The ultra compact and lifestyle segment from Canon, the IXUS series, has another addtion, the 970 IS. It is a 10 MP ultra-compact camera from Canon and comes with a 37-185 mm lens that has a 5x optical zoom capability and Canon's optical image stabilisation.

Smaller than the palm of your hand, the Canon 970 IS is feature-packed and promises to deliver great picture quality.

Dubbed the 'Telephoto IXUS', I have high hopes on the 5x OIS lens as well as the overall features and performance of the camera. Lets see how it fares.

Design

The IXUS 970 IS features smooth curves and an elegant matte finish look sleek and stylish. But, given the shape of the camera, it's not very comfortable to hold while shooting. Being rounded on all sides does score some points for the looks, but holding the camera is difficult even if your hands are slightly sweaty.

The back of the camera holds a 2.5-inch LCD that has a max resolution of 230,000 pixels as well as an optical viewfinder. And apart from the 4 buttons and mode selector, it also features a multicontrol dial to select various scene and shooting modes of the camera.

The smooth finish on the mode selector dial does not offer much grip and can be a problem when switching modes in a hurry. Compared to that, I had really liked the mode switch on the 900 Ti. Check out the pics below. The one of the right is the 900 Ti.

The multicontrol dial is smooth and has grooved corners that help you grip and turn the dial with ease.

Measuring 95.4 x 57.2 x 27.4 mm (WxHxD), the IXUS 970 weighs 165 grams. So, it's small enough to fit in a purse or your shirt pocket without weighing it down.