Compare Prices : Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS - Expert Reviews

Review summary: Sleek and silver, Canon's $350 PowerShot SD850 IS exemplifies its Digital Elph line: Solidly built, beautifully designed, and sweet to use. One of three Digital Elphs we reviewed together (the other two being the $450 SD950 IS and the $400 SD870 IS), ...

Pros: Excellent build quality Effective image stabilization

Cons: Zoom button is somewhat uncomfortable Sibling model has wider lens, bigger LCD

Verdict: While the SD850 IS may not have the large LCD of the SD870 IS or the sky-high megapixel count of the SD950 IS, it is still a fine all-around point-and-shoot for most shutterbugs, and is a better value than its two siblings

Review summary: The Canon PowerShot SD850 IS is an 8 megapixel update of the 6 megapixel SD700 IS. Among other improvements, the SD850 IS is equipped with the company's current DIGIC III processor in place of the older DIGIC II. The new DIGIC offers the latest must ...

Pros: Image stabilization ; 4x zoom ; Face recognition really works ; Fast start-up with virtually no shutter lag if you pre-focus ; Dependable auto white balance ; Flash recycles quickly when used to light up the average room ; Helpful Scene modes ; Good ...

Cons: A bit bulky compared to other small digicams ; Optical viewfinder is not accurate ; No digital zoom in Wide Screen aspect ratio shooting ; No manual control over aperture or shutter speed ; Easily blows out highlights ; Chromatic aberration and coma ...

Verdict: The Canon SD850 IS can now record movie clips to a maximum of 4GB, where the previous camera was limited to 1GB. It should be noted, however, that the one hour clip length limitation of the SD700 has been carried over to the new model, so you'll only ...

Review summary: The Canon Powershot SD850 IS turns in a good performance for an ultra-compact camera. It does produce images with accurate exposure and good color but its ultra-compact lens lets it down with the usual corner-softness, barrel distortion and ...

Pros: Nicely saturated colors, Excellent exposure accuracy, Below average purple fringing, Fast and responsive, Excellent LCD visibility, Good build quality

Cons: Noticeable corner softness, Barrel distortion near wide-angle and some vignetting, High image noise at ISO 800, ISO 1600 useless, Above average loss of details starting at ISO 400, Buttons on the small side, Below average battery life

Review summary: The 8-megapixel Canon IXUS 950 IS features a 4x zoom, image stabilisation and 18 shooting modes.

Pros: Excellent image quality, quick start-up and shooting times

Cons: High price considering competitors, heavy

Verdict: The IXUS 950 IS continues the tradition of the IXUS brand in delivering quality, but the price tag is somewhat prohibitive considering it doesn't offer a lot more than the much cheaper IXUS 70 and IXUS 75 models.

Review summary: The Canon IXUS 950 IS is a high class compact digital camera. As well as a stylish design it offers picture quality that is well above average and also extra features that are not normally found at this level. It is more expensive than its rivals, but ...

Pros: Sharpness of photo - build quality and design - viewfinder - red eye correction tool

Cons: High ISO settings

Verdict: If you are looking for a quality, point and shoot digital camera then the Canon IXUS 950 IS is one for your shortlist. It has a number of strengths such as picture quality and build quality and is certainly well worth a close look. Recommended.