i just bought 570IS... it was fat due to used AA battery... and it not base on compact design... canon malaysia website claimed that powershot was "value for money" category and IXUS was "style & substance" category...

if u look for IXUS series, they not using AA battery which u can get from anywhere, they using specific battery... lets say u stay at outdoor more than indoor which not allowed u to charge ur IXUS battery and take plenty of photo which consume large amount of battery power, ur DC will not work if battery drained unless u can get the same battery from the camera shops which may cost u $$$...

if AA battery, u can get it ANYWHERE... good for the camera users for take plenty photo and can immediately swap the battery if drained, later camera alive again... walao...

if u wish to play with some picture effect, 570IS is the good choices for newbie (i think)... it can install additional lens if u like to such as Tele/Wide Converter/Close-up lens, or u can add additional flash light into ... if just look for normal usage, perhaps the lower profile of the DC or IXUS series may suit for u...

if u look for more features and better pic quality, size doesnt matter...
EOS size like a roti bread...

perhaps u can purchase a small bag to hang on ur body around, some more can keep some accessories such as battery, cleaning clothes, etc in the bag...

here to effect i taken from 570IS, i set shutter priority if not mistaken...

570IS made in malaysia, smaller and lighter
710IS made in japan, bigger and heavier

warranty? both the same...

compare both models, they almost had the same feature with each others...
i just differentiate between both models...

i bought 570IS from PC fair... the promoter said both feature are similiar, the different was the manufacture country and 6X zoom...