This weekend Polly did the required near-Christmas trip up to Glasgow to see her relatives. I escaped, given the moderate chance that some weekend work would be required for a delivery on Monday. This didn't eventuate, and as such I found myself at a loose end. My normal resource is such circumstances is to head out to the various museums and galleries with my camera in hand. Unfortunately, Polly had swiped my camera while I was under the heavy influence of sleep (her train left King's Cross at 0700, an hour about which I have grave doubts). So, what would Brian Boytano (or Jesus if you're so inclined) do? Track down a new one!

After a bit of hunting I found my target - a Canon IXUS 850IS. My previous camera was an IXUS 55 and I found the balance of size and performance rather good. The major downsides were that it was useless in low light and the battery was tiny. The IXUS 850 provides a decent wide angle lens, 3.8x optical zoom, image stabilisation and a bigger battery, solving these issues to some degree. While it packs in a few less pixels than its sibling, the IXUS 900 (7.1 to 10 MP) it makes up for it with the lens and stabilisation support.

Tracking one down turned out to be a pain though. PC World had the previous model, the IXUS 800IS, for less than Amazon, yet had none in stock in the entirety of Greater London. Amazon had them, but a fortune in postage would have been required for prompt delivery. In the end Pixmania was chosen, as despite the shop being out in Fulham, they had them at Amazon's price and in stock. I must concede however that their ordering process wound me up - they proclaim that they have them in the store, yet when ordering say it will be 24 hours before you can pick up. I chanced it and lucked out, but certainly something to be wary of in future.

As for performance - smashing. The lens is fantastic - suddenly huge vistas are opened up to the sides, and you don't need to be three miles away from something to get all of it in the picture. The controls are improved - it doesn't get knocked into video mode in your pocket, and it seems to do a bit better with low light. The major downside is the increased file size, which makes a mockery of the 32Mb SD card they include. Another useless SD card to keep around, huzzah! But then Amazon are selling 2Gb from £13, so it's a problem with an easy solution.

Of course the major outcome of all of this is that Polly is unlikely to leave the house without relieving me of my debit card in future...