Canon Ixus 230 HS review

12-megapixel back-illuminated CMOS sensors appear to be standard issue across Canon’s recent PowerShot and Ixus cameras, and it’s easy to see why. Details in bright conditions were crisp and smooth, with barely any evidence of digital sharpening or noise reduction. Photos became a little soft in low light as noise reduction was applied more heavily, but they still looked attractive at the top ISO 1600 sensitivity, allowing us to use the full telephoto zoom extension indoors without resorting to the flash.

There’s a little noise by ISO 400, and noise reduction results in a loss of fine detail in the texture of the horse’s hair, but there’s none of the syrupy smearing that we’re used to seeing from compact cameras

The lens pulled its weight, delivering sharp focus throughout its zoom range and less chromatic aberrations than we’ve seen from other recent Canon cameras. Automatic settings were virtually impossible to fault, with balanced exposures, sumptuous colours and expertly chosen settings to minimise the risk of camera shake while maintaining the highest image quality.

The 1cm macro mode reveals some surprising details in this daisy head

Be careful not to confuse the Ixus 230 HS with the Canon PowerShot SX230 HS. Bargain hunters should stick with the Canon Ixus 115 HS, which costs around £140 and uses the same sensor and processor to deliver equally impressive photos. However, the Ixus 230 HS’s sharper screen, more capable video mode (with functioning zoom and autofocus), faster performance and – most significantly – its bigger zoom make it well worth the extra cost. This is the best point-and-shoot camera we’ve ever seen, the price is right and we’re sure it’s going to be hugely popular.