With the glut of ultra-compact 5 Megapixel cameras around, the Canon Ixus 55 face stiff competition, and so, like its brothers and sisters, has to be packed with features for both the novice and intermediate photographer.
Action on the big screen
The first thing you instantly see is the massive 2.5" LCD screen. This simply is too large for the camera and is impractical in everyday use. The novice will love the ability to see a large preview and playback, but after only an hour's use the bottom right of the screen was covered in thumb prints. With only a small area to operate the menu buttons, it's impossible to keep your thumbs off the screen. The buttons themselves are fine: responsive and fairly ergonomic.
Using the camera from the off was very enjoyable. Build quality is encouragingly sturdy and taking shots is simplicity itself. The auto focus points are sophisticated and accurate, ensuring sharp shots. The rich colour too is superior in my experience giving very accurate levels.
Neat at night
The 35mm to 105mm optical zoom lens is fine for this type of camera although nothing special, along with a 4x digital zoom if you need it. The flash function really impressed me, especially in night situations. The images produced were not only bright but again the colour accuracy was spot on with no visible noise at close view.
Macro is also very good at only 3cm delivering sharp detail. White balance gives you 6 settings that are pretty accurate with manual as a standby option, although you shouldn't have to stray far from the auto settings. I also liked the 2.1 frame continuous shooting rate with unlimited shots- it's not something you would expect on a camera in this price range. Exposure compensation is from -2 to +2 if you need to push your shot, and does provide balanced improvements. You do have to be wary of strong fringing in bright daylight.
You spin me right round...
A gimmicky feature, the playback orientation sensor, which automatically rotates images to fit the screen during playback, so that you always see it the right way up, is actually something that impressed me. You don't really want to be moving the camera position from landscape to portrait all the time, and I found myself rather liking it.
Canon's digital menu system is lovely. Functions are clear and simple to navigate through, and not only for the novice using automatic- there are a host of options to hand in manual setting when you really need that bit extra. Video recording is also good with the usual 640 x 480 pixels / 30 fps. I liked the solid sound levels and being able to smoothly zoom in whilst recording, which really does let anyone achieve quality results.
There are some niggles, though. Sadly, the optical viewfinder is just a token gesture, being so tiny it's of little value. Something else too fiddly is the zoom dial at the top of the body. With only a tiny lever to move, it can be tricky to operate for novice users.
Smaller than a typical business card, the Ixus 55 delivers that feel of quality in the hand, and a comprehensive range of features, it's a pleasure to use. Even the fiddly zoom lever and out of proportion screen are forgiveable- although why there's such an obsession for micro sizing, I don't know. It looks fabulous and delivers perfectly acceptable shots with little noise in dark areas. Even when zooming into the images you see a good sharp picture with smooth pixels.
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Ease of use 
Functions 
Value for Money 
Overall 
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Style for the snapper: this is a perfect second camera for the opportunist snapper that can be with you at all times, even tucked into your shirt pocket. The style conscious with also love its sleek design. And it won't break the bank.
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