Canon Digital Ixus 500 | Canon PowerShot S500 Digital ELPH | Canon IXY Digital 500

Canon's Digital IXUS 500 arrived in early 2004 as the flagship of the ultra-compact IXUS lineup, bringing 5 megapixels to a camera small enough to genuinely pocket. With the same 1/1.8-inch CCD sensor found in the PowerShot G5 and Canon's DIGIC processor — the same generation used in the EOS 10D — it packed serious imaging technology into a stainless steel body that fit in a shirt pocket. The IXUS 500 was Canon's answer to anyone who thought you had to choose between portability and image quality.

NO FILTER: SHOT ON IXUS 500

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THE LOOKS

The IXUS 500 follows Canon's signature ELPH design language — clean lines, brushed stainless steel, and that satisfying weight that immediately communicates quality. At 87 × 57 × 28mm and 215g with battery, it's compact and solid in the hand. The 1.5-inch LCD sits alongside a proper optical viewfinder, because in 2004, not everyone trusted screens in bright daylight — and Canon didn't ask you to. The lens retracts completely flush when powered off, keeping the profile clean.

THE SPECS

5-megapixel 1/1.8-inch CCD sensor, ISO 50–400. Canon 3× optical zoom, 36–108mm equivalent, f/2.8–4.9, minimum focus 5cm in macro. DIGIC image processor. 1.5-inch LCD (118,000 dots) plus optical tunnel viewfinder. Nine-point AiAF system. CompactFlash card storage. Movie recording with sound.

DESIGN HIGHLIGHTS

• Stainless steel body in an era of plastic compacts: The brushed metal construction gave the IXUS 500 a solid, premium feel that stood out clearly from the plastic point-and-shoots surrounding it on the shelf in 2004.
• 1/1.8-inch sensor shared with the PowerShot G5: The same large-for-its-class CCD in the enthusiast G-series, fitted into an ultracompact body — Canon's most direct answer to the question of whether small cameras had to compromise on image quality.
• Optical viewfinder alongside the LCD: At a time when screens were small, dim, and power-hungry, having a real optical finder was a practical advantage — and it gave the IXUS 500 a proper camera feel that touch-screen-only competitors lacked.

THE VERDICT

The Digital IXUS 500 is a classic from Canon's golden era of premium compacts — a time when "ultracompact" didn't mean compromised image quality. The 1/1.8-inch sensor delivers colors and sharpness that still look excellent today, the stainless steel body has aged beautifully, and the optical viewfinder feels almost luxurious by current standards. CF card exclusivity is the main inconvenience in 2025, but as a piece of early digicam history with genuine imaging credentials, it's hard to beat.