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Canon PowerShot SD950 IS

Manufacturer: Canon USA Part number: 2083B001

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$317.95 - $399.99 at 3 online stores

CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 13 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: Canon's SD950 IS looks great and can take very nice images, but the digital camera's whopping 12 megapixels will leave you waiting between shots.
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CNET editors' review

Canon PowerShot SD950 IS

price range: $317.95 - $399.99

Reviewed by: Philip Ryan
Reviewed on: 09/19/2007
Released on: 08/27/2007

The good: Sleek design with titanium casing; great image quality; optical image stabilization; face detection; optical viewfinder.

The bad: No manual exposure controls, slightly sluggish performance.

The bottom line: Canon's SD950 IS looks great and can take very nice images, but the digital camera's whopping 12 megapixels will leave you waiting between shots.

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Sometimes, when we find ourselves running full speed forward toward what we think is the pinnacle of achievement, we suddenly realize that we've flown closer to the sun than our wings can stand. In the current state of market-driven capitalism, we do this constantly, but luckily, our high-flying, boundary-pushing experiments don't often come with long-term catastrophic results--instead they push technology forward. Canon's PowerShot SD950 IS, with its limit-pushing 12.1-megapixel CCD sensor certainly does its part to advance technology in digital cameras, and along with its attractive titanium body and 3.7x optical-zoom lens should appeal to people who absolutely have to have more pixels than the neighbors. However, the SD950 IS's surfeit of pixels comes at the cost of performance speed.

As has become tradition in the Digital Elph line, the top model, SD950 IS included, sports a rugged titanium body. The right side has a slight inward curve to provide a comfortable grip. With your middle finger in that nook and your pointer finger on the shutter button, your thumb naturally rests on the left of the mode dial, which slopes downward to the left and positions so your thumb rests solidly between it and the raised edge surrounding the 2.5-inch, 230,000-pixel LCD screen. Below the mode dial, you'll find the rest of the camera's buttons, except for the on/off button located to the left of the shutter and its surrounding zoom ring. The play button is recessed a little more than I'd normally like, but that's probably to prevent accidental presses, which never occurred during my field tests, and I didn't have trouble pressing it when I wanted to.

While Canon's PowerShot SD750 and the PowerShot SD870 IS don't include one, I was very happy to see that the SD950 IS has an optical viewfinder for those moments when the LCD may be annoying to you or those around you. You shouldn't count on it for accurate framing, though, as the finder doesn't show the entire frame, as the LCD does. In our review sample, the finder cut off a significant portion of the bottom of the frame, though that may vary from one sample to the next. The finder does zoom, though, which is a step above the finders found in most film compacts of yesteryear.

Menus are split into the shooting menu, accessed by pressing the Func./Set button in the middle of the four-way rocker and the setup menu, which is activated by pressing the Menu button. I like this method, which keeps your thumb on the rocker while shooting and still lets you get to important shooting-related controls quickly when you need them. The rocker provides quick access to the most commonly changed settings, including ISO, flash, macro, and landscape modes, and timer or continuous shooting modes.

The 3.7x optical zoom lens covers a 35mm-equivalent range of 36-133mm with a maximum aperture range of f/2.8-5.8. If you're looking for a wider field of view, the SD870 IS offers 28-105mm lens with the same maximum aperture range. Starbucks junkies should like the fact that the SD950 IS includes optical image stabilization to combat image blur from hand shake at slower shutter speeds. Face detection locates faces in the frame and sets exposure, focus, and flash based on those so the camera won't accidentally focus on something in the background instead of your friends or family. Sensitivity ranges from ISO 80 through ISO 1,600. Though Canon does include an ISO 3,200 scene preset, it lowers the resolution to 2 megapixels.

You won't find manual exposure controls in the SD950 IS, though I really think it'd behoove Canon to include them in at least one of their Digital Elph models. Canon does include numerous options, including exposure compensation, flash compensation, and choices for focus, metering, white balance, numerous scene modes, and a number of flash options.

In our lab tests, the PowerShot SD950 IS performed well for a 12-megapixel model, though that still makes it slower than some of the other SD models that have fewer megapixels. The camera took 1.3 seconds to start up and capture its first JPEG. After that, it took a slightly sluggish 2 seconds between shots with the flash turned off and 3.5 seconds between shots with the flash turned on. Shutter lag measured a pleasing 0.5 second in our high-contrast test and 1.2 seconds in our low-contrast test, which mimic bright and dim shooting conditions, respectively. In continuous shooting mode, the SD950 IS fell just short of its fancier cousin, the G9, clocking an average of 1.6 frames per second regardless of image size.

Image quality from the SD950 IS is very impressive and clean at lower ISOs. Colors are accurate and well saturated, and exposures tend to be accurate, even in some tough situations. For example, the camera did a good job of balancing the built-in flash with the ambient light from the lamp in our test scene, though it wasn't quite powerful enough to pull significant detail out of the dark fur of the plush ape in the scene. Canon does an excellent job of keeping ISO noise under control through ISO 200. At ISO 400, noise becomes noticeable on monitors, but shouldn't cause problems with prints and doesn't cause any noticeable loss of shadow or fine detail. At ISO 800, noise becomes much more noticeable and some, though not all, shadow detail is lost while most fine detail remains. That said, you should still be able to get decent prints, especially at smaller sizes. At ISO 1,600, noise becomes very heavy and most shadow and fine detail, such as text and the markings on the measuring tape in our scene, is lost. I suggest staying below ISO 1,600 when shooting with the SD950 IS and staying below ISO 800 whenever possible.

For a 12-megapixel compact camera, the PowerShot SD950 IS fares well. But, if you don't feel you need so many pixels, and unless you plan to print 11x17-inch images regularly, then you can probably get faster performance by choosing a camera with fewer megapixels, such as Canon's 8-megapixel PowerShot SD870 IS--but you will have to give up the optical viewfinder if you do.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Time to first shot

Shutter lag (typical)

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS

1.6

0.9

0.4

Canon PowerShot G9

1.7

0.5

Canon PowerShot SD950 IS

1.3

0.5

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200

2.2

1.6

0.5

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100

2.3

2.4

0.6

Casio Exilim EX-Z1200

3.1

2.3

0.5

Typical continuous-shooting speed (frames per second)
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-W200

Canon PowerShot G9

1.7

Canon PowerShot SD950 IS

1.6

Canon PowerShot SD870 IS

1.3

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100

1.2

Casio Exilim EX-Z1200

0.6

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 13 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 13

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9 stars

Good Camera. Solid Performance...but there is a little lag!

by bbg2000 on September 30, 2007

Pros: Sharp photos. Nice features.

Cons: A little slow on the "shoot" button

Summary: I recently purchased a SD850 and then sold to get the SD950. Having had both in my possession, I do not see a tremendous difference between a 12MP & 8MP ...

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Summary: I recently purchased a SD850 and then sold to get the SD950. Having had both in my possession, I do not see a tremendous difference between a 12MP & 8MP photo. I do notice the photos with SD950 are a tad bit sharper. Other than that, the features are pretty much the same. I do admit, the CNET review regarding the lag is true. The SD850 is a little more response on the "shoot" than the SD950. There is just a bit more lag on SD950. I guess I notice it more b/c I shoot my children and when you try to get THE SHOT...that fraction of a second does make a difference. If you are looking at the SD950 v SD850...I'll say the performance and features are pretty much equal with the exception of the lag. The SD850 does comes with creative light effect which the SD950 does not (if you care). Again...the SD950 photos are a tad bit sharper. So depending on your budget, wants and needs. I don't think you can go wrong with either camera.
Updated
Just a little note. I posted my review yesterday and received a Sandisk Extreme III SD card. It pretty much did away with the lag of the SD950 that I spoke of in my review. For $30-40 dollars...I highly recommend picking up a better memory card (I used 2GB). Continuous shooting was double the speed than my 1GB regular Sandisk Memory.

Just thought I'd add that little update.

Also---I did purchase from e-cost dot com. They were selling for $403.00. Nice smooth transaction. Check it out!

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16 out of 16 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

An outstanding camera!

by WingNutZZ on October 14, 2007

Pros: Outstanding images; nice size; solid build/feel; size on menu items on LCD

Cons: Proprietary battery; buttons a little small for my big fingers

Summary: I got this camera about a week ago (good price at Newegg.com) and am very please so far. My first digital was an Olympus (nice, and expensive back in ...

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Summary: I got this camera about a week ago (good price at Newegg.com) and am very please so far. My first digital was an Olympus (nice, and expensive back in the early days), then a Fuji (VERY GOOD quality photos, but not a good viewfinder). Over the past few years I've been using a Canon Powershot A95 and a Canon EOS Rebel XT -- both very nice. I've been very impressed with the quality of images from Canon cameras, and the SD950 continues that trend.

Primary pros for me are the size, quality of images, short lag time for the first shot, and rapid time for multiple shots. All very good. High quality LCD screen is very nice. A really nice function is that you can have the selections (such as flash on/off, macro, shot selection (single, multiple, timer) etc show up in a large display on the LCD. So many times it was a challenge to know if I had turned the flash on or off -- no issue with this camera.

I like the 12 megapixels as it allows me to shoot at Large/superfine and have plenty of bits for cropped as I desire. Combined with the 4x zoom, very nice. I also like the use of an SD card as they are becoming the standard -- and very reasonably priced for lots of good storage.

I chose a high-speed (Sandisc Extreme III) SD card for this camera. The card really does make a difference in the speed of the camera for taking multiple shots. The faster cards write the data much faster, thus allowing for faster repeat shots!

I am very pleased with this camera. I miss the flip/rotatable screen from my A95, but I'm adjusting to this one very quickly.

I highly-recommend this camera.

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5 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

May be the TOP of the line

by bobbsinla on September 22, 2007

Pros: Image quality, build, features, made by Canon

Cons: not sure I found them yet

Summary: Just got mine from Circuit City.

I think it's a great P&S with incredible IQ. I undertsand it has the same sensor as the G9.

Here are

...

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Summary: Just got mine from Circuit City.

I think it's a great P&S with incredible IQ. I undertsand it has the same sensor as the G9.

Here are some test shots right out of the camera. No post processing, etc.

http://picasaweb.google.com/bobbdd/SD950IS

I think Canon has a winner on it's hands!

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4 out of 5 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great Compact Camera

by georose on April 2, 2008

Pros: High Resolution and Quality Finish

Cons: Expensive and a bit heavy

Summary: My shots usually do not require quick repeats. If needed, I can speed up things by reducing the resolution to that of other compact cameras max resolutions. The higher resolution ...

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Summary: My shots usually do not require quick repeats. If needed, I can speed up things by reducing the resolution to that of other compact cameras max resolutions. The higher resolution is great for cropping photos especially to increase max zoom levels.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
10 stars

All I can say is awesome

by flyingklown on February 16, 2008

Pros: Everything is like they say you pay for what you get!

Cons: I have not seen any as of yet!

Summary: I am a founder of a paranormal group on the shoreline in Connecticut. This camera really works for me. It hasn't let me down yet. The battery stays a ...

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Summary: I am a founder of a paranormal group on the shoreline in Connecticut. This camera really works for me. It hasn't let me down yet. The battery stays a long time even snapping over 100 pictures! It is a good digital camera. It may cost more that some of the others but like I always say, You pay for what you get. So for what I paid the camera has given me more than what I expected of it.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great backup for the SLR user

by on October 11, 2008

Pros: Outstanding picture quality, spot-on metering, and accurate focusing.

Cons: Battery cover latch is not particularly secure, and is prone to opening during routine handling

Summary: Not much at all to dislike about this camera.

Summary: Not much at all to dislike about this camera.
10 stars

great photos and easy to use

by jm3017 on August 27, 2008

Pros: It is easy to take great pictures and if you use a 2GB memory card it is fast as you need, it has a traditional viewfinder for really sunny days when the LED is harder to see

Cons: nothing that I can find

Summary: Great photos and with 12 MP you can print larger photos that have great resolution

Summary: Great photos and with 12 MP you can print larger photos that have great resolution
8 stars

test test test

by Kaigon on August 14, 2008

Pros: test test test

Cons: test test test
9 stars

A great camera that does and offers almost everything

by Ravenlord on July 7, 2008

Pros: excellent pics, plenty of pixels, lots of control, nice size

Cons: a little pricey, would trade megapixels for bigger screen

Summary: this is my first digital camera and I based my purchase on previous reviews. It was a great help to read them, and they were mostly accurate. The camera performs ...

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Summary: this is my first digital camera and I based my purchase on previous reviews. It was a great help to read them, and they were mostly accurate. The camera performs smoothly, takes great pictures and has lots of settings for a lot of user control. The video recording is excellent and all the features are extremely intuitive, so that within a few minutes I was very comfortable using most of them. The only negative I find is the extreme megapixel size. I have yet to see a need for it. Pics taken at max setting are hardly different from med. or even low settings, and the printer will probably determine how good your hardcopies will look, regardless of megapixel size. I would have loved a bigger view screen instead. Despite this minor complaint, this is without a doubt one of the best point and shoot cameras out there.

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8 stars

For me it was excellent!

by binabadnamanok on May 22, 2008

Pros: nice design, 12.1 mega pixels, titanium body, excellent picture quality, battery indicator, touch dials

Cons: no histogram on shoot mode, bit slow, IS is not that effective, soft playback sound,no manual exposure controls,zoom is short, bulky especially if it has a case..

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 13

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Canon USA
Part number: 2083B001
Description: The PowerShot SD950 IS Digital ELPH, with its curved sleek Titanium body, is as powerful as it is exquisite: There's a high-resolution 12.1 megapixel CCD, an Optical Image Stabilizer and 3.7x optical zoom. Face Detection Technology is also on board to automatically give you just the shot you're looking for. Auto ISO Shift and ISO 1600 let you command low light like a pro. There's even a high-resolution 2.5-inch LCD that makes shooting and playback a delight.

General
Product Type Digital camera - Compact
Weight 5.8 oz
Width 3.8 in
Depth 1.1 in
Height 2.4 in
Body Material Titanium silver
Main Features
Resolution 12.1 megapixels
Image stabilizer feature Optical stabilization helps prevent blurry pictures, especially for handheld cameras at slow shutter speeds or when using high optical zoom.
Sensor resolution 12.1 megapixels
Optical Sensor Type CCD
Effective Sensor Resolution 12,100,000 pixels
Total Pixels 12,400,000 pixels
Optical Sensor Size 1/1.7 in
Light Sensitivity ISO 200, ISO 800, ISO auto, ISO 400, ISO 80, ISO 3200, ISO 1600, ISO 100
Digital Zoom 4 x
Shooting Modes Frame movie mode
Shooting Programs Aquarium, Foliage, Snow, Fireworks, Color accent, Beach, Portrait mode, Night snapshot, Kids & pets, Underwater, Color swap, Stitch assist, Indoor
Special effects Color Accent, Color Swap
Max Shutter Speed 1/1600 sec
Min Shutter Speed 15 sec
Exposure Metering Center-weighted, Evaluative, Spot
Exposure Modes Automatic, Program
Exposure Compensation ?2 EV range, in 1/3 EV steps
White Balance Custom, Automatic, Presets
White Balance Presets Tungsten light, Fluorescent, Cloudy, Daylight
Digital video format AVI
Still Image Format JPEG
Continuous Shooting Speed 1.5 frames per second
Color support Color
Image Stabilizer Optical
Face Detection Yes
TV Tuner None
Video Capture AVI - 320 x 240, AVI - 640 x 480, AVI - 1024 x 768, AVI - 160 x 120
Memory / Storage
Flash Memory 32 MB Flash - MultiMediaCardplus
Floppy Drive None
Image Storage JPEG 4000 x 2248, JPEG 640 x 480, JPEG 3264 x 2448, JPEG 2592 x 1944, JPEG 4000 x 3000, JPEG 1600 x 1200
Flash memory 32 MB - MultiMediaCardplus
Supported Flash Memory MultiMediaCard, SD Memory Card
Lens System
Type Zoom lens - 7.7 mm - 28.5 mm - F/2.8-5.8
Focal Length 7.7 mm - 28.5 mm
Additional Features
Self Timer Yes
Self Timer Delay 10 sec, 2 sec
Additional Features USB 2.0 compatibility, DPOF support, Face detection, Audio recording, PictBridge support, AE lock, Digital noise reduction, FE lock, Resizing an image, Digital image rotation, Camera orientation detection, In-camera red-eye fix, In-camera movie editing, Histogram display
Camera Flash
Effective Flash Range 1.6 ft - 15 ft
Type Built-in flash
Flash Modes Flash OFF mode, Fill-in mode, Slow synchro, Auto mode, Red-eye reduction
Red Eye Reduction Yes
Effective flash range 1.6 ft - 15 ft
Features Flash +/- compensation
Viewfinder
Viewfinder Type Optical - Real-image zoom
Display
Type LCD display - Low Temperature Poly-Silicon (LTPS) - 2.5 in - Color
Mounting Built-in
Resolution 230,000 pixels
Digital Player (Recorder)
Type None

Microphone
Type Microphone - Built-in
Mode Mono
Connections
Connector Type 1 x USB ( Mini-USB Type B ), 1 x Composite video/audio output
Expansion Slot(s) 1 x SD Memory Card
Connector type Mini-USB Type B
Lens Systems
Auto Focus TTL contrast detection
Type Zoom lens
Focal length 7.7 mm - 28.5 mm
Focal Length Equivalent to 35mm Camera 36 - 133 mm
Focus adjustment Automatic
Min Focus Range 19.7 in
Macro Focus Range 5-50cm
Lens Aperture F/2.8-5.8
Optical Zoom 3.7 x

Canon PowerShot SD950 IS

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