Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #84 in Consumer Electronics
• Brand: Canon
• Model: 1268B005AA
• Released on: 2006-09-14

Editorial Reviews

Manufacturer's Description
7.1 Megapixels;A 7.1 Megapixel CCD sensor captures every scene with enough fine detail for large photo quality prints.

Wide-angle lens with optical IS;A 28mm (equivalent) wide-angle lens with 3.8x zoom takes in more of every scene. Canon's optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology counteracts camera shake for steady shots at slower shutter speeds and full zoom.

IXUS Styling;Sleek, smart and elegant, the Digital IXUS 850 IS is finished in an all-metal body with the rounded contours of the IXUS 'Perpetual Curve' design.

DIGIC III Processor;Canon's best of breed DIGIC III processor provides lightning quick responses, superb image quality and advanced noise reduction for sharper, clearer images. iSAPS technology analyses each scene to optimise key camera settings even before a shot is taken.

Face Detection AF/AE;Face Detection AF/AE ensures superb people shots by automatically detecting the subjects in the frame and setting the optimum focus and exposure. My Category tags each image based on face detection and shooting mode for easy image navigation, printing, deleting and much more.

Large LCD;The high resolution 2.5" LCD screen features a wide viewing angle for easy group viewing. The Image Inspection Tool enables instant checks for image sharpness.

Shooting modes;Choose from 17 shooting modes including Special Scene modes to help with tricky lighting conditions, such as Night Snapshot and Snow. Shoot smooth VGA (30fps) and QVGA (60fps) video with Movie mode.

My Colors;Apply special in-camera colour effects both during and after shooting. Lighten skin tones in portraits, or add extra vibrancy to blue skies for stunning, punchy landscapes.

Flash-free low light shooting;A low-noise ISO 1600 setting combines with optical IS to enable flash-free shooting indoors and at night. High ISO Auto mode automatically sets an optimal high ISO setting to allow for faster shutter speeds, further reducing the effects of camera shake.

Safety Zoom;Safety Zoom takes advantage of the camera's large resolution to offer extra zoom magnification without affecting image quality. Capture images at up to 7.3x zoom with enough detail for lab-quality postcard (10 x 15cm) prints. Capture VGA quality stills for TV playback at 15x zoom.

Direct Printing;Connect to any PictBridge compatible photo printer and push the Print/Share button for instant photolab quality prints.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

It is the convenience and flexibility that make it a winner
Having owned a Canon S40 since 2002, I was in two minds whether to indulge in a new camera, but since returning from holiday where I took hundreds of shots with the 850IS I am delighted I took the plunge. It is small and light enough to take everywhere and combined with the leather case which I used on my belt, I took far more shots than I would normally do. The combination of compact size, wide angle lens, fast response, good battery life, Image stabiliser & excellent screen makes it a joy to use and it delivers superb results. My old 4mp S40 had not disappointed me on image quality, so I suggest not being too obsessed with the last fraction of sharpness, just take lots of shots and enjoy the versatility of the camera.

Superb pocket camera
Bought one of these just before a trip to the Far East. Amazon had the best "normal" price I could find - and after a friend's experience with Pixmania I would never buy there.

Decided on the 850is after a fair bit of deliberation, to replace our ageing and battered but much-loved Ixus 500. Looked at the Fuji f31 and assorted Panasonics. Any of them would have probably fit the bill for a small, quick, effective digicam. Chose the Canon over the others for three main reasons: we're familiar with the menu systems; it has image stabilisation; and it has a wide angle lens, which is ever so useful!

First impressions: it's a solid little thing with a lovely, bright screen.

The controls are pretty well laid out; we didn't get many fingerprints on the screen in use but a quick wipe with a trusty micro-fibre cloth took care of 'em.

We did wonder if the screen would be vulnerable to scratching so bought some cheap stick on covers - mixed blessing since bubbles are so hard to avoid with a bigger screen but at least it is protected.

The controls are generally excellent however the switch that rotates for camera, movies, playback, etc. is a little fiddly to start with. The menu system is excellent and getting to the various scene modes is a cinch.

I went to Jessops and tried a few cases there, then bought a Lowepro Rezo 15 here on Amazon at half the price, and it fits snugly. Very pleased with the case (didn't really like the Canon offering).

Battery life is great. One afternoon we took over 200 shots and it was still showing a third full.

Get a big SD card - as usual the supplied one is virtually useless (why do they bother?). We got a 2GB Viking card for under £20 here.

The portrait/landscape rotated image playback is a nice touch.

All in all, we're very pleased with it.

Oh, the photos? Well. It's quick and generally excellent. As usual, watch where the focus points are on screen. You can also see the rather spooky face detection thing in action!

The wide angle lens is fantastic. Those times when you just needed another step backwards to get the group in or whatever? Not so necessary now, and you still have a reasonable optical zoom too.

Image stabilisation. We took lots of low-light pics dawn, sunset, etc. and it was great.

No problems, no issues. I took my Panasonic FZ7 too, and the little Canon got more use...

It's all rather good. Actually it's great. Hence five stars.

Still getting to know it
Bought the camera a few months ago and it far surpasses my expectations. It can work in a completely automatic sense, however if you want to get into the nitty gritty technical aspects it will fully reward your patience. Top buy!