Canon IXUS 135
Price: Rs 10,995
Rating: 4/5
Specs: 16MP, 5- 40 mm, f3.2-9, 1/2000, ISO 100-1600, 720p, SD card, Wi-Fi
The stylish and affordable Ixus range of cameras has started coming with Wi-Fi as an added feature. The Canon Ixus 135 we tested is slim and compact enough to slip inside your shirt pocket. Still it has got an 8x optical zoom that keeps itself hidden away. There is another 24x of digital zoom, but this is just a whole lot of noise. Given its size there are not many shooting modes available and you have to limit yourself to Auto and Program, good enough for entry level users. You can use the function button to chose many scene modes and tweaks.
In low light, the LCD shows a lot of noise. But this is a false alarm as the actual results are not all that bad. Despite the 16MP sensor, this is an entry level camera and don't expect it to do things it is not made for. For instance, there is no FullHD video here, only 720p. The cutting edge feature in the camera is undoubtedly the Wi-Fi. But it won't be long before Wi-Fi becomes a standard feature in cameras. The Ixus 135 has Wi-Fi but it does not think the way you are thinking. The camera can become a connected device and show up on your network and other device, so that you can access the files. But it can't be used to share the pictures directly from the camera. We could access the camera from a laptop, but the process seems a bit too complicated for the average user.
This camera makes sense for those buying their first digital camera. Its pictures are better than smartphones, but this camera must be seeing the phones getting closer all the time, trying to snap at its rear.
BAG IT OR JUNK IT:
Entry-level all the way, but with Wi-Fi