Canon IXUS 125 HS Ultra Compact Camera Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification



The Canon IXUS 125 HS updates the IXUS 115 HS and is one of the smallest cameras available from Canon and would definitely fit into the category 'Ultra Compact' - being just 20mm thick. It features a wide-angle 5x optical zoom lens, 16.1 megapixel CMOS sensor and Canon's High Speed System with Full HD video.

Canon IXUS 125 HS Features

Key Features

• 16.1 megapixel backlit CMOS sensor
• 5x optical zoom lens - 24-120mm equivalent
• Optical Image Stabilisation
• 3 inch screen, 460k dots
• Full HD video, High Speed video VGA at 120fps, 320x240 at 240fps
• 5fps continuous shooting at 4 megapixels
• ISO100 to ISO3200
• iContrast
• 3cm macro mode
• Available in Blue, Silver, Green, Pink, Red (or black in other countries)

Canon IXUS 125 HS Handling

Handling - The camera is extremely compact with very little grip and therefore a wrist strap is highly recommended. Thankfully one is provided in the box. The camera modes are easily selected using the top switch, video record button and playback button. To change between the shooting and scene modes you press the Func/Set button and this brings up the photo options on screen where you can scroll through each mode such as Program, Auto, Fisheye, Night, Handheld Night Scene, Lowlight, etc. The D-pad and menus buttons are quite small and if you have large hands you may find pressing the buttons difficult.


Ixus 125hs Rear

Menus - The main options are set using the FUNC / set button, with further settings held within the main menus, where you can set focus, digital zoom, flash settings, date stamp, time settings and more. The options are easy to use thanks to the camera having built in hints and tips explaining what the settings and options do.


Ixus 125hs Bottom Battery

Battery Life - CIPA life is rated at 170 shots. We were able to take over 180 shots before the battery went flat. This isn't too bad for an ultra compact, although better battery life would be nice.


Canon IXUS 125 HS also known as the PowerShot ELPH 110 HS in the US.

Speed - We tested each camera's performance at focusing, shutter response, shot-to-shot time, continuous shooting etc. and have posted the results below. To test this we took 6 or more shots and calculated the average, so that consistent results were produced.

	Canon IXUS 125 HS	Panasonic TZ25
Shutter Response	0.05	<0.05
Wide - Focus / Shutter Response	0.3	0.15
Full zoom - Focus / Shutter Response	0.35	0.3
Switch on Time to Taking a Photo	2.0	1.6
Shot to Shot (without flash)	2.0	0.6
Shot to Shot with Flash	3.3	1.2
Continuous Shooting (JPEG)	0.6	10fps (4 shots)
Continuous 4 megapixels	5fps (~ shots)	N/A
Continuous AF Shooting (JPEG) Continuous 3 megapixels Continuous 2.5 megapixels	N/A	5fps (5 shots) 40fps (40 shots) 60fps (30 shots)
Continuous Shooting (with Flash)	1.3s	2fps (5 shots, 3m)

Focus and shutter response are reasonably quick, although shot to shot time could be quicker, especially when using flash. Continuous shooting is reasonable at nearly 2 fps when shooting at full resolution and 5fps shooting is available at 4 megapixels.

Canon IXUS 125 HS Performance

Here we've taken a number of sample photos taken in a variety of situations, including real world as well as studio test photos. Additional sample photos and information can be found in the Equipment Database.

Canon IXUS 125 HS Sample Photos

Landscape | 1/640 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Night Shot | 1/20 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 1600 High-Res
Miniature | 1/200 sec | f/5.9 | 21.5 mm | ISO 160 High-Res	Macro | 1/400 sec | f/2.8 | 4.9 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

Sample photos - The camera produces bright saturated images and performs best in bright sunny weather with good detail in images. Macro performance is good with the camera allowing you to zoom into the subject for extra detail.

Canon IXUS 125 HS Lens test images

Wide | 1/800 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Zoom | 1/320 sec | f/5.9 | 21.5 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
Digital Zoom | 1/250 sec | f/5.9 | 21.5 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Trees | 1/320 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 200 High-Res

Lens Test images - Purple fringing is higher than expected, with it noticeable in areas of contrast. Detail is quite good in the centre of the image, with the corners being quite soft.

Canon IXUS 125 HS ISO test images

1/4 sec | f/5.6 | 17.8 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	1/8 sec | f/5.6 | 17.8 mm | ISO 200 High-Res	1/15 sec | f/5.6 | 17.8 mm | ISO 400 High-Res
1/30 sec | f/5.6 | 17.8 mm | ISO 800 High-Res	1/60 sec | f/5.6 | 17.8 mm | ISO 1600 High-Res	1/125 sec | f/5.6 | 17.8 mm | ISO 3200 High-Res

ISO Noise Performance - Noise is quite low at ISO100 and increases at ISO200 and ISO400. At ISO800 noise increases and detail is lost. Colour is strong and it's not until ISO1600 until colour saturation drops. Noise at ISO1600 is high, but images should still be usable when resized. ISO3200 is best avoided if possible with high noise levels and more colour loss.

Canon IXUS 125 HS White-balance test images

AWB Tungsten | 1/8 sec | f/4.5 | 8.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Tungsten Preset | 1/6 sec | f/4.5 | 8.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
AWB Fluorescent | 0.4 sec | f/4.5 | 8.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Fluorescent Preset | 0.4 sec | f/4.5 | 8.0 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

White Balance Performance - Under tungsten lighting and using the auto white balance (AWB) setting the images have a yellow cast, with the tungsten preset giving a much more neutral result. Under fluorescent lighting the image colour is a little warm and again using the fluorescent preset gives a better result.

Canon IXUS 125 HS Digital filters

Colour Accent | 1/640 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Colour Swap | 1/320 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Fish Eye | 1/800 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Mono | 1/640 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res
Poster Effect | 1/640 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Soft | 1/1000 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Toy Cam | 1/500 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res	Vivid | 1/800 sec | f/2.7 | 4.3 mm | ISO 100 High-Res

Digital Filters - There are a number of fun filters include Toy Cam, Fisheye effect, as well as useful options including Low-light and Handheld nightshot modes. Unfortunately a built in panoramic stitch mode is not included.

Video - The camera records full HD video with optical zoom and digital zoom. Slow motion video is also available at 120fps (VGA) and 240fps (at 320x240) without sound. An example can be seen on the ePHOTOzine YouTube channel.

Value For Money

The Canon IXUS 125 HS is up against a number of compact competitors, including the Panasonic Lumix FX90 (with WiFi), Nikon Coolpix S100 (with stereo sound), Samsung MV800 (with rotating screen), Canon IXUS 230 HS (with 8x zoom) and Panasonic Lumix SZ1 (with 10x zoom), nearly all of these are currently cheaper than the IXUS 125 HS. You'll also need to buy a memory card and a case or bag to keep your camera safe and protected - have a look at our complete guide to camera bags.

Canon IXUS 125 HS Verdict

The Canon IXUS 125 HS is a stylish ultra compact camera with a good set of features and the camera is capable of producing bright colourful images with good detail, although corners are a little soft and purple fringing is quite high. It would be nice if the buttons on the back were a little larger and if the camera featured a built in panoramic stitching mode. Also the high speed continuous shooting mode is limited to 5fps at 4 megapixels - it's a shame the "High Speed" designation doesn't mean that the whole camera is lightning fast. Overall this is a good looking camera that feels overpriced especially compared to other ultra compact cameras on the market.

Canon IXUS 125 HS Pros

Ultra compact 5x optical zoom camera
Handheld Night-Shot Mode
Compact metal body
Good macro performance
Bright saturated colours

Canon IXUS 125 HS Cons

Small rear buttons (d-pad and menu buttons)
Lacks in camera panoramic stitching
High price compared to other cameras
High purple fringing

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Canon IXUS 125 HS Specifications

Manufacturer	Canon
Lens
	Max Aperture	f/2.7 - f/5.9
	35mm equivalent	24mm - 120mm
	Optical Zoom	5x
Image Sensor
	CCD pixels	16.1Mp (Megapixels)
	Pixels (W)	4608
	Pixels (H)	3456
	Sensor Type	CMOS
	Sensor Size	1/2.3 inch
	Sensor Size (width)	6.16mm
	Sensor Size (height)	4.62mm
	Aspect Ratio	4:3 3:2 16:9 1:1
LCD Monitor
	LCD Monitor	3in
	Screen resolution	461,000 dots
	Touch Screen	No
Focusing
	Min Focus	3cm
	Focusing modes	Autofocus
Exposure Control
	Shutter speeds shortest	1/2000sec
	Shutter speeds longest	15sec
	Exp modes	Program Scene modes A
	Metering	Centre-weighted - Average Spot
	ISO sensitivity	100 - 3200
	White balance	Manual Outdoors/Daylight Cloudy Incandescent Fluorescent
	Exposure Comp	+/-2
Shooting Options
	Continuous shooting	2fps
Video
	Movie mode	Yes
	Video Resolution	1920x1080 1280x720 720p 640x480 VGA
	Video FPS	24
	Stereo Sound	No Data
	Optical Zoom with Video	No Data
Other Features
	Image Stabilisation	Yes
Interface
	HDMI	Yes
	USB	USB 2
	Wi-Fi	No
Storage
	Card Type	SD SDHC SDXC
	File Type	JPG
Power Source
	Battery Type	Rechargeable Li-ion Battery NB-11L
	CIPA Rating	170
Box Contents
	Box Contents	No Data
Dimensions
	Weight	135g
	Width	93.2mm
	Height	57mm
	Depth	20mm

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