Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS

Canon's IXUS series is an exercise in slow evolution. Since the company has hit on a very successful design, these compact point-and-shoots typically see only minor tweaks from year to year. This year's follow-up to the popular IXUS 800 IS is the new Digital IXUS 950 IS. The main differences between the two include a jump up to 8.3 megapixels (from 6.2 megapixels) and the new Digic III image processor, which brings with it face detection and a higher top sensitivity of ISO 1,600 (up from ISO 800). The IXUS 950 IS sports nearly everything you'd want in a point-and-shoot.

The only thing you might want to change would be the 4x optical zoom lens. The IXUS 950 IS's lens starts at an equivalent of 35mm and ends at 140mm. For a compact camera such as this, we prefer a lens that starts wider, such as the 28mm-to-105mm lens found on the Digital IXUS 850 IS. The wider lens lets you fit more people into those group photos, or get closer to your subject, such as in a nightclub. Of course, we can't really hold this against Canon in this case, since the IXUS 850 IS basically offers everything the IXUS 950 IS does, but with a different lens. So if you side with us in the lens debate, check out the IXUS 850 IS. Both cameras include Canon's very effective optical image stabilisation to help keep your images sharp even if your hands aren't very steady.

Design
Designwise, the IXUS 950 IS is almost identical to the IXUS 800 IS. The only real difference is the colours that adorn its body. That means that Canon hasn't fixed the wacky on/off button that irked us on last year's model. It sits to the right of the tiny viewfinder above the 2.5-inch LCD screen on the camera back. The button is in an awkward place and is also rather small and completely flush with the camera back. We've never had much of a problem with positioning the power button atop the camera and aren't sure why Canon decided to put it here in the first place. Maybe they'll move it next year. We also found that the mode dial, embedded into the right side, felt a bit flimsy and occasionally skipped a couple of notches when we were trying to move only one. Once we got used to it, though, it wasn't much of a problem.

Features
Compared to last year's multicontroller pad, which was perfectly fine, the IXUS 950 IS's pad is an improvement. A raised ring around the pad gives it better tactile response. Plus, when you rest your thumb in any particular direction, a graphic appears on the LCD to show you what you'd do if you press fully. This came in handy, since you don't have to move your eyes away from the screen when changing settings. Plus, it makes it easier to discern the controller's multiple functions, since the onscreen graphic only shows the function that is active in the mode you're currently using.

Performance
For the most part, the Digital IXUS 950 IS turned in a performance that is equal to, or faster than, the IXUS 800 IS, despite the increase in megapixels. The IXUS 950 IS took 1.2 seconds to start up and capture its first JPEG. Subsequent JPEGs took 1.7 seconds between shots without flash but slowed significantly to 3 seconds between shots with the flash turned on. This is one area where the IXUS 800 IS IS outperformed; it took 1.9 seconds between shots with its flash enabled. The IXUS 950 IS's shutter lag measured 0.5 second in our high-contrast test and 0.7 second in our low-contrast test, which mimic bright and dim shooting conditions, respectively. The other area where the IXUS 950 IS lags behind its predecessor is continuous shooting. The IXUS 950 IS yielded about 1.4 frames per second (fps) regardless of image size, while the SD750 IS was able to churn out a more impressive 2.1fps.

Shooting speed (in seconds)
(Shorter bars indicate better performance)

Typical shot-to-shot time

Time to first shot

Shutter lag (typical)

Casio Exilim EX-Z1000

3.5 

1.8 

0.3 

Sony Cyber-shot DSC-T100

1.4 

1.1 

0.4 

Canon Digital IXUS 850 IS

1.3 

1.1 

0.4 

Canon Digital IXUS 950IS

1.7 

1.2 

0.5 

Image quality
Images from the IXUS 950 IS are very impressive. Colours look accurate, there's plenty of sharpness, especially for a compact camera, and at its lowest ISO settings, we saw no appreciable noise. In fact, noise doesn't even begin to encroach until you reach ISO 200. Even then, it's just a very light covering of off-colour splotches that's barely visible on computer monitors and won't show up at all in prints. Noise remains similar at ISO 400, with a just-perceptible increase that still won't mar your prints much, if at all. At ISO 800, noise becomes more pronounced, robbing some finer image detail, and adding filmlike grain to prints. Surprisingly, while darker colours become washed out at this point, there's still a fair amount of shadow detail. At its highest sensitivity setting of ISO 1,600, most finer detail is obliterated by noise, and lots of shadow detail is lost. Rather than a fine grain, the noise becomes larger and causes a nasty blotchy look overall. We recommend staying below ISO 1,600 if you plan on making prints and below ISO 800 if you plan to make prints larger than 8x10 inches.

There's very little to complain about on the IXUS 950 IS. Fans of ultracompacts, such as Sony's T-series, might complain that this Canon isn't small enough, but given its excellent image quality and speedy performance, we're not complaining. Also, unlike those Sony cameras, this one includes an optical viewfinder, for situations, such as concerts, in which an LCD might annoy those around you. Bargain hunters will likely balk at this camera's price, but again, its features and performance make it worth the premium over a bargain-basement camera.

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