The Canon IXUS 950 IS an eight megapixel digital camera. At around 26mm it is perhaps a shade large to slip comfortably into a pocket. At 165g before the battery and memory card are added it is on the heavy side for a jacket pocket as well.
In America the IXUS 950 IS is known as the Canon PowerShot SD 850 IS.
This video guide walks you through the main features and gives you an idea of how to get started if you have just bought the camera.
With a 4x optical zoom lens you have some extra zoom power compared to the standard 3x. One of the attractions of the camera is that fact that the lens has image stabilisation. This is not a must have on a camera with a 4x zoom lens, but it can help to sharpen up photos when the full zoom is used and the light starts to get low.
A couple of other features of note are face detection software and red eye correction. The face detection software should help the camera to focus on faces for portrait shots. The software can detect faces for either individual or group photos. Red eye correction is in addition to red eye reduction. The correction software attempts to identify and remove any red eye after a photo has been taken.
I like the design and build quality of the IXUS 950 IS. It feels solid in the hand and is quite stylish in its looks.
The IXUS 950 IS has a viewfinder in addition to a large 2.5 inch LCD screen. There are not that many digital cameras around with a viewfinder so if this is something you are on the look out for this camera is likely to find its way onto your shortlist.
Price wise the IXUS 950 IS is one of the most expensive compact digital cameras you can buy. This is especially true for a camera without any manual exposure controls. This is a good quality camera though and I am sure it will prove to be very popular despite its price tag.
Power comes from a lithium ion battery. Canon supplies both a battery and charger with the camera. They estimate that you should be able to take around 230 in between charges.
Canon also supplies a 32mb memory card with the IXUS 950 IS. Although this is more generous than you normally find with a digital camera it will soon become full if you are taking eight megapixel photos or shooting short movies. The camera is compatible with SD and SDHC cards.
The camera is one of the few to offer time lapse movies. These are not video clips, but a series of single shots taken at preset intervals. They are often used to plot the movement of clouds across the sky or a flower opening.
Movies are recorded in stereo. There is also a special movie setting allowing for slow motion playback. A couple of examples of applications for this are for analysing a golf swings or tennis serves.
