (W/T) |
| Accessory shoe |
None |
| Image Storage |
| Recording Media |
CompactFlash card (Type I) |
| File and Image Recording Format |
Design rule for camera file system and DPOF compliant
Still images: JPEG (Exif 2.2)
Movies: AVI (Image data: Motion JPEG; Audio data: WAVE
(monaural)) |
| Power Supply |
|
Rechargeable Canon Battery Pack NB-1LH lithium-ion
battery, 3.7 V, 840 mAh and charger CB-2LSE (both supplied)
AC Adapter Kit ACK500 (sold separately) |
| Connectivity Ports |
|
USB 1.1 (mini-B)
Audio/Video (A/V) out |
*Price quoted is correct at time of publication.
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