Home > Consumer Reviews > Canon Digital IXUS 85 IS Compact Camera - Black (10 MP, 3x Optical Zoom) 2.5 inch High Resolution PureColor LCD II

I had an older version of this camera which was a 7.1 Mega pixel one. I really found it very useful. The results were excellent and the features it offered very quite good as well. I bought the new one as a gift for my relatives and they really liked it. I own a Canon EOS 400D now but for a point and shoot Camera, this one has some good results and i recommend it to the begginers and novice photographers

This is a very nice digital camera.
The delivery was fast and very good the service too...

The pictures this camera provides are relatively sharp for a compact camera- The auto focus and anti-tilt functions help keep the images in focus. Although the autofocus will occasionally focus on an obscure part of the background.

Main grumble though is that Canon batteries are all different proprietary sizes, and while the battery lasts a good week and a half with regular useage, you need to take the charger and cables, which is not much use when trying to keep weight down.

After reading a lot of reviews is decided on the canon IXUS 85IS

then after scouring websites and shops found it on amazon at £60 cheaper than anywhere else at the time

Very easy to set up and use,
battery life was impressive
fits easily in pocket without being to bulky
menu easy to suss out with plenty of quality options available


An all round good digital camera for those who want to pic up and shoot

Well, I will go along with all the positive things .... but my lovely Ixus developed a lense error after six months, well within the guarantee. Message. 'lense error, restart camera', with the lense locked in the extended position and a black screen. So I returned it to a Canon repairer. I received a repair estimate for £85. Repair had been denied because there was sand in the camera.On the face of it this seems reasonable, as it suggests lack of care. But I have not abused this camera. In fact, it's predecessor, a 3Mp Olympus, has had several years intensive use from myself, and has not suffered from sand in the works. It is in fact my current camera, as the very expensive purchase of a top of the range model has turned out to be a big let down - firstly, because it seems to suffer from being rather delicate, and secondly, because of Canon's policy on repair. i spent quite a lot of time emailing and ringing canon and the repairer's before giving up. If you have a swift Google, you will find lots of web sites discussing a similar error on other Canon compacts, and other unhappy people.
So when I bought this solid feeling camera I would have liked to have known this, and would have not paid nearly double I would pay for, say, a Panasonic or Olympus. The build quality isn't there.