Canon IXUS 255 HS Point & Shoot

Overall Review

Also, there are a number of modes that allow for creativity like miniature, toy camera, 2.4fps burst mode in full resolution etc. At 3 megapixels, you can shoot up to 6.2fps. The face ID feature allows you to register twelve faces such that they get focused as priorities in each shot. Movies are recorded in full HD resolution along with stereo sound and the presence of an intelligent optical image stabilization feature helps to keep the videos steady enough. One can also record very slow motion videos. The camera allows for zoom and Wi-Fi and appears to be a good value for money proposition. The quality of both, images and videos is good irrespective of whether using macros or taking shots of subjects at a distance. The battery life of the camera is low and so one would have to carry a spare. Canon IXUS 255 HS is not a camera that is out of box but surely, brings great imaging capabilities for the money asked.

Design and Build Quality

Canon IXUS 255 HS Point & Shoot camera comes in a compact metal body wherein, it is small, light and easy to be carried inside your pocket. But there isn't anything that would aid the grip. At the back, there is a slide switch that allows you to directly enter into the hybrid auto mode. When you are not in the hybrid mode, you can select other modes from the menu. There are other buttons such as playback, movie, menu and a dpad with function button in the middle. The d-pad allows for access to macro, display, flash and exposure compensation.

You can also use the d-pad to access Wi-Fi in the playback mode. For using Wi-Fi, you would have to enter the playback mode and press the Wi-Fi button that acts like exposure compensation when you are shooting. The screen that pops up shows you the options that are available and projected by symbols, which are not too easy to understand at the start. Other than this, the Canon app is easy to use and you can easily transfer and download stills and videos from the camera.

Focus and Face Detection

Canon IXUS 255 HS Point & Shoot camera offers focusing modes such as autofocus, autofocus tracking and face detection.

Lens and Image Stabilization

Canon IXUS 255 HS Point & Shoot camera delivers images with a lot of detail at both the ends. Purple fringing is not much evident. When you are using the clear image zoom, there is a loss of quality in the image, but that loss would go unnoticed if you intend to share them on web. The minimum focusing distance of the lens is of 1cm, which allows excellent macro shots to be taken. The maximum aperture range is f/3 – f/6.9 . In 35mm terms, the focal length is from 24mm to 240mm. The optical zoom that covers the focal length range is of 10x. Intelligent image stabilization feature is present.

Screen and Menus

Canon IXUS 255 HS Point & Shoot camera uses a menu system that is easy to use. If you want to adjust the camera settings, then press the function button that shows a number of options at the left side. Moreover, you only need to use the d-pad to browse through the menu. The rest of the settings can be availed via a menu button. The 3-inch monitor is illuminated and appears to be clear with a decent 460k dots resolution.

Battery

Canon IXUS 255 HS Point & Shoot camera comes rated with 220 shots as per the CIPA testing standards. If you tend to use Wi-Fi a lot, then the battery may drain faster. You must carry a spare in case you go for a hangout with the camera. The type of battery used here is a rechargeable Li-ion battery named NB-4L and the battery charger that comes along is called CB-2LVE.

Video Mode

Canon IXUS 255 HS Point & Shoot camera records videos in Full HD resolution. The quality of the video is good and one can use the optical zoom feature during the recording of videos. Other resolution formats are HD (1280 x 720 pixels), VGA (640 x 480 pixels) and QVGA (320 x 240 pixels).

Sensors

Canon IXUS 255 HS comes with a 12.1 megapixels backside illuminated CMOS sensor with pixels' width and height as 4000 units and 3000 units respectively. The size of the sensor is 1/2.3-inch . The aspect ratios used are 4:3, 3:2, 16:9 and 1:1. At ISO 80, 100 and 200, the noise in the images is low. There is also a touch of softness at times at ISO400. The images get softer at ISO800. At ISO1600, there is a loss of detail with fuzzy noise appearing at ISO3200. The white noise becomes disturbing at ISO6400 with usable quality for uploading on the Internet.

Pros

• Canon IXUS 255 HS Point and Shoot camera comes with an in-built Wi-Fi function
• Image quality is immaculate
• You can pack 10x optical zoom inside the compact body
• Video recording is done in Full HD format along with stereo sound
• Macro shots are good
• Decent value for money

Cons

• Canon IXUS 255 HS Point and Shoot camera comes with a low battery life
• You get to notice red-eye shots when flash is used
• Beyond ISO1600 setting, noise affects the quality of image