First thing I was struck by when unpacking this camera was the size. The pictures on the product page are deceptive as this thing is tiny. It makes my Cybershot look gargantuan. However, like the previous reviewer I was instantly annoyed by the lack of any internal memory. Luckily I had a suitable card but had I not, it would have meant a few days’ wait for a card to arrive before using (as everyone knows if you buy memory cards on the high street you’ll get fleeced!).

Once it was up and running it was very simple to use. Accessing the touch screen took a bit of working out as it’s not instantly obvious but the standard controls are easy and intuitive. There are also enough menu options for the gadget freak to play around with. Picture quality is excellent. I have blown up and cropped images and there is no loss of clarity at all, as you would expect from 12mp.

I’m not a photographer so that’s all I can say but for your family snaps I can’t see that you would would need or be able to get better in this price bracket. One star off for the lack of memory. If you’re buying it for use at any sort of one off occasion then make sure you have the memory sorted or you’ll miss the boat but otherwise a great little camera.
Rating: 4 / 5

OK, so I don’t know anything about cameras and taking photos but this little camera has everything you need.

The one major drawback I had with this camera is the complete and utter lack of internal memory. Yes, you have to buy a memory card to put into it before you can even start using it as a camera. This is one thing Canon should have thought of. Even if they had dedicated a small bit of memory so you could take say ten photos. Or they should have included a bog standard memory card in the box. It is one of my pet hates that you are sold something that you can’t use without going out and buying more things for it.

Anyway, rant over, getting down to the camera.

It is a neat little camera and inside the box you get the discs you can load into your computer for all of the usual things, a getting started guide, a camera strap (thin piece of string), of course the manual, some cables for the PC, and a charging unit for the Li-on battery.

Now the features you get are the ones you would expect to get on a Canon camera: optical image stabiliser, face detection technology, motion detection, touch screen, contrast correction, and a load of other features when you switch it on, all of the different modes you can use to take pictures including, fireworks, long shutter, beach, aquarium, foliage, snow, ISO 3200, and many others. It also comes with stitch assist which helps when you are taking panoramic shots.

As I have said previously I don’t really know much about taking photos and the settings to use, but hope to be able to get into it and this camera would be the ideal one to use (although the price is on the high side).

I haven’t even got started on the video camera side of this phone which can take videos in HD. You can switch between camera and video mode using the button on the top of the camera. The quality is OK, not too great on zoom but it is meant to be used as a normal camera. And the microphone did pick up the sound.

One of the things I haven’t covered so far is the zoom function. I much prefer having a button that says T/W. But on this camera the zoom is a small disc by the shutter button you have to pull or push for the zoom.

I am sure once I have got used to it and used it a bit longer then I will be able to come back and give it five stars.
Rating: 4 / 5

I am pleased with the IXUS 200 but as I have only had it a few weeks I have not used it a great deal. However, results so far have been good.

The only downside to date is that I have found the process for erasing images more complicated than shown in the manual, requiring several actions before “erase” actually appears on the screen. Hopefully as I get more familiar with the camera I will find a simpler way of doing this.
Rating: 4 / 5

We bought this camera just before Christmas 2009 for Christmas and for the imminent arrival of our first baby.

My first digital camera was a 4mp Canon Ixus, after that I strayed to a Casio Exilm 10mp which was an aesthetically beautiful camera but it took v poor shots indoors.

This new Canon Ixus 200 IS is fantastic. It gives 12 million mega pixels so allows you to crop out the crap from your pictures and still have enough detail for a great picture. The camera has a host of built in camera programs such as macro, fireworks, kids & pets – while these all work great I find that simply leaving it in Auto 99% of the time gets a great shot. The auto face tracking feature is cool and works well.

The HD Video is amazing from this camera – you need to ensure your computer is good enough to take the video but most modern ones are – the detail is amazing – We had planned on buying a camcorder but for now I think we’ll just stick with this camera and use it as an all in one.

The main competition for me with this camera was the Panasonic T27 – While this is an excellent camera for me the Canon beats it completely. Buy this Ixus 200 IS camera – you wont be disapointed!

Rating: 5 / 5

When my Ixus 860i needed changing I looked around for a camera that would give me the same wide angle shots and if possible a few more pixels to play with. The 200 seemed to fit the bill.

The first one I received had a slight problem connecting to my computer. As usual Amazon dealt with this and I had my new one whilst still waiting for the carrier to come and collect the other one.

As for performance I think it is great. Do not let the size put you off, there are a few features you would expect on a camera from the EOS range.

It is great for the majority of photos that you will want to take, you also have plenty of features there that enable you to take photographs in a number of environments.

I feel that the touch screen in good though changing a picture on the screen by shaking the camera is a little gimmicky in my mind.

In short, a great camera that I would recommend for close work, party type environments, and size. It will fit in a small pocket.

Only down side I feel could be there is if you have large fingers and a rather heavy touch, you might experience handling/changing manipulating controls.
Rating: 5 / 5