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Taking pictures in bright sunlight can be a bit of a chore since, like many other LCDs, the Canon IXUS 240 HS's screen can be hard to see. There are five brightness levels, but the process of getting to the settings means you're unlikely to use the adjustment. An auto brightness function would probably have worked better.
When it comes to image quality, the Canon IXUS 240 HS does have a tendency to overexpose by up to half a stop, and it can easily blow the highlights. To counteract this there is an i-Contrast setting that does a fairly good job of holding details in brighter areas while still pulling out detail from the shadows.
It's also quite noticeable that the backlit CMOS sensor has an inclination to blow highlights where they appear next to darker areas. It's hardly a pleasant bokeh effect, more of a muddy smearing that looks like a soft focus filter.
That said, with a fair wind and some good light, the Canon IXUS 240 HS can turn out some cracking images, but those clunky touchscreen controls will do their best to stop you getting the most from it.
Our sensitivity (ISO) test shots reveal that the camera performs very well, holding plenty of detail all the way up to the maximum sensitivity of ISO 3200.
The 5x optical zoom with its handy range of 24-120mm is a really sharp performer, resolving plenty of detail for the sensor to capture, even in low light.
