 "Canon IXUS 220 HS - Style Redefined")
Canon recently launched a wide array of products in the Indian market, one of them was the Canon IXUS 220 HS. This ultra compact camera is an addition to the IXUS range from Canon. This point and shoot camera is based on Canon’s HS system and packs a decent 12.1 MP CMOS sensor with a 5x optical zoom. Let’s take a closer look.
Sleek, slender and silver IXUS 220 HS
Design and Build Quality
The Canon IXUS 220 HS that arrived for us was silver in color and we were impressed with the look of it. This stylish, metal body camera is fitted with a 2.7-inch screen and has the ability to record videos at 1080p. Apart from this, the IXUS 220 HS has a mini-HDMI port as well as a mini-USB port for transferring images from the camera to the PC.
Upon closer examination and playing around with the camera for a while, it’s easy to say that the buttons are well laid out. Changing some of the settings requires you to use both hands but clicking with one hand was very comfortable despite its compact size.
The buttons on the top are made of glossy black plastic and the shooting button has a trigger around it which is to zoom in and out while shooting and also while previewing shot photos. The camera has a 2.7-inch LCD screen which is flushed on the back of the camera. Alongside it are the menus which are standard on all point-and-shoot cameras. Something we found interesting was the designated video recording button which becomes very convenient to change from picture shooting to video recording.
Sturdy battery flaps
At the side of the video recording button is the toggle switch for the Auto and Program modes. The right houses the concealed mini USB and mini HDMI ports. Below the camera is the dock for housing the battery and memory card. There is a padded rubber strip which covers the USB and HDMI port. The quality of material used is good and there’s little lateral movement in the door.
Overall the Canon IXUS 220 HS excels really well in the looks department and with the size that can easily fit in a pocket, it’s turning out to be a good camera.
Dedicated video recording button and a 2.7-inch screen
Features
The Canon IXUS 220 HS might only use a 12.1 MP sensor but the 5x optical zoom lens is sure to interest some. It’s not the best telephoto lens on a point and shoot camera, but it’s more than sufficient for most purposes. Full HD 1080p video recording is another nifty feature on a compact camera such as this. The Auto mode lets the camera handle most of the features so you are only left with bunch of features to play around with, such as the aspect ratio, timer and so on. In Program mode is where the interesting features await. There are a variety of settings that can be mixed and matched to capture the best possible image such as ISO settings, change image settings according to the scenery as well as colour settings like type of skin tone, etc.
This camera has a variety of features and modes in the functions menu. The best thing about it is that these don’t need any tutoring to get around doing. The features bit of the camera is pretty loaded and a fair bit of experimentation can be done when used at a party, holiday or for any need whatsoever.
Performance
With all cameras we review, we capture photos in all kinds of environments. The Canon IXUS 220 HS underwent the same tests and proved to be a solid performer.
No color fringing in bright areas
Outdoor pictures were tested on Auto mode as well as Program with ISO settings lowered down to 100 to see how crisp we could get the images to be. When the pictures were captured through the auto mode, the camera would set the ISO level to 1600, the pictures provided a fair amount of detail. Although, when zoomed in, the pictures appeared grainy and there was a bit of sensor noise noticed. Colour fringing could not be noticed though. The Program mode at ISO 100 however proved quite opposite in contrast with there being fine details visible and next to no noise noticed. The image detail was good and no color supplementation noticed.
Amazing macro image quality
Pictures clicked indoor proved to be very grainy especially when using the auto mode and white fluorescent lighting appeared to look yellow. Moving on to the pictures clicked in low light areas, we noticed a fair amount of detail at varied ISO levels.
Video recording on the camera is full HD at 1080p, the playback was seamless. However, the camera did not focus initially when the video recording started.
Fine detail while shooting at night
The LED flash on the Canon IXUS 220 HS illuminates an area of about 8 metres is a decent addition to the camera that has proved well thus far. Even though this is a compact camera, the battery on the IXUS 220 HS is strong as we did quite a lot of shooting at night using the flash and didn’t see any drastic drain in charge.
12.1 MP camera with a metalic finish
Verdict
The Canon IXUS 220 HS is priced at Rs. 14,995 and offers good value for money. Performance coupled with good looks makes this camera a worth buy. With a bundle of features in it, the IXUS 220 HS is something that should not be overlooked, if you want a compact point and shoot camera.
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