The Canon Ixus 850 IS is an unlikely camera and almost a technological demo, because it has so many functions. It features everything that the main rivals introduced on their products before this Japanese manufacturer: optical stabilization, a new processor capable of reducing noise and intelligently improving sharpness, a 28 mm wide angle, better video mode, and particularly impressive automatic face detection even when not centered. You can see it in action in this video:
Ixus 850 IS : Face detection
Amazing! Ixus 800 IS owners that paid a high price for this product a few weeks ago will feel bad. We assure you that we had no idea!
Ixus 850 IS vs. Ixus 800, Panasonic FX30
Actually, image quality evolved little between the two. Sharpness is slightly better, which can almost entirely be explained by the transition from 6 to 7 megapixels on the new camera. We say almost, because there is also the efficiency of the new processor. The Digic III, which is introduced on the Ixus 850 better corrects curves than the previous v.II, which still equips the last
PowerShot A710 IS. Colors didn’t change and rendering is a bit « colder » or truer than on the PowerShot line. It may be less flattering to the eye, but it is closer to reality. There was also evolution in terms of speed, and the Ixus 850 IS is slightly faster in startup (only 1 second), but a little slower between photos. In reality, there were mainly three main changes:
- better sound quality in videos. The previous « stuttering » in voices has disappeared, however, not completely...
- 28 mm wide angle. Finally!!!
- an anti-noise filter activated in photos. Images are actually slightly cleaner, without hurting sharpness. It’s actually a well conceived effect and not just a blurred picture.
Nevertheless, these few advances have allowed Canon to retake the lead for the best compact. The
Panasonic FX30 is less versatile due to its inferior macro mode, flash management, and lesser reactivity. On the other hand, the FX30 compensates for this with better noise control in all available sensitivities, intelligently combined with motion detection. This combination assures more precise photos starting at 400 ISO. Noise reduction does have the slight defect of reducing sharpness in lower sensitivities.
