Canon IXUS 500

The latest iconic IXUS ups the ante

Few ranges of kit have the design coherence of Canon's IXUS digital cameras, with their distinctive box-and-circle theme. The IXUS 500 is an update of last year's 400, the major change being an extra one million pixels of resolution, bringing the total up to a thoroughly modern fi ve megapixels. You also get a more powerful fl ash and a movie mode that can now manage TV- quality VGA clips, although only at a fl ickery ten frames per second and for half a minute at a time. The small 1.5-inch screen could also have done with some modernisation, although there's nothing wrong the 500's straightforward menu system. The tactile, matt silver case is made from the company's unique Cerabrite material, combining ceramic and metal to make a supremely tough and scratch-resistant housing. Image quality hasn't suffered from the sensor upgrade, with the 3x lens still serving up sharp, well-focused images, and the DIGIC processor ensuring that colour accuracy and exposure are right on target. Being a "lifestyle" model, this beauty has no manual exposure or focusing options, although you can fi ddle with metering, long shutter speeds and digital effects.

But while other cameras in this category have been downing shots of espresso to eradicate shutter lag and start-up delays, the IXUS 500 remains defi antly decaffeinated. It wakes up gradually, zooms with a relaxed air and chatters contentedly to itself before tripping the shutter. While you'll never regret buying such an assured and reliable camera, there are swifter and sexier models available.