Canon PowerShot SD950 IS

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.

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!

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.

I just returned from a photo shoot at the beach using my new Canon PowerShot SD950IS (with a SanDisk 2GB Extreme III SD card), and my Canon Digital Rebel XTi 10.1 MP SLR camera (with a SanDisk 2GB Ultra II CF card) with a Canon EF 24-105mm f/4 L IS USM lens. I had each camera set to the maximum resolution, and took a number of "identical" pictures with each camera. I fully expected the Digital Rebel (2 lbs, 15 oz) to outperform the SD950IS (6.5 oz). To my amazement, the result was just the opposite. The detail, sharpness, clarity and color in the photos taken with the SD950IS were noticeably better. I don't intend to ditch the Digital Rebel, but will definitely feel that I'm not compromising on quality when I leave the bulk behind and travel with the SD950IS.

I've owned around a dozen digital cameras over the years and have always been in search of the Holy Grail of image quality. I finally found it 2 years ago with the Canon EOS 5D, a full-frame 12.3 megapixel DSLR. Recently, I decided to see if I could find a compact that even came close to the 5D. Well, guess what? Here it is. Aside from the 5D, this is the best camera I have ever used. Hands down the image quality is as superb as it comes...smooth, crisp, well exposed, and clean. I now have a take-anywhere to just throw in my pocket when the 5D would be overkill. Trust me when I say that this camera will be a legend. It is that good. In fact, I'll likely pick up another one when its succcesor comes out and the price drops.

UPDATE: After using my SD 950 IS for few weeks, it is clearly not anything near a Canon 5D. Although there are a lot of pixels, the 950's resolving power simply can't compete with a Canon L-class lens. No surprise of course but don't expect pro quality just because you have 12 megapixels. I still love the SD 950 IS for what it is but make no mistake about what it isn't.