Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS Review
Image Quality
All of the sample images in this Review were taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting, which gives an average image size of around 3.5Mb.
There are some great new £299 pocket cameras around at the moment from all the major manufacturers, and with a very similar level of specification. So does the Canon do enough to justify the expense, and your patronage in the face of so many alternative options? Something looking this good on the outside must have a compromised performance, right?
Nobody is going to be expecting DSLR-like quality here and happily the IXUS 120 IS' combination of lens and sensor captures a good level of detail on a par with what you'd expect from a pocket snapper. If results are not the sharpest ever they're still more than merely usable.
Left on default settings colours are naturalistic, exposures are even, and with blue skies and plenty of early autumn sunshine around we were able to achieve some pleasing results without having to dive into the 'My colours' effects settings for added warmth or visual oomph.
Inevitably there is some slight evidence of pixel fringing between areas of high contrast, visible when zooming right into an image, but this is par for the course with this class of camera Canon is far from the worst offender. And in any event, most users wouldn't even notice - certainly not when printing out 6x4s or 8x10s.
In terms of low light performance, starting lower than most point and shoot compacts courtesy of an ISO 80 setting, the IXUS 120 IS does rather well, keeping noise at low levels until ISO 800 and delivering a relatively 'clean' shot also at ISO 1600 setting, albeit with an overall softening of detail. At top ISO 3200 setting - selected by tabbing through the scene modes - definition is beginning to ebb away, but it's comparable to results we've seen at ISO 1600 on lesser models, so still a setting worth having.
So, while pictures are obviously not match for those from bridge cameras nor DSLRs, for an undemanding yet style conscious audience wanting a very portable snapper, the IXUS 120 IS pretty much ticks all the boxes.
Noise
There are 7 ISO settings available on the Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS. Here are some 100% crops which show the noise levels for each ISO setting.
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ISO 80 (100% Crop) |
ISO 100 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 200 (100% Crop) |
ISO 400 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 800 (100% Crop) |
ISO 1600 (100% Crop) |
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ISO 3200 (100% Crop) |
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Sharpening
Here are two 100% crops which have been Saved as Web - Quality 50 in Photoshop. The right-hand image has had some sharpening applied in Photoshop. The out-of-the camera images are just a little soft at the default sharpening setting. You can change the in-camera sharpening level if you don't like the default look.
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Original (100% Crop) |
Sharpened (100% Crop) |
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Chromatic Aberrations
The Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS handled chromatic aberrations quite well during the review, with some purple fringing present around the edges of objects in high-contrast situations, as shown in the examples below.
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Example 1 (100% Crop) |
Example 2 (100% Crop) |
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Macro
The Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS allows you to focus on a subject that is 3cms away from the camera. The first image shows how close you can get to the subject (in this case a compact flash card). The second image is a 100% crop.
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Macro Shot |
100% Crop |
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Flash
The flash settings on the Canon Powershot SX20 IS are Auto, Manual Flash On / Off, Slow Sync Speed and Red-eye Reduction. These shots of a white coloured wall were taken at a distance of 1.5m.
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Flash Off - Wide Angle (28mm) |
Flash On - Wide Angle (28mm) |
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Flash Off - Telephoto (112mm) |
Flash On - Telephoto (112mm) |
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And here are some portrait shots. As you can see, neither the Flash On or the Red-eye-Reduction settings caused any red-eye.
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Flash On |
Flash On (100% Crop) |
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Red-eye Reduction |
Red-eye Reduction (100% Crop) |
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Night
The Canon Powershot SX20 IS's maximum shutter speed is 15 seconds, which is great news if you're seriously interested in night photography. The shot below was taken using a shutter speed of 1 second at ISO 800. I've included a 100% crop of the image to show what the quality is like.
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Night Shot |
Night Shot (100% Crop) |
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Sample Images
This is a selection of sample images from the Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS camera, which were all taken using the 12 megapixel JPEG setting. The thumbnails below link to the full-sized versions, which have not been altered in any way.
Sample Movie & Video
This is a sample movie at the quality setting of 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second. Please note that this 33 second movie is 96.9Mb in size.
Product Images
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Front of the Camera |
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Front of the Camera / Lens Extended |
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Isometric View |
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Isometric View |
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Rear of the Camera |
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Rear of the Camera / Image Displayed |
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Top of the Camera |
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Bottom of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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Side of the Camera |
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| Memory Card Slot |
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| Battery Compartment |
Conclusion
Those looking for a portable, well-built, eye-catching snapshot model with a smattering of cappuccino bar style for weekend breaks or social events could do worse than check out Canon's Digital IXUS 120 IS.
While its asking price would buy a competing compact with more actual creative features, a much bigger lens and broader focal range - if wanted - that's not really what this camera is about. It's not so much a photographic tool as a lifestyle accessory.
That said, it does feature most of the latest photographic essentials - intelligent auto, or rather 'smart' capture, plus face detection, blink detection and all the rest, and unusual but pleasantly surprising to find a 'grown up' HDMI out port on what's otherwise an entry-level compact.
Though intuitive to use anyway, there's an added degree of user friendliness provided by the hints and tips text bubbles, helping along any first timers confused about how selecting various shooting and menu options might benefit their photography.
And, though we noticed our review sample sadly picking up a couple of surface scratches from being transported through the two-week test period, if looked after the otherwise sturdily built camera should provide several years of service.
Another welcome addition to the Canon family then, if not much of a radical departure from the existing IXUS 100 IS model, thus reflected in our test score.
| Ratings (out of 5) | |
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| Design | 5 |
| Features | 4 |
| Ease-of-use | 4 |
| Image quality | 4 |
| Value for money | 3.5 |
Review Roundup
Reviews of the Canon Digital IXUS 120 IS from around the web.
techradar.com »
It's been a busy year for Canon. Take the gorgeous new Digital IXUS 120 IS. Look familiar? If so, that's because it's visually almost identical to its predecessor, the IXUS 100 IS, which was launched in Canon's spring collection just seven months ago.
And while the touchscreen-wielding 200 IS, the other new face in the IXUS lineup, delivers innovation in a subtly quirky design, the 12.1-megapixel 120 IS is all about looks.
Read the full review »
reviews.cnet.com »
A follow-up of sorts to the SD780 IS, the Canon PowerShot SD940 IS is another very small, very lightweight 12-megapixel camera. It drops the SD780's optical viewfinder, and in its place gets a larger 2.7-inch LCD in back, and a wide-angle 28mm-equivalent lens with a 4x zoom in front. Aside from a couple minor interface tweaks, everything else basically stays the same; this includes the earlier model's mixed performance and tendency to produce purple fringing. However, neither is extreme for this class of camera, and all things considered, the SD940 IS is one of the best ultracompacts available.
Read the full review »
Specifications
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