Most compact digital cameras have something like a 3x zoom lens, so one with a 10x reach is going to be good for anyone interested in taking candid, unposed photos – those best snapped when a subject is unawares.

While not much larger than a pocket camera, Canon’s Powershot SX110 IS provides a 36 to 360mm zoom range and is suitable for all the family, featuring a new so-called easy mode that strips away shooting options so all the user need do is point and shoot.

In comparison with last year’s SX100 IS model, the SX110 IS offers better-quality pictures at nine megapixels (the SX100 offered eight), while the rear screen has usefully swollen from 2.5in to 3in with its quality boosted as well.

Unlike most cameras it comes with a memory card – this time a 32MB SD card, replacing the 16MB one bundled with its predecessor – and overall it is £60 cheaper.

Outwardly a matt black finish and curved body design lend the unit, powered by two regular AA batteries, an air of sophistication that it needs considering its plastic construction.

The SX110 IS necessarily has built-in image stabilisation with three different modes to combat blurred shots as a result of camera shake. That's handy when shooting handheld (without a tripod) at maximum zoom or in low light without the flash. Disappointingly, the zoom can’t be used when filming the decent-quality video clips of which it's capable.

The camera powers up in the standard couple of seconds, the lens barrel extending to the maximum wide-angle setting while the rear screen, used for both composing and reviewing images (there is no optical viewfinder), bursts into life. A half-press of the shutter release button – which is encircled by the zoom lever – and the SX110 rapidly determines focus. It took a further two seconds to commit the maximum-quality pictures to its memory card as we went on to take the next shot.

The results are, however, a mixed bag. The camera had a tendency to ov erexpose images when left to its automatic settings. Exposure can be manually adjusted, but then that does go against the user-friendly stripped-down ethos. When it does get it right, however, photos are impressively sharp and crisply detailed, although colours are at their best with the Vivid setting selected.