Canon IXUS zoom compact for APS film, premium metal body with 4x optical zoom — now obsolete with the format.
The Canon IXUS Z90 is a later APS format compact camera featuring a 4x zoom lens in the sleek IXUS body design language. Building on the original IXUS L-1's success, the Z90 added zoom versatility while maintaining the compact, premium-feeling form factor that defined the IXUS range throughout its long production history.
The 4x zoom lens covers approximately 25-100mm in 35mm equivalent terms, providing a versatile range from moderate wide-angle to portrait telephoto. The camera retains the automatic exposure and autofocus systems that made IXUS cameras popular with casual photographers who wanted quality results without technical complexity.
The brushed metal body continues the IXUS tradition of premium materials and compact dimensions, though the zoom lens mechanism makes it slightly larger than the original fixed-lens models. The camera includes Canon's APS format selection allowing users to choose between standard, wide, and panoramic print formats for each exposure.
Like all APS format cameras, the Canon IXUS Z90 is essentially obsolete due to the discontinuation of APS film. It holds modest collector interest as part of the IXUS lineage, though it lacks the historical significance of the original L-1 that started the brand. The zoom versions are more commonly found than the original fixed-lens models.