Over the past few months I've acquired a number of new toys, the most popular of which is proving to be my EOS 400D (or Digital Rebel XTi if you're so inclined). I've oft sworn that a DSLR was more trouble than it's worth - yes, the pictures are nice but it's lots of money and hellish to carry around. Much better to have a compact IXUS or similar and keep it always nearby. Unfortunately, John decided to buy himself one, and hence I was daft enough to have a play. After a few stupid moments of trying to turn live preview on, I tried out his 50mm prime and was instantly sold.

Unfortunately, it turned out I was sold about a month too late. Canon had offered £50 off during December, but kindly returned to the RRP of £400 when I was looking to buy. And so I did my research, and spent many hours wondering whether a Nikon D40/40X would be a nice option, only to discover that they can't drive a 50mm lens (and the Sigma 30mm would wipe out any price advantage they offered). Thus I bit the bullet and wandered over to the Canon refurbished dealer, and bought myself a 400D + 18-55mm lens. And then I went down to Covent Garden and came away with a big grin and a 50mm prime.

To date I remain deeply in love. Yes, it's a bit bulky, but I can haul around a small camera big which serves for sundries as well. The battery lasts forever - I knocked off 600 shots yesterday, about 50 with flash, and the battery meter didn't move. The 50mm prime is fantastic, its only flaw being the zoom factor of the Canon sensor makes it a 80mm lens and hence you need a bit of space to use it. But at 1.8f it's nice and fast and you get a very tight focus (and you are left most embarrassed if you focus on the wrong element). I can even survive the use of compact flash, although I did wince a bit at the price difference when compared to SD. However, the 450D is still AWOL, so I'm certainly glad I didn't decide to wait for such things to be resolved.

In summary, I can't recommend it enough. The only thing likely to separate me from it is an attack by an unwilling subject, which seems to grow ever more likely (especially when they see the output).

For those who still fear our insect overlords, why not reinforce this with some pictures under a microscope.

There are not just insects however - there is a nice, if small, collection, ranging from crystals to plants, fungi to circuits. Well worth a look.

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...