Overview
With a 16 million pixel sensor, Digic 4 processor, 8x optical zoom and 32x digital zoom, the Canon IXUS 145 isn’t likely to win any awards for innovation but it’s still a solid, well performing camera. Focusing on quality over quantity, Canon has included a limited set of functions for the novice user, with a few art filters (Monochrome, Toy Camera and Vivid, for example), and some basic manually adjustable options (such as exposure compensation and white balance) to allow users to experiment.
There are a few scene modes included with the IXUS 145, including beach, snow and portrait, and a Digital Image Stabilisation mode, which creates a composite image and reduces blur, to aid shooting in trickier conditions, such as low light or moving objects.
The IXUS 145 also benefits from the ability to shoot HD video, and comes equipped with Eco mode to help reduce battery consumption.
While the functions on the IXUS 145 are undoubtedly fairly basic, for a camera aimed squarely at the novice market it does well to guide people from taking photos on full Auto mode to making their own shooting choices. It comes with Live Mode (in which users can adjust the brightness, saturation and contrast, seeing those changes live on screen) and the ability to change the white balance, exposure compensation and metering mode, should people wish to.
Competing with cameras like the Nikon Coolpix S3600 and the Panasonic Lumix DMC-SZ8, the IXUS 145 will cost you a little less, but it’s worth bearing in mind that it also has fewer features to show for it.
Available in silver, red, purple and black the IXUS 145 is likely to appeal to people looking for a basic camera, and those who don’t want the hassle of fiddling with settings to capture their shots.
Build quality and handling
Although the IXUS 145 doesn’t have a handgrip, it’s still very easy to hold as it’s fairly lightweight and slim even with the battery inserted. As it has no protruding edges it’s able to slip into a tight jeans pocket or coat pocket with ease. The housing on the 145 feels solid and durable, with no flimsy plastic pieces or catches. The only major issue I have with the design is the battery door flap, which is a little difficult to open at times, due to its lack of grip.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given its price point Canon has opted not to include a touchscreen with this model, but the 2.7″ LCD screen is large and clear, and the menu system is very easy to use. The bevelled edge on the screen feels a little dated, and also seemed to be a magnet for dust and debris that you wouldn’t get if the screen was flush to the edge of the camera.
Buttons on the IXUS 145 are a little larger than on some of the previous IXUS cameras (like the 255 HS for example), with a little more space between them too, which should be a welcome change for those with larger hands. This extra space has come at a premium however, as the LCD screen has lost a little size from 3″ to 2.7″ to accommodate the wider button section.
Utilising the standard IXUS menu system, the 145 is relatively easy to get to grips with, especially if you’ve used a Canon camera before, with the majority of commonly used controls now accessed via the FUNC/SET button in the middle of the four way control pad. The rest of the control pad now houses flash, ECO and display settings, as well as the mode switch button which is, somewhat confusingly, labelled Auto.
Previous dedicated button settings like macro, exposure compensation and timer can now be found under the on-screen function menu, which makes them a little more time consuming to access, as you have to go through a couple of menus to get to them.
There’s a new help button on the back of the IXUS 145, which offers clear and concise tips and information about the screen you’re on, which should be pretty handy for novice users learning their way around the controls.
Playback and one-touch record are located above the control pad, with the menu button and help button below. You’ll find the power, shutter and zoom controls on the top left of the 145, with the flash situated on the right safely away from any fingers that might accidentally get in the way.
Performance and verdict
Producing images with true to life, vibrant colours, I was pretty impressed with the IXUS 145’s performance during my testing. It’s speedy to focus as well as quick to process shots, something I’m always happy to see in a compact camera. The majority of exposures are well balanced and it appears to meter correctly – I did see some over-exposure when shooting on Portrait mode against a backlit horizon, but nothing that couldn’t be corrected for with exposure compensation.
Macro mode works really well, allowing you to really get up close and personal, with no long zoom lens to cast a pesky shadow over your subject. There is a little bit of blurring towards the edges in these shots, but nothing major that looks out of place.
While several white balance modes on the IXUS 145 are available, I found that I didn’t often have to employ them as the auto white balance did a fine job at judging most scenes, only really faltering on an overcast scene which rendered colours a little cooler than it appeared in real life. I was, however, able to boost the colours by switching to the ‘cloudy’ white balance setting.
Sensitivity on the IXUS 145 ranges from 100-3200 (although it’s worth noting that it’s only manually adjustable up to 1600). You’ll find quite a lot of noise if you’re viewing the images at normal printing size, when shooting at ISO 1600 and above. shooting in good light at ISO 800 or below should keep noise to a minimum unless you’re viewing the images at 100%. Likewise, the 145 does show some levels of noise at 100% when shooting ISO 400 in low light, but it’s still a pretty good performance.
The filters provided are the standard IXUS set, but each brings something different to the images. Each filter is shown as a preview before you shoot, which is helpful as there are no options with the IXUS 145 for in-camera editing or post processing.
When viewed at 100% there is a tiny amount of chromatic aberration on some images, but it’s pretty unlikely that it would be noticeable when printing at A4 size or below. The IXUS 145 produces no noticeable distortion or fringing.
The screen is clear and bright and easy to see at most angles, although it does become a little mirrored during extreme tilting, which makes it harder to view, and the colours displayed on screen do become a little muted when viewed in bright sunlight.
Zoom performance on the IXUS 145 is generally good, especially when using the 8x optical zoom. While the digital zoom can reach 32x, it’s pretty noisy at that range, so best to stick to 16x or below if you’re planning to print those shots later.
Verdict
Proving the old adage that good things comes in small packages, Canon has once again produced a great all round compact in the IXUS 145 – it’s easy to use, takes great photos, fits in your pocket.
While it’s always nice to see some other features – perhaps panoramic mode or the ability to apply filters after you shoot, you can’t really argue on value; the IXUS 145 delivers quality photos during a wide range of conditions.
If you’re looking for a bit more for a just a little more money the Nikon Coolpix S3600 is slightly more but offers 20 million pixels compared to the IXUS’ 16, plus the ability to retouch on camera, while the Panasonic SZ8 boasts Wi-Fi capabilities, a bigger LCD screen and longer optical zoom performance.
We liked
We’ve long been impressed by the quality of the IXUS range and the 145 has done nothing to dampen that. It might have a limited set of functions but what it does it does very well, producing clear, vibrant, sharp images time after time.
We disliked
As always, it would be good to see a little more innovation. We know Canon has the technology to produce some great features, it’d be nice to see some of those appear in their budget compact range like the ability to upload to social media, or a touchscreen.
Final verdict
The Canon IXUS 145 is a perfect camera for a novice user – with its easy to use menu system, well performing auto mode and enticing price point, you can’t go far wrong. Also undeniable is the image quality, and its size and weight makes it a great camera to take with you, whatever the situation.
Sample images
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The wide end of the zoom range.
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…and the long end. 8x may not sound much, but it makes an enormous difference in framing.
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And if you can live with the drop in quality, there’s digital zoom too.
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Exposures are well balanced
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Colours on the Canon IXUS 145 are bright and vivid
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The IXUS 145 is able to capture fine detail well
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Auto white balance on the IXUS 145 does a good job of representing true-to-life colours
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Macro mode on the IXUS 145 is pretty impressive
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An example of the Monochrome filter at work
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Optical zoom performance from the IXUS 145 is good – this was shot at 8x
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A nice example of the colour boost gained by using the Vivid filter
Filters
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