Canon IXUS 150 Review

Features
Handling
Performance
Verdict
Specification

The Canon IXUS 150 is a 16 megapixel camera with a metal body and an 8x optical zoom lens, it is available in a number of colours including red and grey for around £80. 

Canon IXUS 150 Features

The Canon IXUS 150 is a slim, and stylish 16 megapixel camera with an 8x optical zoom and optical image stabilisation, with the camera being small enough to easily fit into your pocket or handbag. The lens starts at the wide-angle equivalent of 28mm, and zooms to 224mm equivalent. The camera can be used easily as a point and shoot with Smart Auto mode automatically adjusting settings for you for the best shots. 

On the back of the camera is a 2.7inch LCD screen, and you can use Live View Control to easily adjust photo settings and effects. The camera features a 720p (HD) video mode along with a dedicated movie recording button. There are a number of built-in effects including Miniature, Fish-eye and Toy Camera. Eco mode is available boosting battery life.

Key Features

• 16 megapixel CCD sensor
• 8x optical zoom lens
• Optical image stabilisation
• 2.7inch screen, 230k dots
• 720p video recording
• ISO100 to ISO1600
• 1cm macro mode
• Eco mode available 
• Available in red or grey

Canon IXUS 150 Handling

The Canon IXUS 150 has a compact metal body, easily small and light enough to carry in your pocket, but there isn't anything which aids grip and use of the provided wrist strap is recommended. The modes are selectable from the menu when not in Auto mode. There are also movie record, ?, playback and menu buttons as well as a d-pad with function / set in the middle. The d-pad gives quick access when pressed to eco, flash, display and auto mode.

Menus – Built in hints and tips explains each option on the camera making it easy to use. The camera gives an overlay of the most common options when you press the Func/Set button, making it easy to choose and change settings. The menu button lets you set additional photo and setup options. In playback there are also playback and print options.

Battery life - Battery life is rated at 210 shots according to Leica / CIPA test results, and can be extended to 280 shots in Eco mode. This is not too bad considering how small the battery is, although if you want to take more shots then a spare battery is recommended.

Speed - We took a number of shots to test the camera's responsiveness, from switch on to first photo, shot to shot, focusing speed etc. We take a number of shots and then use the average to ensure accurate and consistent tests, making it easy to compare with other cameras.

Focus is quick when shooting at the wide-angle end of the lens, although slows when using the full optical zoom. Shutter response is good, although shot to shot time is quite slow. 

Canon IXUS 150 Performance

The performance section is where we look at the image quality performance of the camera. Additional sample photos and product shots are available in the Equipment Database, where you can add your own review, photos and product ratings.

Canon IXUS 150 Sample Photos

Sample Photos - Images show good colour with bright saturated reds and blues, although noise is visible even when shooting in bright sunny conditions. Portrait photos taken with flash show fairly low levels of red-eye.

Canon IXUS 150 Lens test images

Lens Performance - Images show quite good detail, although noise is also visible and where there are areas of high contrast such as photos with trees against a bright sky, purple fringing and chromatic aberrations are visible. Exposure is generally reliable, although using exposure compensation can help avoid blown highlights. Macro performance is good with the camera focusing on subjects close to the front of the lens. 

Canon IXUS 150 ISO test images

ISO Noise Performance - For the best detail possible we would recommend using ISO100 to ISO200, although images show noise when viewed at full size.  Noise becomes stronger at ISO400. At ISO800 noise levels become strong and we would recommend avoiding this setting if possible, although results may still be useful if resized and used on the web. ISO1600 is best avoided as noise is extremely high, and detail is very low.

Canon IXUS 150 White-balance test images

White Balance Performance - Auto White Balance (AWB) performs gives a yellow / warm colour cast under tungsten lighting, with the tungsten preset giving an accurate result. AWB performs very well under fluorescent lights, with the fluorescent preset giving a yellow colour cast.

Canon IXUS 150 Digital filters

Digital Filters - The camera has a number of colour options, as well as effects, as shown above, giving some creative options. The camera doesn't feature a built in HDR mode or automatic panoramic stitching.

Video - The Canon IXUS 150 records video at 720p (1280x720) and optical zoom is available. There is some lens noise picked up by the camera when using optical zoom, and the microphone also picks up noise from wind. 

Value For Money

The Canon IXUS 150 is available for around £80 which makes it very good value for money, although there are a number of alternatives available as shown below:

Canon IXUS 265 - 16mp, 12x optical zoom, FullHD Video, Wi-Fi, £127
Nikon Coolpix S3600 - 20mp, 8x optical zoom, 720p Video, £89
Nikon Coolpix S5300 - 16mp, 8x optical zoom, FullHD Video, Wi-Fi, £135
Nikon Coolpix S6700 - 20mp, 10x optical zoom, 720p Video, £119
Panasonic Lumix SZ3 - 16mp, 10x optical zoom, 720p Video, £89
Panasonic Lumix SZ8 - 16mp, 12x optical zoom, 720p Video, Wi-Fi, £99
Panasonic Lumix SZ9 - 16mp, 10x optical zoom, FullHD Video, Wi-Fi, £89

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 150 Verdict

The Canon IXUS 150 is one of the cheaper compact cameras from Canon, and features an 8x optical zoom lens, and a 16 megapixel sensor. Priced at £80 it is one of the cheapest compact cameras available, although if you spend a little bit more money you can get a camera with more optical zoom, and in some cameras built in Wi-Fi as well as FullHD video. Image quality is a little disappointing with images showing noise even at the lowest ISO settings, although images are quite sharp and for those on a limited budget the IXUS 150 could be worth looking at. 

Canon IXUS 150 Pros

Compact metal bodied camera
Eco mode extends battery life
Good macro performance
Optical image stabilisation
Low price

Canon IXUS 150 Cons

Panoramic mode missing
Noise visible in images from ISO100
Purple fringing and chromatic aberrations

FEATURES
HANDLING
PERFORMANCE
VALUE FOR MONEY
VERDICT

Canon IXUS 150 Specifications

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