Canon Powershot SD950 IS
Canon Powershot SD950 IS
1
Hey! You should know that Canon has released a newer version of this product: the Canon Powershot SD1300 IS.
Canon Powershot SD950 IS
Editor's Review
This is an old model, and has since been replaced by several new cameras. The most recent update is the SD1300. Here's what we had to say when the SD950 was released in October 2007:
We're big fans of the Canon SD ultracompact line as it is, but the Canon SD950 IS might be their most appealing model yet. It's a slim, trim compact camera cast in a titanium body that's both durable and stylish. Inside that metal shell, there's a big 12 megapixel CCD, giving users high-levels of detail and the ability to make larger and larger digital prints. Thankfully, Canon has finally seen fit to include Image Stabilization in all their new cameras, and the SD950 IS surely benefits from it.
Editor's Review
This is an old model, and has since been replaced by several new cameras. The most recent update is the SD1300. Here's what we had to say when the SD950 was released in October 2007:
We're big fans of the Canon SD ultracompact line as it is, but the Canon SD950 IS might be their most appealing model yet. It's a slim, trim compact camera cast in a titanium body that's both durable and stylish. Inside that metal shell, there's a big 12 megapixel CCD, giving users high-levels of detail and the ability to make larger and larger digital prints. Thankfully, Canon has finally seen fit to include Image Stabilization in all their new cameras, and the SD950 IS surely benefits from it.
Specifications
- 12.1 megapixels
- 3.7x optical zoom / 4x digital zoom
- Movie mode with sound
- JPEG file format
- Lens-shift image stabilization
- Auto focus
- Auto and manual exposure
- ISO 80-1600
- 2.5-inch LCD display
- Secure Digital memory (32MB card included)
- Lithium-ion battery
- Part Number: SD950IS
- UPC: 013803086225
- Release Date: Oct 15, 2007
Shop for SD950 IS Accessories
Canon Powershot SD950 IS Comments & Questions (write your own!)
I WANT TO KNOW HOW TO SET UP CAMERA SO THAT I CAN SEND EMAIL PICTURES THAT ARE SMALL (GRABEK804 — 07/03/2009)
SEND EMAIL PICTURES THAT ARE SMALL
reply to this comment
GRABEK804 (07/03/2009)
THIS IS FOR THE CANON POWER SHOT SD950 IS
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (08/26/2009)
Your best bet is to shoot at your highest quality and then use something like Google's Picasa or Adobe's Photoshop Elements to make the photo "emailable." That way your originals are the best quality possible. Additionally, I'd recommend not emailing them at all. If you want to share your pictures, start a "flickr" account. They automatically resize the images into several different sizes and then people can download the sizes they prefer.
reply to this comment
SD950 Flash not working at all. Help? (deanster — 04/03/2009)
Hi all - I have a Canon SD950 IS that has been an excellent little camera for me for a year or so now, but in the last month has stopped flashing entirely.
When in flash modes, the 'flash ready' light never lights, and when the shutter release is pressed, the on-screen flash indicator just blinks, and no picture is taken. When it wants to flash, it simply will NOT take any photo, as it's waiting for the flash to be ready, and it never is. Once switched to 'no flash' mode, it takes normal pics as well as ever.
I've tried resetting via the 'reset all' menu, just in case I'd somehow managed to freeze out the flash through a setting, but nothing changes. I've also tried a brand-new out of the box battery, in case there's a charging problem. No change.
Any suggestions? It's well out of warranty, and I'd hate to have to replace it if it's not absolutely necessary.
reply to this comment
When in flash modes, the 'flash ready' light never lights, and when the shutter release is pressed, the on-screen flash indicator just blinks, and no picture is taken. When it wants to flash, it simply will NOT take any photo, as it's waiting for the flash to be ready, and it never is. Once switched to 'no flash' mode, it takes normal pics as well as ever.
I've tried resetting via the 'reset all' menu, just in case I'd somehow managed to freeze out the flash through a setting, but nothing changes. I've also tried a brand-new out of the box battery, in case there's a charging problem. No change.
Any suggestions? It's well out of warranty, and I'd hate to have to replace it if it's not absolutely necessary.
Aditya D (04/04/2009)
I think your flash bulb may just be burned out. Either that, or the wire connecting the power to the flash has been severed, but I think its more likely the first one. The bulb itself shouldn't cost much to replace, maybe $15-20, but then installation may run you another $20. Take it to one of your local camera repair shops, and if it is the bulb they should be able to provide you a quote pretty easily.
reply to this comment
sunny-tree (04/06/2009)
What to be done when memory cards is broken
If your memory card is broken unfortunately,Please take it ease,Let me help you!These are eleven major problems and solutions of memory card as follows.
One: put the memory card in the computer to identify. On the cell phone it does not recognize!!
This situation is often because the memory card formats on the computer, but the format is not compatible with the mobile phone. Solutions are put the card right back into the cell phone and use cell phone the "format memory card" function of the cell phone to reformat!!
Two: mobile phone tips "pull out the memory card, press OK" . pull out will follow the prompts and pull out the card and the insert it into the cell phone,you will be able to continue to use the cell phone, but soon it has prompted to pull back the card, so repeatedly!!
This is because of often plugging a memory card, it results in loosening of bad cell phone memory card slot. You can consider going to the customer service about cell phone repair, and pay attention to hot-swappable cards not too much force .
Three: memory card password is lost, memory card file is very important!!
Download and install MMspwd software, after run the software, we can see a row of garbled, garbled interval shows in figure or in English is password!!
Four: the read and write speed of MMC card is more and more slow, much less than just bought .They are the same storage devices, the MMC memory card in the mobile phone is the same as in the computer .After a period of time it will appear the debris disk which will affect the read and write speed because of frequent delete and copy. however, hard disk format is FAT32 or NTFS, the MMC mobile card is FAT16.Therefore, the mobile phone through the computer's Disk Defragmenter will often occur a series of errors, serious error will occur in the MMC card inserted in the mobile phone.
In fact, we only need to copy MMC card hidden files and format the card and then copy the files into it.
Five: when plug memory card in mobile phone, it can not open the page, but it can when pull out!!
Unable to open web pages, or "network" without reflecting,since there are probably caused by the input method. Switch back to the original input method for solving the problem !!
SIX: MMC card of 1GBYTE, 600MB is copyed into the document, and then on computer is not possible to remove the memory card safely, so remove it, after put the memory card into the mobile phone, it displays "card in order to damage", such as in computer card connector, the computer does not recognize ! The memory card, which is disposable copy of the information of large capacity , occasionally can not be removed after the memory card of the situation,
it is recommended after the copy when separate groups of copy,If the cell phone memory card with the computer does not recognize, it could be: A: on client computer, use the FAT16 format to format. B: use force format tool MMCMEDIC to repair C: format the memory card directly in the mobile phone.
seven: when format the memory card, it shows "memory card to be used" .
To restart the mobile phone ,the problem is still there.Try to follow these steps: Shut down ----reswap memory card --- --- boot
EIGHT: A lot of procedures of the cell phone can not be normal operation. When the mobile phone is connected with memory card, it shows'"memory card does not exist and can not connect! "
'The situation is likely to be caused by the change of the name of memory card , resulting in procedural mistakes, as long as replacing the names of memory card in bulk everywhere in the registry in the computer notebookis OK!!
Nine: It shows "Can not use" after reformat the memory czrd.
First check whether the use of format is FAT32 format or not, if it is using FAT16 format, the problem still exists, you can try the computer system at the "Disk Utility" to repair .
Ten: multimedia photos, video files placed in the memory card can't be found suddenly .
Use memory card reader to connect with the computer, to determine their letter, open the computer's "Start" menu, select Run, press enter after type "CMD ", in the MS-DOS command, enter" VCHKDSK H: / F "
Eleven:put memory card in the reader, after the connection,nothing reflects on the computer, and then two situations arise: A: it prompts computer memory card can not be read by. B: Wait for a long time and lose patience, and unplug the memory card , computer displays inoperable memory card!!!
check whether the card reader is well plugged!! No,change another reader or on the format ,and then still no,only the replacement of permit!
This is my experience and my approach. Hope everyone can get some help from it.
reply to this comment
If your memory card is broken unfortunately,Please take it ease,Let me help you!These are eleven major problems and solutions of memory card as follows.
One: put the memory card in the computer to identify. On the cell phone it does not recognize!!
This situation is often because the memory card formats on the computer, but the format is not compatible with the mobile phone. Solutions are put the card right back into the cell phone and use cell phone the "format memory card" function of the cell phone to reformat!!
Two: mobile phone tips "pull out the memory card, press OK" . pull out will follow the prompts and pull out the card and the insert it into the cell phone,you will be able to continue to use the cell phone, but soon it has prompted to pull back the card, so repeatedly!!
This is because of often plugging a memory card, it results in loosening of bad cell phone memory card slot. You can consider going to the customer service about cell phone repair, and pay attention to hot-swappable cards not too much force .
Three: memory card password is lost, memory card file is very important!!
Download and install MMspwd software, after run the software, we can see a row of garbled, garbled interval shows in figure or in English is password!!
Four: the read and write speed of MMC card is more and more slow, much less than just bought .They are the same storage devices, the MMC memory card in the mobile phone is the same as in the computer .After a period of time it will appear the debris disk which will affect the read and write speed because of frequent delete and copy. however, hard disk format is FAT32 or NTFS, the MMC mobile card is FAT16.Therefore, the mobile phone through the computer's Disk Defragmenter will often occur a series of errors, serious error will occur in the MMC card inserted in the mobile phone.
In fact, we only need to copy MMC card hidden files and format the card and then copy the files into it.
Five: when plug memory card in mobile phone, it can not open the page, but it can when pull out!!
Unable to open web pages, or "network" without reflecting,since there are probably caused by the input method. Switch back to the original input method for solving the problem !!
SIX: MMC card of 1GBYTE, 600MB is copyed into the document, and then on computer is not possible to remove the memory card safely, so remove it, after put the memory card into the mobile phone, it displays "card in order to damage", such as in computer card connector, the computer does not recognize ! The memory card, which is disposable copy of the information of large capacity , occasionally can not be removed after the memory card of the situation,
it is recommended after the copy when separate groups of copy,If the cell phone memory card with the computer does not recognize, it could be: A: on client computer, use the FAT16 format to format. B: use force format tool MMCMEDIC to repair C: format the memory card directly in the mobile phone.
seven: when format the memory card, it shows "memory card to be used" .
To restart the mobile phone ,the problem is still there.Try to follow these steps: Shut down ----reswap memory card --- --- boot
EIGHT: A lot of procedures of the cell phone can not be normal operation. When the mobile phone is connected with memory card, it shows'"memory card does not exist and can not connect! "
'The situation is likely to be caused by the change of the name of memory card , resulting in procedural mistakes, as long as replacing the names of memory card in bulk everywhere in the registry in the computer notebookis OK!!
Nine: It shows "Can not use" after reformat the memory czrd.
First check whether the use of format is FAT32 format or not, if it is using FAT16 format, the problem still exists, you can try the computer system at the "Disk Utility" to repair .
Ten: multimedia photos, video files placed in the memory card can't be found suddenly .
Use memory card reader to connect with the computer, to determine their letter, open the computer's "Start" menu, select Run, press enter after type "CMD ", in the MS-DOS command, enter" VCHKDSK H: / F "
Eleven:put memory card in the reader, after the connection,nothing reflects on the computer, and then two situations arise: A: it prompts computer memory card can not be read by. B: Wait for a long time and lose patience, and unplug the memory card , computer displays inoperable memory card!!!
check whether the card reader is well plugged!! No,change another reader or on the format ,and then still no,only the replacement of permit!
This is my experience and my approach. Hope everyone can get some help from it.
post date problem (dr-iyadkejo — 01/14/2009)
i own this camera and i bought it from japan it's great the only problem i couldn't solve is how to activate the post date feature you see the feature is already existed but i can't activate it plz help
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (01/15/2009)
Post card mode. It involves two steps in the setting. Step one selects the postcard mode :
Function > Recording Pixels > Post card
Step two sets the date to on/off :
Record Menu > Date off/on.
Date stamp is set to off by default and there is no way to remove the date once it is stamped on the picture.
reply to this comment
Function > Recording Pixels > Post card
Step two sets the date to on/off :
Record Menu > Date off/on.
Date stamp is set to off by default and there is no way to remove the date once it is stamped on the picture.
Help buying best fit digital camera? (singhshreyansh — 10/04/2008)
Hi
I am really confused in regard to which camera should i buy for myself. I have seen reviews of SonyT70, cannon SD950 IS, Cannon SX1100, cannon sd 790 and a few more and am confused all the more. I somehow have a bend towards cannon because of its picture qualities.
I am looking for a camera with the following specifications
1. atleast auto and manual functions if not lens focus
2. atleast 3.5+ optical zoom, the more the better
3. i am more of a on the go clicker, i click ppl, places, landscapes, roads, cars, parties, individual leaves, stones,trees, sky etc etc. Bottomline i click everything that i like the first go
4. I dont really print the pictures in sizes 8'x10' so ISO should not be that big a problem i guess
5. price $300-$400
6. sleek body nothing bulky
7. Megapixels as i undersatnd does not play that big a part but yeah something like 10 would be great
Bottomline i am looking for the best camera with best pictures and maximum features that my budget can get me
Any help will be great
Thanks
reply to this comment
I am really confused in regard to which camera should i buy for myself. I have seen reviews of SonyT70, cannon SD950 IS, Cannon SX1100, cannon sd 790 and a few more and am confused all the more. I somehow have a bend towards cannon because of its picture qualities.
I am looking for a camera with the following specifications
1. atleast auto and manual functions if not lens focus
2. atleast 3.5+ optical zoom, the more the better
3. i am more of a on the go clicker, i click ppl, places, landscapes, roads, cars, parties, individual leaves, stones,trees, sky etc etc. Bottomline i click everything that i like the first go
4. I dont really print the pictures in sizes 8'x10' so ISO should not be that big a problem i guess
5. price $300-$400
6. sleek body nothing bulky
7. Megapixels as i undersatnd does not play that big a part but yeah something like 10 would be great
Bottomline i am looking for the best camera with best pictures and maximum features that my budget can get me
Any help will be great
Thanks
Aditya D (10/09/2008)
Check out the Canon S5, or if you want to bump up in price the new Canon G10. I agree with you on Canon's picture quality, and I think one of these cameras will better fit your requirements.
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (10/09/2008)
With a drop in price thanks to the new G10, the G9 is a real attractive choice.
But again, Sher, you're falling into the "more MP is better" trap. It most definitely isn't. I only mention the G9 because it has a larger chip to accomodate the extra MP. But most, including those you mention, have smaller CCD chips which means more MP is stuffed into them, making them LESS sensitive to light, not more. As such, you end up with more noise in low light situations. Not to mention clarity and diffraction issues due to small focal lengths.
reply to this comment
But again, Sher, you're falling into the "more MP is better" trap. It most definitely isn't. I only mention the G9 because it has a larger chip to accomodate the extra MP. But most, including those you mention, have smaller CCD chips which means more MP is stuffed into them, making them LESS sensitive to light, not more. As such, you end up with more noise in low light situations. Not to mention clarity and diffraction issues due to small focal lengths.
what is the differnence between Canon powershot and CAnon IXUS? What is better ? (anum — 06/23/2008)
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (06/26/2008)
The Ixus is the European version of the Powershot. Same camera.
reply to this comment
I am looking out for a very sleek and compact camera. i am confused between Canon IXUS 950 IS , IXUS 960 IS AND Canon IXUS 80 IS.Please help! (anum — 06/23/2008)
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (06/25/2008)
Anu, check the Canon website for a product comparison feature. It will give you the ability to compare the features of all three side by side. That'll help alot. But I can tell you this, aside from "whistles and bells" (extras) they're pretty similar.
reply to this comment
Have $400-need easy to navigate camera for art photos. (RosieDozey — 06/22/2008)
I'm an artist and need a new camera for taking reference shots-would like good zoom and macro capabilities with easy to use icons and ability to override the auto-settings when necessary. I also download to a website. Since I only get a new camera every 5-7 years, need advice on best out there to choose from. Also what "little extras" are worth buying? THANKS FOR YOUR HELP!
reply to this comment
steve mccall (06/22/2008)
hello rosie
my choice for this is a panasonic tz3 or the 2008 model tz5 if you need the hd video facility.
a 2 gb sd memory card is a good investment./
cameralabs.com/reviews/Pana...
reply to this comment
my choice for this is a panasonic tz3 or the 2008 model tz5 if you need the hd video facility.
a 2 gb sd memory card is a good investment./
cameralabs.com/reviews/Pana...
RosieDozey (06/22/2008)
hi steve--thanks--was thinking about that one because of the ratings
reply to this comment
Newer camera for eBay and regular work, slim, 12+MP, sharp and clear (allaroundtownuser — 06/21/2008)
I have a 10.1MP Casio Z1000 that I love cause I use it for work taking property pics (slimline goes in my purse), and use it for my eBay sales. People tell me it gets great pics! I'm looking to upgrade again to more MP BUT still get the small size I need for eBay pics. Am I looking for a new one 2 soon? I reveal in the fact that this Casio has an eBay setting already on it!
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (06/23/2008)
Don't fall into the trap that more MP means better pictures, Joan. Often times, it doesn't. And for picture quality, I think there's too much MP here to work with. Let me explain. I came across an interesting article today about how more mega pixels is not necessarily a good thing. According to Image Engineering ( 6mpixel.org/en/? ) – a company that does testing of digital cameras for photo magazines in Germany – the quality of digital pictures has steadily decreased since the state of the art was six megapixels back in 2004. And because they don’t have a “dog in this hunt,” they put forth a compelling argument for buying new digital cameras with less mega pixels and not more.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
And if your Casio is working just fine, why fix what ain't broke?
reply to this comment
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
And if your Casio is working just fine, why fix what ain't broke?
I saw somewhere that there are tele and wide angle lenses for Canon SD950. Does anyone know if they are reliable, working or is it a joke? (igiovani — 06/14/2008)
They have a special clip-on so they can adapt to the normal lens of the camera. Extra lenses for an ultra compact camera? Seems like a fraud to me.
For the wide angle lens the extra capacity factor was .5x and for the telephoto lens was 1.5x.
reply to this comment
For the wide angle lens the extra capacity factor was .5x and for the telephoto lens was 1.5x.
Andrew Skinner (06/14/2008)
Funny thing is, you can find these types of accessories all over eBay ( search.ebay.com/canon-sd950... ). They have both a clip-on, 1.5x telephoto ( cgi.ebay.com/Telephoto-Lens... ) and a clip-on, 0.5x wide angle lens ( cgi.ebay.com/Wide-Angle-Len... ) that will work with the Canon SD950 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). While these are not made by Canon specifically, they should work. The company also sells them in kits on Amazon.com ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Andrew
Phil (07/14/2008)
Don't think I would put one on my camera until I could find some legitimate reviews. What happens when the lens retracts? People sell all types of non-functional junk on e-bay.
reply to this comment
Point & Shoot camera-low light (IamAnna — 06/02/2008)
What is the best camera with IS that is best for low light photography? e.g. churches in Europe or museums were flash is not allowed.
Thanks !!
reply to this comment
Thanks !!
steve mccall (06/05/2008)
hello anna
my choice would be the panasonic lumix tz3
it is light and has a great 10 x zoom and a very good is system
here is alink to a flickr album of notre dame de paris
flickr.com/photos/chaotictr... one from the louvre
flickr.com/photos/bryan1974...
reply to this comment
my choice would be the panasonic lumix tz3
it is light and has a great 10 x zoom and a very good is system
here is alink to a flickr album of notre dame de paris
flickr.com/photos/chaotictr... one from the louvre
flickr.com/photos/bryan1974...
anna (06/07/2008)
Thank you Steve for answering my question. I looked at the links and those pictures were amazing.
I never had the same image quality with my older canon p & s.
YOu recommended panasonic lumix tz3 and I have several questions for you.
How does it work without the viewfinder on a bright, sunny day? Is TZ5 comparable to TZ3?
thanks,
Anna
reply to this comment
I never had the same image quality with my older canon p & s.
YOu recommended panasonic lumix tz3 and I have several questions for you.
How does it work without the viewfinder on a bright, sunny day? Is TZ5 comparable to TZ3?
thanks,
Anna
steve mccall (06/07/2008)
hello anna
the large 3 inch screen has the facility to brighten about 40% it can then be used in sunny conditions
go to a specialised camera shop try different cameras with or without view finder find what feels right for you
have a look at this flickr album
flickr.com/photos/theadvent... tz5 is the 2008 model but adds little to the tz3
the newfeatures are high definition video and the ability to zoom when in video mode
reply to this comment
the large 3 inch screen has the facility to brighten about 40% it can then be used in sunny conditions
go to a specialised camera shop try different cameras with or without view finder find what feels right for you
have a look at this flickr album
flickr.com/photos/theadvent... tz5 is the 2008 model but adds little to the tz3
the newfeatures are high definition video and the ability to zoom when in video mode
PHAROETTE (07/04/2008)
Steve,
I want to buy an easy to use camera and after research would like to have 8+ megapixles, 4+ zoom, stabilization, good photos in dark lit places, red eye correction, decent battery life and nice wide angle photos. I will be traveling overseas and plan to take photos outside and inside, sometimes on short notice. I looked at Panasonic Lumix fz18, you seem to like lumix tz3, or canon sd 950 is, sd890 or sd790 also read about canon sd 110is. Price is not a major factor. so I would really welcome your response. Thanks.
reply to this comment
I want to buy an easy to use camera and after research would like to have 8+ megapixles, 4+ zoom, stabilization, good photos in dark lit places, red eye correction, decent battery life and nice wide angle photos. I will be traveling overseas and plan to take photos outside and inside, sometimes on short notice. I looked at Panasonic Lumix fz18, you seem to like lumix tz3, or canon sd 950 is, sd890 or sd790 also read about canon sd 110is. Price is not a major factor. so I would really welcome your response. Thanks.
steve mccall (07/05/2008)
hello mona
the tz3 is a great camera i have one myself
it has a 10x optical zoom which can be extended to 13x and great wide angle photos
it also has widescreen video at 848 x 480
flickr.com/photos/sebaposto...
reply to this comment
the tz3 is a great camera i have one myself
it has a 10x optical zoom which can be extended to 13x and great wide angle photos
it also has widescreen video at 848 x 480
flickr.com/photos/sebaposto...
Chtyso Kitsou (08/10/2008)
hi people!! Help!! am buying a new digital camera. Being a musician, a festival lover,and a traveller,i am fed up with my 5mp olympus camera,which is a disapointment in low light, danse motion,clubs, night shots or difficult indoors light..HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i have the Canon Ixus 960 12MP,digicIII model in mind. What is your opinion.. does anybody has it and can giave me more info about it? or,is there anything else you could recomment, friendly- to-use, compact camera,which stands out as a successful model these days?
i would appreciate a quick response...
Great thanks in advance!!!
reply to this comment
i would appreciate a quick response...
Great thanks in advance!!!
IamAnna (08/11/2008)
Hello Chtyso
Check out the website dpreview.com
Plenty of ideas shared by novice and professional photographers.
reply to this comment
Check out the website dpreview.com
Plenty of ideas shared by novice and professional photographers.
Which of the Canon SD Series is best for me? (drhottie2005 — 05/13/2008)
I like taking pictures and am looking for a new slim camera for vacation and also for general use where I can actually take it without worrying about it being to big. However I Love the 3.0 screen and The ability to have highest megapixels possible, although not neccisary. Hence the sd 950 and 870 look nice. I do want a good battery life and if possible good manual options to work with. Moneywise I do not have a limit since i am replacing a kodak camera from several years back and am due for a new one.
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (05/15/2008)
Chris,
The Canon 870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does look nice, but it does not come with the manual controls you are looking for. The 950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does come with the manual controls and a higher resolution at 12 MP.
That 12 MP can cause write speed issues and could slow down the interval between shots. You might be better off with a 8MP compact camera like the Canon SD1100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It has the manual features, the same LCD screen, and will run you almost $100 less.
Andrew
reply to this comment
The Canon 870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does look nice, but it does not come with the manual controls you are looking for. The 950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does come with the manual controls and a higher resolution at 12 MP.
That 12 MP can cause write speed issues and could slow down the interval between shots. You might be better off with a 8MP compact camera like the Canon SD1100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It has the manual features, the same LCD screen, and will run you almost $100 less.
Andrew
drhottie2005 (05/16/2008)
Thanks definately was looking into the 950 but with the write issues wanted to avoid that. In terms of battery life which is best strickly for photos because the movie feature is nice but not planning to use much.
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (05/16/2008)
Chris,
The battery life on these will be comprable. If you go with an optical viewfinder instead of using the LCD, you'll have an even longer battery life. Just an option.
Andrew
reply to this comment
The battery life on these will be comprable. If you go with an optical viewfinder instead of using the LCD, you'll have an even longer battery life. Just an option.
Andrew
agnes (05/16/2008)
I need to buy a camera ,I am comfused which is better to keep for a while canon sd 950 or the newer version sd 870.
reply to this comment
sweethero2006 (05/17/2008)
i suggest u to buy canon 870 nice camera...and u need a longer battery so buy a extra battery...and take a 4 gb memory cand......with all in the price of canon 950....but money is no matter then go for 950..........
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (05/17/2008)
Agnes,
Either camera should be fine to last you a while. I still have a Canon SD230 that I purchased over 6 years ago.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Either camera should be fine to last you a while. I still have a Canon SD230 that I purchased over 6 years ago.
Andrew
Phil (05/18/2008)
I have the SD950 set to S-Fine and do not have any problems with the write speed. I am using a Transcend 150x card. Using a standard SD card there is a significant delay.
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (05/19/2008)
Phil,
Thanks for the assist on that. I didn't think there would be much trouble with a faster card like that.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Thanks for the assist on that. I didn't think there would be much trouble with a faster card like that.
Andrew
Phil (05/19/2008)
By chance have you looked at the A Series Canons? They are not much larger than the SD950 and will give better pictures. You can compare the pictures of both here.
imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP...
reply to this comment
imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP...
agnes (05/23/2008)
any hint that canon may go to upgrade the 950 soon ?
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (05/26/2008)
Agnes,
Canon releases upgrades once or twice a year. The SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) was released in October of 2007. I would expect an upgrade at the 12MP or higher range to come out this fall or early next year. I'm not sure you want to wait that long though. Good luck.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Canon releases upgrades once or twice a year. The SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) was released in October of 2007. I would expect an upgrade at the 12MP or higher range to come out this fall or early next year. I'm not sure you want to wait that long though. Good luck.
Andrew
is it weatherproof? any water / send resistanse? (rutassalvajesbr — 05/04/2008)
I'm traveling allot mostly rain forest ...lots of humidity water /send damage risk what will be the best compact digital camera ...with the high quality off canon power shot : high pixel , image stabilizer , large optic zoom ...and so....price range up to 350$ us.
reply to this comment
steve mccall (05/04/2008)
hi avi
the best camera for use in these conditions is the pentax optio w30
photographyblog.com/reviews...
reply to this comment
the best camera for use in these conditions is the pentax optio w30
photographyblog.com/reviews...
katsesama (02/21/2009)
Hey there. It's not weatherproof, but you can buy a case that will *make* it weatherproof. The only problem? The case is expensive -- over $150, in fact. (You can find more info on it by searching Canon WP-DC19 Underwater housing for Canon SD950IS Digital Cameras) I have one of these, and it's great, if needlessly expensive.
If you want a Canon, the waterproof case is how you need to go.
reply to this comment
If you want a Canon, the waterproof case is how you need to go.
Which camera to buy? Canon or Sony compact? Need answer soon! (TenaciousTracey — 04/19/2008)
I am so confused! I had a Canon S-80 and loved it for color and crisp details. It was stolen and I need to replace it It was too bulky and I needed stabilization as pictures were sometimes blurred. Price is no issue. I want crisp pictures with vibrant color, easy to operate, compact and not grainy in low light and longer battery life (must be rechargeable). I have been looking at Canon SD 790 IS, 890 IS, 950 IS, and SD 1100. I have also looked at Sony DSC T200 and 300. I often make 8x10's and use pictures on my apple TV. I need to buy this in the next couple of days. I am open to other brands, I just always used Canon.
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (04/20/2008)
for comparison, you may want to check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side.
Taking them head to head, they can be quite close, but I prefer the bolder colors and clarity of the Canon. And you don't have to pay for the SONY nameplate or deal with proprietary technologies that are the hallmark of an overpriced SONY model.
reply to this comment
Taking them head to head, they can be quite close, but I prefer the bolder colors and clarity of the Canon. And you don't have to pay for the SONY nameplate or deal with proprietary technologies that are the hallmark of an overpriced SONY model.
Larry (04/20/2008)
Tracey,
Just FYI, 7MP is plenty for the 8 X 10 inch enlargements you mentioned as long as you don't crop too severely.
IMHO, the Canon models win over Sony.
Check out the specifications of your Canon choices at
usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... they differ significantly in details such as frames per second in continuous shot mode, maximum zoom, etc....
reply to this comment
Just FYI, 7MP is plenty for the 8 X 10 inch enlargements you mentioned as long as you don't crop too severely.
IMHO, the Canon models win over Sony.
Check out the specifications of your Canon choices at
usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... they differ significantly in details such as frames per second in continuous shot mode, maximum zoom, etc....
TenaciousTracey (04/21/2008)
Larry and James, Thank you for your input. I had previously already looked at both sites. I did not know about the 7 MP being enough for the enlargements. That was helpful. I have narrowed it down to Canon SD 950is and the Cannon SD 1100. Any last minute comments about either one of those?
Tracey C.
reply to this comment
Tracey C.
Larry (04/21/2008)
Excellent work Tracey,
The 950 gives you a little more zoom (3.7X) and slightly faster continuous shot mode (1.5 fps).
The 1100 gives a little advantage on the Macro mode (3cm) versus 5cm on the 950.
In this case you can choose the 950 at 12MP OR the 1100 at 8MP and still get basically the same (or at least very very close) image quality since the 12MP CCD sensor on the 950 is just larger in size to maintain roughly the same physical pixel size.
All things being equal be certain to handle both cameras and try out the controls for ease of use and feel in your hands--very important.
Also, be sure to check out the difference in the viewfinders. It appears to me that the viewfinder on the 1100 may be smaller and less easily viewed through. The service and Returnability can be critical. Some stores will let you try one camera at home and if you don't like it, they will let you trade it in with full credit on the other model. Also, now that you have it down to just two models, you can go to the store and take 10 or 20 pictures with each camera and have them printed up for a few dollars. Maybe even a few enlargements. That will give you all the info you need to be happy with your choice.
Good Luck.
reply to this comment
The 950 gives you a little more zoom (3.7X) and slightly faster continuous shot mode (1.5 fps).
The 1100 gives a little advantage on the Macro mode (3cm) versus 5cm on the 950.
In this case you can choose the 950 at 12MP OR the 1100 at 8MP and still get basically the same (or at least very very close) image quality since the 12MP CCD sensor on the 950 is just larger in size to maintain roughly the same physical pixel size.
All things being equal be certain to handle both cameras and try out the controls for ease of use and feel in your hands--very important.
Also, be sure to check out the difference in the viewfinders. It appears to me that the viewfinder on the 1100 may be smaller and less easily viewed through. The service and Returnability can be critical. Some stores will let you try one camera at home and if you don't like it, they will let you trade it in with full credit on the other model. Also, now that you have it down to just two models, you can go to the store and take 10 or 20 pictures with each camera and have them printed up for a few dollars. Maybe even a few enlargements. That will give you all the info you need to be happy with your choice.
Good Luck.
by James DeRuvo (04/21/2008)
For picture quality, I think there's too much MP to work with on the SD950. Let me explain. I came across an interesting article today about how more mega pixels is not necessarily a good thing. According to Image Engineering ( 6mpixel.org/en/? ) – a company that does testing of digital cameras for photo magazines in Germany – the quality of digital pictures has steadily decreased since the state of the art was six megapixels back in 2004. And because they don’t have a “dog in this hunt,” they put forth a compelling argument for buying new digital cameras with less mega pixels and not more.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
I'd go with the 1100.
reply to this comment
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
I'd go with the 1100.
TenaciousTracey (04/22/2008)
Thanks guys! Both comments were excellent. I appreciate the advice.
reply to this comment
What is the difference between camera Canon IXY Digital 2000 IS and SD950IS? If they are the same why do they have deferent name? (lucci — 04/12/2008)
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (04/12/2008)
IXY is the European designation, IIRC.
reply to this comment
What is the difference between camera Canon IXY Digital 2000 IS and SD950IS? If they are the same why do they have deferent name? (lucci — 04/12/2008)
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (04/12/2008)
IXY is the European designation, IIRC.
reply to this comment
Phil (05/13/2008)
Country designations:
PowerShot SD950 IS - Americas
Digital IXUS 960 IS - Europe
IXY Digital 2000 IS - Japan
This is basically a marketing ploy. These stores are listing cameras this way in order to create confusion for the buyer. They want you to call for clarification and then sell you a camera while you are on the phone. Usually you will be told the Japanese model does not come with a battery, charger or warranty - which is not true. These sales gimmicks are scams, so stay away from these companies because in the end you will pay more for the camera. Most often they are going to sell you a substandard SD card at an inflated price. If you don't buy something like a 150x or ultra III card you will be unhappy with your camera.
Canon does not ship cameras without batteries or chargers because off brand batteries can damage the camera, and they do not want to fix it under warranty. Also Canons warranties are world wide, so if you buy one sold in Japan it is still covered in the US.
reply to this comment
PowerShot SD950 IS - Americas
Digital IXUS 960 IS - Europe
IXY Digital 2000 IS - Japan
This is basically a marketing ploy. These stores are listing cameras this way in order to create confusion for the buyer. They want you to call for clarification and then sell you a camera while you are on the phone. Usually you will be told the Japanese model does not come with a battery, charger or warranty - which is not true. These sales gimmicks are scams, so stay away from these companies because in the end you will pay more for the camera. Most often they are going to sell you a substandard SD card at an inflated price. If you don't buy something like a 150x or ultra III card you will be unhappy with your camera.
Canon does not ship cameras without batteries or chargers because off brand batteries can damage the camera, and they do not want to fix it under warranty. Also Canons warranties are world wide, so if you buy one sold in Japan it is still covered in the US.
by James DeRuvo (05/13/2008)
This is also considered a "gray market" item by definition and should be avoided even if it sseems like a great deal.
And I wouldn't say that using something slower than an ULTRA III will make you unhappy with the camera, but you should buy the fastest writing cards you can afford. Understanding that a chain is as strong as it's weakest (Or in this slowest) link.
reply to this comment
And I wouldn't say that using something slower than an ULTRA III will make you unhappy with the camera, but you should buy the fastest writing cards you can afford. Understanding that a chain is as strong as it's weakest (Or in this slowest) link.
Phil (05/13/2008)
Gray market cameras are merely ones produced for other markets, and Canon still warranties the cameras and so does Olympus. I don't know about other brands but they are probably the same.
They come in the same box with the same goodies as the US version. A lot of this is purely marketing hype, call the store and ask about the difference, and they will tell you that you should buy the US market version for More Money. It is doubtful that they even have these cameras in stock, I know that 86 Street Photo & Video doesn't and a couple more stores that I called.
Before the internet the cameras had the same designation in the US, Europe and Japan. With every one ordering off the internet companies are using different names to help protect retailers in the various countries. For instance someone in Japan couldn't order a IXY Digital from a US store because they couldn't find it sold in the US; unless they did some research. I was in Taiwan last year and was going to buy a laptop but found out I can buy them cheaper in the good old US
reply to this comment
They come in the same box with the same goodies as the US version. A lot of this is purely marketing hype, call the store and ask about the difference, and they will tell you that you should buy the US market version for More Money. It is doubtful that they even have these cameras in stock, I know that 86 Street Photo & Video doesn't and a couple more stores that I called.
Before the internet the cameras had the same designation in the US, Europe and Japan. With every one ordering off the internet companies are using different names to help protect retailers in the various countries. For instance someone in Japan couldn't order a IXY Digital from a US store because they couldn't find it sold in the US; unless they did some research. I was in Taiwan last year and was going to buy a laptop but found out I can buy them cheaper in the good old US
by James DeRuvo (05/15/2008)
You're incorrect, Phil. If you get a "grey market" ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_... ) camera here in the states, there's a very good chance that USA companies will NOT repair them under warranty and will refer them to the country of origin. From Wiki:
Manufacturers may refuse to honor the warranty of an item purchased from grey-market sources, on the grounds that the higher price on the non-grey market reflects a higher level of service. Alternatively, they may provide the warranty service only from the manufacturer's subsidiary in the intended country of import, not the diverted third country where the grey goods are ultimately sold by the distributor or retailer. This response to the grey market is especially evident in electronics goods ...
and
Due to the nature of local warranty, importers of grey sets usually mask the flaw in warranty with their own warranty schemes. These are often warranties with reduced benefits or lasting a shorter period of time.
Grey sets do not differ particularly from an authorised import. They look and function identically, apart from the manufacturer's warranties having been voided.
reply to this comment
Manufacturers may refuse to honor the warranty of an item purchased from grey-market sources, on the grounds that the higher price on the non-grey market reflects a higher level of service. Alternatively, they may provide the warranty service only from the manufacturer's subsidiary in the intended country of import, not the diverted third country where the grey goods are ultimately sold by the distributor or retailer. This response to the grey market is especially evident in electronics goods ...
and
Due to the nature of local warranty, importers of grey sets usually mask the flaw in warranty with their own warranty schemes. These are often warranties with reduced benefits or lasting a shorter period of time.
Grey sets do not differ particularly from an authorised import. They look and function identically, apart from the manufacturer's warranties having been voided.
Phil (05/15/2008)
Your right, I called Canon and they no longer have a world wide warranty, however any camera with a US model number is warrantied because they are made for the US market and therefore are not grey market cameras. If a retailer removes the warranty card they will fix it if you have proof of purchase.
However the IXY would have to be sent to Japan for warranty.
She said they changed this to prevent companies from buying cameras at a cheaper price in one country and then underselling other dealers in their own.
reply to this comment
However the IXY would have to be sent to Japan for warranty.
She said they changed this to prevent companies from buying cameras at a cheaper price in one country and then underselling other dealers in their own.
by James DeRuvo (05/16/2008)
Precisely. As I said, let the buyer beware, and always keep those receipts. There's also this caviat. A buyer may have an extended warranty time as a perk of the credit card used. Therefore, if a gray market item can't be repaired under the conventional warranty, there may be recourse through the credit card company. YMMV though.
reply to this comment
what is the difference between camera Canon SD 950 IS / SD 960 IS / IXY Digital 2000 IS?which one is better (Armineh — 04/07/2008)
reply to this comment
Armineh (04/07/2008)
thank you in advance
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (04/10/2008)
Armineh,
I'm not sure which camera you are referring to with the SD 960 IS; it is not on this site or Canon's.
The Canon IXY 2000 IS is a version of the SD 950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) sold outside of the US. In Europe and Australia, Canon calls this camera line the IXY. Other than the name, they are the same.
Andrew
reply to this comment
I'm not sure which camera you are referring to with the SD 960 IS; it is not on this site or Canon's.
The Canon IXY 2000 IS is a version of the SD 950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) sold outside of the US. In Europe and Australia, Canon calls this camera line the IXY. Other than the name, they are the same.
Andrew
Armineh (04/12/2008)
If they are the same why do they have deferent name?
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (04/20/2008)
Based on where they are marketed, they get different names. Many other companies do this with automobiles and other items. Names are based more on marketing surveys and what kind of image they might conjure in the consumers' minds. Inside, these two cameras are the same.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Andrew
MANOLO (07/29/2008)
I bought Ixus IXY Digital 2000 IS (220 EUROS) 36000 YENS,in Japan and it only has 2 languages: ENGLISH AND JAPANESE
reply to this comment
Which is better Cannon SX100 or Cannon SD950? Worth 20 points. Need Response ASAP (ladydiharrison — 04/05/2008)
I'm looking at both these camera's. I have tested the SX100 at the store, but can only get the SD950 on line. I am looking for the best camera between these two for taking action shots (kids & pets), indoor shots in the continuous mode.
reply to this comment
Aditya D (04/06/2008)
The SX100 IS is definitely the better camera, its so much more camera for your money, and sounds like exactly what you need for taking action shots and indoor shots. The SD950 is nice, but its just simply not as much camera as the SX100IS. There are some things about the SD950 that are nice, such as its titanium construction, but overall the SX100IS is still better for your money in my opinion. Hope this helps, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.
reply to this comment
ladydiharrison (04/06/2008)
Just to make sure, are there any other pocket/purse size camera's on the market that I should be considering. Cost is not a factor at this point. I don't know much about taking pictures, but would like to learn at some point but probably not anytime soon. I do like to crop my pictures to either a 4 x 6 or 5 x 7, sometimes 8 x 10, but they seem to be sometimes grainy (current camera is a old sony 3.5 MG). Find the micro mode interesting and would probably use. BIGGEST factor's are clear crisp pictures, using continuous mode for kids, pets and sporting events which may take place indoors or outdoors, just want to get that "right" picture that could be capture in mid air from my pet jumping for a ball or the grandkids jumping in the pool. Would use a lot for for story telling that would show how the grandkid was thrown a basket ball, dribbled it, threw it and made the basket.
I'm just overwhelm with all the reviews and totally confused. Going out of town next week to see the grand kids and need to get the best camera I can, with very little time to learn but will still take great action shots
reply to this comment
I'm just overwhelm with all the reviews and totally confused. Going out of town next week to see the grand kids and need to get the best camera I can, with very little time to learn but will still take great action shots
Aditya D (04/06/2008)
As far as a small camera that does a lot, there aren't very many. You can get in to the Panasonic TZ series, the Sony H series, and the Canon S series, but all of these cameras are much larger than the SX100. The only other camera I can even think of telling you to take a look at is the Canon G9. Canon by far has the best picture quality, that won't provide any dark and grainy pictures. I think the choice of the SX100IS would be a very good decision for you.
reply to this comment
Does the SD950 have an image orientation feature? (svollmer — 03/19/2008)
I want the camera to automatically put the picture in the correct orientation even if I turn the it vertically to get a tall picture.
reply to this comment
Aditya D (03/20/2008)
It has an image orientation feature, as well as a manual rotation feature for the images. Hope this helps, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
reply to this comment
Can it interface with a GPS unit and link the location data to the picture? (madcyantist314 — 03/09/2008)
reply to this comment
Larry (03/09/2008)
Not to my knowledge.
reply to this comment
Phil (05/13/2008)
Larry is correct. While some navigation system do transmit your location there are no commercial cameras with built in receivers that can capture the information.
reply to this comment
What's better Canon a650 or sd 950? (Gabi — 03/09/2008)
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (03/09/2008)
Gabi,
I like the functionality of the Canon A650 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) better. It has manual exposure controls, twice the optical zoom, and it costs a lot less. While it is a little bigger, it seems more versatile.
Andrew
reply to this comment
I like the functionality of the Canon A650 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) better. It has manual exposure controls, twice the optical zoom, and it costs a lot less. While it is a little bigger, it seems more versatile.
Andrew
Gabi (03/09/2008)
Thank you!
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (03/10/2008)
Gabi,
I'm glad we could help. If you feel we have answered your answer sufficiently, please mark best answer. If not, I would be glad to answer any other questions you might have. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
I'm glad we could help. If you feel we have answered your answer sufficiently, please mark best answer. If not, I would be glad to answer any other questions you might have. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
Which camera Canon 950 or Canon SD1100 (spy1803 — 03/07/2008)
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (03/07/2008)
They're both very similar. But for comparison, you may want to check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side. But frankly, don't get caught up in the "more megapixels must be better" falacy.
For picture quality, I think there's too much MP in the SD1000 to work with. Let me explain. I came across an interesting article today about how more mega pixels is not necessarily a good thing. According to Image Engineering ( 6mpixel.org/en/? ) – a company that does testing of digital cameras for photo magazines in Germany – the quality of digital pictures has steadily decreased since the state of the art was six megapixels back in 2004. And because they don’t have a “dog in this hunt,” they put forth a compelling argument for buying new digital cameras with less mega pixels and not more.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
Setting your camera to a lower setting doesn't help either. Essentially, the image is reduced to the set quality after it has been processed by the CCD. As such, the light still goes through those pixels, only that after some basic processing steps pixels "thrown out" to make the image to the desired setting and size. This process is called "Choking" and that will cause Artifacting and noise. Additionlly, you'll also loose details of the recorded image.
Some cameras have written into their firmware a process called "binning," which merges the signals of multiple pixels to make larger pixels. Usually at a 4-1 ration. This will essentially turn a 12-megapixel camera into a 3-megapixel camera. And that gives you the opposite problem of too many pixels on the chip ... you now have too few and as such, will run into artifacting instead of noise.
reply to this comment
For picture quality, I think there's too much MP in the SD1000 to work with. Let me explain. I came across an interesting article today about how more mega pixels is not necessarily a good thing. According to Image Engineering ( 6mpixel.org/en/? ) – a company that does testing of digital cameras for photo magazines in Germany – the quality of digital pictures has steadily decreased since the state of the art was six megapixels back in 2004. And because they don’t have a “dog in this hunt,” they put forth a compelling argument for buying new digital cameras with less mega pixels and not more.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
Setting your camera to a lower setting doesn't help either. Essentially, the image is reduced to the set quality after it has been processed by the CCD. As such, the light still goes through those pixels, only that after some basic processing steps pixels "thrown out" to make the image to the desired setting and size. This process is called "Choking" and that will cause Artifacting and noise. Additionlly, you'll also loose details of the recorded image.
Some cameras have written into their firmware a process called "binning," which merges the signals of multiple pixels to make larger pixels. Usually at a 4-1 ration. This will essentially turn a 12-megapixel camera into a 3-megapixel camera. And that gives you the opposite problem of too many pixels on the chip ... you now have too few and as such, will run into artifacting instead of noise.
spy1803 (03/07/2008)
Thank you very much for investing your time on answering my question.
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (03/07/2008)
Happy to help. Good luck.
reply to this comment
My SD950 IS is only 5 months old and it died! I will not start up... what can I do? (ccouqy — 03/06/2008)
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (03/06/2008)
Well the good news is that it's still under warranty. I'd contact Canon right away to arrange a warranty repair. If it didn't die due to impact damage, they'll make good. But don't dally.
reply to this comment
hi guys first of all ur site is very helpful and awsome.., i am planing 2 buy a digital camera with is compact and 12 mp (cirilabraham — 02/27/2008)
i found CANON POWERSHOT SD950
I HAV UNLIMITED BUDGET
any other option in 12 mp or 10 mp
the cam should look good frm outside also
its basically 2 show off
and click nice photos
pls suggest
reply to this comment
I HAV UNLIMITED BUDGET
any other option in 12 mp or 10 mp
the cam should look good frm outside also
its basically 2 show off
and click nice photos
pls suggest
by James DeRuvo (03/03/2008)
For picture quality, I think there's too much MP here to work with. Let me explain. I came across an interesting article today about how more mega pixels is not necessarily a good thing. According to Image Engineering ( 6mpixel.org/en/? ) – a company that does testing of digital cameras for photo magazines in Germany – the quality of digital pictures has steadily decreased since the state of the art was six megapixels back in 2004. And because they don’t have a “dog in this hunt,” they put forth a compelling argument for buying new digital cameras with less mega pixels and not more.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
Setting your camera to a lower setting doesn't help either. Essentially, the image is reduced to the set quality after it has been processed by the CCD. As such, the light still goes through those pixels, only that after some basic processing steps pixels "thrown out" to make the image to the desired setting and size. This process is called "Choking" and that will cause Artifacting and noise. Additionlly, you'll also loose details of the recorded image.
Some cameras have written into their firmware a process called "binning," which merges the signals of multiple pixels to make larger pixels. Usually at a 4-1 ratio. This will essentially turn a 12-megapixel camera into a 3-megapixel camera. And that gives you the opposite problem of too many pixels on the chip ... you now have too few and as such, will run into artifacting instead of noise.
reply to this comment
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
Setting your camera to a lower setting doesn't help either. Essentially, the image is reduced to the set quality after it has been processed by the CCD. As such, the light still goes through those pixels, only that after some basic processing steps pixels "thrown out" to make the image to the desired setting and size. This process is called "Choking" and that will cause Artifacting and noise. Additionlly, you'll also loose details of the recorded image.
Some cameras have written into their firmware a process called "binning," which merges the signals of multiple pixels to make larger pixels. Usually at a 4-1 ratio. This will essentially turn a 12-megapixel camera into a 3-megapixel camera. And that gives you the opposite problem of too many pixels on the chip ... you now have too few and as such, will run into artifacting instead of noise.
Phil (05/05/2008)
James,
The article is interesting and I am just wondering when it was published. If you go to this site you can compare the pictures of two cameras. For comparison I chose the 8 MP SD850 and the 12MP SD950 see what you think, I vote for the SD 950.
imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP...
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The article is interesting and I am just wondering when it was published. If you go to this site you can compare the pictures of two cameras. For comparison I chose the 8 MP SD850 and the 12MP SD950 see what you think, I vote for the SD 950.
imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP...
by James DeRuvo (05/06/2008)
It's a fairly recent study report. But regardless of when it was published the results are the same. Read many reviews of any camera above 8mp and you'll see reports of noise dominating at ISOs above 400.
As for which one, for picture quality, I think there's too much MP here to work with. Especially when about 99% of your shots are going to be snapshots where you won't even notice that extra 4-6 megapixels.
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As for which one, for picture quality, I think there's too much MP here to work with. Especially when about 99% of your shots are going to be snapshots where you won't even notice that extra 4-6 megapixels.
Phil (05/07/2008)
To assume that the image quality of all 6MP cameras will outperform 8MP or 10MP cameras in the same class is an over simplification. You can take compact 6MP cameras from several different manufacturers and compare their performance and they will all be different. Higher MP values theoretically do deliver better resolution and the camera components and design have improve over time. Post Image Processing has probably made the biggest difference. Good image processors now do the job of PhotoShop.
I'll agree that most any of the cameras will have a lot of noise above ISO 400 and some at ISO 200; however we are talking about point and shoot cameras and there are few situations that the average user needs anything beyond that. Most people who require that type of speed are either professionals or serious amateurs who should be using a digital SLR. I have done a lot of 35mm photography in the past and I seldom ever used anything above ISO 200 due to film grain which is pretty much the equivalent of noise.
I personally use a Digital Rebel, and my wife has had the Elph 2mp S330 our first digital, a Canon 6mp A540 which I broke and replaced with a Nikon S550. Most recently a SD950 which replaces the Nikon that is lousy and a candidate for ebay.
For camera size and picture quality I think the A series Canons are the way to go, but most (my wife included) people are going for the sub compacts these days because they fit in a shirt pocket or purse.
Anyway we could debate this all day long; since you are obviously a camera buff check this out. It will probably be the next upgrade we see in the future.
lifehacker.com/387380/turn-...
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I'll agree that most any of the cameras will have a lot of noise above ISO 400 and some at ISO 200; however we are talking about point and shoot cameras and there are few situations that the average user needs anything beyond that. Most people who require that type of speed are either professionals or serious amateurs who should be using a digital SLR. I have done a lot of 35mm photography in the past and I seldom ever used anything above ISO 200 due to film grain which is pretty much the equivalent of noise.
I personally use a Digital Rebel, and my wife has had the Elph 2mp S330 our first digital, a Canon 6mp A540 which I broke and replaced with a Nikon S550. Most recently a SD950 which replaces the Nikon that is lousy and a candidate for ebay.
For camera size and picture quality I think the A series Canons are the way to go, but most (my wife included) people are going for the sub compacts these days because they fit in a shirt pocket or purse.
Anyway we could debate this all day long; since you are obviously a camera buff check this out. It will probably be the next upgrade we see in the future.
lifehacker.com/387380/turn-...
by James DeRuvo (05/07/2008)
But my point wasn't to compare camera to camera, Phil. You're tossing out words like "theorhetically," and I'm pointing out studies which reveal the actual results of jamming that many MP into that same size chips. My point is that if you take the same size CCD chip and jam it with more and more megapixels, you get the overall result of losing light sensitivity and creating more noise at higher ISO NO MATTER WHO MAKES THE CAMERA. It's simple math.
And in 99% of your photographs (which will be snapshots 4x6 and below) you won't even see the benefit of the extra MP you pay for. It's like driving around town in a Ferrari. Sure, it can go fast, but if you can only drive 25mph 99.9% of the time, what's the point of paying extra for it?
Now that doesn't mean you have to stay at 6mp. But undertand that the higher the MP count, the more likelihood of noise invading in low light situations as the ISO climbs. That's all I'm saying.
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And in 99% of your photographs (which will be snapshots 4x6 and below) you won't even see the benefit of the extra MP you pay for. It's like driving around town in a Ferrari. Sure, it can go fast, but if you can only drive 25mph 99.9% of the time, what's the point of paying extra for it?
Now that doesn't mean you have to stay at 6mp. But undertand that the higher the MP count, the more likelihood of noise invading in low light situations as the ISO climbs. That's all I'm saying.
by James DeRuvo (05/07/2008)
ps - I've read about that camera hack, but be advised that installing it voids your camera warranty.
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I am looking for a camera that will allow me to easily take good clean pictures that look professional for cosplay modeling. (fringelz — 02/27/2008)
I was considering the SD950 but based on the reviews I don't know if it is right for me. I am not great at photography so I want something easy that can take clear, clean pictures like this:
img165.imageshack.us/img165... anyone has any suggestions on a camera that would work great let me know. Otherwise, is the SD950 ok?
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img165.imageshack.us/img165... anyone has any suggestions on a camera that would work great let me know. Otherwise, is the SD950 ok?
by James DeRuvo (03/03/2008)
Don't fall for the trap that more MP is better when it comes to taking pictures. Even if you're going to be shooting professional looking shots, more is not always better ( 6mpixel.org/en/ ). Unless you're going SLR, that is.
And I think this largely depends on your output. What are you planning on doing with them? If you're going into serious photography with models, you'll do yourself alot better by investing in a DSLR rig. This is because they shoot with full size chips for better quality images at higher MP.
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And I think this largely depends on your output. What are you planning on doing with them? If you're going into serious photography with models, you'll do yourself alot better by investing in a DSLR rig. This is because they shoot with full size chips for better quality images at higher MP.
Larry (03/04/2008)
Digital SLR's will beat the point and shoots any day and they still come with Auto and Program settings to use until you get comfortable with manual aperture and shutter settings.
I would strongly recommend trying the Canon G9 because if that won't do what you want done, then you know for certain that a d-SLR is required.
Good luck.
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I would strongly recommend trying the Canon G9 because if that won't do what you want done, then you know for certain that a d-SLR is required.
Good luck.
by James DeRuvo (03/06/2008)
Laying out over $400 to find that out is an expensive experiment, don't you think Larry?
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Larry (03/06/2008)
Sorry. I didn't make that clear. By "trying" I meant without buying (or buying with XX days to return no questions asked such as Costco).
I guess it could be less than $400 if you buy it, find it to be inadequate, and then sell it under the "Nearly New" category. Still your point is well made, and I thank you for keeping me on track (yet another time).
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I guess it could be less than $400 if you buy it, find it to be inadequate, and then sell it under the "Nearly New" category. Still your point is well made, and I thank you for keeping me on track (yet another time).
Larry (03/06/2008)
Rachel,
I just took another look at your reference picture above and noticed a desirable effect in it. The background is nicely out of focus in order to put attention on the model. This effect is fairly easily obtained with a d-SLR, but can be quite difficult or even impossible to obtain with a Point and Shoot camera.
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I just took another look at your reference picture above and noticed a desirable effect in it. The background is nicely out of focus in order to put attention on the model. This effect is fairly easily obtained with a d-SLR, but can be quite difficult or even impossible to obtain with a Point and Shoot camera.
by James DeRuvo (03/07/2008)
Sure. Or, you can see if a camera store will rent the camera for a weekend. Often the mom and pops will not only do that, they'll deduct the cost of the rental if you end up buying the camera fromt hem.
As for the out of focus effect, I have some success with the SP560UZ on that front. But only if the depth of field between the subject and the background is very great.
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As for the out of focus effect, I have some success with the SP560UZ on that front. But only if the depth of field between the subject and the background is very great.
Canon SD850IS vs SD950IS--Quality of low light photos? Date Stamp question. (slogramma — 02/08/2008)
1. Is one model better than the other when taking pictures in low light?
2. Do either of these cameras have the option to place the date-stamp on a higher resolution setting rather than just the medium resolution 'postcard' setting?
3. What is the biggest benefit of the 950 over the 850 or vice-versa?
I'm going to buy one ASAP.
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2. Do either of these cameras have the option to place the date-stamp on a higher resolution setting rather than just the medium resolution 'postcard' setting?
3. What is the biggest benefit of the 950 over the 850 or vice-versa?
I'm going to buy one ASAP.
Larry (02/08/2008)
I'm going to arbitrarily include the SD800is in my answer.
1. Based on CCD size and pixel count these three cameras should be close in low-light performance, though the SD800is might have a slight edge over the other two, and the SD850is might have a slight edge over the SD950is. The SD800is has 7MP on the same size CCD as the SD850is and so will have slightly better noise to signal ratio and hence better low-light performance. The SD950is has 12MP but compensates by increasing the CCD size to 1/1.7" keeping the physical pixel size on the CCD about the same as the SD850is.
2. I am unable to confirm that any of these three cameras have a date stamp function based on the CanonUSA web site information. That doesn't mean they don't have it -- I just can't confirm it. If they do have it, typically with Canon it is available only at the one picture size setting as you mentioned.
3. Advantages of SD800is -- wide angle lens 28mm; 1.7 frames per second in continuous shooting mode(1.3fps for SD850is and 1.5fps for SD950is).
Advantages of SD850is -- 2 cm macro focus (vs 3cm for SD800is and 5cm for SD950is); takes Time Lapse photos.
Advantages of SD950is -- strongest flash (7.9m vs 4m for SD800is and 3.5m for SD850is);
The 12MP is not an advantage UNLESS you want to do a lot of cropping and enlarging. All these cameras will produce 8X10 enlargements at 300 dpi or better. If you really want to print poster size, then the 12MP could be an advantage.
7MP as found on the SD800is is plenty for images being viewed on computer screen.
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1. Based on CCD size and pixel count these three cameras should be close in low-light performance, though the SD800is might have a slight edge over the other two, and the SD850is might have a slight edge over the SD950is. The SD800is has 7MP on the same size CCD as the SD850is and so will have slightly better noise to signal ratio and hence better low-light performance. The SD950is has 12MP but compensates by increasing the CCD size to 1/1.7" keeping the physical pixel size on the CCD about the same as the SD850is.
2. I am unable to confirm that any of these three cameras have a date stamp function based on the CanonUSA web site information. That doesn't mean they don't have it -- I just can't confirm it. If they do have it, typically with Canon it is available only at the one picture size setting as you mentioned.
3. Advantages of SD800is -- wide angle lens 28mm; 1.7 frames per second in continuous shooting mode(1.3fps for SD850is and 1.5fps for SD950is).
Advantages of SD850is -- 2 cm macro focus (vs 3cm for SD800is and 5cm for SD950is); takes Time Lapse photos.
Advantages of SD950is -- strongest flash (7.9m vs 4m for SD800is and 3.5m for SD850is);
The 12MP is not an advantage UNLESS you want to do a lot of cropping and enlarging. All these cameras will produce 8X10 enlargements at 300 dpi or better. If you really want to print poster size, then the 12MP could be an advantage.
7MP as found on the SD800is is plenty for images being viewed on computer screen.
Rich Watson (02/10/2008)
I have three Canon PowerShots. NONE of them allow date-stamping OTHER THAN the postcard-setting you mentioned, and that of course is at 1200 x 1600 (only 2MP).
Naturally, you can add dates w/software, and (as you might know) the metadata stored with each photo has the date.
PS The 950 has the Titanium case, correct? Nice cool factor, plus it should add some durability.
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Naturally, you can add dates w/software, and (as you might know) the metadata stored with each photo has the date.
PS The 950 has the Titanium case, correct? Nice cool factor, plus it should add some durability.
Phil (05/07/2008)
If you do much indoor flash photography the SD950 is the way to go, other than that flip a coin.
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Please compare the Cannon SD950 IS with the Cannon G9, and which one would be recommended to buy as a one and only digital camera. (dg798 — 02/07/2008)
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by James DeRuvo (02/07/2008)
For comparison, you may want to check out this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ). It takes pictures with each and you can compare them side by side.
Looking at them, especially the still life shots blown up to max so you can really see details, I would say that the G9 provides much better detail. However, the tradeoffs is that being both are 12MP cameras, it will get really noisy at ISO levels above 800.
If 99% of your pictures are going to be snapshots, you won't really even notice the additional pixelage that a 12MP camera offers. For picture quality, I think there's too much MP here to work with. Let me explain. I came across an interesting article today about how more mega pixels is not necessarily a good thing. According to Image Engineering ( 6mpixel.org/en/? ) – a company that does testing of digital cameras for photo magazines in Germany – the quality of digital pictures has steadily decreased since the state of the art was six megapixels back in 2004. And because they don’t have a “dog in this hunt,” they put forth a compelling argument for buying new digital cameras with less mega pixels and not more.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
It's kinda like driving a ferrari on a US freeway. Sure, you can do it, but since you can't really open the car up, what's the point?
Don't get caught up in the "megapixel arms race" which says that more mp is better. Not necessarily. In fact, the more MP they pack into those tiny CCD chips, the less light sensitive they become and the more noise can creep into your picture in low light and high ISO settings.
So, before you plop down $350 for this camera, ask yourself if you're really going to be using that extra MP and if it's really worth the trade-offs.
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Looking at them, especially the still life shots blown up to max so you can really see details, I would say that the G9 provides much better detail. However, the tradeoffs is that being both are 12MP cameras, it will get really noisy at ISO levels above 800.
If 99% of your pictures are going to be snapshots, you won't really even notice the additional pixelage that a 12MP camera offers. For picture quality, I think there's too much MP here to work with. Let me explain. I came across an interesting article today about how more mega pixels is not necessarily a good thing. According to Image Engineering ( 6mpixel.org/en/? ) – a company that does testing of digital cameras for photo magazines in Germany – the quality of digital pictures has steadily decreased since the state of the art was six megapixels back in 2004. And because they don’t have a “dog in this hunt,” they put forth a compelling argument for buying new digital cameras with less mega pixels and not more.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed but fell into the trap of "more must mean better."
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be a better answer.
It's kinda like driving a ferrari on a US freeway. Sure, you can do it, but since you can't really open the car up, what's the point?
Don't get caught up in the "megapixel arms race" which says that more mp is better. Not necessarily. In fact, the more MP they pack into those tiny CCD chips, the less light sensitive they become and the more noise can creep into your picture in low light and high ISO settings.
So, before you plop down $350 for this camera, ask yourself if you're really going to be using that extra MP and if it's really worth the trade-offs.
Larry (02/08/2008)
Since they both have the excessive 12MP on the same size CCD sensor there is no difference there. I would suggest considering what you plan to do with photography in your life. I mean, is it going to be vacation and family get-togethers OR are you intending to continue to learn more and do more with your pictures over the years. If you plan anything more than snap-shots you need a camera with manual exposure control and the SD950is doesn't have it.
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by James DeRuvo (02/08/2008)
When comparing them side by side, you are correct. Not much difference. The G9 is only slightly better. And I agree, most users shoot 99% snapshots and for that, both are overkill.
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dg798 (02/14/2008)
Dear James and Larry:
Thank you for answering my question. After reviewing your answers, I am going to start looking at cameras with 5MP or 6MP, because I don't think I need a camera with 12MP. Thank you again and have a good day. Sincerely, DGT.
reply to this comment
Thank you for answering my question. After reviewing your answers, I am going to start looking at cameras with 5MP or 6MP, because I don't think I need a camera with 12MP. Thank you again and have a good day. Sincerely, DGT.
Canon Powershot SD950 IS vs. Sony DSC-T200 8 Megapixel Cyber-shot? (smart99 — 02/05/2008)
which would be better to buy?? and why
which takes better pics?
and more
wat r the pros and cons??
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which takes better pics?
and more
wat r the pros and cons??
by James DeRuvo (02/07/2008)
Looking at sample images side by side over at this resource ( imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... ), it seems to me that the SD950 puts out a sharper picture than similar models in SONY (they didn't have the T200 listed just yet). But similar Sony models seem to be less sharp, IMHO.
The big Con you have with SONY is SONY itself. SONY, tends to force their customers into proprietary technologies such as the memory stick, their own spin on formatting, and a host of others which the Canon won't do. Canon relies on SD cards, which are pretty much the standard in point and shoot for memory cards. This means you can use any you happen to currently have and they are much cheaper than memory sticks. You can also use them in other technologies like PDAs, DMPs, and even mp3 players, whereas that memory stick is only going to be used in another SONY.
And those memory sticks are more expensive and slower than SD cards, IMHO.
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The big Con you have with SONY is SONY itself. SONY, tends to force their customers into proprietary technologies such as the memory stick, their own spin on formatting, and a host of others which the Canon won't do. Canon relies on SD cards, which are pretty much the standard in point and shoot for memory cards. This means you can use any you happen to currently have and they are much cheaper than memory sticks. You can also use them in other technologies like PDAs, DMPs, and even mp3 players, whereas that memory stick is only going to be used in another SONY.
And those memory sticks are more expensive and slower than SD cards, IMHO.
Phil (05/07/2008)
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is the time between shots slower than the sd 870 (bpegalis — 02/02/2008)
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by James DeRuvo (02/04/2008)
Shot to shot time - The SD950 is 2 seconds, of which .5 is shutter lag. The rest is write time. For the SD870, it's 1.6, and .4.
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Is the SD950 IS compatible with Mac OS X (Leopard) operating system? (Misti — 01/27/2008)
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Red (01/28/2008)
The SD950 is compatible with Mac OS (Leopard).
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by James DeRuvo (01/29/2008)
Absolutely. Even though Canon says that OS X version 10.5 is not supported by Canon software and that updated versions are in development, there's no better software than iPhoto for what you need.
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Misti (02/06/2008)
Thanks, I noticed the Canon website indicated it was not yet compatible, but in other places there were indications it was. I am glad to hear someone has had actual success with it.
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by James DeRuvo (02/07/2008)
Well, it doesn't really matter if you use a USB Memory card reader. Place your memory card into it. Then all you need to do is insert the SD card (your MAC will recognize it as another drive), and then simply drag and drop.
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beowulf888 (04/29/2009)
Sorry, but my Mac doesn't recognize the Canon SD950 SI as USB device (Mac OS X 10.5.6). What a pain. Yet another thing I have to go back to using a PC for...
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at buying an IXY 2000. Is it the EXACT same camera or are there differences? (Crimeftr — 01/26/2008)
Im looking at buying an IXY 2000. Is this model the EXACT same as the SD950? Are the controls and menus on the camera in english or japanese? Is the warranty honored in the US?
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Andrew Skinner (02/02/2008)
These are the same cameras. The warranty may not be honored in the US though.
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Issue filming street lights (infokeld — 01/12/2008)
I just bought a SD950 IS. When I try to take movies on the street with street lights at night, the street light (which is a yellow dot) is shown as a blue light bar which extent from the top of the screen all the way to the bottom of the screen. Is this a defect of my particular camera, or is it a problem of this model?
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Larry (01/12/2008)
My vote is for defect of your particular camera. Have not heard elsewhere of this or any similar problem generically with the SD950is.
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infokeld (01/13/2008)
Here's an example:
youtube.com/watch?v=c0ITWWc...
Would appreciate it if anyone who own this Canon model to confirm.
Thanks.
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youtube.com/watch?v=c0ITWWc...
Would appreciate it if anyone who own this Canon model to confirm.
Thanks.
Larry (01/13/2008)
Kevin,
Great post on your camera's problem. Please don't mark as "best" any answers until you get a definitely correct one. We need to figure this one out good and proper especially considering how recently this camera was introduced and how many people are saying how wonderful it is (and how good it looks on paper too). Please leave this post up long enough for the "top gurus" to see it and respond. Thanks.
Meanwhile, if there is any way for you to exchange your camera I would recommend doing so asap. You could also let us know if the second camera does the same thing. Tonight I'll take my G9 out and see how it responds in that situation.
I have been reading posts on this forum for long enough now to conclude at lest one overall message about buying any new camera. It is a big "must do" to check out the company's return/exchange policy before purchasing. Any brand digital camera can arrive brand new and defective. We must be able to return the camera for cash money/credit card refund or at least be able to exchange the defective camera for a new (not refurbished) camera of another brand/model/size/cost/whatever. It is clearly worth paying just a little more $ to be able to walk back into the store and exchange a camera than to have to deal with the manufacturer on a warranty issue for at least the first 30 or even 90 days. It can easily take more than 30 days to figure out what is going on with a digital camera especially if it is your very first one.
Summary: The store's exchange/refund policy is just as important as anything else about the camera.
Larry
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Great post on your camera's problem. Please don't mark as "best" any answers until you get a definitely correct one. We need to figure this one out good and proper especially considering how recently this camera was introduced and how many people are saying how wonderful it is (and how good it looks on paper too). Please leave this post up long enough for the "top gurus" to see it and respond. Thanks.
Meanwhile, if there is any way for you to exchange your camera I would recommend doing so asap. You could also let us know if the second camera does the same thing. Tonight I'll take my G9 out and see how it responds in that situation.
I have been reading posts on this forum for long enough now to conclude at lest one overall message about buying any new camera. It is a big "must do" to check out the company's return/exchange policy before purchasing. Any brand digital camera can arrive brand new and defective. We must be able to return the camera for cash money/credit card refund or at least be able to exchange the defective camera for a new (not refurbished) camera of another brand/model/size/cost/whatever. It is clearly worth paying just a little more $ to be able to walk back into the store and exchange a camera than to have to deal with the manufacturer on a warranty issue for at least the first 30 or even 90 days. It can easily take more than 30 days to figure out what is going on with a digital camera especially if it is your very first one.
Summary: The store's exchange/refund policy is just as important as anything else about the camera.
Larry
infokeld (01/13/2008)
Thanks Larry for your responses.
More info: This happens whenever I'm shooting a light bulb directly (without the shade), even indoor.
I've just found out that this is actually mentioned in the Troubleshooting section of the User Guide:
"A bar of light (purplish red) appears on the LCD monitor.
Sometimes appears when shooting a bright subject, such as the sun or other light source.
This is a normal occurrence in devices containing CCDs and does not constitute a malfunction. This bar of light will not be recorded when shooting still photos, but it will be recorded when shooting movies."
So, I guess this is normal for all point-and-shoot cameras...
reply to this comment
More info: This happens whenever I'm shooting a light bulb directly (without the shade), even indoor.
I've just found out that this is actually mentioned in the Troubleshooting section of the User Guide:
"A bar of light (purplish red) appears on the LCD monitor.
Sometimes appears when shooting a bright subject, such as the sun or other light source.
This is a normal occurrence in devices containing CCDs and does not constitute a malfunction. This bar of light will not be recorded when shooting still photos, but it will be recorded when shooting movies."
So, I guess this is normal for all point-and-shoot cameras...
Larry (01/15/2008)
I have confirmed that my G9 does the exact same thing with the vertical purple line. It appears to be "normal" for digital P&S cameras at least based on our two cameras.
reply to this comment
Has anybody experienced the lens stuck problem w/ the SD 950? (jcharley — 01/08/2008)
I have a Casio Exz850 that the lens jammed on ... and no I did not abuse it. I see on the net that several Canon cameras have a lens jammed problem (e18). Before I spend money to get the Canon SD 950, I was wondering if anyone is having a problem w/ its lens. Thanks. jch.
reply to this comment
Aditya D (01/08/2008)
Its known as the E18 error, and it happens in about 500 out of the multiple thousands of Canon cameras that are made. So relatively, the problem is pretty low, but when you get the error the only way to fix it is to basically hit the camera against a hard surface, which could cause the camera to further break, but usually fixes your problem.
reply to this comment
Larry (01/09/2008)
I think you might want to try the E18 error websites and read up a little on the problem and the techniques for attempting repairs BEFORE HITTING your camera on anything. Starting with a light tap might be good. Inspecting the lens barrel to see if it is crooked also is a great starting place.
As Aditya pointed out all digital cameras which extend their lenses externally can potentially have this problem because they monitor themselves for problems such as out of alignment lens barrel. I haven't heard that the SD950 has been reported with this problem YET.
Try these sites for information:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E18_e... just google e18 error and you'll find plenty of sites to explore.
Larry
reply to this comment
As Aditya pointed out all digital cameras which extend their lenses externally can potentially have this problem because they monitor themselves for problems such as out of alignment lens barrel. I haven't heard that the SD950 has been reported with this problem YET.
Try these sites for information:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E18_e... just google e18 error and you'll find plenty of sites to explore.
Larry
canon ixus 950 or ixus 960 (schristia — 01/08/2008)
I would like to buy a canon ixus camera but am confused whether to choose ixus 950 IS or ixus 960 IS.
Please advise.
reply to this comment
Please advise.
by James DeRuvo (01/09/2008)
You'll get a better picture out of the 950IS. Even though the 960 has more MP, more is not necessarily better. I came across an interesting article today about how more mega pixels is not necessarily a good thing. According to Image Engineering ( 6mpixel.org/en/? ) – a company that does testing of digital cameras for photo magazines in Germany – the quality of digital pictures has steadily decreased since the state of the art was six megapixels back in 2004. And because they don’t have a “dog in this hunt,” they put forth a compelling argument for buying new digital cameras with less mega pixels and not more.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed.
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be an answer as well.
reply to this comment
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed.
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be an answer as well.
schristia (01/10/2008)
James,
Thanks for your info. So you are saying that the IXUS 950 IS has more point compare to IXUS 960 IS which has 12 mp. What about IXUS 860 IS? The price is more expensive than 950 IS and from one of digital camera website, the 860 IS got better reviewed.
I hope you don't mind explain more to me about this.
Again, thank you.
reply to this comment
Thanks for your info. So you are saying that the IXUS 950 IS has more point compare to IXUS 960 IS which has 12 mp. What about IXUS 860 IS? The price is more expensive than 950 IS and from one of digital camera website, the 860 IS got better reviewed.
I hope you don't mind explain more to me about this.
Again, thank you.
by James DeRuvo (01/11/2008)
My point is merely that the higher up you go in MP on a point and shoot camera, the more noise and clarity issues you'll get. No matter how many pixels you cram on that chip, the chip is still the same size. More pixels means less sensitivity to the light that comes onto it and that translates to more noise and a lousy shot.
The article I link to points to a digital "sweet spot" where megapixels and light sensitivity are balanced at around 6MP. And considering that 99% of all your pictures will probably be snapshots, a 6MP camera is more than sufficient. As such, if I was layin' down the plastic for the camera, I'd go with the 950, with the 860 second.
reply to this comment
The article I link to points to a digital "sweet spot" where megapixels and light sensitivity are balanced at around 6MP. And considering that 99% of all your pictures will probably be snapshots, a 6MP camera is more than sufficient. As such, if I was layin' down the plastic for the camera, I'd go with the 950, with the 860 second.
schristia (01/12/2008)
Thanks again for this helpful info, James.
reply to this comment
PLEASE help me decide which camera will be best i´m looking for a stylish pocket camera! (cecih — 01/02/2008)
I am shopping for my first digital camera.. my family has owned sonys and panasonics for ages.. but it is my turn to decide and its really difficult! your page is really a lot of help! thanks!! the brands im considering are: canon, sony, panasonic and on a broader look also nikon and olympus.. my needs: a stylish, pocket camera for family, friends, indoors and out, im planning a trip so lots of sights too.. what is the normal battery life? ive been checking out sonys (t70, t200, and 12) at a store nearby and they are all so beautiful and feature great things like the face finder, movement reduction and touch screens, but im scared of reviews, people say pictures are so bad and i dont want to invest lots of money and be disapointed! most people give great reviews for canons.. but im not sure, can you please help me! thanks!
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (01/03/2008)
Cecih,
I have heard issues with the face detection technology (only works with "teethy" smiles). Sony isn't a bad camera though. Personally, I prefer Canon's. If you'd like to further investigate on your own, try the DCHQ Gift Guide ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), which is a great way to find exactly what you want. With your specifications, I would go with the Canon 950IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The image stabilization will help in low light/indoor situations, the 12.1 MP resolution will help produce great prints, and the lithium-ion rechargeable battery will last you a good half day to day of continuous use. I would get a couple extra batteries and keep them charged if you're going to be shooting all day with any camera. I've had my Canon pocket camera for almost 6 years, and it still works great for me, so I trust in their quality. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
I have heard issues with the face detection technology (only works with "teethy" smiles). Sony isn't a bad camera though. Personally, I prefer Canon's. If you'd like to further investigate on your own, try the DCHQ Gift Guide ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), which is a great way to find exactly what you want. With your specifications, I would go with the Canon 950IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The image stabilization will help in low light/indoor situations, the 12.1 MP resolution will help produce great prints, and the lithium-ion rechargeable battery will last you a good half day to day of continuous use. I would get a couple extra batteries and keep them charged if you're going to be shooting all day with any camera. I've had my Canon pocket camera for almost 6 years, and it still works great for me, so I trust in their quality. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
cecih (01/09/2008)
thanks! im going to look at this camera tommorow and let you know!!
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (01/12/2008)
Cecih,
I'm glad we could help. Please come back with any futher questions or issues. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
I'm glad we could help. Please come back with any futher questions or issues. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
Which one is better Canon 960 or Sony T200? (Konnie — 01/02/2008)
reply to this comment
Aditya D (01/02/2008)
The Sony and the Canon are pretty similar in features, but the picture quality of the Canon will be slightly better, being able to produce pictures with better sharpness and also better contrast. The Sony comes with a better lens, and also a better processor (the same that is in their Alpha SLR), so the pictures will be a bit faster. The Sony T200 also has a touch screen, and is very small, having stacked lenses that tend to break less, but also take longer to focus. If you're doing lots of action shots, the Canon is the much better buy, but otherwise I think I would go with the Sony T200. Hope this helps, if you have any other questions, feel free to ask.
reply to this comment
Canon SD950 vs Canon EOD Digital rebel xti (wvwc94 — 12/27/2007)
Which one would you buy? I love SLR but like the small size of the SD950.
reply to this comment
Jesse (12/27/2007)
Personally, I think this depends on how you intend to use the camera. I have an XTi and am contemplating a SD950 to replace an old Canon S500 I have. I absolutely adore my XTi, I have had it for a year now and do not regret the purchase for a second. I had an old film Rebel that I loved, so this was my step up to digital SLRs. It takes amazing pictures and is relatively easy to use. I use this camera for situations where I am thinking of myself as a photographer, and I am taking pictures that I might want to blow up and frame on a wall. I have several lenses for it, and intend to purchase a nice flash, and probably a few more lenses down the line. To me this camera is an investment in good equipment that I take extremely good care of, and that I intend to keep for a while.
However, sometimes I can't or don't want to lug around the camera and that is why I am thinking of getting the SD950 - for snapshots or times when I just can not carry a big camera.
I think you need to decide what you want the camera for - is it to capture memories where you want something small that you can carry in a pocket so it is ready to use, or do you want something bigger which involves a little more thought when deciding if you want to carry it around with you. You also might want to think about will you be interested in investing in new lenses for the Rebel. The kit lens is OK, but if you don't see yourself upgrading the lens eventually then that might be something to factor into your decision.
reply to this comment
However, sometimes I can't or don't want to lug around the camera and that is why I am thinking of getting the SD950 - for snapshots or times when I just can not carry a big camera.
I think you need to decide what you want the camera for - is it to capture memories where you want something small that you can carry in a pocket so it is ready to use, or do you want something bigger which involves a little more thought when deciding if you want to carry it around with you. You also might want to think about will you be interested in investing in new lenses for the Rebel. The kit lens is OK, but if you don't see yourself upgrading the lens eventually then that might be something to factor into your decision.
wvwc94 (12/27/2007)
Funny. I have the S500 and was given the Rebel Xti. I have only had the Rebel a few days, but I love the pictures. The two things that I miss are the small size of the S500 and seeing the digital image as well as optical image prior to taking the shot. (Although, maybe that is a feature of the rebel that I haven't seen yet.) I am actually fortunate because I have an older Canon SLR that has lenses which work with the Rebel. I will probably end up keeping the Rebel and replacing the S500 with the S950.
Thank you.
reply to this comment
Thank you.
Jesse (12/27/2007)
I just ordered the SD950 from B&H, so I will let you know what I think of it. About seeing the digital image before you take the shot - when using the Rebel you can only use the viewfinder to see an optical image - there is no option to see a digital image on the LCD screen before you take the picture. It is my understanding that this is the same in all digital SLRs due to the mirrors.
reply to this comment
wvwc94 (12/27/2007)
I figured that the reason was that it was only an optical image. I was hoping that because they move from optical to digital that they might also have a digital quick look.
I definitely would like to know what you think of the SD950. Also, what store is B&H, I don't think that we have one around here?
reply to this comment
I definitely would like to know what you think of the SD950. Also, what store is B&H, I don't think that we have one around here?
madi123 (03/15/2008)
I got the canon SD950IS 3 days ago and it is an amazing camera. I also prefer the convinieance of pocket cameras since I don't look like a photographer when taking a pictures with SLR. One day technology will help us to get rid of all this bulky SLR and I can't wait for this moment.
reply to this comment
canon sd950 compare to the nikon s700. I am looking for a 12mp camera and not really sure which one to get. please help! (mmmich — 12/26/2007)
which is better? canon sd950 or nikon s700? please help!
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (12/27/2007)
I'd say they're about even. I did a comparison over at imaging-resource.com/IMCOMP... Sadly, only the S500 was available but even that was even with the SD950 in image quality.
My feeling is that 12MP is overkill. Since 99% of your pictures are going to be in below 8x10, you'll never really see the benefit of 12MP since it doesn't assert itself until you're in sizes above 8x10. It's kinda like driving a Ferrari on US freeways. Sure, it's great to say you have all that HP under the hood, but you'll never really see it in action.
reply to this comment
My feeling is that 12MP is overkill. Since 99% of your pictures are going to be in below 8x10, you'll never really see the benefit of 12MP since it doesn't assert itself until you're in sizes above 8x10. It's kinda like driving a Ferrari on US freeways. Sure, it's great to say you have all that HP under the hood, but you'll never really see it in action.
Larry (12/28/2007)
Suggest you read this review on the Nikon S700 which is new and not widely reviewed yet.
digitalcamerainfo.com/conte... you might want to put the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100 on your comparison list.
Be sure to compare "street prices" instead of MSRP
12MP may be overkill, but if you want it, there it is.
Try the "Resources" button located near the bottom right hand corner of this page for review sites and lots of other goodies.
reply to this comment
digitalcamerainfo.com/conte... you might want to put the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FX100 on your comparison list.
Be sure to compare "street prices" instead of MSRP
12MP may be overkill, but if you want it, there it is.
Try the "Resources" button located near the bottom right hand corner of this page for review sites and lots of other goodies.
by James DeRuvo (12/28/2007)
I came across an interesting article today about how more mega pixels is not necessarily a good thing. According to Image Engineering ( 6mpixel.org/en/? ) – a company that does testing of digital cameras for photo magazines in Germany – the quality of digital pictures has steadily decreased since the state of the art was six megapixels back in 2004. And because they don’t have a “dog in this hunt,” they put forth a compelling argument for buying new digital cameras with less mega pixels and not more.
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed.
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be an answer as well.
reply to this comment
The argument is essentially this: CCD chips on point and shoot cameras a smaller and as such, fitting in more pixels causes them to lose light sensivity. Sure, there’s more data on the chip, but the chip can’t absorb the light data and what it ends up with is a picture that has more noise than image quality. In addition, the more megapixels a camera has, the larger the lens it needs to provide the clarity it deserves and prevent diffraction due to a loss of detail with smaller apertures. But since we’re talking portable point and shoots here, those large lenses simply aren’t being made.
Finally, with larger mega pixels comes longer saving time due to their requires huge storage capacity, or more compression if not storing images in RAW format. The result is a noisier image and a dissatisfied camera user who thirsts for high quality and speed.
In the end, relying on a smaller MP that can balance all these needs may indeed be an answer as well.
sd950IS vs G9 purchase which is better (gthomas — 12/22/2007)
does the sd950IS have the telephoto lens options? I do like to take snaps at a distance and then crop down. Is ther much difference in optical zoom capabilities between the two?
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (12/23/2007)
Gordon,
The optical zoom on the Canon G9 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is going to be a lot better than the SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). If you're going for functionality over pocket size, I would pick the G9 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The longer zoom, manual focus settings, and large number of shooting modes make it more appealing to the more advanced camera user. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
The optical zoom on the Canon G9 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is going to be a lot better than the SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). If you're going for functionality over pocket size, I would pick the G9 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The longer zoom, manual focus settings, and large number of shooting modes make it more appealing to the more advanced camera user. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
gthomas (12/23/2007)
Thnaks Andrew. Vset wsihes to you and your family for the Christmas Season.
reply to this comment
Larry (12/23/2007)
Specifically, no, the 950is does not have the telephoto lens option. And, yes, there is significant optical zoom capabilities between the two especially given the adapter and telephoto lens on the G9. The G9 is the more adaptable camera overall and is proportionately more expensive. Going for the SD950is is its ultracompact size good for slipping into a pocket more easily.
Larry
reply to this comment
Larry
Jeff (09/21/2008)
I found SD950 produces better image quality than G9.
reply to this comment
Larry (09/21/2008)
Jeff, That's pretty amazing. Are you comparing pics under same conditions, etc.? I don't doubt you. I would just like more specifics since most cameras do have their niche where they perform optimally (though some are designed to be good overall at everything and especially brilliant at nothing!).
Thanks, Larry
reply to this comment
Thanks, Larry
mpaired hal seitz (09/21/2008)
hello- the G-9 is now going to to superceeded by the G 10 by canon- Indeed the last G-9s were produced in august. The G 10 has a number of LITTLE improvements- the main one seeming to be the MP going up to 14.1 in the G-10 from the 12.1 the G-9 (well ,golly gee)noticeably , the optical ZOOM went down from the 6x in the G-9 to 5x in the new G -10- Canon works their wonders in mysterious ways -- all in all , for most photographic purposes- the whole G line of canons has been head and shoulders above the competative offerings of other P and S digicam manufacturers... Subjectively speaking, and I have had lot of camera's in my long long romance with photogaphy( have 1000s of photos to prove it) , there is no one camera in the dozens I have owned that sparkles like the canon G -9 - The G-9 is fun to use, easy to tote , fast to pick up on a chance photo op, and can be manipulated to meet each photographic occasion with aplumb-- Low light ,using available light is a challenge for any camera/ Muddiness and lack of resolution is the order of the day when you have these very tough photo ops. the inginuity of the photographer, in manipulating his equipment is paramount i n this situation, BUT it is important not to expect miricles, and know there are photographic boundries , beyond which you can not go. Too many times , we blame the camera if results are poor in low light photo ops - this can be unfair , if we are not doing our home work -- Jeff, head to head the SD950 on a clear day may match any digicam -- it is the rotten days , the substanciate , the true measure of any P and S - you can't go wrong with the canon G series , always a leader, always USER friendly and always a faithful photographic companion .. hl5141
reply to this comment
how does the nikon coolpix s700 compare to the canon sd870is (geomar — 12/21/2007)
comparison for picture quality ease of operation pixle count is not the most important. how dso they both compare in bright sunlight to read the screen
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (12/23/2007)
George,
The Nikon S700 is a new camera that really outdoes the Canon 870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It has a higher resolution at 12MP, a wider ISO setting range (good for low light settings, and it is a bit smaller too. Unfortunately, you'll have issues with any LCD in bright sunlight. Personally I prefer a camera with a viewfinder to combat this. Not everyone likes them though.
You might try the Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) to gain that capability. It also has a 12MP resolution, but comes with a viewfinder as well. It also comes with the ability to set the exposure level manually, giving you more flexibility with your shots. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
The Nikon S700 is a new camera that really outdoes the Canon 870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It has a higher resolution at 12MP, a wider ISO setting range (good for low light settings, and it is a bit smaller too. Unfortunately, you'll have issues with any LCD in bright sunlight. Personally I prefer a camera with a viewfinder to combat this. Not everyone likes them though.
You might try the Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) to gain that capability. It also has a 12MP resolution, but comes with a viewfinder as well. It also comes with the ability to set the exposure level manually, giving you more flexibility with your shots. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
geomar (12/23/2007)
nks Andrew my only doubt with the Nikon was the lcd screen in bright sunlight.they claim it has a coating to solve this but I doubt it. Thanks for the info
reply to this comment
I bought the SD950 last week. When I try to open a picture on my compter I get this message "This image is too large (too many bytes)" what can I do? (Camerali — 12/21/2007)
I can view the pictures on the camera's LCD screen but not on my computer, I have an IBM laptop Lenovo T60. Do I need to change any settings on the computer or the camera.
Thanks
reply to this comment
Thanks
Andrew Skinner (12/22/2007)
Camerali,
You can change either the camera or possibly the computer's settings. How old is the computer and what kind of graphics device do you have in it? If it is old, then you might not have the right type of graphics driver to display your photos properly. You can try to reduce the resolution of the photos you take, but they will not print well or display with a lot of clarity online. Let me know how old your computer is, and we can go from there.
Andrew
reply to this comment
You can change either the camera or possibly the computer's settings. How old is the computer and what kind of graphics device do you have in it? If it is old, then you might not have the right type of graphics driver to display your photos properly. You can try to reduce the resolution of the photos you take, but they will not print well or display with a lot of clarity online. Let me know how old your computer is, and we can go from there.
Andrew
Phil (05/14/2008)
Camerali,
The T60 has quite a few options, tell us about the computer.
1. Have you gone to the support web site and loaded the latest drivers?
2. What processor do you have?
3. What video card do you have
4. How much memory (ram)?
5. Are you running XP or Vista and which version?
Your problem is with the computer so you should check with tech support. Some of the T60's shipped with only 1gb of memory and if this is the case you will need to add memory; also you might have someone help you with the Windows settings.
reply to this comment
The T60 has quite a few options, tell us about the computer.
1. Have you gone to the support web site and loaded the latest drivers?
2. What processor do you have?
3. What video card do you have
4. How much memory (ram)?
5. Are you running XP or Vista and which version?
Your problem is with the computer so you should check with tech support. Some of the T60's shipped with only 1gb of memory and if this is the case you will need to add memory; also you might have someone help you with the Windows settings.
Scott_T (05/20/2008)
Camerali,
Are you just double-clicking an image from within Windows Explorer or My Computer? If so, what is probably happening is the application associated with the jpeg files is Microsoft Photo Editor, and that app will give you this error with files this large.
What you want to do is right click the file, choose "Open With...", the select Windows Picture and Fax Viewer" to open the picture. It won't let you edit the picture, but works nice to just view pics quickly as it loads much faster than most other apps. You can also put a check in the "always use this application to open this type of file" (going from memory, might not be verbatim) to make this change permanent.
Hope this helps.
Scott
reply to this comment
Are you just double-clicking an image from within Windows Explorer or My Computer? If so, what is probably happening is the application associated with the jpeg files is Microsoft Photo Editor, and that app will give you this error with files this large.
What you want to do is right click the file, choose "Open With...", the select Windows Picture and Fax Viewer" to open the picture. It won't let you edit the picture, but works nice to just view pics quickly as it loads much faster than most other apps. You can also put a check in the "always use this application to open this type of file" (going from memory, might not be verbatim) to make this change permanent.
Hope this helps.
Scott
Which camera? Sony T70, Canon 870, or Canon 950? (tagman28 — 12/19/2007)
Hi,
I am looking at these cameras. The Sony T70, Canon 870, and the Canon 950. The 950 is a little out of my price range, but I just want opinions. I want to know which has the better image quality, more zoom, I basically just want an opinion on these cameras. Have you used them before? Which is better and in what ways?? Please explain your answers. This is worth 15 points. Please help quickly. Thank you!
reply to this comment
I am looking at these cameras. The Sony T70, Canon 870, and the Canon 950. The 950 is a little out of my price range, but I just want opinions. I want to know which has the better image quality, more zoom, I basically just want an opinion on these cameras. Have you used them before? Which is better and in what ways?? Please explain your answers. This is worth 15 points. Please help quickly. Thank you!
Andrew Skinner (12/28/2007)
Tyler,
I'm outlining the major specifications for the three cameras in the following order: Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), Canon SD 870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), Sony T70.
- Megapixels:
12.1 vs 8 vs 8
The extra resolution will be noticable in large poster print sizes, if you're not printing over 8x10" or just placing the photos online, you won't see much difference between the 12 and 8 MP.
- Optical zoom:
3.7x vs 3.8x vs 3x
I'm a big fan of optical zoom. The more you can get the better. Digital zoom will cause you to lose resolution, so I try not to use it at all. In the case of these cameras, the difference in optical zoom isn't that big.
- ISO Range:
80-1600 vs 80-1600 vs 80-3200
There is a bit of an argument about the pros and cons for a higher ISO setting. While you do get more noise or "graininess" with a higher ISO setting, you get a lot better performance in low light settings. I like the higher settings and just use some software, PaintShopPro, for noise removal after transferring to my computer.
- Manual Exposure Capability
yes vs no vs maybe
The Sony gets a maybe because it is not specifically called out on camera's specification site ( sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/st... ) but it does site step increments for exposure control. This leads me to think you can control the exposure level manually. I like this because you can adjust the camera to do what you want it instead of just auto settings.
- Image Stabilization:
yes vs yes vs yes
This is a great feature to have in low light settings and/or if you have shaky hands.
- Face detection technology
no vs no vs yes
While this may sound neat, I've heard some issues with this. If your subject isn't smiling, the technology doesn't work as well.
All in all, I like the Sony T70 the best. The ISO 3200 setting really does it for me. I also like some of the other features that come with the camera like widescreen capability and the smile technology sounds very interesting (takes pics automatically when the subject smiles or laughs). I'd be interested to see how that works, but the camera seems pretty functional beyond the tech stuff as well. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
I'm outlining the major specifications for the three cameras in the following order: Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), Canon SD 870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ), Sony T70.
- Megapixels:
12.1 vs 8 vs 8
The extra resolution will be noticable in large poster print sizes, if you're not printing over 8x10" or just placing the photos online, you won't see much difference between the 12 and 8 MP.
- Optical zoom:
3.7x vs 3.8x vs 3x
I'm a big fan of optical zoom. The more you can get the better. Digital zoom will cause you to lose resolution, so I try not to use it at all. In the case of these cameras, the difference in optical zoom isn't that big.
- ISO Range:
80-1600 vs 80-1600 vs 80-3200
There is a bit of an argument about the pros and cons for a higher ISO setting. While you do get more noise or "graininess" with a higher ISO setting, you get a lot better performance in low light settings. I like the higher settings and just use some software, PaintShopPro, for noise removal after transferring to my computer.
- Manual Exposure Capability
yes vs no vs maybe
The Sony gets a maybe because it is not specifically called out on camera's specification site ( sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/st... ) but it does site step increments for exposure control. This leads me to think you can control the exposure level manually. I like this because you can adjust the camera to do what you want it instead of just auto settings.
- Image Stabilization:
yes vs yes vs yes
This is a great feature to have in low light settings and/or if you have shaky hands.
- Face detection technology
no vs no vs yes
While this may sound neat, I've heard some issues with this. If your subject isn't smiling, the technology doesn't work as well.
All in all, I like the Sony T70 the best. The ISO 3200 setting really does it for me. I also like some of the other features that come with the camera like widescreen capability and the smile technology sounds very interesting (takes pics automatically when the subject smiles or laughs). I'd be interested to see how that works, but the camera seems pretty functional beyond the tech stuff as well. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
tagman28 (12/28/2007)
Thank you so much!! You really put a lot of time into that. I decided to go with the Sony T70. Thanks again,
Tyler
reply to this comment
Tyler
Andrew Skinner (12/28/2007)
Tyler,
I'm glad we could be of assistance. Please come back to DCHQ ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) with any more issues or questions. Happy Holidays.
Andrew
reply to this comment
I'm glad we could be of assistance. Please come back to DCHQ ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) with any more issues or questions. Happy Holidays.
Andrew
Kelly (01/11/2008)
Hi Andrew,
You chose the Sony T70 because of the ISO setting.
I have no idea what ISO is or what it does for your pictures.
Could you please explain why a higher setting is good to have.
Thanks!
reply to this comment
You chose the Sony T70 because of the ISO setting.
I have no idea what ISO is or what it does for your pictures.
Could you please explain why a higher setting is good to have.
Thanks!
Andrew Skinner (01/12/2008)
Kelly,
ISO settings are comparable to film ISO settings. These numbers refer to how much light is exposed on film in a certain amount of time. The higher the number, the more light. They actually have a one to one ratio. For instance, ISO 1600 will allow twice as much light in as ISO 800. In film, its how fast the silver halides change when exposed to light. The settings in digital cameras were made similar for an easier translation from traditional film photography.
One thing to be aware of with higher ISO settings is the increased "noise" issue. Higher ISO settings do cause a greater amount of graininess in the photos. This can be reduced with noise reduction options in photo software like Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop.
To sum it up, higher ISO settings let you take more visible pictures in low light situations.
Andrew
reply to this comment
ISO settings are comparable to film ISO settings. These numbers refer to how much light is exposed on film in a certain amount of time. The higher the number, the more light. They actually have a one to one ratio. For instance, ISO 1600 will allow twice as much light in as ISO 800. In film, its how fast the silver halides change when exposed to light. The settings in digital cameras were made similar for an easier translation from traditional film photography.
One thing to be aware of with higher ISO settings is the increased "noise" issue. Higher ISO settings do cause a greater amount of graininess in the photos. This can be reduced with noise reduction options in photo software like Paint Shop Pro and Photoshop.
To sum it up, higher ISO settings let you take more visible pictures in low light situations.
Andrew
Sebi (02/26/2008)
Hi,
So you told Sony T70 will be the best choice from compacts? What will be the best choice now from compact cameras?
reply to this comment
So you told Sony T70 will be the best choice from compacts? What will be the best choice now from compact cameras?
Andrew Skinner (02/29/2008)
Sebi,
From the choice of the three cameras outlined below, I liked the Sony T70. What are you trying to do with your camera? You can see some differences in top rated compact cameras here ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) for a better idea.
Andrew
reply to this comment
From the choice of the three cameras outlined below, I liked the Sony T70. What are you trying to do with your camera? You can see some differences in top rated compact cameras here ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) for a better idea.
Andrew
Lu (03/09/2008)
Hi, I don't think this is fully accurate: the Canons have face recognition and have had it for over 1 1/2 yrs since the previous generation. The Canons are a nice little package - we have the U.S. SD850IS and I'm trolling Google to see if I should update to the 870 or 950. Probably not - it only would make sense if the newer model had fully manual controls and RAW format image storage like the G9. That doesn't appear to be the case.
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (03/09/2008)
Lu,
Some of the Canons have face recognition technology, but not all. Thank you for pointing out my error above though. The Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and the SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) both have Canon face detection technology. I have heard its not the best when people don't have a big, teethy smile either.
The Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does have manual exposure control, not focusing though.
reply to this comment
Some of the Canons have face recognition technology, but not all. Thank you for pointing out my error above though. The Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) and the SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) both have Canon face detection technology. I have heard its not the best when people don't have a big, teethy smile either.
The Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does have manual exposure control, not focusing though.
Sebi (03/09/2008)
Andrew Skinner,
I need a camera to take a good picture, it has to be small enough to put it into the pocket. That's basically everything what I expect. Pictures I'm taking during the trip, party with friends/family. And if I want to take a picture of nice view (mountains, architecture), it will allows me to do that and everything will be visible on the photo. Price, I don't really want to pay more than $300-$350, but to be honest I have no clue how expensive is the camera, which will satisfy my "huge" expectations. What would you recomend me? I am a photo amateur.
Sebi
reply to this comment
I need a camera to take a good picture, it has to be small enough to put it into the pocket. That's basically everything what I expect. Pictures I'm taking during the trip, party with friends/family. And if I want to take a picture of nice view (mountains, architecture), it will allows me to do that and everything will be visible on the photo. Price, I don't really want to pay more than $300-$350, but to be honest I have no clue how expensive is the camera, which will satisfy my "huge" expectations. What would you recomend me? I am a photo amateur.
Sebi
Andrew Skinner (03/09/2008)
Sebi,
You should be able to get all of that and more. Something like the Panasonic Lumix TZ3 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) might be a great option for you. It is small enough to fit in your pocket, has an amazing 10x optical zoom for better close ups, and a wide angle lens (28mm equivalent) that will help with your landscape type photos. It also has some settings that enhance low light photos without a flash (image stabilization and higher ISO functionality). You can also pick it up for around $200 right now, so that is well below your budget, but still has all the functionality you're looking for.
Andrew
reply to this comment
You should be able to get all of that and more. Something like the Panasonic Lumix TZ3 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) might be a great option for you. It is small enough to fit in your pocket, has an amazing 10x optical zoom for better close ups, and a wide angle lens (28mm equivalent) that will help with your landscape type photos. It also has some settings that enhance low light photos without a flash (image stabilization and higher ISO functionality). You can also pick it up for around $200 right now, so that is well below your budget, but still has all the functionality you're looking for.
Andrew
Sebi (03/09/2008)
Dear Andrew Skinner,
Maybe there is different equal option, because I hate this design of camera....:P and I don't think I will be using so big zoom. btw, do you know how does look like photo in 10x zoom made by this panasonic?? is it quality the same like without zoom?
sebi
reply to this comment
Maybe there is different equal option, because I hate this design of camera....:P and I don't think I will be using so big zoom. btw, do you know how does look like photo in 10x zoom made by this panasonic?? is it quality the same like without zoom?
sebi
Zaheer (03/19/2008)
Hi Andrew,
I have a plan of buying a camera and for some reason i hold canon as better compared to sony,as snaps out of canon are really good, can you suggest me the best one in the canon brand,major features which i look for are :
1. good amount of optical zoom with IS
2. More Pixels
3. manually configurable
4. pretty good memory slot
more over my craze for camera being good is, when i zoom on to the picture on my PC, the pixel should be clear and the picture should not get blurred for a good fare amount of zooming
I have an eye on A570 IS , A590 IS, SD870 IS and SD1100 IS.
Kindly suggest me the best one,as this camera is one i am looking for from long time.
Will look on for your valuable reply
reply to this comment
I have a plan of buying a camera and for some reason i hold canon as better compared to sony,as snaps out of canon are really good, can you suggest me the best one in the canon brand,major features which i look for are :
1. good amount of optical zoom with IS
2. More Pixels
3. manually configurable
4. pretty good memory slot
more over my craze for camera being good is, when i zoom on to the picture on my PC, the pixel should be clear and the picture should not get blurred for a good fare amount of zooming
I have an eye on A570 IS , A590 IS, SD870 IS and SD1100 IS.
Kindly suggest me the best one,as this camera is one i am looking for from long time.
Will look on for your valuable reply
Andrew Skinner (03/24/2008)
Zaheer,
While the cameras you have listed are decent, they won't have the zoom you are looking for. I would recommend the Canon S5 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) to suit your needs better. It has 12x optical zoom with image stabilization. This camera also has a shoe for an external flash and can accept extender lenses with an adapter tube. This will give you even more flexibility. At 8 mega-pixels of resolution, you'll find it more than capable for large size prints.
If you feel this camera is too large or too much (around $300), you can try the Canon SX 100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It also has a 8MP resolution and 10x optical zoom, but is a bit smaller in size and runs around $200.
Both cameras have manual controls for focus and exposure. They also use SD memory cards and AA sized batteries. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
While the cameras you have listed are decent, they won't have the zoom you are looking for. I would recommend the Canon S5 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) to suit your needs better. It has 12x optical zoom with image stabilization. This camera also has a shoe for an external flash and can accept extender lenses with an adapter tube. This will give you even more flexibility. At 8 mega-pixels of resolution, you'll find it more than capable for large size prints.
If you feel this camera is too large or too much (around $300), you can try the Canon SX 100 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It also has a 8MP resolution and 10x optical zoom, but is a bit smaller in size and runs around $200.
Both cameras have manual controls for focus and exposure. They also use SD memory cards and AA sized batteries. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
Andrew (04/25/2008)
I have compared canon 870 with panasonic fx35, some review at <a href="hightechwebs.blogspot.com/&...
I go for canon 870 due to it is wide angle, and better image quality, also partly becos of its large lcd screen.
reply to this comment
I go for canon 870 due to it is wide angle, and better image quality, also partly becos of its large lcd screen.
rv2843 (04/29/2008)
This review is not accurate. There are a lot to compare camera: shape, price, startup time, picture quality under different lights, etc.... To me, the most important part is the picture quality, and I think Canon is much better than Sony, peroid.
reply to this comment
Phil (05/05/2008)
rv2843,
You pretty much hit the nail on the head. If you want high quality pictures buy a Canon.
Also for the people buying a camera based solely on the Mega Pixels read this. 6mpixel.org/en/?
reply to this comment
You pretty much hit the nail on the head. If you want high quality pictures buy a Canon.
Also for the people buying a camera based solely on the Mega Pixels read this. 6mpixel.org/en/?
mak (07/14/2008)
Hi Andrew,
first, I appreciate your work.
I own a t70 and im unable to capture an image with more than 2.5 mb of size.
could u help me in taking a image with more size (which increases the picture quality) so that image wont get distorted when zoomed.im worried for this since last 4 months.i shoot in day light and my maximum pictures contains faces..plz help
reply to this comment
first, I appreciate your work.
I own a t70 and im unable to capture an image with more than 2.5 mb of size.
could u help me in taking a image with more size (which increases the picture quality) so that image wont get distorted when zoomed.im worried for this since last 4 months.i shoot in day light and my maximum pictures contains faces..plz help
Phil (07/14/2008)
mak
The image size will depend on how much detail there is in your picture. If you take a shot of a blank wall the size will be much smaller than if you take a picture of grass. If you take 10 pictures of with different subject matter, they will all be different sizes on your computer.
reply to this comment
The image size will depend on how much detail there is in your picture. If you take a shot of a blank wall the size will be much smaller than if you take a picture of grass. If you take 10 pictures of with different subject matter, they will all be different sizes on your computer.
mak (07/15/2008)
tnQ Phil,
btw, in auto settings with flash on, and shot with a distance of 1 to 2 meters from the object(with face detection ON), the image is good but when zoomed in, the image is getting distorted. How to get rid of this. though the image dimensions are 3072*2304 in 8 mega pixel setting.
And can u plz explain the term NOISE in photography.
tnx once again.
reply to this comment
btw, in auto settings with flash on, and shot with a distance of 1 to 2 meters from the object(with face detection ON), the image is good but when zoomed in, the image is getting distorted. How to get rid of this. though the image dimensions are 3072*2304 in 8 mega pixel setting.
And can u plz explain the term NOISE in photography.
tnx once again.
Phil (07/15/2008)
Enlarged pixels or extra bits of digital data scattered throughout a photo. Often a result of enlarging a photo until you start seeing the individual pixels.
Digital noise comes from two main sources. The first being the inherent noise in the camera's sensor. This is exacerbated by heat buildup on the chip from multiple exposures or long exposures, or by having many photosites clustered onto a small chip. Digital SLR's have less noise than point and shoots cameras because the image sensors are much larger. The second source of noise is from the ISO rating. The ISO setting amplifies the signal through the chip, much like turning up the volume on your stereo. With the volume at 3, you can't hear the noise in your stereo, at 10 you hear the hiss through the speakers. This is amplification noise.
Noise Ninja and Neat Image do a good job of making it less noticeable, and in some cases almost eliminate it altogether.
reply to this comment
Digital noise comes from two main sources. The first being the inherent noise in the camera's sensor. This is exacerbated by heat buildup on the chip from multiple exposures or long exposures, or by having many photosites clustered onto a small chip. Digital SLR's have less noise than point and shoots cameras because the image sensors are much larger. The second source of noise is from the ISO rating. The ISO setting amplifies the signal through the chip, much like turning up the volume on your stereo. With the volume at 3, you can't hear the noise in your stereo, at 10 you hear the hiss through the speakers. This is amplification noise.
Noise Ninja and Neat Image do a good job of making it less noticeable, and in some cases almost eliminate it altogether.
mak (07/16/2008)
btw, in auto settings with flash on, and shot with a distance of 1 to 2 meters from the object(with face detection ON), the image is good but when zoomed in, the image is getting distorted. How to get rid of this. though the image dimensions are 3072*2304 in 8 mega pixel setting....
what about this PHIL
reply to this comment
what about this PHIL
Phil (07/16/2008)
You can only zoom in so far before you start seeing the individual pixels which you can not get rid of.
reply to this comment
mak (07/16/2008)
tnx phil, wat u do actually...
reply to this comment
Rosh (07/17/2008)
Well, I think A Camera depends on what matches your requirements. For Example :- Is it too big to catch or too small. Just check photos or just go in a camera store and check it out for yourself. I am not saying advises are bad, but the advise is what the advisor thinks personally, not what you think
Thank You,
Rosh
reply to this comment
Thank You,
Rosh
sundeep (11/19/2008)
Hello
I usually do research on cameras. To my knowledge one should always look in to Megapixels, Optical Zoom (dont even worry about digital) and aperture (especially when used for indoor shooting). and ISO range
8-10 Mepapixels is really good
3x is ok , 4X is good and 5X optical zoom is better
coming to the aperature , It should always be high. For instance say f/2.0 is better that f/4.0
let me define few terms
Focal lenght: the distance between the camera lens and the sensor is called focal lenth. For a good camera the focal length should
be always less. f is the focal lenght
Aperature : is the maximum opening of the lens. say if aperature is f/2 , then the lens gets opened by half of the
focal length which enables to gather more light and thus avoids the use of flash. Now a days we can get a maximum aperature of f/2.8.
Note . a camera with aperature f/2.8 is far better than a camera with f/3.5 and also this will be little expensive than the later one.
Coming to the ISO setting .
Usually it is recomemded to take picture on low iso when there is enough light and vice versa.
This really doesnt matter when you have good aperature
CONCLUSION
i would go with canon sd 950 among those three.
with regards
sundeep
reply to this comment
I usually do research on cameras. To my knowledge one should always look in to Megapixels, Optical Zoom (dont even worry about digital) and aperture (especially when used for indoor shooting). and ISO range
8-10 Mepapixels is really good
3x is ok , 4X is good and 5X optical zoom is better
coming to the aperature , It should always be high. For instance say f/2.0 is better that f/4.0
let me define few terms
Focal lenght: the distance between the camera lens and the sensor is called focal lenth. For a good camera the focal length should
be always less. f is the focal lenght
Aperature : is the maximum opening of the lens. say if aperature is f/2 , then the lens gets opened by half of the
focal length which enables to gather more light and thus avoids the use of flash. Now a days we can get a maximum aperature of f/2.8.
Note . a camera with aperature f/2.8 is far better than a camera with f/3.5 and also this will be little expensive than the later one.
Coming to the ISO setting .
Usually it is recomemded to take picture on low iso when there is enough light and vice versa.
This really doesnt matter when you have good aperature
CONCLUSION
i would go with canon sd 950 among those three.
with regards
sundeep
I am debating between the cannon powershot sd950 IS and the nikon p5100. Which one is the better buy and could you please explain your reasoning? (october-rust86 — 12/18/2007)
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (12/20/2007)
Charles,
Both of these cameras are very similar in specifications. I have been a long time Canon user, and love their capabilities and user interface. I have also had the opportunity to use a couple cameras from the Nikon CoolPix line, which I found to be very nice as well. When comparing these two cameras, I would have to decide on the Nikon P5100 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The one feature that spoke volumes to me was the ability to set the camera at a much higher ISO setting. While this will cause more graininess in photos, it will make your low light pictures come out brighter at the same time. The "pocket cameras" are used widely indoors at parties and family gatherings where lighting is less than optimal. The ability to go to ISO 2400 at 12MP and ISO 3200 at 5MP is a great feature. It would even get me to switch away from Canon when choosing between these two cameras. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Both of these cameras are very similar in specifications. I have been a long time Canon user, and love their capabilities and user interface. I have also had the opportunity to use a couple cameras from the Nikon CoolPix line, which I found to be very nice as well. When comparing these two cameras, I would have to decide on the Nikon P5100 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). The one feature that spoke volumes to me was the ability to set the camera at a much higher ISO setting. While this will cause more graininess in photos, it will make your low light pictures come out brighter at the same time. The "pocket cameras" are used widely indoors at parties and family gatherings where lighting is less than optimal. The ability to go to ISO 2400 at 12MP and ISO 3200 at 5MP is a great feature. It would even get me to switch away from Canon when choosing between these two cameras. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
hi is the canon powershot sd950 operational at -10 degree celsius? (atay — 12/16/2007)
reply to this comment
Larry (12/17/2007)
Canon's website lists the operational temperature range for the SD950 as 0-40 degrees Celsius (32-104 degrees F).
Close to your specification, but not quite there.
Larry
reply to this comment
Close to your specification, but not quite there.
Larry
Larry (12/22/2007)
Can I be of further help?
Larry
reply to this comment
Larry
fairbanksbob (04/02/2008)
What components of a camera limit its operational temperature range? Which cameras can work in the lowest temperature?
reply to this comment
Which one is better sony T200 vs cannon SD 950 IS (abhishek84 — 12/14/2007)
which digital cammer is better among sony T200 vs cannon SD 950 IS
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (12/14/2007)
It's a slugfest, quite frankly. I think the 950IS yields a more natural portrait, but the T200 will have a much better macro. In the end, I think it all depends on what you're looking to use it for. But there's a good reason why the SD950IS is so highly ranked. If you're not planning on shooting macro shots, I think the 950 has the edge, IMHO.
However, when trying to make a final call, it may just come down to what camera feels good in your hand. Go to a local camera store and check both out side by side, holding them, feeling their center of gravity, the balance. How it sits in your hand. That usually sells me one way or the other.
reply to this comment
However, when trying to make a final call, it may just come down to what camera feels good in your hand. Go to a local camera store and check both out side by side, holding them, feeling their center of gravity, the balance. How it sits in your hand. That usually sells me one way or the other.
Namee (12/15/2007)
Canon SD 950 IS, SD 870 IS, Panasonic Lumix Fx100, Sony T100 out of this 4 cameras which one is good for portrait, scenery, etc... ?
Thanks
Naeem
reply to this comment
Thanks
Naeem
by James DeRuvo (12/17/2007)
Each of these will do a decent job of portraits. However, I'm not much of a SONY fan due to their proprietary obsessions. If it was my VISA, I'd be getting the SD8870IS. review here ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ).
reply to this comment
Is the lcd screen difficult to view in direct sunlight? (spdr — 12/14/2007)
because the camera has no viewfinder I would like to know if the lcd screen is difficult to view in certain lighting conditions.
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (12/14/2007)
That's my general beef about relying on larger LCD screens without a viewfinder. That and it eats up more battery power. I'd recommend the SD95-IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) for that reason.
reply to this comment
Any experience with zoom capability of Canon SD950 IS? (aglover — 12/11/2007)
I am going to Africa and worry about not having enough zoom capabilities if I purchase the Canon SD950 IS. Really like its 12.1 Megapixels and hate to give this up for greater zoom power. Would welcome any suggestions about other Canon cameras or shared experience about using the zoom on the Canon SD950 IS. Thanks.
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (12/12/2007)
AG, how large are you planning on printing any of these pictures? I ask because that you won't even see a benefit of that 12MP until you reach enlargements above 8x10. So, you can look to say, 8.1 MP and above it gives you much better options. Me, I have the Olympus SP 560UZ ultra zoom - largest zoom in it's class at 18x and the shots I've taken at the San Diego wild animal park have been stellar.
As much as I like the SD950, you won't be happy with it's focal range, particularly on safari.
reply to this comment
As much as I like the SD950, you won't be happy with it's focal range, particularly on safari.
My daughter is pregnant and I want a camera to take pictures of the new baby. (bobbifk — 12/09/2007)
I need a camera that can take quick shots without any delay. Is the SD 950 IS the best camera for me?
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (12/11/2007)
Bobbi,
This camera should work well. The image stabilization and high ISO range should help in low light situations and speed your shutter up (when set at ISO 1600).
A good trick with any digital camera in low light situations is to push the shutter button half way to fix your focal length. When you push it the remainder of the way, you will get a faster reaction from the camera. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
This camera should work well. The image stabilization and high ISO range should help in low light situations and speed your shutter up (when set at ISO 1600).
A good trick with any digital camera in low light situations is to push the shutter button half way to fix your focal length. When you push it the remainder of the way, you will get a faster reaction from the camera. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
Hi. I am debating between Canon SD1000 vs. SD950 (ralhtar — 12/08/2007)
Hi, I know the SD950 has a lot more features and also the extra MP but is that worth $170 extra compared to the SD1000? Also do these products tend to come on significant sales after chritmas. I would appreciate all the help I can get since I'm torn.
My last camera was SONY cybershot that broke from water damage but I loved it:(
reply to this comment
My last camera was SONY cybershot that broke from water damage but I loved it:(
Digicam guy (12/09/2007)
I have the SD950. It's bigger and heavier than SD1000. But still fit in the pan's pocket (not shirt's pocket as SD1000). The SD950 is the different camera in features and performent compare to the SD1000. Beside the pixels, this camera has larger CCD (vivid image), titanum body (long lasting), better optical (sharper image, less barel distortion), touch sensitive controls. Hope this help
reply to this comment
delaine (02/06/2008)
does the SD1000 really not have a FILL-FLASH option?
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Why only a 90 day guaranty? (ShaftRules — 12/07/2007)
Is Canon afraid their camera will tank after day 91?
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (12/08/2007)
Simple. They want you to buy an extended warranty. But actually, Canon's warranty is 12 Months Parts and Labor.
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I am trying to decide between a Canon PowerShot SD950, a Sony DSC-T200 and a Panasonic Lumix T23. Which would have the best quality image. (debsy — 12/05/2007)
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (12/08/2007)
I've gotta give it to the SD950. #1 in it's class, make and price range straight across the board. And it doesn't rely on proprietary technologies like SONY does and it's has far superior glass to the Panasonic.
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Does the SD950 have a multiburst mode for continuous shooting of action? How many images per second can you shoot? (debsy — 12/05/2007)
reply to this comment
Aditya D (12/07/2007)
Yes, and you can shoot 1.5 photos per second for 5 seconds, I believe, for a total of 7-8 photos.
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Anyone figure out how to get the SD950 to leave the shutter open for longer then ~2 sec? (kazazzz — 12/04/2007)
Anyone figure out how to get the SD950 to leave the shutter open for longer then ~2 sec? Supposed to go up to 15 sec, but how to trick the camera to do this?
I tried virtually every thing i could think of... I switch on night mode and turned off the flash and took a picture of complete darkness and it only left the shutter on for about 2 seconds. Anyone know of a way to achieve 10-15sec exposure? This is one of my favorite types of pictures to take and the 15 sec min shutter setting was a part of my decision to buy this camera.
Thanks,
Charlie
reply to this comment
I tried virtually every thing i could think of... I switch on night mode and turned off the flash and took a picture of complete darkness and it only left the shutter on for about 2 seconds. Anyone know of a way to achieve 10-15sec exposure? This is one of my favorite types of pictures to take and the 15 sec min shutter setting was a part of my decision to buy this camera.
Thanks,
Charlie
kazazzz (12/04/2007)
I finally figured it out... there is a typo in the manual on page 109 "Long Shutter Mode" the instructions say to:
1. Press the FUNC button
2. Highlight the Exposure icon
3. Press MENU (ACTUALLY YOU PRESS THE DISP. BUTTON!)
This allows you to manually select a shutter speed.
Hopefully this information will help someone else out.
Thanks,
Charlie
reply to this comment
1. Press the FUNC button
2. Highlight the Exposure icon
3. Press MENU (ACTUALLY YOU PRESS THE DISP. BUTTON!)
This allows you to manually select a shutter speed.
Hopefully this information will help someone else out.
Thanks,
Charlie
Andrew Skinner (12/06/2007)
Thanks for getting your own question Charlie. Please feel free to come back with any other questions.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Andrew
On SD950 is optical zoom supposed to work in movie mode? Digital zoom? (lindag970 — 12/01/2007)
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (12/02/2007)
Linda,
Digital zoom is available in standard mode when shooting movies with this camera. Please see the user manual ( gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/090000... ) for the specifics on it. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Digital zoom is available in standard mode when shooting movies with this camera. Please see the user manual ( gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/090000... ) for the specifics on it. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
how does it compare to canon's SD950is (bren — 11/27/2007)
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (11/29/2007)
Scott,
Besides being almost $50 more expensive, the Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has a 12MP resolution (up from 8) and has more choices for image resolution (JPG size). It also is twice as fast in its video frame rate recording (15 frames per second vs. 30). The SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) also has an optical view finder (which can be useful in bright situations when you can't see the LCD as well).
Some options it doesn't have that the Canon SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does is a wide angle lens option (28mm vs 36mm) and slightly less optical zoom (3.8x on the SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) vs. 3.7x on the SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )).
If I was choosing between these two cameras, I would go with the Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) because of the higher resolution and better video capabilities. You have to look at what you want to do with it though. If you're trying to get wide landscape type photos, the wider lens of the SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) would be a better option. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Besides being almost $50 more expensive, the Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has a 12MP resolution (up from 8) and has more choices for image resolution (JPG size). It also is twice as fast in its video frame rate recording (15 frames per second vs. 30). The SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) also has an optical view finder (which can be useful in bright situations when you can't see the LCD as well).
Some options it doesn't have that the Canon SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) does is a wide angle lens option (28mm vs 36mm) and slightly less optical zoom (3.8x on the SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) vs. 3.7x on the SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... )).
If I was choosing between these two cameras, I would go with the Canon SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) because of the higher resolution and better video capabilities. You have to look at what you want to do with it though. If you're trying to get wide landscape type photos, the wider lens of the SD870 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) would be a better option. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
ayeshaleigh (12/26/2007)
wats the pros and cons of these two digicams?
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (12/28/2007)
Ayeshaleigh,
The pros can cons are outlined in the answer above. One thing I missed in the narrative above was the availability of an optical viewfinder. The SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has one while the [ur=digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... IS[/url] does not. In bright light, you might have issues seeing the LCD screen, so a viewfinder is nice to have in those situations. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
reply to this comment
The pros can cons are outlined in the answer above. One thing I missed in the narrative above was the availability of an optical viewfinder. The SD950 IS ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) has one while the [ur=digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... IS[/url] does not. In bright light, you might have issues seeing the LCD screen, so a viewfinder is nice to have in those situations. I hope this helps. Good luck and happy shooting.
Andrew
Can't decide between Canon Powershot SD950 or the Sony T200. (Jimmasterpro — 11/25/2007)
Is the 2.5 LCD Screen on the Canon be a problem?
reply to this comment
Aditya D (11/27/2007)
The 2.5" LCD screen probably is not going to be a huge problem, but having a 3" screen is a nice luxury. Also, a lot of people prefer the touch screen of the T200 because the camera is a lot easier to navigate through and use than the various dials and buttons on the Canon SD950. Both cameras will produce great pictures, the Sony has a better face detection and better image stabilizer (being the same as their digital SLR, the Sony Alpha 700), but the Canon has better contrast in color, and sharper pictures in some instances. The Sony is also considerably smaller than the Canon, even while taking a picture, and because there is no protruding lens, tends to get damaged less, but the Sony also takes a fraction of a second longer to focus than the Canon. Personally, I would go with the T200 because the ease of use and its ability to take better portraits than the Canon. Hope this helps, if you have any other questions feel free to ask.
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the flash seems to wash out faces, is it the iso setting? (sarahmt — 11/20/2007)
I have just bought the canon sd950 is to take pictures of my kids but i find that the flash washes out their faces completely. my son is just a set of eyes! does anyone have any advice for me?
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by James DeRuvo (11/20/2007)
If you simply rely on the auto function, you'll end up with that issue. You could try one of the presets ... Night Snapshot, Portrait, Kids & Pets ... also use the red-eye flash feature. You can also stand a tad further back and use your zoom to compress the distance.
Another tip is to place some paper in front of the flash to diffuse it some. Even a coffee filter will do. I have heard that there's a snap on diffuser out there, that's an option if you can find it.
More tips can be foud here ( digital-photography-school.... ).
reply to this comment
Another tip is to place some paper in front of the flash to diffuse it some. Even a coffee filter will do. I have heard that there's a snap on diffuser out there, that's an option if you can find it.
More tips can be foud here ( digital-photography-school.... ).
Movie capability (sd870 vs sd950) (smh — 11/17/2007)
I have settled on buying either the canon sd870 or sd950. The deciding factor for me will be which has better movie mode capability. I see the sd950 video speed is 15fps versus sd870 at 30fps. But the 950 has up to 1024 x 768 resolution. Not sure I even understand what this all means. Please enlighten. Thank you. Steve
P.S. My hope is that buying one of these will save me from having to buy one of those flip ultra gadgets for my wife. (Am I right on this?)
reply to this comment
P.S. My hope is that buying one of these will save me from having to buy one of those flip ultra gadgets for my wife. (Am I right on this?)
Josh Watkins (11/17/2007)
FPS stands for frames per second. The higher this number, the smoother the video will turn out. 15 fps is pretty slow, slow enough that it would deter me from the camera if video were an important function. HOWEVER, the 15 fps only pertains to the 1024x768 video size. The qvga and the vga (320x240 and 640x480, respectively) run at a smooth 30 fps. If i were you, i would go for the sd950, it is an overall superior camera.
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Ganesh (11/26/2007)
However the 870 has a wide angle lense. So you can get more detail into the picture/video as opposed to the 950 IS. Both the 870 and 950 have its pros and cons and tradeoffs: higher resolution versus slower FPS, wide angle lense versus less detail, and larger body versus smaller body. Both are amazing cameras.
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Tee78 (12/12/2007)
Sorry, to bump up an old thread. I'm also trying to decide between the two. Would recording with the 950 in 8mp, give you the same FPS as the 870?
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canon powershot sd 950 &cannon ixy 2000 the same? (johnsonmh — 11/16/2007)
Are the canon powershot sd950 is and the canon ixy2000 the same camera? why two names?
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (11/16/2007)
Marie,
The "ixy" version is sold outside of the United States. The Canon SD950 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is sold in the US. I hope this helps.
Andrew
reply to this comment
The "ixy" version is sold outside of the United States. The Canon SD950 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) is sold in the US. I hope this helps.
Andrew
Ronald Goldstein (01/14/2008)
I received the IXY Digital 2000 IS but the instructions are in Japanese...is it possible to change to the English language and if so...how?
reply to this comment
Ronald Goldstein (01/14/2008)
I received the IXY Digital 2000 IS as a gift, but the instructions are in Japanese...is it possible to change to the English language and if so...how?
reply to this comment
Ronald Goldstein (01/15/2008)
found it via a Japanese friend...now how to get instruction manual in english??
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (01/15/2008)
Ronald,
You can find the instructions, in English, here ( gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/090000... ) or here ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ). Good luck.
Andrew
reply to this comment
You can find the instructions, in English, here ( gdlp01.c-wss.com/gds/090000... ) or here ( usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... ). Good luck.
Andrew
Ronald Goldstein (01/18/2008)
Thanks, Andrew...that did it!
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (01/21/2008)
Ronald,
Glad we could help. Please feel free to come back with any other questions or issues.
Andrew
reply to this comment
Glad we could help. Please feel free to come back with any other questions or issues.
Andrew
Crimeftr (01/26/2008)
I am looking at buying an IXY 2000. Is it the EXACT same camera or are there differences? Are the controls and menus on the camera itself in english or japanese?
reply to this comment
Andrew Skinner (01/26/2008)
Gary,
These are the exact same camera. I can not speak to the instruction language. It would really depend on where the camera is marketed for. If you do wind up with instructions in Japanese, you can reference the two links above for instructions in English.
Andrew
reply to this comment
These are the exact same camera. I can not speak to the instruction language. It would really depend on where the camera is marketed for. If you do wind up with instructions in Japanese, you can reference the two links above for instructions in English.
Andrew
madi123 (03/15/2008)
According to Japanese manufacturing philosophy the best is made for local Market. Between two of these I would go with IXY 2000.
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katherine (08/28/2008)
Are the controls and menus on the camera itself in english or japanese?
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Bang Linh (Vietnamese) (11/01/2008)
I can not find the instruction manual of Canon IXY Digital 2000 IS. Please help me..............
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noname (11/30/2008)
its english controls... you can also choose japanese./..
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dr-iyadkejo (01/14/2009)
well u see powershot sd 950 in the us ,ixy2000 in japan and ixus 960 in europe and the middle east are all the same they differ in the software and by this i mean the languages of course they are all made in japan
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Selden Moore (09/28/2009)
Camera with Vietnames Instructions?
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please compare the SD950 to the SD1000 (alkolkin — 11/14/2007)
Some reviewers like one, some the other, but I am a novice buyer and I want one that will provide the best single shots in low or bright light.
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (11/15/2007)
Frankly, I don't see much difference except that the SD950 has image stabilization, which for a novice is a rather nice feature to have - particularly in low light.
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alkolkin (11/15/2007)
Thanks! I am buying one to take pictures of my wedding! Nice to get married when you are 68 and your bride is 62 and never been married.
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by James DeRuvo (11/16/2007)
Al, that is positively awesome. Congratulations! Even more so. You may also want to buy a few disposable's to scatter around the tables at your reception. Have someone collect them at the end and you'll have some stellar candids for the wedding album.
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alkolkin (11/16/2007)
Thanks, good idea. Since we are eloping to Las Vegas, who knows what people will take pictures of! LOLOL
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is sd950 model available in india (rajivnit007 — 11/12/2007)
i am intrested in this new sd950 model, but need to know that is it available in india?
if yes then what will be its price?
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if yes then what will be its price?
by James DeRuvo (11/13/2007)
Canon's India website is here ( canon.co.in/productdisplay.... ). From what I can tell, the SD950IS is not available there yet. But when it is, it should be called the IXUS 960.
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Canon Powershot SD950 vs Canon Powershot SD870?? (brewerdl — 11/11/2007)
Do the extra megapixels in the SD950 produce superior pictures than the SD870?? (Both Canon!) Or are the extra mp overkill? I don't remember if higher or lower ratios are better for the sensor size - - The SD870 has 1/2.5 and the SD950 has 1/1.7. Can someone interpret for me??
I'm looking for a small, lightweight camera to take to Europe - - that will give me the best picture possible!!! I'll spend up to ~ 400.00 I'm quite sure I want image stabilization, some degree of zoom.
Thanks!
reply to this comment
I'm looking for a small, lightweight camera to take to Europe - - that will give me the best picture possible!!! I'll spend up to ~ 400.00 I'm quite sure I want image stabilization, some degree of zoom.
Thanks!
JKing (11/13/2007)
I bought an SD950 a month ago so I'm biased, but here's why I found it worth the extra money. Realistically, the extra pixels will not matter very often, most likely only when you want to drill down into a shot where you're cropping away unwanted coverage. Since I like to take underwater shots, that will be helpful when I'm trying to make the ultimate picture out of a fish or something that was too far away at the start but by luck the picture turned out anyway (usually a fish too far away doesn't look good anyway). In addition, although meaningless underwater, the SD 950 has an optical viewfinder, which can be helpful if you just prefer looking through the camera instead of looking at the viewscreen, and is very helpful if you're running low on battery because the viewscreen is a power hog. Very important to avoid losing that last final shot that ends up being the important one to you. Another feature that is different between the two that mattered to me is the SD950 has a 36-133mm optical zoom whereas the SD870 has a 28-105mm. This means the SD950 has a better telephoto and I tend to like telephoto, but the SD870 has a better wide angle if that is more important to you.
Good luck.
reply to this comment
Good luck.
eclectice (11/15/2007)
1) Extra MP will be useful if you want to print high-resolution images at larger prints.
2) Both SD870 IS and SD950 IS are the same using the technology (DIGIC III, IS), except for SD950: it has 12 MP, 3.7x optics, not wide-angle (not like SD870 IS which has 28mm wide-angle), ISO3200 preset mode. I don't know the benefit of having ISO3200 considering the fact that at > ISO200, the pictures start to have noise signals for this point-and-shoot digital camera category.
reply to this comment
2) Both SD870 IS and SD950 IS are the same using the technology (DIGIC III, IS), except for SD950: it has 12 MP, 3.7x optics, not wide-angle (not like SD870 IS which has 28mm wide-angle), ISO3200 preset mode. I don't know the benefit of having ISO3200 considering the fact that at > ISO200, the pictures start to have noise signals for this point-and-shoot digital camera category.
I need to know details of Canon IXU950. How you grade this camera (zeeahmed — 11/08/2007)
I am looking for a digital camera for my domestic use. It should include appropriate zoom, clarity and
reply to this comment
I am looking for a digital camera for my domestic use. It should include appropriate zoom, clarity and
by James DeRuvo (11/09/2007)
This camera is ranked
* 1st of 50 in Canon
* 1st of 56 in $350 - $600
* 1st of 12 in 12 Megapixels
* 1st of 91 in Ultra Compact
Doesn't get much better than that.
reply to this comment
* 1st of 50 in Canon
* 1st of 56 in $350 - $600
* 1st of 12 in 12 Megapixels
* 1st of 91 in Ultra Compact
Doesn't get much better than that.
camera for family photos (anonymous — 11/03/2007)
looking for a good camera for both photos & videos for a family
Simple to use
any price
reply to this comment
Simple to use
any price
by James DeRuvo (11/06/2007)
Do you want a compact one? One with a large zoom to shoot sporting events? I think that Canon's SD ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) line is a great option for compact cameras. I like the SuperZoom of the Olympus SP560UZ ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ) line for shooting good solid zoom sports shots - but it's a tad on the hefty side.
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TOZER (02/25/2008)
if you really just want a camera for family pics then you are probably best off with a compact camera, get one you can trial run to see how easy it is to use.
WARNING: compact cameras often have rediculasly complicated menu systems and are impossable to use
if you want a camera for more than just family pictures and are a compatant user you could get a bridge camera (£120 - £350). Bridge cameras produce better quality images then compact cameras. Bridge cameras also have better zoom as we all know what it is like pointing a compact camera at a subject and the image produced looks like its miles away. Most bridge cameras will have an electronic view finder, usefull for taking pictures on bright summer days etc.
The OLYMPUS SP 560 UZ is about £200 if you know where to go (the 570 has just been released so bargins might be obtainable)
Fujifilm make a cheep model £140
reply to this comment
WARNING: compact cameras often have rediculasly complicated menu systems and are impossable to use
if you want a camera for more than just family pictures and are a compatant user you could get a bridge camera (£120 - £350). Bridge cameras produce better quality images then compact cameras. Bridge cameras also have better zoom as we all know what it is like pointing a compact camera at a subject and the image produced looks like its miles away. Most bridge cameras will have an electronic view finder, usefull for taking pictures on bright summer days etc.
The OLYMPUS SP 560 UZ is about £200 if you know where to go (the 570 has just been released so bargins might be obtainable)
Fujifilm make a cheep model £140
TOZER (02/25/2008)
In terms of video...
get a camcorder if you really want video, otherwise don't bother with a normal camera.
the SP 560 UZ produces ok movies but they are not that satisfying to watch. (if you want to see a sample e-mail me s.o.u.r.i@hotmail.com)
Compact cameras typically produce naff videos with appalling sound
better off with pictures...
reply to this comment
get a camcorder if you really want video, otherwise don't bother with a normal camera.
the SP 560 UZ produces ok movies but they are not that satisfying to watch. (if you want to see a sample e-mail me s.o.u.r.i@hotmail.com)
Compact cameras typically produce naff videos with appalling sound
better off with pictures...
im after a digital camera which i can use to take clear pictures of my MOVING kids .not to big .please advise (niff — 10/31/2007)
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by James DeRuvo (11/01/2007)
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. Use alkalines at least. But I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.
4. Shoot in "sports" or "kids" modes when you're in situations that require action. Night or available light modes when in night time settings. These presets can help in speeding up your shots, rather than the camera taking a split second to evaluate the conditions of the lighting.
5. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
6. Use a flash - even in day time. This will "freeze" the image and cause your subject to "pop" in the shot. However, flash is only designed for limited range and can dissipate outside of about 20-25 feet unless you're using a zoomable flash.
7. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
Check out the Canon SD950 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It has a fairly fast lag rate in regular light. But if you do the tips above, particularly #s 1 & 5 can reduce your shutter lag by as much as 80% can catch those kids!
reply to this comment
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. Use alkalines at least. But I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.
4. Shoot in "sports" or "kids" modes when you're in situations that require action. Night or available light modes when in night time settings. These presets can help in speeding up your shots, rather than the camera taking a split second to evaluate the conditions of the lighting.
5. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
6. Use a flash - even in day time. This will "freeze" the image and cause your subject to "pop" in the shot. However, flash is only designed for limited range and can dissipate outside of about 20-25 feet unless you're using a zoomable flash.
7. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
Check out the Canon SD950 ( digitalcamera-hq.com/digita... ). It has a fairly fast lag rate in regular light. But if you do the tips above, particularly #s 1 & 5 can reduce your shutter lag by as much as 80% can catch those kids!
eclectice (11/06/2007)
SD950 IS, SD960 IS, SD870 IS have this "child & pet" preset option to catch them in pictures.
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by James DeRuvo (11/07/2007)
Yes, they do. But unless you develope habits that combat the shutter delay, you're still swimming upstream, IMHO.
reply to this comment
eclectice (11/10/2007)
Yes, I agree. Catching pets and kids at play is difficult. But, catching adults play is more difficult! Anyway, thanks for the tips. Maybe will try the panning IS mode the next time.
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by James DeRuvo (11/10/2007)
Absolutely. That's the beauty of a digital camera. It lends itself towards experimenting with all the features without having to pay for developing and printing of pictures you don't want.
reply to this comment
What is the shutter lag on Canon's Powershot compacts? (red4blues — 10/31/2007)
I have been comparing various cameras. Often specs do not include shutter lag. This is very important to me as I am used to shooting with a DSLR & want a compact for everyday.
reply to this comment
by James DeRuvo (11/01/2007)
According to Cnet:
"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. Shutter lag measured a pleasing 0.5 second in our high-contrast test and 1.2 seconds in our low-contrast test, which mimic bright and dim shooting conditions, respectively. In continuous shooting mode, the SD950 IS fell just short of its fancier cousin, the G9, clocking an average of 1.6 frames per second regardless of image size."
Shutter delay is a way of life in digital cameras. But the good news is that the delay is lessening as the technology matures. And what's interesting is, according to recent news articles, many camera companies will be incorporating the CCD chips they use in their SLR lines (which give no shutter lag) into their point and shoot cameras. So look for it within the next few years.
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. Use alkalines at least. But I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.
4. Shoot in "sports" modes when you're in situations that require action. Night or available light modes when in night time settings. These presets can help in speeding up your shots, rather than the camera taking a split second to evaluate the conditions of the lighting.
5. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
6. Use a flash - even in day time. This will "freeze" the image and cause your subject to "pop" in the shot. However, flash is only designed for limited range and can dissipate outside of about 20-25 feet unless you're using a zoomable flash.
7. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
Doing these, particularly #s 1 & 5 can reduce your shutter lag by as much as 80% But I'm sure you know that being a DSLR user.
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"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. Shutter lag measured a pleasing 0.5 second in our high-contrast test and 1.2 seconds in our low-contrast test, which mimic bright and dim shooting conditions, respectively. In continuous shooting mode, the SD950 IS fell just short of its fancier cousin, the G9, clocking an average of 1.6 frames per second regardless of image size."
Shutter delay is a way of life in digital cameras. But the good news is that the delay is lessening as the technology matures. And what's interesting is, according to recent news articles, many camera companies will be incorporating the CCD chips they use in their SLR lines (which give no shutter lag) into their point and shoot cameras. So look for it within the next few years.
1. Prefocus. Hold down the shutter half way to get a prefocus of the image you're shooting. When it changes, prefocus again. This will speed up your camera's performance during picture taking since it won't have to autofocus before it shoots the shot.
2. Use faster SD cards. Yes, there are faster cards and it does make a difference in writing the image file to the card. This is especially key if you're taking multiple or burst images.
3. Fresher batteries. Use alkalines at least. But I recommend using high energy batteries designed for digital photography. Varta is a good brand. They are usually sold in camera shops, are long lasting (because they are sold in small quantities) put out alot of energy.
4. Shoot in "sports" modes when you're in situations that require action. Night or available light modes when in night time settings. These presets can help in speeding up your shots, rather than the camera taking a split second to evaluate the conditions of the lighting.
5. Pan with the action. You can create some pretty cool shots by panning with your shot, focusing on your subject. This will create the effect of your subject in sharp contrast to the blurry background.
6. Use a flash - even in day time. This will "freeze" the image and cause your subject to "pop" in the shot. However, flash is only designed for limited range and can dissipate outside of about 20-25 feet unless you're using a zoomable flash.
7. Stick with 100-400 ISO. Going higher will cause more noise/grain in your shots, particularly in darker settings.
Doing these, particularly #s 1 & 5 can reduce your shutter lag by as much as 80% But I'm sure you know that being a DSLR user.
I wanna buy one of these SD950 or G9..which one is good ?I feel like Sd950 is too small to fit in the hand. (buyer999 — 10/26/2007)
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by James DeRuvo (10/26/2007)
Well, granted, the G9 is a tad heavier, about twice that of the SD950IS. And it comes with a slightly larger LCD (along with the increased power consumption) and a faster shutter speed max (1/2500). But the SD950IS has a wider angle lens (giving you better landscape shots). Other than those differences, they're almost the same camera. So, in the end it will depend on which one fits better in your hand, and I think you've already answered that one.
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How different would the 3.7 zoom in 950IS be vs. the 4.0 zoom in the 850IS? (cakf00 — 10/19/2007)
I want to buy one of these cameras, but am curious how different the zoom would be between the 2. Do the extra mega-pixels make it better?
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DefyTime (10/22/2007)
You would notice if you had them both for a side by side comparison. I would make my decision on another feature...this is not that much of a difference. Sometimes more mega pixels in small cameras can make the image actually worse. The race for the most mega pixels is just to get more people to buy their camera. Depends on how big you print. I have printed a 16x20 from an 8MP and it looks great.
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superdoc (12/08/2007)
i have bought this camera. i think the megapixels make a difference as we watch our pictures on our 46 inch lcd. so more is better in some ways and the price diff is only abou $50 online
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madi123 (03/15/2008)
Not Megapixels, but the size of sensor does matter. Don't be fooled by Mexapixels. Canon SD950IS has larger image sensor than SD850IS hence more light will be catched, hence less noise you will see on image, hence better the quality will be. Here is the good source of information for it: 6mpixel.org/en/?
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Which memory card is more worth getting; the Hoodman RAW 4gb SDHC 150x speed or the Lexar 4gb SDHC 133x speed (RAYS950 — 10/15/2007)
I just bought a canon sd950is and need to buy a second memory card but don't know which has better quality. Is it worth paying a little more for the Hoodman RAW or should I just buy the Lexar? or do you have any other suggestion?
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by James DeRuvo (10/16/2007)
I don't know if you'll notice any appreciable difference in write speed unless you're in burst mode. What it comes down to is what will you really be using your camera for? If just snapshots, either one will do the job just fine. But is it worth the extra money? For about 99% of your shots, I'd say no.
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DefyTime (10/22/2007)
Some cameras have a limit to how fast they can write. If you buy a card that can write 150x and your camera can only do 120x then you wasted your money. You're not going to notice that difference too much even at all unless you had them both for a side by side comparison.
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by James DeRuvo (10/22/2007)
I agree with Clint. If were were using a DSLR and shooting sports events, I'd see the advantage of picking up an extra 10% or so in write speed. But for point & shoot snapshots? I think you'll run into a wall before you can take advantage of that extra bit. And for the price, it's not really worth it at this juncture.
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RAYS950 (10/24/2007)
Thanks guys, I ended up buying a Kingston 8GB Class 6 at a great deal. I hope I made the right decision.
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by James DeRuvo (10/24/2007)
Kingston makes pretty good stuff. You should be fine. But allow me to make an pitch for using several cards, rather than one large one. Reason being, insurance. Any memory card can fail or become corrupted. And when you're on vacation the last thing you want is to lose the opportunity to take pictures until you can recover that media card with a software utility. If your card goes bad, swapping another one for it at that moment is of advantage so you can keep taking pics. Then, later when you're in front of your PC, you can use a utility like "F-Recovery" ( [url=filerecoverytools.com/produ... ) to get back your pictures and recover your card.
No need to lose the moment because you relied on one card one when several can solve that problem.
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No need to lose the moment because you relied on one card one when several can solve that problem.
RAYS950 (10/24/2007)
Thank you for the great advice, I just have to become more familiar with all the pros and cons now
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by James DeRuvo (10/24/2007)
Well, one thing I would recommend to keep your card nice and healthy is to use a USB card reader and transfer your pictures to your PC that way. Then delete the pictures off the card using the PC and not the camera. IMHO, this keeps the card healthier than using the camera to delete them. And the card reader will also prevent frustration with trying to use the camera's drivers to install on the computer (especially if you have Vista). The reader will read the card and mount it like a hard drive. From there it's a simple drag and drop onto the PC. And they're pretty cheap ... under $10.
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RAYS950 (10/24/2007)
Oh awesome is there any specific style or model card reader I need to buy and where can I get one for a good deal?
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by James DeRuvo (10/24/2007)
Not really. Most can read not only SD cards, but Compact Flash, xD, even Memory sticks. There's also flash drives which allow you to plug in an SD card. So options are wide open. Just be sure they're SDHC (secure digital high capacity) compatible.
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Phil (10/27/2007)
I am in the process of purchasing a camera and looking at the SD950IS. Couple of questions: Reading the comments above, does the SD950IS write at the 150 speed to take advantage of the faster memory card speed? One more general question; I want a single camera that I can use for video and still shots. Would you recommend the SD950IS for that. I don't know the recording time, but with a 4or 8gb memory card I am assuming I will have an hour or two of recording time as well as a few hundred pictures at a good resolution. Is that true? As you can tell I don't know a whole lot about these new digital cameras.
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by James DeRuvo (11/01/2007)
I believe it writes at 133x, Phil. While the SD950IS will work for a video, it has it's limitations. You won't be able to zoom while recording, and it'll only give you basic 640x480 (VHS) quality video. The 4/8 gb will give you plenty of time, sure.
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Does the SD950IS shoot in Raw Format? Which Canon shoots Raw and is the smallest and best for an ameteur? (Bmanallen — 10/15/2007)
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Matt (10/15/2007)
The SD950IS does not shoot in RAW. The only Canon cameras I know that shoot in RAW are the "G" series (the G7 doesn't, though, for some reason). All the dSLR cameras from Canon that I'm aware of have RAW shooting. Either way, you're looking at upwards of $400 for a camera that can shoot RAW.
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rajeev (10/21/2007)
Whats the advantage of raw format?
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Matt (10/21/2007)
RAW is uncompressed. More memory can be used to capture the full image in digital format, instead of having to compromise on quality by losing a little bit of the texture, color or resolution quality. It also helps in higher ISO, when you want to accept the avoid the noise reduction and post-process on your own.
Do you REALLY need it. Amateurs and most novices don't. But most pros can't live without it. To me, I'd love the feature. And with memory cards getting larger and larger, I think it will become a more common feature on all cameras. But for now, there's a compromise with size of camera and RAW capability.
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Do you REALLY need it. Amateurs and most novices don't. But most pros can't live without it. To me, I'd love the feature. And with memory cards getting larger and larger, I think it will become a more common feature on all cameras. But for now, there's a compromise with size of camera and RAW capability.
GrapeApe (10/25/2007)
While the SD950IS uses the same sensor and much of the hardware it doesn't allow the same feature set of the G9 (which includes writing RAW files), but it does allow you to read/view them if you want to look at my SD in your camera.
The best reason to record in RAW is for post processing, like I do for adjusting white balance of my primarily SKi/Snow photos, and for that reason I would recommend the G9, it's the replacement but cheaper than the G7, and it's got a few more additional features, including RAW file support, ISO wheel handy if you change often and quickly (especially outdoors) instead of fiddling with the menu, but otherwise all the same features of the 950IS, but in a slightly larger package, or the same size package of the G7 with more features.
I would recomend the G9 to anyone who is an amateur but wants to get serious and wants all the tools when they need them. If all you're doing is shooting quick action and vistas it doesn't matter much JPEG won't limit you too much, but if you want the finest detail and low noise, and the ability to tweak afterwards then you'l appreciate rAW really quickly, especially since as mentioned memory is cheap (I have 3 stick of 512MB UltraII, 1GB of Ultra III and 2GB of Panasonic HS, none of which I spent more than $50 on (one of the UltraII with USB interface cost $9.99) so the size limitation is nothing. And believe me once you learn how to make the most of your camera you'll miss the features you don't have, and IMO the G9 is a better starting point than most other 'pocketable' cameras giving you as close to SLR as you can get.
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The best reason to record in RAW is for post processing, like I do for adjusting white balance of my primarily SKi/Snow photos, and for that reason I would recommend the G9, it's the replacement but cheaper than the G7, and it's got a few more additional features, including RAW file support, ISO wheel handy if you change often and quickly (especially outdoors) instead of fiddling with the menu, but otherwise all the same features of the 950IS, but in a slightly larger package, or the same size package of the G7 with more features.
I would recomend the G9 to anyone who is an amateur but wants to get serious and wants all the tools when they need them. If all you're doing is shooting quick action and vistas it doesn't matter much JPEG won't limit you too much, but if you want the finest detail and low noise, and the ability to tweak afterwards then you'l appreciate rAW really quickly, especially since as mentioned memory is cheap (I have 3 stick of 512MB UltraII, 1GB of Ultra III and 2GB of Panasonic HS, none of which I spent more than $50 on (one of the UltraII with USB interface cost $9.99) so the size limitation is nothing. And believe me once you learn how to make the most of your camera you'll miss the features you don't have, and IMO the G9 is a better starting point than most other 'pocketable' cameras giving you as close to SLR as you can get.
How can I get a manual for SD950, I bought one but there was no manual with it (Kirana — 10/08/2007)
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Matt (10/09/2007)
A lot of new cameras have their manuals on their CDs that comes with the cameras now (the same CD where you're supposed to download their software/drivers to get camera-to-computer hook-up working. Otherwise, you can usually find them at the company website. If you've found the manual on your CD, you should be able to just open the file.
This is where it should be on their website. My pop-ups are blocked, so I don't know if it shows up here. usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... neither of these solves your problem, just contact Canon directly.
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This is where it should be on their website. My pop-ups are blocked, so I don't know if it shows up here. usa.canon.com/consumer/cont... neither of these solves your problem, just contact Canon directly.
Kirana (10/09/2007)
Thanks Matt, I already went through all that to no avail, that was why I posted this question. The only CD that came was for the photo software but no install CD which I know usually has also manual in it.
I was never told that they did not have the manual when I ordered, later in the box they put a piece of paper manual is on back order (never heard of it before- for a brand new item)
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I was never told that they did not have the manual when I ordered, later in the box they put a piece of paper manual is on back order (never heard of it before- for a brand new item)
Matt (10/09/2007)
Wow, I've never heard of that before. I don't know who you ordered from, but you WILL get that manual for free. Unfortunately, it sounds like you have to wait. In the meantime, have you contacted Canon already? They probably aren't putting the manual up on the website until after its official release on 10/10/07. You may be able to get them to send you the file via PDF through E-mail. I'm sorry to hear your dilemma, though -- that's ridiculous! Canon is so anxious to make their release date that they didn't even print their manuals on time, haha. I hope their probably isn't epidemic.
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by James DeRuvo (10/09/2007)
Be patient. The SD50 is pretty new. I'm sure that Canon will get a PDF copy up soon. What you could do is contact Canon directly and request they send you one. It may cost you $10, but if you talk to a tech support guy and if he has a PDF copy available to him, he may just send it to you for free.
But it sounds to me like you have an even bigger problem. You may have bought a "Grey Market" ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_... ) camera. This is where you can get an incredible deal on a camera, but that deal is tempered by the fact the lack of a manual or even warranty card or other accessories. If Grey Market, if something happens to your camera, you may not have a warranty and Canon may not honor to repair it. Or, you may have to ship it to where it was made to have it repaired under warranty - i.e., overseas. This can take much longer than a warranty that is honored in the US.
This, in my mind, completely undoes any advantage that saving a few dollars tempts you with.
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But it sounds to me like you have an even bigger problem. You may have bought a "Grey Market" ( en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grey_... ) camera. This is where you can get an incredible deal on a camera, but that deal is tempered by the fact the lack of a manual or even warranty card or other accessories. If Grey Market, if something happens to your camera, you may not have a warranty and Canon may not honor to repair it. Or, you may have to ship it to where it was made to have it repaired under warranty - i.e., overseas. This can take much longer than a warranty that is honored in the US.
This, in my mind, completely undoes any advantage that saving a few dollars tempts you with.
Kirana (10/09/2007)
Thanks James, I just got off the phone with the seller who said they have the manual NOW and is going to send it to me. It did come with 1 year Canon warranty..I was caught once with a grey market item :(
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by James DeRuvo (10/09/2007)
That's a relief to hear. Why didn't they include the manual in the first place? BTW - If you're happy with the answer you received, you can simply click on "Mark for best answer" bubble and it will place the question in the "Answered" category for all to see. Thanks for posting it and Good luck!
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Does the 950IS camera turn on and take pictures slowly due to 12 MP ? (lklj — 10/03/2007)
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Ben Keough (10/05/2007)
Hi LK,
No, the startup time of a digital camera has nothing to do with the size (resolution) of its sensor.
Good luck!
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No, the startup time of a digital camera has nothing to do with the size (resolution) of its sensor.
Good luck!
ryan (10/20/2007)
it seems to take pictures slowly, when you turn off the flash there is significantly less lag.
as mentioned above startup time is not effected by resolution. maybe a second for the lens to extend and then your ready to start shooting.
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as mentioned above startup time is not effected by resolution. maybe a second for the lens to extend and then your ready to start shooting.
ColoradoDave (10/29/2007)
There is more lag between photos if you are using a chaper SD card; however, if you go with one of the fast SD cards such as the Sandisk Extreme III the image is written to the card much faster. Thus it does not become an issue.
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eclectice (11/15/2007)
Yes, the ability for the camera to write immediately to the memory card will depend on a few factors:
1) camera's main processor and cache (like computer's CPU and internal cache)
2) camera's internal bus and I/O (like computer's motherboard and peripherals)
3) camera's memory card (like computer's main storage)
In digital camera, the only option you can improve physically on the camera's performance is with its memory card. Higher memory card's bus speed will make sure faster write speed at the expense of heat. Memory card's performance can degrade with increasing heat produced inside the memory card's slot over time (I have experienced this condition). If possible, see the memory card specs on temperature requirements.
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1) camera's main processor and cache (like computer's CPU and internal cache)
2) camera's internal bus and I/O (like computer's motherboard and peripherals)
3) camera's memory card (like computer's main storage)
In digital camera, the only option you can improve physically on the camera's performance is with its memory card. Higher memory card's bus speed will make sure faster write speed at the expense of heat. Memory card's performance can degrade with increasing heat produced inside the memory card's slot over time (I have experienced this condition). If possible, see the memory card specs on temperature requirements.
ike_mamo (11/27/2007)
Are there more trustworthy brands of memory cards that would aid in avoiding the increasing heat that threatens the function of the memory card/slot? - OR- Are there steps to take to decrease your risk of having complications from increased heat d/t using a higher speed memory card?
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is it better to get this one or the cannon a650 is i really am between both of them is it foolish to get both of them ,thanks (dummydummy — 09/10/2007)
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j. armijo (09/10/2007)
Hello Graig, To buy two cameras that are so similar would not be wise.I do not see to much difference in them besides 6x zoom and 3.7 with 4x optical . and the batteries. If you are looking for a camera consider this. What options are really important to me. Cameras are like buying a new car. They have lots of bells and whistles but you don't necessary need them all. Both cameras are a good choice. Buy the one that fits your budget and has the options you will use. Also note that cameras like cars , In time you will want to find a newer one . By then you will have used this one for awhile and know what features are more important to you.
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dummydummy (09/14/2007)
thanks i went full circle and bought the cannon g9 and the cannon 850 elf i am sure i will see a starking difference between them those big dslr are just not for me i think i will enjoy the g9 ill let u know in follow ups thanks
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when will the sd 950 be available for purchase? thanks (trevhug — 08/31/2007)
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carlota132 (09/03/2007)
I have posted this already. Canon (directly) told me that it would be mid September but each supplier would receive it at different times. You must check with the on line stores to see if they have it. This is the list they gave me:
1. www.bhphotovideo.com
2. www.amazon.com (online stores with store fronts only)
3. www.cdw.com
4. www.ritzcamera.com
5. www.dell.com
6. www.jr.com
7. www.officedepot.com
8. www.staples.com
9. www.bestbuy.com
10. www.officemax.com
11. www.compusa.com
12. www.costco.com
13. www.adorama.com
14. www.focuscamera.com
15. www.walmart.com
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1. www.bhphotovideo.com
2. www.amazon.com (online stores with store fronts only)
3. www.cdw.com
4. www.ritzcamera.com
5. www.dell.com
6. www.jr.com
7. www.officedepot.com
8. www.staples.com
9. www.bestbuy.com
10. www.officemax.com
11. www.compusa.com
12. www.costco.com
13. www.adorama.com
14. www.focuscamera.com
15. www.walmart.com
carlota132 (10/03/2007)
Well, I have mine!! I bought it at onecall.com .They were terrific- It was a good price at this time and they asked me if I had everything I needed and after asking about individual items, they said- Thank You and there was no pressure. It arrived today and I am ecstatic!!!!
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carlota132 (10/03/2007)
New egg is good also!
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Canon Powershot SD950 IS Reviews
Canon Powershot SD950 IS Reviews by Digital Camera-HQ Users
- 5.0 out of 5
Very capable and excellent choice for a slip in your pocket camera.
(Flateric — 11/27/2009)
An excellent camera with excellent incamera functions and features.
My favorite digital camera ever in the slip into your pocket class.
Little to no noise in normal lighting conditions and excellent clarity and color reproduction. The very high resolution is a big bonus ontop of these points.
- 5.0 out of 5
Stunning Pictures - Just Push the Button
(Phil — 05/06/2008)
Excellent pictures for such a small camera. The flash does a great job filling in dark backgrounds. I recently broke my wife's Canon A540 and replaced it with a Nikon S550 which doesn't measure up to the older A540. I have played around with the 950 and am very impressed with the camera. There is no way my wife can find fault with this little jewel. The only negative thing I can say, is the Manual leaves a lot to be desired, but then my wife has never read one anyway.
- 5.0 out of 5
The Best for now
(Gustavo Silveira — 03/08/2008)
I can say that I am pretty impressed.
I have an old Nikon Coolpix 3500 that was really practical as the display could be rotated and you could see yourself and that shots but wasn`t good in low light and was capable only of very short, low res movies.
My new Cannon solved all that but doen`t have the rotational display that was very good.
With my new IXUS 960 IS(SD 950 IS) I can do anything as a Point and Shot with TOP PERFORMANCE. I love the movie mode and the quality of it, even in low light. I also love the exquisite Titanium Body, it is special. I see no cons as a PS but next could be exactly like this with a simple remote.
- 5.0 out of 5
Very Please
(ColoradoDave — 10/30/2007)
I purchased the SD950IS about a month ago and am very pleased. Nice size. Images excellent quality. Works really well with Sandisk Extreme III SD cards (very fast). Display of buttons (when pushed) on the LCD very good (ie, when you change the flash setting this comes up large on the LCD). Would prefer AA batteries, but I guess they had to go to other baterry due to size. Really like the ability to custom program the timer (ie, can set both time until the photo is taken and also the number of images that will be taken).
