Canon PowerShot SD950IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 3.7x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Titanium)
by Canon
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Canon PowerShot SD950IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 3.7x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Titanium)
Customer Review: The Best Digital Elph Yet!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned Digital Elphs ever since they were just 2.0MP. I really loved that camera at the time but this new one is simply amazing. Each camera in the line has been a step up, although basically it's the same camera. You don't have a learning curve with each new one.
12.1 Mega Pixels! It takes a hefty SD card to get plenty of photos, but you can now get an 8MP SD size for under $50.00. Even with a 4GB SD card, you get around 750 images at top resolution. This is all the resolution you will probably ever need. You'll be able to enlarge to poster size or crop areas with excellent results. But remember that for your average photos, you really don't need this much resolution. I had a Digital Elph which was 7.1MP for years and it was more than enough. There are 8.0MP Elphs available that you'll be extremely pleased with. This camera is for people who know who they are.
Plus, the camera has all the bells and whistles that you've come to expect (just check out the Canon ad on Amazon's website): 1,600 ASA, face detection autofocus, 2.5" screen (plus a viewfinder), pretty high resolution movies with mono sound.
Whether this is your first Digital Elph or an upgrade, you won't be disappointed: Beautiful color, high resolution and accurate auto focus, automatic lens cover, image stabilizer, decent zoom and made from a single sheet of Titanium. You'll just enjoy holding it.
I also have the Canon Digital Rebel XTi SLR and that's a magnificent camera but who wants to carry that around on a trip? This thing fits in your purse or pocket or in an optional case that slips into your belt.
Certainly Canon will further upgrade this highly successful line, but I know that I'll be happy with this one for years to come. It is simply amazing that all this technology fits into such a beautiful and small package.
Customer Review: So good, It will be my primary camera!
Summary: 5 Stars
I decided on the SD950IS after considering many pocket sized models, including the Casio and Sony models. I looked at photos posted on the review sites and on enthusiast websites. I own a Nikon DSLR which takes excellent photos, but it is too expensive and bulky for the majority of shooting occasions. I love to capture those memorable spontaneous moments that can only be taken with a small, fast pocket sized camera, but I am not willing to accept poor quality photos to achieve this goal.
After using the Canon SD950 camera for about a month, it is clear that it will be my primary camera. It takes crisp clear quality shots very quickly, from power on and frame to frame, subject to subject. The built-in features are impressive, even compared with my DSLR, although I doubt I use some of the more esoteric functions. I sometimes miss the lack of complete manual shutter/aperture control, but I remind myself what the purpose of this camera is.
I consider this a high end point and shoot, quality built and semi-rugged, that takes really impressive photos for its size. It feels solid and pleasant to hold and control, and the display is sharp, bright, and anti-glare coated. The basic controls are simple, and I have found the movie mode to be much more enjoyable and useful than I had thought it would be. It really takes nice looking 480p movies, and doesn't seem to have any problem with over 10 minutes of continuous shooting on the Sandisk Extreme 4 Gb memory card I installed. Once again, I have a dedicated video camera that is capable of better video quality, but if I want a quick spontaneous movie with the Canon, it is ready to go and surprisingly nice viewing. I like the fact that it takes .avi movies that can be easily played on any computer or made into a disc.
Customer Review: Nearly perfect compact point and shoot camera - and more!
Summary: 5 Stars
I'm a Canon convert with this camera. I've had several small point and shoot cameras - this is hands-down the best I've owned. The previous one had some serious issues with the images, they were over-processed - detail was fuzzed out and there was nothing you could do about it. Some of the megapixel race cameras (that was 10mp) have issues because of that in-camera processing. This Canon has absolutely excellent quality images, and the camera is everything I could hope for in a camera this size. I'm amazed how well the SD950 captures the essence of light - previous cameras have been a compromise but this camera captures sunsets, clouds, vegetation, people with life-like colors. The face recognition technology makes amazingly good people shots. I like the tiny format for being able to take it with me all the time - I can bring my DSLR on planned outings, but the little Canon is always ready.
I have pretty big hands and this camera is easy for me to grip and handle - other reviews noted this and they are absolutely correct. It looks sleek and smooth, but it's nearly perfect in terms of gripping it and controlling it.
All-in-all, this seems to be the nearly perfect shirt pocket point and shoot camera!
Pros:
Pocketable, viewfinder (small but better than not having one), bright and wide view LCD display, intuitive simple controls, nice telephoto zoom, image stabilization, easy menu operation, automatic modes almost always capture what you want, excellent - especially for a 12mp camera - images, superb movie mode, decent album and editing software, easy downloading.
Cons:
Limited manual operation, while shooting, thumb can open battery door if you're not careful, USB door barely opens enough to get plug in.
Customer Review: Versatile, light-weight and top-notch!
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife and I recently took a trip to Rome and Florence. I was originally thinking of bringing a DSLR with a zoom lens (17-55) because of the amazing photo opportunities but decided not to because it can get cumbersome to have to carry. So I settled for the Canon PowerShot SD950, mainly because I wanted more pixels than the 7.1 MP PowerShot model I currently had (and still love) and I needed the IS (image stabilization) and higher ISO features since I knew I would be taking a lot of Church interiors. I'm a big art buff and of course, Rome is home to the best Baroque art and architecture around -- and a lot of them are showcased inside dimly lit churches.
I expected good results, but WOW was I blown away when I started using the camera indoors. I never use flash or the auto settings since they both kill the "reality" of the scene. Instead, I set the ISO to 400 and relied on hand-held photos so I could capture what I saw indoors, and the results I got were consistently remarkable. Sure, I would shoot 3 or 4 of the same scene and select the sharpest, but consistently, the array of images were sharp, colors excellent and exposure very good. My expectations were far exceeded.
Of course, the results outdoors were equally impressive. Again, I used the manual setting and because we had beautiful sunny weather, I stopped the camera down 2/3 to compensate for the brightness. The 12.1 MP images are astounding. With images this large, you can crop later too and not worry about image degradation.
Again, a very versatile, compact device that captures images amazingly well in many conditions, including indoors using ambient light. I highly recommend this camera from Canon!
Customer Review: 12.1 MP on small sensor still gives excellent results
Summary: 5 Stars
I waited until I got two vacations under my belt before reviewing this camera. I was very concerned that cramming 12.1 MP on such a tiny sensor would dramatically up the noise and create poor image quality (IQ).
My concerns have been alliviated! The IQ is excellent. However, bear in mind that this is not a DSLR with a 35MM size sensor. This is a tiny camera. The ISO 800 and above performance will readily distinguish this camera from a DSLR. However, can you put your DSLR in your pants pocket?
I have found that, at least for vacations, portability is paramount. I want to have a camera with me at all times, whether I'm eating in a restaurant or riding on an ATV. The smaller the camera, the more pictures I took. And, my philosophy is to take lots of pictures to get some keepers, versus, carefully setting up a single picture and missing other opportunities.
With that as background, I love the SD950IS.
What I liked most:
- Excellent IQ, even at high ISOs.
- Superfast start up, under 1/2 sec. The lens literally jumps out!
- Viewfinder for bright outdoors (but only shows 80% of picture).
What I was disappointed with:
- The IS only marginally helped me.
- Pics needed Photoshop work but I always PS all pics anyway - I'm a bit of a perfectionist.
- The SDHC format cards can't be read without an adaptor.