Canon Ixus 80: Back to Small and Handy

My very first camera was a Canon Ixus 30 I bought for Php21k over 5 years ago. Since then, I moved up to the dSLR (Canon EOS 40D) and have been a loyal Canon user. Sometimes though, I find dSLRs too bulky and heavy for casual use so I thought I’d go back to a pocket-sized point-and-shoot camera.

Something cheap, not too fancy but does the job real well. So when I made the stop-over at South Korea last week and saw the gadget sale, I grabbed one of them cheap Ixus models — the Canon Ixus 80is.

It’s an old 8.0MP model and there are many new ones that are out in stores already but this unit gets you the best bargain. I won’t do a full review but here are some reasons I like this model of Canon’s range of point-and-shoots.

• The Ixus 80 is relatively cheap in its class. I got mine at around $168PHP 9,859INR 14,238EUR 160CNY 1,223 (~Php7,896USD 135INR 11,407EUR 128CNY 980) after discounts/rebates. (Locally, I think it’s around Php13k.)
• The 8 megapixel output is just right and can print up to size A3 (around the size of a long bond paper, 11.7×16.5″).
• Great picture quality for a point-and-shoot. I liked the quality of the digital macro function — it’s something I tried with so many other cameras but couldn’t get the same output quality as the Ixus. The image stabilizer is also a good addition especially for shaky hands.
• It’s thin enough and lightweight that you won’t be bothered to always have it in tow anywhere you go.

The point-and-shoot allows me to take easy and quick shots during those candid moments. It’s also useful for taking discreet photos where a dSLR would be too obvious and distracting.