The Canon IXUS 960 IS is a 12 megapixel camera with a 3.7x optical zoom lens. Zoom can be increased through a feature called safety zoom when shooting at lower resolutions. 4x digital zoom is also available.

The lens has a focal length equivalent to 36 - 133mm in 35mm format and a maximum aperture of f/2.8 - f/5.8.

• Image stabilisation
• Special resolution for widescreen television playback
• Self timer
• 60 seconds of commentary can be added to a still photo
• Red eye correction after photo have been taken.

In macro mode the camera can focus from 5cm away from the subject. There is a special face detection setting for improving focusing for portraits.

The 2.5 inch LCD screen is made up of around 230,000 pixels. This leaves room for a viewfinder as well.

The flash modes you can use are Auto, Manual Flash On / Off. You can also turn on and off red eye reduction and slow sync speed. The maximum range of the flash unit is 4.6m. This falls to 2.4m when the zoom lens is in use.

To boost the power of the flash you can buy an external flash unit. This is Canon's High Power Flash HF-DC1.

The scene modes available are Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids & Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Snow, Beach, Fireworks, Aquarium and Underwater.

Colour Effects
The following colour effects can be applied. Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, and Custom Color.

Movies of up to 1 hour or 4gb in size can be captured. Sound can be recorded, but optical zoom can only be applied before you start shooting a movie. Digital zoom is available during recording.

The maximum resolution is 640 x 480 pixels and the top speed is 30 frames per second.

You can also shoot time lapse movies with the IXUS 960 IS.

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

Continuous shooting at a maximum speed of 1.5 frames per second is available too.

Sutter speeds are controlled automatically by the camera and work in the range 15 - 1/1,600 seconds.

All the necessary cables and software are supplied to connect the camera to a compatible printer, television and computer.

If you are thinking of taking the IXUS 960 IS diving, you will be pleased to know Canon offer a waterproof case (WP-DC19) and a weight for the case (WW-DC1). The case is waterproof to a depth of 40m. Canon IXUS 960 IS

Description:	12 megapixels and a 3.7x zoom lens
Ease of Use:	7
Features:	8
Colour:	9
Macro:	9
Indoors:	8
Value for Money:	8
Style:	9
Movie Mode:	8
Image Quality:	8
Build Quality:	9
Total:	83
Verdict:	The Canon IXUS 960 IS is one of the better point and shoot digital cameras when it comes to picture quality. Shutter delay times in my tests are a concern though and it will make the camera less attractive if you are planning to use the camera to photograph active children.
Review Date:	October 2007
Related Pages:	Canon IXUS 960 IS Specification Canon IXUS 960 IS Sample Images Canon IXUS 960 IS Features

Camera	Rating
Panasonic DMC FX60	86
Canon IXUS 120 IS	86
Sony DSC TX1	86
Canon IXUS 110 IS	86
Canon IXUS 100 IS	86
Panasonic DMC FS62	85
Samsung ST550	85
Nikon Coolpix S570	85

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 960 IS