Upgrading to a Canon Ixus 80 IS

I've bought a number of Canon cameras over the years starting with a fairly large but simple Sure Shot Ace. Twenty years ago I paid something like 150 GBP for a 35mm camera with no zoom.

My next major camera was an original Ixus. I bought this because I wanted a compact camera that I could carry with me on business trips without looking like a tourist. I only stopped using this last Summer when I finally said goodbye to analogue film.

My first Digital Ixus was a V2, which cost me around 400 GBP eight years ago. I am shocked to realize, I have had a total of 5 Digital Ixus cameras all told.

My previous purchase, about two years ago was a Ixus 55 which I bought in anticipation of a holiday in Poland. It's still my main camera and is responsible for well over 1,000 photos that I have posted to the web.

My new Ixus 80 IS, a bargain at a little over 100 GBP, was bought in anticipation of another holiday, this time to China. Camera technology has moved on a lot in two years, making the purchase of a new one almost a necessity. Unlike the 55, the 80 IS has Motion Detection Technology, Face Detection Technology and a lot of other goodies. Basically that means it takes sharp photos even when you or the object are moving in poor light.

Buying it some months before the holiday gives me plenty of time to practice taking pictures in different situations so that I'll have a good record of the China holiday. And I should be able to get most of the holiday photos on one SD card as the 4Gb cards I bought for a mere 5 GBP each hold around 1,100 photos each.

I do love it when technology matures and becomes better and cheaper at the same time.