Square compact camera: CANON IXY3
A review and sample photos of the Canon compact digital camera (old compact digital camera) CANON IXY 3.
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Table of contents
Gallery
Review
1．Overview
The Canon IXY 3 is a compact digital camera released by Canon on March 9, 2012.
The 1/2.3-inch, 16.8-megapixel CMOS sensor is cropped to record 10.1 megapixels. The lens is equipped with a 12x zoom lens equivalent to 28-336mm in 35mm format.
The focal length starts at 28mm in 35mm format, but in reality, a focal length of 4mm is used at the wide-angle end, and if the 1/2.3-inch sensor is fully used, the wide-angle end is equivalent to 22mm. However, this camera crops the periphery of the sensor to achieve a focal length equivalent to 28mm. This is the same as the IXY1.
The camera design uses the golden ratio (aspect ratio 1.618:1) for the horizontal to vertical ratio, and the surface treatment is “spin cut” to give it a unified shine. This “spin cut” is only available on the IXY3, and the IXY1 has a glossy paint treatment.
The main features are listed below.
- The aperture blades are two, but hexagonal.
- The minimum shooting distance is 1cm from the tip of the lens at the wide end in macro mode.
- Image recording is compatible with the micro SDXC standard, and large-capacity cards can be used, so if you have a 128GB card, you can record several thousand photos.
- The battery is an NB-9L, with specifications of a nominal voltage of 3.5V, 870mAh, and 3.5Wh. The IXY1, IXY50S, and IXY 51S all use the same battery.
- A fully charged battery is said to be able to take 190 shots in accordance with CIPA standards, but if the battery is slightly worn out, it will run out of power in about half that amount.
- The body is available in three colors: blue, red, and silver.
2．Usability
The Canon IXY 3 was released in 2012, making it 13 years old in 2025, and it’s fair to call it an old compact.
The camera operates in the standard compact-camera style, where the lens extends when you press the start button, so there’s no sense of waiting until you’re ready to shoot. There’s also no noticeable lag in the autofocus or shutter response, and there’s no sense of waiting for the image to be recorded, making the camera’s overall response excellent.
The auto white balance and color reproduction are a bit lackluster, with some strange colors appearing in auto mode. It’s probably best to just accept that and shoot on a sunny day.
Typical of compact cameras, highlights lack definition and are often blown out, and dark scene results can be disappointing due to the noise they produce when displayed on a PC. The telephoto end’s f/5.3 aperture is also slow, so caution is required against camera shake. Although it does have lens-shift image stabilization (IS), it’s not particularly effective. Therefore, you’ll need to hold the camera firmly when shooting to avoid blur. While the ISO can be increased up to 3200, the small sensor’s size means you can’t expect much from the image quality, and the practical ISO sensitivity is never higher than 400.
There is no viewfinder to check the composition when shooting; operation is completed entirely on the rear LCD. The rear LCD has a resolution of 460,000 dots, and the preview display after shooting allows you to determine the focus position and any blur. A higher resolution rear LCD with around 1 million dots would provide a more reliable check.
The camera is equipped with a high-magnification zoom lens with a shooting range of 28mm to 336mm, but since you rarely use such a long range for street snapshots, I feel that the camera’s characteristics are best utilized with a brighter lens and a 24mm wide-angle end and a 120mm telephoto end.
Images are recorded in JPG format only, and barrel distortion can be noticeable, especially at the 28mm wide-angle end, depending on the distance from the subject. This is a sign that compact digital cameras from the 2010s did not actively apply correction processing to recorded images, and the image effects that would become a trend later were largely nonexistent and merely a bonus.
The button layout is quite cramped to achieve a compact body, with small buttons assigned to camera functions and cursor functions for menu navigation. The tight layout makes operability difficult, but since the camera is used in automatic mode after initial setup, this is tolerable as you won’t be accessing the menu frequently.
However, one issue I found problematic when shooting is the video record button, located right next to my right hand, which holds the camera. It can be pressed accidentally while shooting, so you need to be careful when using this button. Fortunately, the button only starts recording if you press it firmly, so you don’t get annoyed by constantly pressing the record button.
As for the exterior, it has one of the best designs among Canon compact digital cameras, and its sleek, six-sided body with sharp edges is sure to satisfy your desire to own it. The paint coating on the body’s surface is durable and will not peel off if handled roughly.
3．Summary
In conclusion, to sum up the Canon IXY 3 is a compact digital camera with a high-magnification zoom in a compact body.
The image quality is more than sufficient for recording everyday snapshots, and since the telephoto end is 300mm so it can capture objects quite far away, if you use your smartphone to cover the ultra-wide-angle range, which is wider than the wide-angle end of 28mm, it makes for a versatile combination that can be used in almost any situation.
What’s great about this camera is that it provides a high level of satisfaction as a product, including the body design.
Specification
Its sister model, the IXY 1, is equipped with Wi-Fi and is primarily a touch-based camera. The camera body is available in two colors, white and black. The white is of high quality and pairs well with the body design of the IXY1, with its subtly rounded corners, making it very attractive. I generally prefer the edged body of the IXY3, but the white IXY1 is a product that stands alongside the IXY3. I don’t like the black, so I can’t recommend it that much.
I seriously considered buying the white-bodied IXY1, but it has almost the same specs as the IXY 3 and uses touch controls without physical buttons, so I didn’t end up buying it.
| Items | IXY3 | IXY1 |
| Zoom x | 12 | 12 |
| Focal length | 28-336 (4〜48) | 28-336 (4〜48) |
| lens brand | CANON | CANON |
| Lens Construction | 14 elements in 12 groups (1 double-sided aspherical lens, 1 single-sided aspherical UA lens, 1 single-sided aspherical lens) 2 hexagonal aperture blades | 14 elements in 12 groups (1 double-sided aspherical lens, 1 single-sided aspherical UA lens, 1 single-sided aspherical lens) 2 hexagonal aperture blades |
| Aperture | F3.4 (W)〜 F5.6(T) | F3.4 (W)〜 F5.6(T) |
| Numbers of pixels | 10.1 megapixels | 10.1 megapixels |
| Minimum distance | Normal: 1cm~∞(W)/1m~∞(T) Macro: 1cm~50cm(W)(from the tip of the lens) | Normal: 1cm~∞(W)/1m~∞(T) Macro: 1cm~50cm(W)(from the tip of the lens) |
| Image stabilizer | Optical method | Optical method |
| Sensor size | 1/2.3 | 1/2.3 |
| View Finder | none | none |
| Back LCD | 3 inch 461,000 dots | 3 inch 461,000 dots |
| Image Processing Engine | DIGIC5 | DIGIC5 |
| Touch panel | none | Equip |
| WiFi | none | WIFI |
| Battery | NB-9L | NB-9L |
| Recorded Media | micro sdhc,micro sdxc | micro sdhc,micro sdxc |
| Wight(g) | 155 g | 163g |
| Size(mm) | 87.1 x 53.9 x 19.2 | 85.8 x 53.5 x 19.8 |
| Release date | 2013.03.07 | 2013.03.07 |
| Body color | Silver,blue,red | white,black |
Options
- Battery Pack NB-9L
- Battery Charger CB-2LB
- AC Adapter Kit ACK-DC70
- DC Coupler DR-70
- Compact Power Adapter CA-DC10
- Waterproof Case WP-DC340L
- Soft Case IXC-480BL (Blue)
- Soft Case IXC-480RE (Red)
- Soft Case IXC-470BK (Black)
- Soft Case IXC-470WH (White)
- Soft Case IXC-470BL (Blue)
- Soft Case IXC-470PK (Pink)
- IXC Neck Strap IXS-110BK (Black)
- IXC Neck Strap IXS-110RE (Red)
- Leather Neck Strap IXS-300B
- Leather Neck Strap IXS-310BK (Black)
- IXC Chain Neck Strap (Silver)
- High Power Flash HF-DC2
- High Power Flash HF-DC1
- HDMI cable HTC-100
- Interface cable IFC-400PCU
- AV cable AVC-DC400ST
Reference links
- [Compact Digital Camera] Main Specifications (IXY 3)
- CANON CAMERA MUSEUM IXY3
- [Compact Digital Camera] Main Specifications (IXY 1)
- CANON CAMERA MUSEUM IXY1
Affiliate links
- CANON COMPACT CAMERA・Ads by Amazon
- CANON IXY・Ads by Amazon
- CANON BOOKS・Ads by Amazon
Amazon Prime Sale
Update history
- 2025.6.22
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