The Canon IXUS 950 IS is a stylish, eight megapixel digital camera with a four times optical zoom lens. It has a smart design and although just a bit too large to fit into a pocket it is still a pretty handy size. Key features include image stabilisation and also a viewfinder for those sunny days when the LCD screen is struggling. Canon have also added a red eye correction tool to the IXUS 950 IS.
Image Quality
Outdoor 1
Focusing is as sharp as you are likely to get from any compact digital camera. The levels of sharpness are also retained as you move out towards the edge of a photo. Colours are a true reflection as to how I saw them on the day, although some of the blue lines on the boat have a purple tinge. The glare from the sun is handled well.
Outdoor 2
The most striking point about this photo is the depth of colour in the sky. Most cameras struggle with this shot and tend to lose focus. The IXUS 950 IS compares very well against other similar digital cameras and produces a photo that is a lot sharper then many of its competitors manage.
Outdoor 3
The extra length of the zoom lens does make a noticeable difference for this shot as I zoom in from distance. It helps to bring you in that bit closer. I like the lighting and focusing for this shot. There is a hint of some purple fringing around the edges of some of the lighter objects in the photo. The expanse of sky also has a small amount of noise showing. This should not be an issue unless you are planning to make extra large prints.
Outdoor Portrait
The outdoor portrait works well. Focusing is sharp and I like the lighting and colours. Skin tones look good to me and this is one of the better cameras for portrait shots. The face detection focusing does seem to make a difference in this instance.
Indoor Portrait
This is another photo that works well. Taken indoors, in lowlight, with flash this shot is some way above average. There is a high degree of sharpness and colours look natural. In my original shot there was an average degree of red eye. This was corrected using the in camera retouch tool for red eye. This is easy to use and in my opinion does a very good job.
Lowlight
In extreme lowlight the IXUS 950 IS has still managed to focus sharply. The photo is also very bright considering the conditions the photo was taken in.
Colours
The IXUS 950 IS is capable of strong colours. They are not overpowering though and give plenty of life to my test photos.
Macro
Once again this camera has produced an above average shot. The close up shot is a fair bit sharper than I am used to seeing. If you are looking for a point and shoot camera that can handle macro shots then this is one for your shortlist.
ISO 400
As with almost all digital cameras there is a noticeable drop off in picture quality once you increase the ISO rating on the IXUS 950 IS to 400.
ISO 1600
Once you reach the top level of ISO 1600 picture quality has gone horribly wrong! Although this is true of just about every camera I have tested I would recommend manufacturers leaving this setting off their cameras until they have managed to improve the technology.
Overall
Overall an impressive set of test shots. As I have seen with other Canon digital cameras the sharpness of the photos is one of the main attractions.
Shutter Lag
I was able to take a single shot in 0.31 seconds and five shots in 7.65 seconds. With the flash turned on times increased to 1.02 seconds for a single shot and 16.91 seconds for five. Without the flash these are average times. With the flash on the shutter delay is longer than I would like to see.
Style: Style is one of the main attractions of the camera. Shamphered edges help to give this part of the IXUS range a distinctive look. Different coloured metallic sections also help to make the camera look a little different as well.
Dimensions: 90.4 x 56.5 x 26.4mm
Weight: 165g
Batteries: Lithium ion. A charger and battery are supplied as standard. Canon estimates you should be able to take around 230 shots in between charges.
Memory cards: A 32mb SD card is supplied with the camera. The IXUS 950 IS is also compatible with SDHC cards. I was able to take 40 photos before the card was full. This was far more than I was expecting.
Ease of use rating: Good. The camera is easy enough to use. It has a few more features and controls than many of the more simplistic point and shoot cameras. Therefore it may take you a shade longer to master all the settings the IXUS 950 IS has.
Points I like:
Sharpness of photo - build quality and design - viewfinder - red eye correction tool
Where it could improve:
High ISO settings
Verdict:
I am happy to recommend the Canon IXUS 950 IS. It is one of the best point and shoot digital cameras you are likely to find. It looks good, takes a good photo and has a few extra features than you find on most smaller, compact digital cameras.