Canon 170 IS

Canon 170 IS is Canon's Ultracompact camera first launched on January of 2015. It uses a 20 MegaPixel, CCD 1/2.3" sized sensor and has a maximum resolution of 5152 x 3864. It is also known as "IXUS 170" in other regions.

The 170 IS is scored #22 out of 151 in Ultracompact cameras & all around #756 out of 1465 for cameras in our collection. Remember to check our Advanced camera filter to get camera results based on your personal factors.

Below is a chart of various criteria used in the scoring system.

The Canon 170 IS is part of a family of products. You can read the detailed range below.

You can see the 170 IS from different angles in the gallery here.

Below is a checklist of benefits and drawbacks of the Canon 170 IS based on aspects that are often viewed as useful in a camera.

The Canon 170 IS houses the DIGIC 4+ processor. The sensor measurement on the Canon 170 IS is 6.17mm x 4.55mm (1/2.3"). The 28 mm² sensor has the ability to resolve 5152 x 3864 pixels at aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. The camera has Image Stabilization (Optical). Optical stabilization is superior than digital stabilization since the latter can cause cropping.

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The CCD sensor has 20MP and supports a native ISO range of 100 to 1600. Sadly, RAW photos are not supported so the user has less margin for error.

The graphic below displays the 170 IS's sensor dimensions compared to other common sizes. The 170 IS sensor has a crop factor of 5.8 and is outlined in green.

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To get an idea of different aspect ratios, you can refer to the visual below.

Canon 170 IS weighs about 0.31 lb (141 gr or 4.97 oz) & has outside size of 100mm x 58mm x 23mm (3.9" x 2.3" x 0.9"). The weight of normal Ultracompact camera is 121 gr and the Canon 170 IS is more heavy when compared with other competitors.

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Below is a pic of the Canon 170 IS with a softdrink to help you get a sense of its scale.

The top view here will highlight the button layout on the 170 IS.

The 170 IS features a fixed lens providing a focal range of 25-300mm making it a 12.0 x zoom which won't be perfect nevertheless it could be handy in a few conditions.

At the widest 25mm, it has an aperture of f3.6 which is rather slow and not the best for low light situations and you will probably find it difficult to get good bokeh. You will probably also have to boost the ISO setting producing noisy files. On the tele end, 300mm is great zoom and comes to f7.0 which is fairly slow and you might need to set slow shutter speeds.

The 170 IS has the following connectivity:

• USB Yes

Cameras that include NFC and Bluetooth compatibility are able to be used wirelessly through smartphones. You can easily transfer photos and oftentimes change settings without connecting straight to the camera.

Many applications even allow a Liveview and click the shutter when you aren't near the camera. If the camera has a HDMI port, it can easily be connected to an external display. Almost all cameras will allow you to recharge the battery using the USB socket.

The maximum video resolution on the Canon 170 IS is 1280 x 720 and you can capture in MPEG-4 and H.264 format. 720p is awful for today's requirements. You really should go for a minimum FUll HD resolution for video. The camera doesn't feature a microphone and headphone jack so you have no control over the sound. It is perhaps a better idea to order another camera in case you want decent sound for your video clips.

There is no weather sealing in the Canon 170 IS so you need to be cautious in rainy and dusty situations.

The Canon 170 IS houses a 2.7" fixed display screen boasting a resolution of 230k dots.

Please be aware that the display has no touch support.

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The View Finder details for Canon 170 IS are below:

• ViewFinder None

Viewfinders are rather useful for bright outdoor situations which might make the camera display washed out and hard to see.

Canon 170 IS continuous shooting speed is 0.8 frames/s. The highest shutter speed is 1/2000s.

Canon 170 IS has only integrated flash without external flash ability.

Canon 170 IS has just Contrast Based Auto Focus & lacks Phase Detect Auto Focus. Phase Detection focusing is more faster and exact when compared with Contrast Based focusing. The camera boasts Face detect which is valuable for portrait photography.

The AF system boasts 9 focus points to pick from. It also features Tracking Auto Focus for things that move. Canon 170 IS lacks manual focusing. Manual focusing can be useful for low light situations or you require more precise control on focusing.

The battery (NB-11L/LH) in the Canon 170 IS is made to last for 200 photographs based on the CIPA standards making it about the same as it's rivals. The general Ultracompact camera battery life is 214. Nikon L32 offers the highest possible (320) battery life for this category of cameras.

Following is a number of Ultracompact cameras with the highest battery life:

ModelVisualizeBattery LifeRAWNFCBluetooth

Nikon L32
170 IS vs L32320 nonono

Olympus TG-870
170 IS vs TG-870300 nonono

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Panasonic FP5
170 IS vs FP5260 nonono

Sony TX20
170 IS vs TX20250 nonono

Sony TX55
170 IS vs TX55250 nonono

The following graph provides a summation of the Canon 170 IS for various categories of photography. To check out more, scroll to the specific paragraph below.

The Canon 170 IS receives a points total of 38 which is dreadful, and means the camera is just not very good to use for portrait photography. Taking portrait photos leans greatly towards sensor resolution, RAW support & option to work with external flash.

Coming in at a reasonable points total of 59, the Canon 170 IS is relatively suited for street photography. A good street photography camera provides a good balance of image quality and portability.

A dreadful sports photography points total of 43 indicates the Canon 170 IS is just not very good for photographing sports. A camera must have excellent tracking and fast shutter speeds for sports photography.

Portability is really important when getting a travel camera. All round, the Canon 170 IS gets a above average 69 as a travel camera which is a good fit to purchase for your holidays.

In case you're planning to purchase a digital camera for landscape photography, the most significant factor will be image quality. The Canon 170 IS with it's dreadful rating of 41 for a landscape camera is just not very good within the current marketplace.

A vlogging camera should really offer a moving screen, mic input and if possible image stabilization. Considering every thing, the Canon 170 IS is just not very good for vlogging as it gets a dreadful rating of 32.

If you are in the market for alternatives to the 170 IS, below is a selection of the top ranked cameras that fall in to the family of Ultracompact.

The diagram followed below shows you a bird's eye view of the 170 IS compared to it's highest rated rivals shown above.

These are some more cameras you may consider as alternate options. To review a thorough comparison, click the "compare" link.