A Cut Above The Canon IXUS 300 HS is no ordinary compact camera. The first hint is its amazing design, with cut lines more reminiscent of a Lamborghini super car than an average point and shoot camera. The second is its fast F2 lens - the only other Canon compact camera to have it is the more expensive PowerShot S90. The last hint is the new HS moniker tagged after the IXUS 300 name. Canon calls HS their 'revolutionary' system, which combines a back-lit CMOS sensor with their DIGIC processing engine to produce images with lower noise levels. Artistic Impression The Canon IXUS 300 HS is an inspired work of art. Someone somewhere paid a great deal of care and attention on the IXUS 300's detailing, and it shows, from the angled and ribbed flashlight, to the wide, boisterous sides. The sharp, angular lines of its body make you feel like you're cradling a Lamborghini instead of a compact camera every time you hold it. Its stainless steel body gives it a sheen not seen on other cameras, and imparts upon it a solid heft. Features That Perform Most point and shoot users will find the shots of the IXUS 300 HS to be of pleasing quality. Canon promises better than average ISO performance with the HS system, a combination of the camera's back-lit sensor and DIGIC processor. As promised, ISO performance is superb from out testing, producing clean shots up to ISO800, while ISO1600 shots had lower noise compared to other cameras in this class. Amazingly, the IXUS 300 HS' shots at ISO3200 had even less noise compared to the more expensive and larger sensor equipped Canon S90! But that low-noise performance seemed to have come at the cost of an overly aggressive noise suppression system. Options like Miniature Effect make what you shoot look like little toys, while Fisheye gives you a faux-fisheye lens effect. Another feature called High-Speed Burst lets you shoot up to 8 shots per second, at 2.5MP, up to 250 shots at one time, with slight pauses in-between. The resulting shots are more pixelated than usual, but it's another fun tool in the IXUS 300's arsenal. Zoom lovers should take note that  the IXUS 300 HS offers only 3.8x optical zoom. We found 3.8x enough in our tests (it is the 35mm equivalent of 105mm after all) but compact camera owners used to the average 5x zoom might not like taking a hit. Overall, we found the image quality to be above average. We can't say we agree with the decision to sacrifice detail over noise, but we're guessing the average compact camera user won't mind. Final Thoughts There's a lot to like about the Canon IXUS 300 HS. Handling is mostly good, best on Auto, although more manual options are available. ISO performance is excellent, but at the expense of some clarity.  We're guessing that only pixel peekers would mind as most compact camera users should find the IXUS 300 a capable shooter. At S$599, the IXUS 300 HS is positioned on the high-end spectruem of compact cameras, but that extra gets you so much more in terms of style and performance. And for the design-conscious, there really is no peer today that beats the Canon IXUS 300 HS for sheer style. (Text by Alvin Soon)
Product Specifications Effective Pixels: 10MP Lens: 28 - 105mm (35mm Equivalent) ISO Rating: 125 / 200 / 400 / 800 / 1600 / 3200 Aperture Range: f/2.0 - f/8.0 (W), f/5.3 - f/8.0 (T) Shutter Speed: 15 - 1/2500sec. Display: 3-inch TFT LCD Storage Type: SD/SDHC, SDXC, MMC, MMCplus, HC MMCplus  Connectivity: Hi-Speed USB, HDMI Output, Analog Audio Output (Stereo), Analog Video Output (NTSC / PAL), Integrated Digital, AV Connector, HDMI mini Battery: Battery Pack NB-6L Dimensions / Weight: 100 x 54 x 23.6mm, 175g Price: TBC