There is also a Close-up mode available in the Digital IXUS. When this mode is enabled, it allows you to capture a subject that fills the space equivalent to an 8x10 inch print or an object as big as a Canon EOS-1V fitted with the Power Booster PB-E2 unit. To give an example of how close this mode can be, here are two photos, one of which was shot in the normal mode. The poster itself has a size of 20x30 inch but what is shown below (first photo) is a cropped version, about 2/3 of it and the next photo was shot with the close-up mode activated. Shot in normal mode Shot in Close-up mode The built-in exposure meter of the camera is not perfect although I did say that it is not easily fool by the brighter part of the scene in the Chinatown picture on Page Two. Whether you can get an accurate exposure with the Digital IXUS also depends on how and where you are aiming the camera. These photos below will give an example of how the exposure can vary when the Digital IXUS is aimed at the wrong area. Good detail in background but overexposed lights Details in the lights but underexposed background     Fill-in flash helps even out the scene The first photo was shot under available light - with the autoflash switched off, and the exposure was memorized by aiming the camera away from the lights, towards the background and recomposing again for the final angle. In the second photo, also with the flash switched off, the exposure was based on the lights, resulting in underexposure of the background but rendering the lights correctly. In the third photo, fill-in flash was used. Okay, it did not give a perfect exposure, either but at least the details in both the lights and background were clearer. However, the flash did freeze the spinning blades of the fan as opposed to the blurred ones from the two photos shot without using the Digital IXUS' built-in flash. The Digital IXUS comes with the following standard accessories: Lithium Battery Pack NB-1L, Battery Charger CB-2L, an 8MB CompactFlash Card (FC-8M), Interface Cable for USB (IFC-200PCU), Video Cable (VC-200), Wrist Strap (WS-110), PowerShot Solutions Software CD-ROM, and Adobe PhotoDeluxe CD-ROM. Optional accessories include AC Adapter Kit ACK300 (which contains Compact Power Adapter CA-PS300, DC Coupler DR-300, and an AC Power Cord) and Soft Compact Case PSC 100 (with space for and extra battery and CF card) as well as spare batteries, CF cards and interface cables. Text and photos by Philip Chong. Copyright 2000 by Canon Marketing (M) Sdn Bhd << Back to Main . 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 .