The compact digital cameras in Canon's Digital IXUS range have always been stylish as well as geared towards the happy snapper who likes high quality images for minimum amounts of effort. In that respect the IXUS 990 IS continues in the great tradition, only with a much higher than usual price tag.

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Weighing 160g and measuring a comfortable 94.8 x 56.8 x 26.3mm, the 990 IS has a beautifully styled, sophisticated and elegant brushed silver exterior that is sure to draw a few gasps of admiration. It feels comfortable and solid in the hand and the control dial and supplementary print, playback, display and menu buttons on the back are easy to access and operate. By contrast, the power button on the top is unnecessarily small and recessed, and alongside it the slide switch for video, still and auto functions is stiff and awkward to activate.

On the plus side, the high resolution 3-inch LCD display is satisfyingly bright and clear thanks to its 461,000 pixels and, as well as the expected USB AV output on the side, there's also an HDMI port so that you can instantly play back the 1280 x 720 HD movies you can record at 30fps.