Canon PowerShot SD950

Here at Digit Geek we’ve reviewed a number of Canon PowerShot cameras. This may be because Canon makes really great cameras or we’re just obsessed with this line, but whatever the reason is, there is one thing we can say about the PowerShot cameras, they rock!

The Canon PowerShot SD950 IS is no different than any of the other PowerShot camera’s we’ve reviewed. It’s a solid camera with a number of great features. The SD950 features a high-resolution 12.1 megapixel CCD, an Optical Image Stabilizer and 3.7x optical zoom. There are also a number of other great features like face detection software, red-eye correction, and the software that’s included to transfer pictures is great as well.

Here are a few of the technical specifications for the PowerShot SD950:

• Street price: $360
• 2.5″ LCD screen
• 12.1 MP
• 3.7x optical zoom lens
• Face detection and Image Stabilization
• 15-1/1600 sec shutter speed
• 1.5 fps continuous shooting

Things I like
Let me start off by saying that I really like the design of the PowerShot SD950. The titanium casing looks very sleek and it also gives the camera a very sturdy feel (which I like). The SD950 has improved a number of things over it’s brother/sister, the SD750. The resolution has increased by 5MP, the optical zoom has increased by .7x and theres an optical viewfinder instead of the larger screen. All of these changes have increased the value of the PowerShot SD950.

I especially like the optical viewfinder because it means you no longer have to rely on the LCD screen, which can become useless in direct light. I also like the face detection software that’s included with the SD950. While it doesn’t work in low-light conditions and is sometimes a little buggy, in general, it works very well. Face Detection adjusts the flash to correctly illuminate the people in the picture to provide the best balance between the people and the overall scene, eliminating the common problems of over and underexposed faces.

There are a number of other great shooting modes like Color Accent, Color Swap, Stitch Assist, and Macro mode that make this camera a great buy. The image quality is also extremely good, rivaling some SLR’s.

Things I don’t like
There is really only two problems I have with the SD950. The first problem is the fact that there is no way to manually change the exposure of a photo. This can limit the type of shots that you can take and can be very frustrating at times.

The other problem I have with the Canon PowerShot SD950 is its sluggish performance. The camera took 1.3 seconds to start up and capture its first JPEG. After that, it took a slightly sluggish 2 seconds between shots with the flash turned off and 3.5 seconds between shots with the flash turned on. In continuous shooting mode, the SD950 IS fell just short of its cousin, the G9, clocking an average of 1.6 frames per second.

Pros:

• Nice design
• Great picture quality
• Large resolution
• Optical Viewfinder
• A number of great shooting modes

Cons:

• No manual exposure control
• A little sluggish at times

Final Thoughts
The Canon PowerShot SD950 IS is a great camera. It’s nice design and great image quality will leave you wanting to take more photos but you’ll have to wait longer to take those pictures. Overall the image quality and the shooting modes far surpass the sluggishness of the camera and it’s well worth the price tag. Ranking: 4.5/5