The Canon IXUS 950 IS has 8 megapixels and a 4x optical zoom lens. The focal length of the lens is equivalent to 35 - 140mm in 35mm format. The capacity of the lens can be increased if you take photos at lower resolutions. This can increase the zoom by an extra 2x. 4x digital zoom is also available. The maximum aperture of the lens is f/2.8 (wide) and f/5.5 (tele).

• Image stabilisation
• Special resolution for widescreen television playback
• Self timer
• 60 second voice memo
• Red eye correction after photo has been taken
• Stitch Assist for panoramic shots

In macro mode the IXUS 950 IS can focus from 2cm away from the subject. Special face detection focusing is also available. This helps the camera to produce sharper portrait shots.

For composing shots there is a 2.5 inch LCD screen. This is made up of around 230,000 pixels. The IXUS 950 IS also has a viewfinder.

The flash unit works to a maximum distance of 3.5m. This falls to 2m when the zoom lens is fully extended. The flash modes are Auto, Manual Flash On / Off. Red eye reduction and slow sync can be turned on and off via the menu system. To boost the flash you can pick up Canon's High Power Flash HF-DC1.

A comprehensive range of scene modes is available. These are Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Creative Light Effect, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium and Underwater. By selecting a scene mode the camera is able to match the optimum settings to the shot you are about to take more easily.

When it comes to movies the IXUS 950 IS is one of the most advanced digital cameras you can buy. As well as the standard movies (maximum resolution 640 x 480 pixels - top speed 60 frames per second), you can also shoot one minute high speed movies and also time lapse movies.

In standard movie mode sound can be recorded and zoom can be used while recording is in progress. In this mode you can shoot up to 4GB or one hour of footage.

The short high speed movies can be played back in slow motion and are often used to review activities like tennis serves. Time lapse movies fire off single shots at pre determined intervals. Example uses include plotting a flower opening or clouds moving across the sky.

Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color can all be selected. Additional colour controls include Color Accent and Color Swap.

Among the more advanced features are metering (Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF frame), Centre-weighted average, Spot (centre)), white balance (Auto, Daylight, Cloudy, Tungsten, Fluorescent, Fluorescent H, Custom), exposure compensation (+/- 2 EV in 1/3 stop increments) and ISO sensitivity (AUTO, High ISO Auto, 80, 100, 200, 400, 800, 1600).

Shutter speeds are set automatically by the camera. These work in the range 15 - 1/1600 seconds.

Continuous shooting at a rate of 1.3 shots per second until the memory card is full.

Canon provides cables and software to connect the IXUS 950 IS to a computer, compatible printer and television set.

An underwater case is available. This is the WP-DC15. It is waterproof to a depth of 40m. Canon IXUS 950 IS

Description:	8 megapixels and 4x zoom lens
Ease of Use:	7
Features:	9
Colour:	9
Macro:	9
Indoors:	9
Value for Money:	8
Style:	9
Movie Mode:	9
Image Quality:	9
Build Quality:	9
Total:	87
Verdict:	"If you are looking for a quality, point and shoot digital camera then the Canon IXUS 950 IS is one for your shortlist. It has a number of strengths such as picture quality and build quality and is certainly well worth a close look. Recommended."
Review Date:	September 2007
Related Pages:	Canon IXUS 950 IS Specification Canon IXUS 950 IS Sample Images Canon IXUS 950 IS Features

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Panasonic DMC ZX1	83
Panasonic DMC FX550	83
Nikon Coolpix S630	81
Fuji Finepix F200exr	81
Olympus MJU 7000	81
Olympus MJU 7010	80
Olympus MJU 5000	80
Sony DSC W270	77

Although every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of the information on this site, please make sure you double check the feature set and specification at the point of purchase.

Canon IXUS 950 IS