Canon has deliberately lowered the resolution of this camera to make it perform better than its predecessors in low light

Designed to take better pictures in low light, Canon claims the Ixus 300HS should perform excellently in challenging light conditions. Interestingly, Canon has reduced the resolution on the Ixus 300 HS to achieve this. Recent Ixus models have boasted large resolutions of 14Mp or more, but the 300 HS offers a maximum of just 10Mp.

Our sister magazine, Which?, has found that higher resolutions tend to show up more grainy image ‘noise’ in photos taken in poor light, so Canon’s tactic with the Ixus 300 HS may pay off – we’ll wait for our full lab testing before reaching a verdict.

The Ixus 300 HS has a large maximum aperture size of f2.0. This is relatively unusual for a compact camera, and Canon claims that it will deliver ‘enhanced low-light performance and high-speed shooting’.

With a larger aperture, you can shoot in low light while maintaining a faster shutter speed, or a lower ISO setting, delivering clearer shots. The Ixus 300 HS offers a maximum ISO of 3,200 at full 10Mp resolution. This can be increased to 6,200 if you accept a reduced resolution of 2.5Mp. The lens has an optical image stabiliser built in. This is designed to minimise motion blur caused by shaky hands, according to Canon.

The Ixus 300 HS also features a large 3-inch LCD screen to compose your shots and view pictures. When we tried it out, the screen seemed sharp and bright, and it was easy to scroll through photos.

Unlike most compact cameras, this one offers manual control over shutter speed and aperture, with dedicated priority modes for both.

The Ixus can take high-definition video at a resolution of 720p and has an HDMI mini-port to connect directly to an HD TV. It’s unusual for a digital camera to take videos that match the quality of a proper digital camcorder, but we’ll find out whether the Ixus 300 HS can buck the trend by putting it through our full tests. The camera is priced at about Rs.25,000.

Verdict: The Ixus 300 HS has many good features such as a sharp, large LCD screen, manual control over shutter speed and aperture, and the promise of good-quality video.