Wide-angle compact: Canon Ixus 860

Somebody wrote me and asked for advice about finding a compact digital camera with a wide-angle lens, and I didn't think any existed. But then I got curious and googled around for it, and I found one which seems like it's really nice, the Canon Ixus 860 (in the US it's called SD870). The reviews are good, and I have its brother, which is excellent. Review and review and review. Update: I had not noticed this video review.

Compared to the one I have (960), it has 8MP instead of 12MP, which is not important. And it has no optical viewfinder, which is good because it allows for a bigger LCD screen. And the zoom goes out to 28mm equivalent, which I love. And it keeps the image stabilization feature, which you shouldn't be without, it saves so many pictures in dubious light, like indoors.

Oh, and personally I think the "black" version as pictured looks much better than the 960 with its super-gloss "iPod" parts. Also, it's marginally smaller and lighter. But like the 960 it has the nice ISO-auto-shift feature, which is surprisingly useful. For instance when I photographed a place like this, I walked in and out of light and shadow, and even in and out of doors, and that feature made sure the low-light pictures were not shaken, while still setting a low ISO for the strong-light settings so the image quality was optimal, without me having to give it a thought. This is one of those pleasant modern features I could not have dreamed up myself.

It's funny, by the way, the feature that Canon don't promote prominently (like on the box) is the wide-angle zoom. I would have thought this was the raison d'être of the camera.

Quote from DPreview:
"Like other cameras in this range what makes the SD870 IS so appealing - aside from the high quality design and construction - is the 'point and shoot' reliability, which produces good, sharp, well exposed results in a wide range of shooting conditions, something you simply can't say about a lot of competitors. We were also very impressed with the lens; a wide lens usually results in a compromise between the really useful ability to 'zoom out' and a degree of chromatic aberration and corner softness that can dent image quality. Our tests and experiences of real-world shooting show very little evidence of these expected shortcomings, helping the 870 IS stand out from competing wideangle ultra compact cameras."

Update: I think the Canon Ixus cameras are tremendous. I have owned several. I remember seeing the first one, pre-digital, in a camera shop. I asked the clerk: "what's that weird looking camera?" He got sort of offended, which is funny. But the high-quality metal construction (update: the 860 is actually part plastic, but at least it looks nice, unlike most silvery plastic), the strong design factor, and the overall high quality are just neato.

This photo set was taken with my first Ixus, at just 2 megapixels.

Update: funny thing, sites such as imaging-resource.com make such detailed reviews that I find it easier to learn about the features of a new camera by reading their review than by reading the manual!
Quote from that site:
"The SD870's 8-megapixel sensor delivers resolution capable of delivering good quality 11x14-inch prints up to ISO 400, an impressive feat indeed. Canon has increased the size of the LCD but removed the optical viewfinder; optical viewfinders being something of a joke on most digital cameras with extraordinary optics, most users won't miss it. The 3-inch LCD more than makes up for the lack of a viewfinder, and works well in bright sunlight. At 180 grams (6.3 oz), the Canon SD870 IS can fit in almost any pocket, and uses a battery that can take a pretty decent number of photos. It's a lot of camera fit into a small package, and I think it's a great fit for the experienced digital camera user who needs a reliable, take-anywhere shooter that shows off its photos well. And I can't emphasize enough how great it is to have a 28mm wide angle lens in such a small package..."