Canon has long had a knack for designing great-looking cameras -- the IXUS 115 HS being a prime example. But there would be little point in forking out £145 for a handsome snapper if the photos themselves were an ugly, pixellated mess. Thankfully, the 115's photos match its good looks.
Sophisticated devil
Canon's IXUS line has always been about design. The 115 is no exception, marrying simplicity and sophistication with several varieties of aplomb.
This isn't the sharpest test shot we've ever captured, but the colours are well-balanced and the overall look is pleasingly natural compared to that produced by some similarly priced models. There's less noise in areas of solid colour too (click image to enlarge).
The solid metal body is available in blue, grey and pink, as well as the classic IXUS silvery-gold colour. The body is slim but not as compact or lightweight as that of some previous models. This may, in part, be due to the sizeable, 3-inch LCD screen on the device's rear. It's not touch-sensitive in any way -- navigation is carried out via a traditional five-way pad -- but it's an exceptionally high-quality display nonetheless.
On the front of the 115, the 4x zoom lens housing sits almost entirely flush with the camera's body when retracted, with the shiny silver ring raised barely a millimetre above the rest of the surface. The top edge hosts just three controls -- a shutter-release button surrounded by a zoom lever, a power button and a switch that alternates the camera between full auto mode and standard operation.
There's a fairly decent variety of shooting options available, including a 1:1 ratio setting, three different metering modes, a generous assortment of genuinely useful and arty effects, and 1080p high-definition video capture.
Canon's even made room on the 115's uncluttered surface for a dedicated video-record button and an HDMI-output socket.
Softshooter
Even if the 115 weren't the tiny, shiny slab of loveliness that it is, we'd still rate it. The camera has a backlit, 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor, and it's clear from its photos that it can take much better images than many cameras with higher-resolution CCD sensors. The lower pixel count also means the camera doesn't struggle to find detail where there is none, which seems to help reduce picture noise by a noticeable margin.
There was a slightly soft quality to some of our outdoor test shots, but it wasn't detrimental to the images overall -- if anything, it gave them a more photo-like feel. Colours are rich and deep, while skin tones look even and natural. Strong primary colours also pop out well. Some fringing can be seen around highlights, but it's not a significant problem.
Skin tones are realistic, and there's plenty of detail in the grass and shrubbery here (click image to enlarge).
With a decent amount of ambient light, you should find that the camera offers decent interior performance too. Our indoor tests delivered good results with both flash and non-flash shots. Shots up to about ISO 400 are comparatively noise-free.
The 115 is a great camera for a range of different types of shot -- macro, portrait and nature photos all look great. The 28-112mm focal length equivalent is a comfortable range to work within, although it's possible to find models with a more versatile lens for slightly more cash.
Conclusion
The Canon IXUS 115 HS offers style, simplicity and sterling performance for a surprisingly reasonable price. We give it a definite thumbs up.
Edited by Charles Kloet
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User reviews4
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Parth Panchal 8 January 2012
Good: I think everything , looks rich, nice screen even in sunlight,dedicated recording button . HS system cmos nice picture clarity and nice panoramas
Bad: no optics while recording.
Comment: This is a very good camera i would suggest to all begginer and every photographer as a great compact and its very good first i was confused abut 220 hs and 115hs but i thougt to give 1500for optics while recording and simmer and even 220 hs has smaller screen so dont be confused and go for 115hs
JamieCampbell 25 November 2011
Comment: This is an excellent little camera. In many situations, it takes pictures of comparable quality to my 1000D. The optical image stabilization puts it solidly above most point-and-shoot cameras I've used.
I bought this because it's just about the smallest real camera I could find, and I wanted something I could easily carry with me. The only drawback to this is that the buttons on the back are quite small and can be a pain to use. On the plus side, the interface is very straightforward and there's no selection wheel full of options I'll never use. Another refreshing change from other cameras I've used is that the camera explains the significance of most settings, so even those you don't use very often won't confuse you.
Video quality is also pretty good. It'll take 1080p videos, but only at 24 frames per second, which generally looks jerky. I much prefer the results at 720p. Zoom and autofocus do not work during video recording, but you aren't stuck with webcam-style fixed focus, you simply have to set zoom and focus before starting to record. I think this has something to do with the microphone picking up the noise caused by the moving parts in the lens. You can also take slow-motion video at up to 240 frames per second, which is a neat trick - although 240fps is not always fast enough to capture a whole lot of detail you can't see anyway. ( but before you will buy this camera, I suggest you have to compare prices at -> Amzoffer.com/Canon-115HS )
Good Luck!
Mohsin Asif 8 September 2011
Good: design, picture quality, is full HD. nice mods. slow motion capture, its price, beats Nikon p300.
Bad: low zoom, no auto focus while shooting movies.
Comment: its design is sleek, its picture quality is immaculate and most important is the fact that it is full HD. performs extremely well in low light. it has very nice mods. it can capture movies in slow motion at 320p and 240fps. for me this is extremely nice camera for its price for taking pictures.
on the other side it has below average zoom, should at least be 5x. secondly, it cannot auto focus while shooting movies. this makes the camera useless for me to shoot videoos. i am extremely disappointed due to this deficiency(or i dont completely know if this feature even exists; its manual say it doesn't though).
all in all its a nice camera and beats Nikon P300 both in price and features.
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