THE CANON IXUS 75 IS VERY similar to the SD1000-inside and out. The two cameras feature 7-megapixel resolution and 3X optical zoom lenses, and they sport almost identical "box and circle" chassis designs .. The physical differences between these two models are subtle. At just under 4.5 ounces and 3.39 inches long, it's a bit smaller. The ixus 75 is more stylized, and is just a bit longer than its counterpart. The IXUS 75 has only its LCD for scoping out shots, albeit a large, 3-inch one.

The IXUS 75 features face detection. When you press the shutter button halfway down, the camera automatically identifies faces in the scene and chooses the ideal focus point. With this feature enabled, the camera also controls exposure settings and flash, to avoid red-eye along with darkened or overexposed faces. On my tests, flash shots had a bit more color noise than daylight pictures. As with many digital cameras, you can't zoom in or out while shooting movies.

Video is encoded as Motion JPEG. It would be nice to have MPEG-4 support here. The IXUS 75 is a Microsoft Vista compatible and accepts both SD and SDHC memory cards. Canon's PowerS hot models typically lead the pack in the compact camera space, and the IXUS 75 is no exception. Both the IXUS 75 and the SDlOOO can be found online for about the same price so which one you choose really comes down to preference:a larger LCD or an optical viewfinder.