Canon PowerShot SD950IS 12.1MP Digital Camera with 3.7x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom (Titanium)

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Product Details

• Product Dimensions: 3.8 x 2.4 x 1.1 inches ; 5.8 ounces
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000V1VG2O
• Item model number: SD950IS
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (165 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,414 in Camera & Photo (See Bestsellers in Camera & Photo)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: August 19, 2007

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

The PowerShot SD950IS 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.

High Resolution, Extra Durabilty
Pure titanium 12.1-megapixel Digital ELPH redefines elegance and power in an ultra-compact "perpetual curve" design.

Ultra-durable, ultra-light pure titanium--it's what gives the PowerShot SD950IS Digital ELPH its look of distinction and sets it apart from the crowd. But tasteful good looks are only the beginning of what makes this Digital ELPH so extraordinary. Its powerfully curved design perfectly nestles in the palm of your hand, so you'll want to take this camera everywhere. Plus, the 12.1-megapixel CCD gives you the superior resolution you need to capture the world around you in opulent detail enabling you to print, enlarge, and even crop your images in any fashion you choose.

Catch Them in Motion
Optical Image Stabilizer Technology with an extended-range 3.7x optical zoom.

Life doesn't give you second chances to capture special times. That's why the elegant PowerShot SD950IS Digital ELPH is equipped with Canon's acclaimed Optical Image Stabilizer Technology that automatically detects and corrects camera shake, one of the leading causes of fuzzy or blurred shots. Even when zoomed in, you can get the steady, crisp, brilliant images you'll be proud to shoot and share. And 3.7x optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer Technology are so convenient with which to shoot subjects in distance. Just turn it on, it functions perfectly with or without a flash.

Canon Technology Maximizes Quality and Performance
Genuine Canon Face Detection sets the focus, exposure, and flash automatically, leaving you free to compose a group, capture an unguarded moment, or coax the perfect smile.

DIGIC III features Face Detection technology, giving you the best possible results in any shooting situation. Face Detection AF/AE sets the focus point and exposure for the faces of your subjects. Face Detection FE adjusts the flash to correctly illuminate your subject to provide the best balance between your subject and the overall scene, eliminating the common problems of over- and underexposed faces.

18 Shooting Modes, Including 11 Special Scene Modes

Shooting Modes
Advanced presets for the best possible photos under certain conditions.

Auto
The camera chooses all the settings so you can concentrate on your subject.

Camera M
The ultimate in creative control, you set ISO speed, exposure compensation and white balance.

Color Accent
Choose to retain a single color in your image while other colors turn monochrome.

Color Swap
Select a color and replace it with a color you specify for special effects.

Digital Macro
Shoot larger-than-life close-ups with one-button simplicity.

Stitch Assist
Build awe-inspiring panoramas by neatly aligning sequential images.

Movie
Shoot in High Resolution (1024 x 768 at 15 frames per second [fps]), VGA (640 x 480 at 30 fps/30 fps LP), and QVGA (320 x 240 at 30 fps) for up to 1 hour or 4GB, QQVGA (160 x 120 at 15 fps) for up to 3 minutes or Time Lapse (640 x 480 at 1 second/2 second intervals) for up to 2 hours.

Special Scene Modes

Portrait
The camera sets a large aperture, focusing the subject and artistically blurring the background to make your subject "pop."

Foliage
Capture brilliant shots of autumn foliage, greenery and blossoms.

Snow
Shoot clear snow scenes without darkened subjects or an unnatural bluish tint.

Beach
Get clear shots of people at a sunny beach without darkened faces.

Fireworks
Grab brilliant images of skyrocketing fireworks.

Aquarium
Achieve proper flash-free exposure and natural hues at indoor aquariums.

Underwater
Capture underwater images with reduced backscatter effect. (Note: Optional Waterproof Case WP-DC19 required for shooting any underwater images. Waterproof case not included--must be purchased separately.)

ISO 3200
Expands the user's ability to shoot in dark settings without using the flash.

Indoor
Reduce blur and improve color accuracy when shooting handheld indoors.

Kids and Pets
Reduced focusing time freezes fast-moving subjects, so you won't miss those special shots.

Night Snapshot
Get natural-looking pictures with brighter backgrounds and subjects lit by flash.

See the Image in a Big Screen
Optical viewfinder plus large high-quality 2.5-inch PureColor LCD screen for bright, accurate color with great viewing from a wide angle and with an anti-glare, anti-scratch coating.

The camera's 2.5-inch LCD screen gives you the big picture, whether you're shooting, reviewing, or showing off your images. This extra-durable, high-resolution screen with tough scratch-resistant coating on the anti-reflective, PureColor LCD screen offers a crisp, clear picture to make shooting, playback, and using the camera's menu functions especially convenient. Clear and bright, it also features Night Display for easy viewing in low light.

Canon Innovation Enhances Your Experience
DIGIC III Image Processor with red-eye correction for sharper images and improved functionality.

With DIGIC III, your images boast superior quality, the camera operates at top efficiency and battery life is enhanced. What's more, DIGIC III enables Canon's Face Detection Technology and red-eye correction to give you better, more true-to-life people shots. Simply press the Shutter Button halfway down, and the camera automatically pinpoints the faces in the scene and chooses the ideal focus point. The camera controls exposure settings and flash to keep every face looking bright and natural. Red eyes can be corrected during playback.

iSAPS Technology is an entirely original scene-recognition technology developed for digital cameras by Canon. Using an internal database of thousands of different photos, iSAPS works with the fast DIGIC III Image Processor to improve focus speed and accuracy, as well as exposure and white balance.

Red-eye Correction detects and corrects red-eye during playback. In unusual cases where red-eye is not automatically detected, it can easily be corrected manually during playback mode.

The PowerShot SD950IS Digital ELPH features ISO 1600 and High ISO Auto settings that reduce the effects of camera shake and sharpen subjects in low-light situations, giving you greater shooting flexibility.

The Complete Print Solution
Print/Share Button for easy direct printing and downloading, plus ID Photo Print and Movie Print with select PIXMA Photo Printers, CP, and SELPHY Compact Photo Printers.

The PowerShot SD950IS Digital ELPH's Print/Share button makes direct printing easier than ever. Simply connect the SD950IS Digital ELPH to a Canon CP, SELPHY, or PIXMA Photo Printer or any PictBridge compatible photo printer, press the lighted Print/Share button, and print! Also use the Print/Share button to transfer images to a computer (Windows and Macintosh).

Print your own ID photos in 28 different sizes or use the Movie Print function to output multiple stills from a recorded movie on a single sheet with a Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printer.

What's in the box:

Canon PowerShot SD950 Digital ELPH camera, lithium battery pack NB-5L, battery charger CB-2LX, MMC Plus card MMC-32MH, wrist strap WS-700, Digital Camera Solution CD-ROM, USB Interface Cable IFC-400PCU, AV Cable AVC-DC300

Product 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

217 of 227 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Has it all, October 11, 2007

By	Steve (FL) - See all my reviews

Got it 2 days ago and I'm impressed. Other reviews on net generally like the camera but think price is somewhat high and 12 MP is overkill. A) It is expensive; all new camera models are high for several months when they come out. If you can afford it without problem then you get it now. Otherwise your choice is perhaps the SD850 at $150 less or waiting a while for price drop. B) The same overkill thing was said when 5 MP, 6 MP, .... became widely available. 12, 8, 5, and lower MP settings are readily available without entering menu. I set mine on 8 MP and, if desired, will change to 12 MP if the thought occurs for special pics. Now that you can order poster sized prints for cheap prices on Shutterfly and SnapFish you'd be amazed by the ease, cost and quality of them. Also hard drive space has gotten cheap and you could keep 1000's of 12 MP files on $20 worth of hard drive space now.
The other reviews have it right on the quality of the camera and its results. The photos are sharp, color accurate and, in Manual mode, have many SLR, non-auto type choices such as WB, exposure setting, shutter speed (long exposure) setting, color accent, focus lock, .....; The movie setting is simple to use, gives you choice of HD (15 fps, sl. jerky at rapid movement but with quality sharpness or 30 fps standard). Easy to import into iMovie without added Canon software (don't know about PC ease). Manual is logical though 220 pages in English. Has few errors, particularly for long shutter speed it states pressing "menu" but should read "disp." Finally, I dumped my Olympus Stylus 750 because I absolutely could not take photos outside on sunny days due to LCD washout and NO VIEWFINDER. Before getting the Olympus, I had read on their site that the LCD was "bright" with new technology that would not wash out. That's why I did not consider the SD700, 800, 1000, ... which have no viewfinder. That said, the 950 LCD really works well outside though I've only used it a couple times outside thus far.

144 of 149 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Impressed by the quality, November 19, 2007

By	Dock (Texas) - See all my reviews

I am not too much into the digital camera world but I bought this one for my wife who previously owned a Sony DSC P100. After reviewing several web sites, especially one that only compares different pictures in different situations for a lot of cameras, the SD950 was the one that gave overall the best pictures. At least the review was not biaised by the impressions and subjectivity of the reviewer, just pictures taken by digital cameras.
I was first tempted by a Panasonic DCM-TZ3 which has on paper better specs. However, shots in low light are disappointing for the Pana and the flash is awful, the pictures taken are not at all balanced.
So to come back to the Canon Powershot SD 950 (Or Ixus 960 I believe, depending on your country):
=> I was first impressed by the quality that you feel when you open the box, presumably because of the titanium; but at this level of price, this is normal!
=> This is a very intuitive camera, the ergonomy is good: it is true that the on/off button is close to the shutter button but it was the same with the Sony: all it takes is a bit of habit. Also the movie mode is very easy to use, much easier than with the Sony. You can also basically post edit your film with the supplied software.
=> The pictures taken are great, I will not post some here, you can go to flickr. The 12MP can be a drawback, especially if you upload a lot of pictures but of course you can set-up your camera to take only 8MP pictures for instance.
=> The lens is bright for a point and shoot and the numeric noise is well mastered, even in low light conditions.
=> The Image Stabilizing feature works very well, Canon used here an optical solution, which is much, much better than a numeric IS found on cheaper cameras.
=> The camera is quick, not only to power on but also between shots. I was a bit afraid because I ordered a regular Kingston 2GB but even set at 12MP, this is not longer than the Sony at 5MP; in other words even with a regular memory card (no "extreme" which are more expensive), the wait between the shots is satisfactory.

Now the cons.
=> I would have prefered more manual settings. You have a lot of programs (including macro, fireworks, aquarium, etc) that set the shutter speed and aperture for you but you cannot set these values yourself. It does not mean that you cannot set anything yourself, you can adjust the white balance, compensate the exposure, etc. but you would have liked to be able to set-up the aperture and/or the speed, especially if you owned a SLR before.
=> With the big LCD screen, the battery life is only correct. I would encourage you, if you have some bucks left, to buy a second battery sold on Amazon as well.

To summarize, except if you absolutely want to be able to control your point and shoot like a SLR, go for the SD950, you will not regret it!

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nearly perfect compact point and shoot camera - and more!, January 27, 2008

By	Middle age tech freak (Auburn, CA United States) - See all my reviews

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.