The Ixus V is simple to use, making an ideal replacement for a traditional "point and shoot" camera. There is an optical viewfinder and a small LCD on the back, which doubles as a digital viewfinder and display for the menu system. One criticism of the control system is that a ring wheel, which encircles the shutter button, controls the zoom, while a switch on the back controls the mode the camera is in. This is the reverse of the Ixus 300 (the Ixus Vs big brother) and is less easy to control. The internal flash is small--effective from 0.27 to 3 metres, dependent on mode setting. There are a variety of flash settings, covering Auto, manual, red eye reduction and slow sync for long exposures.

For those who want to take more control of their photos, the Ixus V has a variety of settings available. There are three modes for image resolution, ranging from VGA (640x480) to the maximum resolution of 1600x1200. There are also three compression modes, which give you a range of between approximately eight and 100 pics on the supplied 8 MB card. At the highest settings the images are excellent. You can also control exposure and white balance, but metering is fixed, using a system called "evaluative metering", which is linked to the focusing point. This said, it is a very effective system, which works well for all but specialist shots of challenging scenes. The Ixus V also contains a film mode for taking short video clips at up to 640x480 resolution. The Ixus V hooks up to your PC via USB. The software supplied is all proprietary Canon software, which is competent, if not inspiring. Also supplied is a hand strap, battery charger, USB and composite video cables, but no separate case.