Canon IXUS 950 IS / PowerShot SD850 IS / IXY 810 IS

alaTest has collected and analyzed 313 reviews from magazines and websites. People are impressed by the glare and performance. The design and usability also get good feedback, but there are some mixed reviews about the portability. There are some critical comments about the viewfinder and manual image adjustments.

image quality, usability, design, performance, glare

features, exposure, shutter, manual adjust., viewfinder

We analyzed user and expert ratings, product age and more factors. Compared to other Digital Compact Cameras the Canon IXUS 950 IS / PowerShot SD850 IS / IXY 810 IS is awarded an overall alaScore™ of 87/100 = Very good quality.

See all Canon Digital Compact Cameras

Review analysis

(Based on 313 reviews)

Expert Reviews  

User Reviews  

Showing 154 review(s)

Expert Reviews User Reviews
Showing 1 - 10 of 154 Show Reviews: in English | in other languages (171)

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Canon PowerShot SD850 IS (Digital IXUS 950 IS / IXY Digital 810 IS)

 

The SD850 IS (IXUS 950 IS in Europe) was first announced in May 2007 as a replacement for the Powershot SD700 IS. It constitutes only a relatively subtle upgrade. Visually the SD850 is virtually indistinguishable from the older model (only the color of...

Good resolution, excellent edge-to-edge sharpness ; Useful zoom range (although no 28mm wide angle) ; Very clean results at lower ISO settings ; Fast and accurate focus (although slightly slower in low light) ; Very responsive ; Excellent user...

Battery life when using LCD not brilliant ; Slightly underpowered built-in flash ; No 'A' or 'S' modes, generally little manual control ; Auto White Balance performance under artificial light not brilliant ; The usual problems of noise and noise...

The SD850 IS is a typical example of what Canon does so well; a beautifully constructed, well designed and capable compact camera that doesn't break any new ground but does what it does with the refinement that comes from years of fine tuning and a...

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Canon PowerShot SD850 IS Review and Prices

 

Canon's first compact digital camera appeared in 2000, and its series of ultra-compact models released since then have been extremely popular among beginning photographers. The latest model, the PowerShot SD850 IS, may very well be the best of the...

Good value, outstanding response times, very good image quality, outstanding low-light results, good features for beginners

Internal memory would be handy, could use a few more high-end manual controls

Recommended!

Expert review by:

Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS Review

 

The Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS is an 8 megapixel digital camera with a 2.5 inch LCD screen and an optical viewfinder (now an increasingly rare feature on compact cameras). The IXUS 950 IS ...

The flagship Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS admittedly looks a little expensive compared against its 8 megapixel rivals, some of which are more than 100 cheaper, but it doesn't seem to have halted Canon's inexorable ...

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Expert review by:

Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS digital camera review

 

The Canon IXUS 950 IS updates the almost identical IXUS 850 IS with another million pixels and a new 4x optical zoom lens. Other key features include optical image stabilisation, a very clear, bright and easy to see 2.5-inch colour screen plus 18-scene...

Build and design, image stabilisation, low ISO image quality

Lacks manual controls even in manual mode, image noise above ISO 800, lens softness at edges and not wide enough field of view, scene modes smooth away detail, AiAF accuracy

On the final analyses, the 950 IS looks expensive at £329

Expert review by:

Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS digital camera

 

Can Canon impress with this 8 megapixel digicam?

Build and design, image stabilisation, low ISO image quality

On the final analyses, the 950 IS looks expensive at £329

On the final analyses, the 950 IS looks expensive at £329

Expert review by:

Canon Digital Ixus 950 IS

 

The 950 IS has no shortage of high-tech extras within in its solid metal case

Strong features spec, Delivers good-quality images, Very well built

Difficult to use at times, Zoom range could be greater, Quite pricey

Be warned: this takes a lot of getting used to and it's infuriatingly imprecise, both in clickwheel and standard use. Otherwise, the menu system is logical and fast, even if the all-plastic controls feel cheap

Expert review by:

Canon Ixus 950 IS review

 

The relentless march of digital technology means that new features are arriving almost daily - so how do you decide which are worth pursuing? You could do worse than simply wait and see which ones Canon decides to include in its Ixus range

Strong features sec ; Delivers good-quality images ; Very well built

Difficult to use at times ; Zoom range could be greater ; Quite ricey

Expert review by:

Canon Digital Ixus 950 IS review

 

Canon's flagship Ixus is one of the better-looking cameras here.

Expert review by:

Review: Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS digital camera

 

A camera upgrade that includes image stabilisation

Good points

Recommended!

Expert review by:

Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS

 

It's lovely, it's expensive, it's a Canon.

The Canon Digital IXUS 950 IS is an expensive luxury camera, but there's no doubt that the money buys solid build quality, brilliant performance and superior picture quality too. There are many other cameras that can beat its specification and features...

Product Specifications

The Digital IXUS 950 IS artfully combines refined style with formidable performance. A 4x optical Image Stabilizer lens and pioneering technologies make stunning photography effortless. A distinctive curved design and three-tone metallic finish set the Digital IXUS 950 IS apart from the crowd. The convenient Touch Control Dial makes it easy to select menu features when shooting or browse captured images in playback. Useful functions can be assigned to the Shortcut button for one-touch access. An 8.0 Megapixel sensor captures the fine detail in every scene, with enough resolution for photo-quality poster prints. The powerful 4x optical zoom lens incorporates Canon's renowned optical Image Stabilizer technology to counteract camera shake. An Ultra-High Refractive Index Aspherical (UA) lens element ensures exceptional clarity throughout the zoom range. Canon's DIGIC III processor provides lightning quick responses, superb image quality and advanced noise reduction for sharper, clearer images. iSAPS technology analyzes each scene to optimize key camera settings even before a shot is taken. Face Detection AF/AE/FE ensures superb people shots by automatically detecting the subjects in the frame and selecting the optimum focus, exposure and flash settings. My Category tags each image based on face detection and shooting mode for easy navigation, printing, deleting and more. During playback Face Detection Technology allows you to quickly and accurately correct red-eye. A high resolution (230000 pixels) PureColor LCD displays richer, vivid colors with sharp definition. An anti-glare, scratch-resistant coating adds extra protection against knocks and scrapes. Shoot clear, bright images in dim conditions with ISO 1600 - ideal for parties and restaurants or where flash photography is not allowed. Use Auto ISO Shift to avoid image blur with the touch of a button whenever camera shake is predicted. A choice of 18 shooting modes includes Creative Light Effect - an innovative feature that uses the optical Image Stabilizer to create shapes from points of light in the background of dark scenes. My Colors allows color effects to be applied to images and movies direct from the camera. Shoot 30fps VGA quality movies with stereo sound. Use the Time Lapse Movie function to capture changing scenes - a flower's bloom, drifting clouds or a bustling city street - for accelerated playback as smooth video clips.

Audio Input

Type:Microphone

Battery

Battery Form Factor:Manufacturer specific
Manufacturer Battery Name:Canon NB-5L

Camera Flash

Red Eye Reduction: Yes
Type:Built-in flash

Digital Camera

Digital Camera Type:Compact
Supported Flash Memory:MultiMediaCard / SD Memory Card / SDHC Memory Card

Dimensions & Weight

Depth:1in
Height:2.2in
Weight:5.8oz
Width:3.5in

Display (Projector)

Diagonal Size:2.5in
Diagonal Size (metric):6.4cm
Display Form Factor:Built-in
Technology:TFT active matrix
Type:LCD display

Exposure Parameters

Shooting Programs:Aquarium / Beach / Color accent / Color swap / Digital macro / Fireworks / Foliage / Indoor / Kids & pets / Night snapshot / Portrait mode / Snow / Stitch assist / Underwater/Aquarium / Beach / Digital macro / Fireworks / Foliage / Indoor / Kids & pets / Night snapshot / Portrait mode / Snow / Stitch assist / Underwater

Flash Memory

Form Factor:SD Memory Card
Storage Capacity:32MB

Header

Manufacturer:Canon
Model:950 IS/SD850 IS Digital ELPH
Packaged Quantity:1
Product Line:Canon Digital IXUS/Canon PowerShot

Lens System

Lens Aperture:F/2.8-5.5
Max Focal Length:23.2mm
Min Focal Length:5.8mm
Optical Zoom:4
Type:Zoom lens

Miscellaneous

Microsoft Certification:Certified for Windows Vista
Vista Certification:Certified for Windows Vista

Optical Sensor

Optical Sensor Size:1/2.5"
Optical Sensor Size (metric):10.2 mm ( 1/2.5 ) / 10.2 mm ( 1/2.5" )
Optical Sensor Type:CCD
Sensor Resolution:8Megapixel

Optical System

Built-in Optical Image Stabilizer: Yes
Image Stabilizer:Optical

Optical Viewfinder

Type:Real-image zoom

Storage Floppy Drive

Type: None

Video Input

Digital Video Format:AVI
Digital Zoom:4
ISO (Max):1600
Light Sensitivity:ISO 100 / ISO 1600 / ISO 200 / ISO 400 / ISO 80 / ISO 800 / ISO auto
Shooting Modes:Frame movie mode
Special Effects:Black & White / Color Accent / Color Swap / Creative Light / Custom Effect / Darker Skin Tone / Lighter Skin Tone / Neutral / Positive Film / Sepia / Vivid / Vivid Blue / Vivid Green / Vivid Red/Color Accent / Color Swap / Creative Light / My Colors
Still Image Format:JPEG
Type:Digital camera

Viewfinder

Viewfinder Type:Optical
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