Canon Ixus V3 Review

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Canon Ixus V3
3.9 stars
Average rating for this product is: 3.9 out of 5

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Gerry.'s Review of Canon Ixus V3

21st Dec 2002

Overall Rating

2.5 stars
  • Value for money
    1 stars
  • Ease of Use
    3.5 stars
  • Image Quality
    2 stars
  • Features
    3.5 stars
Good Points

Small size, robust build.


Bad Points

Very poor focus ability, many better cameras at this price and lower.


General Comments

Having owned the Canon G2 for some time and found it to be an excellent camera I was very interested in the new V3 to use in situations when carrying the "house-brick" G2 was not convenient. After a day of use I was utterly disappointed in the V3. The 9-point autofocus has a mind of its own with very little that the user can do to convince it to focus on the intended subject. I use the word focus here lightly since the images produced when it decides to focus on something you actually want are at best ok with close-subject indoor shots, but just outright poor for outdoors in almost all light conditions. A side-by-side comparison of the same shots with the G2 confirmed the wayward focus problem. Were the G2 was crisp the V3 was fuzzy, even in x1 shots. The colour depth of the V3 also not a patch on the G2. Yes the V3 has 3.2 MPix, but to make use of that resolution the focus problems need to be fixed. Spend your money elsewhere. Having said all that, anybody interested in a very lightly used V3?

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Members' Comments onGerry.'s Review

  • Cannonita. on 2nd Jan 2003

    This review mentions the European model name, but it is applicable to the Canon S230 name used in the USA.

  • HB. on 13th Mar 2003

    This does not sound anything like the camera I bought. Mine focuses perfectly!

  • JC. on 17th Jun 2003

    Hmmm... I think the reviewer may not have understood how to use the camera. The V3 has other focus settings apart from the 9 point setting mentioned. Near (Macro), Far (Infinity) and normal (single point centre of screen). All of those settings are accurate means of achieving focus. I use many different types of camera including 35mm, Medium format and 5x4 inch. All of my cameras have to be focussed manually. The V3 is the first AF (and the first digital) camera that I have owned and it works very well, in my opinion.