Wild about new camera

Brief excursion into camera geekery. I've had very good mileage out of my old compact camera (an extremely inexpensive General Imaging Z1300 from Argos): you really can't complain when you get pictures like this and this. But I've always been aware of its poor low-light performance, slightly cranky focus lock, and limited (3x) optical zoom. I decided it was time for an upgrade, and after a browse of the Argos catalogue, went for a Canon Ixus 500 HS compact.

I won't go into vast detail, except to say that it gives very crisp and (to my eye) accurately coloured images; the focus and motion compensation are superb (I was able to get good distance shots from the pitching Isle of Wight FastCat ferry); the zoom is effortless, and in full auto mode the camera switches seamlessly to whatever mode is needed (e.g. close-up macro or low-light); and the zoom (12x optical, up to 21x digital) is good enough to get very decent shots of creatures that don't like you getting close. And all this from a compact only around 2cm x 5cm x 9cm, £79.99 from Argos. It doesn't get the highest ratings from online camera review sites - it tends to get 4/5 - mostly, I think, because some users find it a bit fiddly, and one slight downside is that it needs a dedicated battery, not AAs. But I'm extremely pleased with it. A few samples from last weekend:

- Ray