Canon PowerShot ELPH · on sale February 2016 · a retrospective
The Canon PowerShot ELPH 180 (IXUS 175): the $120 CCD compact
Also sold as the Digital IXUS 175 and the IXY 180.
In 2016 Canon sold a 20-megapixel CCD, 28–224 mm pocket camera for about $120. It had no mechanical image stabilisation and no Wi-Fi, and a French lab gave it two stars out of five. It was built for beginners shooting in daylight.
Release date and launch price: launched February 2016; launch price US$119.992.
Quick answers
- Sensor
- CCD, 1/2.3", 20 MP source
- Lens
- 28–224 mm equivalent, 8× zoom source
- Memory card
- SD source
- Battery
- NB-11L source
- Also sold as
- IXUS 175 · IXY 180
- USB / A/V cable
- IFC-400PCU, AVC-DC400 Confirmed · all Canon cables
Meet the camera
It is a slim pocket compact that weighs about 126 grams with battery and card and measures roughly 95 by 54 millimetres and 22 thick.1 Imaging Resource called it easy to slip into a pocket and easy to use with its Smart Auto mode.2 The photo above shows the 2017 IXUS 185: Canon gives it the same dimensions and weight, and the same 20-megapixel CCD and 8x lens.54 We found no free-licence product photo of the ELPH 180 itself.
It had three names. Canon's museum lists it as the PowerShot ELPH 180 in the Americas, the IXUS 175 in Europe, Asia and Oceania and the IXY 180 in Japan, marketed in February 2016.1 Imaging Resource, writing in January 2016, gave a suggested price of US$119.99.2 In its first look it said the camera replaced the ELPH 160 with incremental upgrades.2
Why this one was interesting
It changed almost nothing, on purpose
Imaging Resource said the 20-megapixel CCD sensor remained unchanged from the ELPH 160, and that the camera kept the same 8x lens.2 The review described it as a budget-friendly camera that left out image stabilisation and wireless connectivity, with the ELPH 190 IS as the step up for stabilisation.2
A new lens?
No. Canon lists an 8x zoom from 5.0 to 40.0 millimetres, equal to 28–224 mm on a 35 mm camera, with a maximum aperture of f/3.2 at wide angle and f/6.9 at full zoom.1 Imaging Resource added that it has no mechanical image stabilisation.2
Auto Zoom
The one thing Canon singled out was a dedicated Auto Zoom button that adjusts the framing to the number of subjects in the shot.1
Our nearest relatives are the earlier PowerShot SD1300 IS (IXUS 105) and the ELPH 300 HS; this is the cheaper, plainer end of the same family.
What was missing
There was no mechanical image stabilisation and no Wi-Fi.2 Video stopped at 720p, which the French test listed as a weakness: "Vidéo seulement HD".32 The first look listed an LCD but no viewfinder.2
The dark and the zoom: its weak points
Fnac's lab said the camera needs well-contrasted scenes to focus, that smoothing becomes visible from ISO 400, and that it is not suited to low light.3 Sharpness at wide angle was correct, but resolution at full telephoto was clearly degraded.3 Colours were acceptable.3 PhotographyBLOG found similar things on its twin, the IXUS 185: at ISO 1600 the image visibly softened to hide noise, and it saw purple and green fringing around high-contrast edges.4
Imaging Resource's page on the ELPH 180 is a first look, written before lab testing; it contains no noise, sharpness or colour results.2 Where this page talks about image quality it relies on the French lab and on the twin.
On eBay right now
Live listings for this camera, supplied by eBay and updated automatically. We earn a commission if you buy through them.
The little wins
Pocketable
About 126 grams and roughly 22 millimetres thick, with battery and card.1
How it drew the picture
Fnac's lab gave it two stars out of five and called it truly meant for beginners shooting outdoors in daylight and zooming sparingly.3 The 2017 twin earned 3.5 out of 5 from PhotographyBLOG, which found images well exposed in daylight but not the sharpest, and the performance "perfectly adequate overall".4
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Photos taken with this camera (Wikimedia Commons lists them under the Digital IXUS 175 name), credited under each picture.
Where it let you down
Besides the low-light and telephoto softness, the ELPH 180 recorded only 720p video at 25 frames per second, and it fires about 0.8 frames per second in burst.2 Imaging Resource's spec table listed about 220 shots per charge.2 For the twin, PhotographyBLOG rated the battery modest at about 210 shots and found the default Easy Auto limited manual control.4
What the reviewers said
| Outlet | Date | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| Imaging Resource (first look) | 6 Jan 2016 | A budget ultracompact with the unchanged 20-megapixel CCD and 8x lens; leaves out stabilisation and wireless. No image-quality results: lab testing was promised.2 |
| Fnac L'Éclaireur (lab test) | 24 Apr 2016 | 2 out of 5. Light and easy, correct at wide angle; poor at telephoto and above ISO 400; for beginners in daylight.3 |
| PhotographyBLOG (the 2017 IXUS 185, same sensor and lens) | 7 Jun 2017 | 3.5 out of 5. Image quality adequate, operation simple, price affordable.4 |
Coverage of this exact model is thin: one first look and one lab test, in French. That is why the page draws on the twin as well, and says so wherever it does.
The timeline
- 6 January 2016Imaging Resource posts a first look at a suggested US$119.99.2
- February 2016Canon's museum lists the ELPH 180, IXUS 175 and IXY 180 as marketed.1
- 24 April 2016Fnac publishes its lab test.3
- February 2017Canon follows with the ELPH 185 / IXUS 185 / IXY 200, adding a dedicated DATE button for stamping dates on pictures.5
- 7 June 2017PhotographyBLOG reviews the IXUS 185.4
Should you buy one now?
Buy one if you want a very simple, very light CCD camera for daylight snapshots and you accept the zoom softness and the lack of stabilisation. It launched at US$119.99;2 what it sells for now is a question for the sold listings, not for us. Before you bid, check these:
- The name. Search the PowerShot ELPH 180, the IXUS 175 and the IXY 180.1 The 2017 ELPH 185 / IXUS 185 / IXY 200 is a different camera with a DATE button.5
- The battery. It uses an NB-11L;2 a fresh one is on Amazon ↗.
- The card. It takes SD cards.2 See our memory card guide.
- The cable. See the cable line near the top of this page.
- The lens. Check that it extends and retracts cleanly.
If you are wondering why cameras like this are being hunted down again, we tell that story once, in Pictures that never left the card.
See recent sold prices on eBay ↗Shop on eBay ↗NB-11L battery ↗
Sources
- Canon Camera Museum: PowerShot ELPH 180 / IXUS 175 / IXY 180 (names, February 2016, specifications)
- Imaging Resource, Canon PowerShot ELPH 180 first look by Jeremy Gray (6 Jan 2016; lab results promised)
- Fnac L'Éclaireur, Test Labo du Canon Ixus 175 by Laure Renouard (24 Apr 2016, in French)
- PhotographyBLOG, Canon IXUS 185 review by Gavin Stoker (7 Jun 2017): the 2017 successor
- Canon Camera Museum: PowerShot ELPH 185 / IXUS 185 / IXY 200 (February 2017, DATE button, dimensions)
Product photo by Stephan van Helden (CC BY-SA 4.0); sample photographs are credited under each one, all via Wikimedia Commons. Links to eBay and Amazon are affiliate links.