[Peter]

I am looking to buy this 4MP camera, nothing but good reviews from cnet and amazon - anyone got one and got opinions on it?
this camera btw

[wallinbl]

I have the 3.2MP version. The 4MP came out shortly after I bought mine.

I love it. I recommend it to everyone that asks about it. I wouldn't have any other camera.

[zigzag]

also see www.dpreview.com

[WJMoore]

Yep I've got one. I had an A20 for 2 years and it did a fantastic job but I decided that I wanted a pocket sized camera that I could take anywhere and not know it was there. I considered the Pextax Optio S and Casio Exilim (something like that anyway). I decided on the IXUS because it was 4MP and had 3 X zoom.

Things that stood out to me when I first got it were it was faster to to use than the A20, the flash is better and the LCD is awesome. The LCD is 320 x 240 but only 1.something inches diagonal this makes it incredibly clear and detailed.

The interface is easy to use, despite the small buttons, actually it is easier to use than the A20 because most functions require less button presses. I have been surprised at how good the battery life is. I thought I would have to buy a second battery for sure but I have not found the need. I am yet to really test it though like go out sightseeing and taking pictures all day. The image quality is great, no complaints there at all. OS X support is typically built in and brilliant. The Canon software is also OS X native and quite good, especially the Panorama stitcher.

Anything else you would like to know? Oh BTW I bought a 256Mb CF card for it. Means I never have to worry about running out of space even when taking full length movies (3 min) there is plenty of room.

[Peter]

I found this camera, and I cant decide now -

[fishguy]

I have one and will say that the size and picture quality combination are excellent. The trade off is speed. Shutter lag times are still very noticeable, even though this camera rates better than most in that department. I have kids and am used to an slr so the lag bugs me but as a pocket camera I don't think any other camera will beat it!

Sony makes nice products as well but I already have other devices that use compact flash. I'm not buying another card reader.

[Peter]

Originally posted by fishguy:
I have one and will say that the size and picture quality combination are excellent. The trade off is speed. Shutter lag times are still very noticeable, even though this camera rates better than most in that department. I have kids and am used to an slr so the lag bugs me but as a pocket camera I don't think any other camera will beat it!

Sony makes nice products as well but I already have other devices that use compact flash. I'm not buying another card reader.

do you have the canon or the sony?

[zigzag]

The Sony is obviously a more versatile camera, but (a) it won't fit into a shirt pocket, and (b) it uses Sony's proprietary Memory Sticks, which are more expensive and don't have as much capacity as Compact Flash.

[orbital~debris]

I bought the Digital IXUS 400 a few months ago.

I'd been looking for a digital camera for quite a long time, thoroughly researching products on the market. After a lot of comparisons with other cameras - the vertically oriented Fuji FinePix range, Pentaxes, various Sony models and a couple of Nikons and Minoltas - all of similar size & capability to the Canon Ixus range, i almost ended up purchasing an IXUS v3, which seemed to be the best combination of features & quality of build whilst still taking a decent picture.

Then i heard about the 400. The v3 seemed good, but the 400 sounded perfect. It is. (for my requirements, at least ).

The quality of photograph, construction of the camera and aesthetics of the casing are all top-notch! I find the camera extremely easy to use, and most of the menu controls are intuitive. Battery life is good, but as the camera uses proprietary Canon packs, i bought a spare battery for situations such as being on holiday (so as not to have to go back to a hotel room to recharge).

Photographs turn out with impressive detail and vibrancy, and the Macro mode yields excellent close-up shots. The 400 works flawlessly with Jaguar & iPhoto, and from the quick look I've had at the bundled software from Canon, it also seems good (especially as its all fully OS X native). The movie mode is an added bonus, useful for moments when it's better for someone to see what happened rather than try to describe it to them.

I've taken my IXUS 400 all over the place, and it's performed exceptionally. The pictures I've shot with it are the best I've ever taken, partly because this camera is a joy to use, and partly because it is a quality product.

The most recent use my IXUS had was in Paris, where it proved to be a versatile camera for a short trip, due to its compact size and quick startup. Both my girlfriend and I managed to get some really great holiday snaps, both during the day and at night. Although the IXUS does not have capability for full manual adjustment, i think it seems to be fairly customizable for the average non-professional photographer.

Overall, there's something strangely familiar about the user experience of the Digital IXUS 400 - i can't quite pin it down... almost as if it should have a tiny little silver apple next to the chrome lens ring

Incidentally, it also seems to be flavour of the month at Apple, since the speaker from the European OS X division appeared to be using an IXUS 400 for his conference entitled ‘Presenting the new version of Mac OS X’ at Apple Expo 2003 in Paris. He used the camera to demonstrate the new networkable camera-sharing features of Panther’s version of Image Capture, distributing pictures stored on the IXUS over a network via a web interface in Safari, and remotely triggering the camera to take a photograph.

All in all - i’m really pleased with my IXUS 400 and would recommend it to anyone looking for an all-purpose yet good quality entry to digital photography.

[talisker]

I've got one too, and can definitely back up the positive comments here - it is excellent, no complaints whatsoever. The quality of the photos is really superb. I find the automatic exposure in particular to be very good, even with challenging lighting. There's also a suprisingly large amount of control available, through exposure compensation, metering type, white balance, focus lock, exposure lock, ISO setting, etc, that allows you to pull of some pretty amazing shots. But the best feature, which has had a really surprisingly big impact on my photography, is its size. It fits easily in a pocket so you can take it everywhere. The old line about "The best camera for a particular shot is the one you have with you" is absolutely true.