I have searched and searched and am now tearing my hair out trying to decide ... ... they both have good and bad points ... a bit of manual on the S80 (but do i need that confusion) a bit of image stabilisation on the Ixus 800 !!! any comments please ... many thanks Roger

Personally, I would always go with more control over image stabilization. IS is nice, but it only helps in low light. Manual controls have the potential to help you all of the time. Plus the S80 is a little larger and heavier, which makes it more stable, negating some of the need for IS. It also has a larger, better lens. Don't worry about the confusion of the manual controls. You can still use the camera on full auto and start experimenting with the manual controls as feel more comfortable with the camera and see the need.

Thanks John that makes a lot of sense ... regards Roger

Glad to help! :)