The Canon PowerShot SD950 IS Digital ELPH Digital Camera, is beautifully finished with a curved sleek titanium body, and offers class-leading technology to match its exclusive exterior. It incorporates a high-resolution 12.1 megapixel CCD, with a 3.7x precision zoom lens that incorporates an Optical Image Stabilizer for sharp images under all sorts of shooting circumstances, and Auto ISO Shift and ISO 1600 to let you command low light like a pro. Furthermore, the Canon DIGIC III image processor provides advanced Noise Reduction technology, and Face Detection AF/AE - a unique Canon technology that automatically detects faces in people shots and optimizes focus and exposure accordingly. Other key advancements include a Touch Control Dial, super-high resolution 2.5" wide angle LCD screen and ISO 1600 shooting.
| Camera Type | Compact Point-and-shoot Digital Camera with Optical Image Stabilization |
| Image Quality | |
|---|---|
| Image Sensor | 1/1.7" 12.4 Megapixel CCD |
| Effective Resolution | 12.1 million pixels |
| Color Depth | 24-Bit RGB |
| Color Modes | Vivid, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Custom Color |
| Image File Formats |
JPEG (Superfine, Fine, Normal) Exif 2.2, DCF & DPOF 1.1 compliant |
| Recorded Resolution |
Large (4000 x 3000) Widescreen (4000 x 2248) Medium 1 (3264 x 2448) Medium 2 (2592 x 1944) Medium 3 (1600 x 1200) Small (640 x 480) |
| Video Recording |
AVI Motion JPEG with Audio High Resolution (1024 x 768 @ 15 fps) Standard (640 x 480 @ 30 fps) Standard LP (640 x 480 @30 fps) Standard (320 x 240 @ 30 fps) Compact (160 x 120 @ 15 fps) Time Lapse (640 x 480 @ 0.5 fps or 1 fps) Clip length limited to 4GB file except Compact that is limited to 3 minutes and Time Lapse that is limited to 2 hours |
| Audio Recording |
WAV format record time up to 60 seconds with image |
| Optics | |
|---|---|
| Lens Type | Canon Zoom Lens |
| Optical Zoom | 3.7x |
| Lens Focal Length | 7.7mm - 28.5mm (36mm - 133mm equivalent) |
| Digital Zoom | 4x |
| Minimum Focus Distance | 2.0" (5cm) |
| Maximum Aperture | f/2.8-5.8 |
| Optical Image Stabilization | Yes (Canon OIS) |
| Accessory Lens/Filter Mount | No |
| Focus Control | |
|---|---|
| Focus Type | TTL Autofocus |
| Focus Modes | Autofocus, Face Priority AF, Macro |
| Focus Range |
Normal: 19.2" (50cm) - infinity Macro: 2.0" (5cm) - 19.2" (50cm) wide Digital Macro: 2.0" (5cm) - 19.2" (50cm) wide only |
| Exposure Control | |
|---|---|
| Sensitivity |
Auto ISO High ISO Auto Selectable ISO (80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600) |
| Shutter Type | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Shutter Speed | 15-1/1600 seconds |
| Aperture Range | f/2.8-5.8 (max.) |
| Exposure Metering | TTL-AE (Evaluative, Center-weighted average, Spot) |
| Exposure Modes | Program AE; Exposure Compensation (±2 EV stops in 1/3-stop increments), Auto ISO Shift, AE Lock |
| White Balance Modes | Auto, Preset (Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H), Custom |
| Scene Modes | Auto, Camera M, Special Scene (Portrait, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium, Underwater, ISO 3200, Indoor, Kids & Pets, Night Snapshot), Color Accent, Color Swap, Digital Macro, Stitch Assist |
| Flash | |
|---|---|
| Built-in Flash | Yes (Auto, Red-Eye Reduction, Slow Synchro, Flash On, Flash Off) |
| Effective Flash Range | 1.6' (0.5m) - 15' (4.6m) |
| External Flash Connection | No |
| External Flash Control | Not Applicable |
| Performance | |
|---|---|
| Start-Up Time | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Shutter Lag | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Time Between Shots | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
| Burst Capability | 1.5 fps continuous shooting |
| Self Timer | 2 seconds or 10 seconds |
| Interval Recording | No |
| Date & Time Stamp | No |
| Memory & Power | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Built-in Memory | No | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Compatible Memory Cards |
Secure Digital (SD) Card Secure Digital High Capacity (SDHC) Card MultiMediaCard (MMC/MMC-Plus) |
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| Recording Capacity |
Includes 32MB Secure Digital (SD) Card
Still Image Capacity
Video Capacity
|
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| Battery Type | NB-5L Rechargeable Lithium-Ion Battery | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Power Adapter | ACK-DC30 AC Adapter Kit (optional) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Input/Output | |
|---|---|
| Computer Interface | USB 2.0 (Hi-Speed) |
| Direct Print Capable | Yes (PictBridge) |
| Remote Control | No |
| Video Output | Yes (NTSC & PAL) |
| Web-Cam Capable | No |
| System & Software Requirements |
Windows System
Macintosh System
|
| Display | |
|---|---|
| Viewfinder | Real-image optical zoom viewfinder |
| LCD Display | 2.5" LTPS TFT color LCD (230,000 pixels), with brightness adjustment (15 levels) |
| Language Options | English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified/Traditional Chinese, Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Romanian, Ukrainian |
| Playback Options | Single Image, Magnification (2x-10x), Jump, Auto Rotate, Rotate, Resume Playback, My Category, My Colors, Histogram, Index (9 thumbnails), Sound Memos, Slide Show, Erase (single image, by date, by category, by folder, all images), Movie Playback (Normal Playback, Special Playback, Editing, Erase) |
| Physical | |
|---|---|
| Dimensions (HxWxD) | 3.8 x 2.4 x 1.1" (96 x 60 x 28mm) |
| Weight | 5.8 oz. (165g) camera body only |
REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
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Most Liked Positive Review
SD950 Review
The small size and excellent battery life are outstanding. I love the 12Mpixel photos which compare well with film for enlargements. It handles sharp contast boundaries well with no JPEG mosquito noise or artifacts ...Read complete review
The small size and excellent battery life are outstanding. I love the 12Mpixel photos which compare well with film for enlargements. It handles sharp contast boundaries well with no JPEG mosquito noise or artifacts common to other digital cameras. Viewfinder is a big plus in bright sun light or moving objects. The panoramic stitch mode is fun and easy to use for really wide pictures. I have had several digital cameras in the past but have always gone back to film cameras because those digital camera's low light performance, poor battery life, limited picture detail, and JPEG noise and artifact problems left me unimpressed. The Canon SD950 excels in all those areas, and I finally feel that I have a handy little camera that is on par with ASA 100 film. I also tried a 15 second exposure with a tripod in a very dimly lit room and was amazed that there was no noise whatsoever even when I zoomed in a high magnification. I used the vivid mode to get some great sunset photos with an bright orange/red hue. The face focus mode works most of the time, but it will get confused with people with beards, glasses, or people who are looking a little to the side. The digital macro mode works very well from a couple of inches away. The optical stabilization is fantastic for slow shutter speeds. I experimented some with the ISO settings, and the noise starts to show up about ISO 400. Typically I will use ISO 80, 12Mpixel, and super fine for maximum detail, and I have been extremely happy with the photos that I get. It is also small enough to be easily carried around most the time which is not true of my film SLR camera that is far more bulky. The 1/1.7 sensor is 75% bigger than the SD870's 1/2.5 sensor. In other words, you are not giving up anything to go with 12Mpixels. You get the ability to crop pictures more and create bigger enlargements than would be possible with an 8Mpixel camera. The only downside is that the shutter and aperature cannot be manually adjusted. The aperature seems to be set based solely on the telescopic zoom (F2.8, F3.2, F3.5, F4.0, F5.0, F4.5, F5.8) for wide to telephoto. Only the shutter speed and ISO seem to change for the exposure. There are some useful modes such as portrait for softening the background and kids/pets mode for subjects that move around a lot. I have been extremely pleased with this little camera and would gladly recommend it to others.
VS
Most Liked Negative Review
Decent but weigh its flaws carefully
Any point and shoot camera is going to involve trade-offs. Generally, this is a good camera as long as you are using it for shooting outside in bright light or inside with the flash....Read complete review
Any point and shoot camera is going to involve trade-offs. Generally, this is a good camera as long as you are using it for shooting outside in bright light or inside with the flash. Otherwise, it has very poor performance in low-light. I was inside on a bright day and the "camera shake" indicator lit up while I was shooting. The shot turned out blurry - even with the image stabilizer engaged. This happened because the camera was using a 1/15 shutter speed at f2.8! By comparison, my SLR metered the same shot at 1/250 at f4 and was super sharp. Yes, an SLR will always look better, but this point-and-shoot costs [$].If you use the flash indoors, you often get washed out foreground subjects and murky backgrounds. There is a slight shutter lag, which won't bother you for posed shots or landscapes, but it's useless for photographing an on-the-move toddler! Plus, if you use the flash, it can add an extra second or more to the delay. Finally, the wide angle is pretty shallow - I kept having to back up from my subjects. It's a handsome camera that takes decent shots under the right conditions. It's just a shame that it performs so poorly under the other 50% of the time you might want to use it.
REVIEWS
Reviewed by 34 customers
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
Extremely useful and comfortable to use.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
I'm a digital SLR user and have had 3 Canon cameras starting with the EOS Rebel, then graduated to the 20-D and now have the 40-D. Love my SLR!! Now, my wife has never had a digital camera before, loves to be the paparatzi at any event, but dubious about what she thought was the complexity of digital cameras. Her old film point and shoot was on it's last legs and she was showing some mild interest in digital cameras so I looked at the various Canon offerings. I have always loved Canon's in-camera Digic processing program so I looked at their most advanced for point and shoot. The SD950 IS looked like it fit the bill...compact, Digic processor, image stabilization, fairly short shutter release times, and got good reviews on the web camera review sites. B&H has always been a reliable source for my photo needs so of course I ordered through them. When I gave my wife the 950 she liked it's size and look, right off the bat. Then I showed her how to use it and she was in love. Fast, easy to use, great battery life...and best of all..great photos!! This is a 12.1 MP camera and it shows when you enlarge in a photo processing program. Proper exposures with fast and steady focus make for shots with very little to edit. The SD950 IS has acutally made me a bit jealous as my 40D is just a 10.1MP..I love it but may have to start thinking about trading up to the 50D! You certainly get what you pay for with the SD950 IS, in a very compact package.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
i was looking for a camera that will produce hihg quality photos while at the same time i can store it in my pocket for trips to the cit where i dont want to lug around an SLR...... it has very good light and color balance as well as a wide range of custom settings.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
We got a camera that is easy to use and fits our needs. Service and price were excellent too.
Pros
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
I evaluated a lot of cameras for my trip to Nepal and settled on the 950. The pics are excellent and easy to download with the cables. The high resolution video is easy to operate and produces great results with good audio. I especially like the touch screen function ring that appears on the display as opposed to searching for a physical button on the camera body. Once you use it, you'll like it.There are only a few minor complaints (the zoom doesn't work on the high res video mode and the playback display button is small) but short of spending $1000 for a high def video camcorder, this little elph did extremely well in the Himalayas, especially for the money. The white balance did not function that well when photographing dark forests against stark mountain scenary but it might have been my lack of expertise. Or it could be a drawback of the compact digitals that don't have the depth of field that larger cameras have.I was planning to replace my S1 with an S3 but it was not in stock at the time. You can see evidence of my camera's quality at [@] although I have reduced the photo qualities for the website. Follow the link to my YouTube video for an example of the 950's video capabilities.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
I had a nikon before this camera. I bought it because of low light performance. the camera seem to be slow when taking pictures, missing a few pictures that would have been great.
the camera was pushed as the best of Canon, as well as for its performance in the dark.
Pros
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
I had Powershot SD900 before and i always thought that it would be better if it was little thiner and more stylish, and this was it.
with the best quality and the style, this was the best digital camera about its price...
never had a problem using it...
i'll recommend this product.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
just getting into digital and wanted to try this out. i am an avid canon user. needed something small to carry around. love all the features.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
O.K. Maybe they can if they weren't so fragile, but in terms of image quality and ease of use hey are unbeatable.
Pros
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
Easy to use. Amazing number of features. Convenient size. There is only one thing I don't like about this camera. Need protection over the LCD screen.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
Any point and shoot camera is going to involve trade-offs. Generally, this is a good camera as long as you are using it for shooting outside in bright light or inside with the flash. Otherwise, it has very poor performance in low-light. I was inside on a bright day and the "camera shake" indicator lit up while I was shooting. The shot turned out blurry - even with the image stabilizer engaged. This happened because the camera was using a 1/15 shutter speed at f2.8! By comparison, my SLR metered the same shot at 1/250 at f4 and was super sharp. Yes, an SLR will always look better, but this point-and-shoot costs [$].If you use the flash indoors, you often get washed out foreground subjects and murky backgrounds. There is a slight shutter lag, which won't bother you for posed shots or landscapes, but it's useless for photographing an on-the-move toddler! Plus, if you use the flash, it can add an extra second or more to the delay. Finally, the wide angle is pretty shallow - I kept having to back up from my subjects. It's a handsome camera that takes decent shots under the right conditions. It's just a shame that it performs so poorly under the other 50% of the time you might want to use it.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
If I could only have one camera this would be it. Fits in your pocket and is always ready to catch wonderful unscripted moments of life. Fast shutter speed and great display. Durable with a great focal range. The best surprise is the very capable video. All around a great camera choice.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
This camera is loaded with top of the line features and is as easy to use as any camera I have ever owned! It looks as good as it works too. This is my fourth Canon Powershot camera and it is absolutely the best one I have purchased so far.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
this past week was my very first scuba diving trip and i needed (or wanted) a camera with a housing. i asked my professor what he thought would be a good camera and he suggest the powershot sd950 and im glad i got this camera and the housing as a beginner underwater photography camera. i loved it! thanks!
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
Easy to use, I upgraded from 550, easy transition as controlls are very similar. Compliments my 5d as a quick and easy "pocket" camera.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
Great resolution and great photographs. Can't ask for more than that.
Pros
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
Works like butter. Great lens, takes SLR-quality shots and fits in your pocket. Multitude of great little functions.
Pros
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
Could do with fewer Megapixels and higher quality image.
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Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
This is my 3rd Canon Powershot.I use this for travel pictures and family. The focus is quick, and I love the face recognition. The only thing I don't like is the awkward opening for the cable connection. The hinge(plastic) is too short and it is a tight fit to get the cable connected.
Pros
Cons
Best Uses
Comments about Canon Powershot SD950 IS Digital Elph Digital Camera:
Easy to hold. Takes great pictures. Viewfinder not accurate but not needed with LCD screen which does a great job. Great assest to my digital SLR which I prefer not to carry everywhere I go.
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