General / Design
The Canon IXUS 285 HS A is a stylish, extremely compact digital camera with a slim metal body. It fits easily into any bag whilst offering a surprising amount of performance. Weighing just approx. 146 g including the battery and memory card, it is particularly well-suited for travel. Its dimensions are approximately 99.6 × 58.0 × 22.8 mm. The camera is designed for temperatures between 0 °C and 40 °C and humidity levels of 10–90%.

Image sensor and processor
The camera is equipped with a back-illuminated 1/2.3-inch CMOS sensor, which delivers approximately 20.2 effective megapixels. A total of around 21.1 megapixels are incorporated. Image processing is supported by the Canon DIGIC 4+ processor with iSAPS technology for optimised exposure and colours.

Lens and zoom
The built-in Canon lens covers a focal length of 25–300 mm (35 mm equivalent) – ideal for wide-angle shots as well as close-ups of distant subjects. The optical zoom is 12x, which can be extended to 24x using ZoomPlus. In addition, a digital zoom of approximately 4x is possible, resulting in a total magnification of up to approximately 48x.
The maximum aperture is f/3.6 in the wide-angle range and f/7.0 in the telephoto range. The lens construction comprises 9 elements in 7 groups, including several aspherical elements for high image quality.
An optical image stabiliser with lens-shift technology and Intelligent IS reliably compensates for camera shake, whilst a 4-axis Dynamic IS ensures smooth footage during video recording.

Focus and Macro
The autofocus system uses TTL technology and offers 9 AF points (AiAF with face detection) as well as a central spot AF. Single-shot AF, tracking AF and Servo AF/AE are supported.
The minimum focusing distance in macro mode is just 1 cm from the front of the lens – ideal for detailed shots of small objects.

Exposure and Shutter
Exposure metering can be selected from multi-segment metering (with face detection), centre-weighted average metering or spot metering. Exposure compensation can be adjusted within a range of ±2 EV in third-stop increments. Additionally, the camera supports automatic brightness optimisation (i-Contrast).
Shutter speeds range from 1 to 1/2,000 second as standard, and from 15 to 1/2,000 second in extended mode (e.g. long exposure).

ISO and white
balance Sensitivity can be set automatically or manually in ISO steps from 80 to 3,200. White balance can be set both automatically (with face detection) and manually, with presets such as daylight, cloudy, artificial light or custom.

Display
The camera features a 3.0-inch LCD with a resolution of approx. 461,000 pixels. The brightness is adjustable in five levels. The viewfinder coverage is approx. 100%, and Quick-Bright for instant brightness boost is integrated.

Flash
The built-in flash supports automatic mode, manual on/off switching and slow-sync. The range is approx. 0.5–4.0 m (wide-angle) and 1.0–2.0 m (telephoto). Red-eye correction and flash exposure with face detection are available.

Shooting modes and creative functions
The versatile shooting modes include Smart Auto (recognises 32 scenes), Creative Shot, Hybrid Auto, Program Auto and various scene modes: Portrait, Night Scene, Fireworks, Long Exposure, Low Light, High-Speed Burst (5 MP), Fisheye Effect, Miniature Effect, Toy Camera, Monochrome, Colour Enhancement and Poster Effect.
Photo effects such as Sepia, Black and White, Slide Film and custom colour adjustment (My Colors) are also included.

Burst mode and selfies
The camera offers burst shooting at approx. 2.5 frames per second at full resolution. In high-speed mode (at 5 MP), approx. 7.2 frames per second are possible. The self-timer can be individually set, for example to 2 or 10 seconds.

Photo and video resolution
The camera captures photos in the following resolutions and aspect ratios:

• 4:3: up to 5,184 × 3,888

• 16:9: up to 5,184 × 2,912

• 3:2: up to 5,184 × 3,456

• 1:1: up to 3,888 × 3,888

Compression is in JPEG (Exif 2.3-compatible).
Videos are recorded in MP4 format with H.264 video and AAC audio (mono). Available video resolutions:

• Full HD (1,920 × 1,080) at 29.97 fps

• HD (1,280 × 720) at 29.97 fps

• VGA (640 × 480) at 29.97 fps
  The maximum video length is 29 mins 59 secs or 4 GB file size (whichever comes first).

Storage
The camera uses microSD, microSDHC and microSDXC cards. For optimal video recording, cards with a speed class of 6 or higher are recommended (especially for Full HD).

Connectivity and interfaces
Connection options include Hi-Speed USB (Mini-B), HDMI Micro (Type D) and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n) with Dynamic NFC support. Features such as remote control via smartphone, wireless sharing and automatic backup are available via the Canon Camera Connect app. GPS data can be integrated via paired smartphones.

Power supply
The supplied NB-11LH battery is sufficient for approx. 180 shots (standard) or approx. 265 shots in Eco mode. Playback time is around 240 minutes. A suitable charger (CB-2LFE) is included in the scope of delivery.

What’s in the box

• Canon IXUS 285 HS A

• NB-11LH lithium-ion battery

• Battery charger CB-2LFE

• Wrist strap WS-800

• Mains cable

• Printed user manual

Conclusion
The Canon IXUS 285 HS A is an excellent compact camera for users who value a lightweight body, ease of use, optical zoom and good connectivity. Thanks to creative shooting modes and Full HD video capability, it is well suited for travel, everyday use and social media – though it does not deliver professional image quality in low light.