Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS review

The 860 IS is more than just looks, with the addition of mechanical image stabilisation

Performance
The 860 IS captured a first image less than a second after being turned on. The blistering performance continued with virtually no appreciable shutter lag and a maximum of 2.5 seconds between pictures, with the flash on. In continuous mode it managed just over one frame per second.

Battery life is good even with the image stabilisation system working continuously with our testing getting through more than 220 shots before the battery died.

Image quality
As with many compacts, the 860 IS has a range of ISO speeds up to 1,600 for shooting in lower light conditions, and as on many compacts the maximum setting is too noisy to use. But aside from this the other ISO speeds are refreshingly free of speckly noise. The 860 IS keeps noise reduction unobtrusive with little softening of detail, and the dark texture of shadow is well rendered even up to ISO 800.

Conclusion
While we're generally unimpressed by a lack of aperture and shutter priority, the Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS just about gets away with it, thanks to competent automatic functions and a wealth of features. Some, like image stabilisation and flash intensity adjustment, are endlessly useful, while others are inconsequential but fun.

The Fujifilm FinePix F40fd matches the Canon's 8 megapixels and raises the bar on low-light performance for substantially less money, but lacks mechanical image stabilisation or a big screen. Meanwhile, the Casio Exilim Zoom EX-Z1200 serves up 12 megapixels, with mechanical image stabilisation, for a similar price.

While there are certainly cameras out there with higher megapixel counts, the 860 IS' combination of features, big screen and wide angle lens serving up excellent photographs shows that there's far more to digital photography than megapixels.

Edited by Jason Jenkins
Additional editing by Shannon Doubleday