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

Excellent camera. I am not particularly knowledgable and technical about cameras but I have bought this camera few months ago and I am very pleased with its performance so far. Sharp pictures, the battery lasts very long time and it is easy to use. Also, it looks nice, and is very light and small for to fit in almost any bag. I recommend it for purchase, if you are looking for a camera in this price category you will not be dissapointed.

The camera not only is compact but has some brilliant settings to use which as a new user to canon was easy to find. The colour on the photos really captured our holiday sunshine and sea. The timer on it worked really well and video on the camera was good quality, really pleased with my purchase.

I bought this little camera because I was looking for something to slip into a pocket and take out with me when I couldn't carry a camera bag around. This one fits the bill perfectly. The lens withdraws into the body when it's not in use making a nice slim package that will fit into any pocket.

I've tried it in all sorts of conditions and it has never failed to capture a perfectly exposed image, it automatically uses its built in flash as a fill-in when necessary. Unless you're after some special effect, there's really no need to ever take it off auto. It even has face recognition and focuses on what it perceives as a face.

Video's are just as easy to produce. Press the shutter release and release it and the thing keeps on recording till you press it again. What could be easier?

I didn't even bother to load the software supplied on my Windows PC's. Windows XP recognised it straight away (I had software from a different camera on the machine). Windows 7 didn't need any manufacturers software or drivers at all, it recognises it and transfers images without any additional help.

All in all, the best 'snapshot' camera I have ever used. In fact, calling is a snapshot camera is probably doing it a dis-service...it's better than that.

As a long time fan of canon cameras, this is my fourth ixus, and the 85 is, continues to raise the bar, successfully addressing some of the shortfalls of previous models.
The key features of the ixus range are here continued a rugged sturdy design, which can deliver excellent pictures in a range of conditions, and can either be used as point and click, or can be set to manual, where the user has a degree of control over the settings.
The picture quality, as ever with canons, is excellent. in comparison with pictures shot on my canon slr using lenses which cost many time the price of this compact, the ixus comes surprisingly close, and with a little patience in learning the cameras settings, professional quality pictures can be obtained.
The new features of this model are surprisingly good, the face recognition, is quick and effective, recognizing one or more faces in a variety of conditions and adjusting the camera accordingly for best results, which can be quickly seen by using the new display setting which checks for sharpness in the image. (incredibly useful).
the new time lapse setting for video is good fun, and the macro (close-up) settings continue to improve, digital macro feature can give some great extreme close-ups.
in terms of build quality, the ixus is very sturdy, but its worth getting a case as the lenses system can get jammed up if grains of sand or likewise find their way inside the body or lenses, the new battery, memory card cover design is also a weak point, the hinge broke after a couple of months heavy use on mine.
Like any compact the speed of successive shots remains painfully slow, whereas an slr can shoot almost continually, its easy to miss the moment while waiting for the last shot to write to card.
the design has also changed enough to prevent the use of older underwater cases, but the ixus with an underwater case continues to be virtually indestructible, have tested the old cases to 50m+ scuba diving and they remain fully functional and watertight, as well as being able to absorb a lot of knocks in activities such as canyoning.
a very powerful and feature packed compact camera with a big resolution and impressive picture quality.

What a great little camera. I bought this for my husband to take with him when out on his motorbike, he loves it. It is easy to handle and understand, takes quality pictures and clear movies with sound. I bought a 4gb card to use with it so he will never run out of space. It is compact and stylish. Canon are on a winner with this camera as its ideal for those people who want the quality, but compact style instead of the larger slr digitals.