The Canon Powershot SD1000 / Canon Digital IXUS 70 is one of the slimmest Canon Digital IXUS cameras measuring just 19.4mm wide, and is available in two different colours: Silver and Black or Silver. The IXUS 70 is a 7.1 megapixel digital camera with a 2.5" screen, and a 3x optical zoom lens. The 3x optical zoom lens is equivalent to 35– 105 mm on a 35mm camera. The Canon Digital IXUS 70 battery is available from around £175 this makes it average to good value for money for an ultra compact 7 megapixel digital camera. The camera has a 640x480 30fps video mode with sound. The camera is very compact and has a metal body with a more traditional design, inspired by the original IXUS. The IXUS 70 measures: 85.9 x 53.5 x 19.4mm (excluding protrusions), and weighs approx. 125g excluding batteries and media.

One of my favourite photos is the outdoor portrait. Face detection software is built into the camera. Just how much difference this makes is difficult to judge, but the face is certainly in sharp focus and the colours have a natural feel to them.

Another area where I think Canon have an edge is the way they are able to retain colour in a photo when the flash is being used. This point is illustrated in both the indoor portrait and extreme lowlight tests. Both shots have plenty of colour in them. Sharpness levels are also very good. The only downside is the amount of red eye that shows up in the indoor portrait. This gave me the chance to try out the built in red eye correction software and it did a fairly good job of removing the problem.

With a score of 1429 for sharpness, this model produces some relatively sharp pictures. There was a little fringing evident in our test shots, but that is typical from 7.1 megapixel, compact models, and it won't be noticeable in small and medium sized prints. There was also little in the way of chromatic aberration to mar the edges of the shot, with Imatest giving the Digital IXUS 70 battery a score of 0.077%. This is a little lower than many other models, and our test shots reflected this, with sharp, well defined edges even towards the corners of our shots. There was a little haloing in areas of high contrast however, which may be noticeable in some pictures.

In our colour tests, as usual, Canon has got it right with this model, the IXUS 70 scoring 6.96. Anything below 7 is an excellent result. As usual with consumer cameras, colours were very slightly oversaturated, with red being the biggest culprit. However this wasn't at all visible in our test shots, and users will be pleased with this model's colour reproduction.

In terms of image noise, the unit achieved more moderate results of 0.86% at ISO 100. This is about an average result, which indicates good but not outstanding performance canon nb-4l battery. Our shots at this level exhibited some minor noise, but it was extremely fine and won't be problematic at most magnifications. Only when you start making big enlargements will you begin to notice it. The noise scaled relatively well as we increased the sensitivity. It was acceptable up to ISO 400, but at ISO 800 it took a sharp jump upwards, so we'd recommend sticking to a lower setting if you want clean shots.

Canon’s design-driven IXUS compact range has a new eye-catching addition in the IXUS 70, but is its breathtaking design worthy of a price normally paid for a better specified compact? Image quality is consistent over a range of subjects indoors and out and noise is generally low throughout the images taken.

The new IXUS lacks the headline grabbing spec of other compacts in its price bracket; both its 7.1MP sensor and 35-105mm equivalent 3x optical zoom are below many of its rivals NIKON EN-EL8 battery. The maximum ISO 1600 is adequate, and control is offered beyond mere ‘point-and-shoot’ capabilities in ‘Long Shutter mode’, yet full control over aperture and shutter speed is absent.

The camera is beautifully designed, with a retro-rectangular all metal body reminiscent of classic IXUS designs and a clear 2.5in LCD and small viewfinder present on the back. Build quality is, on the whole, fantastic; you can feel excellence oozing from every screw.

In use, the IXUS 70’s handling echoes the quality of its build. Its nine-point AiAF system focuses briskly, contributing to an impressive overall operational speed. The ‘Colour-Swap’ feature is also worthy of note, allowing colour highlighting normally only accessible through Photoshop.

The IXUS 70 has, to say the least, a striking design. Apparently modelled after the original IXUS APS film camera, its shape is a very minimalist plain rectangle, with the lens, the monitor screen and all the rear panel controls mounted smoothly flush with the body. People to whom I showed the camera while I was testing it were divided pretty evenly between those who though it looked cool and stylish, and those who thought it was ugly and boring, which just goes to show that there’s no pleasing everyone. Personally I really like the way it looks, but to be fair the design does cause one or two minor problems. For one thing, trying to operate the controls in the dark is very difficult, because their flat shape makes them almost impossible to find by touch. Another troublesome design feature which has, I suspect, only been included for its cosmetic effect, is the optical viewfinder SONY NP-FS11 battery. A decent optical viewfinder is a real advantage, especially when bright sunlight makes your monitor screen difficult to use, but the viewfinder on the IXUS 70 is so small and fiddly that it’s pretty much useless.