Canon IXUS 950 IS

The Canon IXUS 950 IS shouldn’t disappoint style-conscious photographers, thanks to its stunning three-tone silver finish and sleek design. Created very much in the mould of previous IXUS models, it sits in the hand with ease. The reassuring weight of its diminutive body should be well received too. But while first impressions are important, it’s the juicy stuff this camera has to offer beneath its casing that’s exciting. Packed with technology, it has everything from Face Detection technology and 4x optical zoom, to a 230,000-pixel LCD screen and Canon’s built-in Image Stabiliser (IS). The camera’s speedy DIGIC III processor powers the Face Detection, improved noise reduction and red-eye correction features – adding to the list of positive attributes.

Switch on the camera and you’re ready to start shooting almost instantly. Shutter lag isn’t a problem either. Obtain a focus lock by half-depressing the shutter release when taking action shots and you’ll find that the camera responds virtually instantaneously. This makes the chances of missing a shot drastically reduced. Playback mode has a treasure-trove of fun features to try out. The IXUS 950 incorporates everything from in-camera image editing (including red-eye removal), to customisable slideshows with a range of different transition effects to choose from – they’re fun, easy to use and look surprisingly good too. You’ll also find that tilting the camera into the portrait position causes the picture on the screen to automatically change its orientation. This is a really useful attribute that saves a lot of hassle if you’re checking images in a hurry. You can also tag and organise your images in-camera, reducing the amount of time you need to spend at your computer after uploading. Back in shooting mode, Canon has provided plenty to get your teeth into without placing too many demands on the user.

Whether you prefer to shoot using pre-set scene modes (there are 18 to choose from), fully automated options, or apply your own programmed settings, there is an exposure mode to suit your needs. However, Canon’s Manual mode is not manual in the way we usually understand it. There’s no aperture or shutter control; it’s simply a glorified Program mode, offering EV, white balance, metering and the like. The lens is quick to respond, speedily zooming in on your chosen subject and producing wonderfully crisp images. A further 4x digital zoom is available too, allowing you to shoot at a maximum zoom factor of around 16x, if you don’t mind losing some image resolution (with 8-megapixels at your disposal  you can afford to lose some).

Making changes to settings is done via the Touch Control dial. Scroll your finger around it and a virtual dial will also appear on screen, giving you quick access to different modes. It’s a good idea, but it can take a bit of patience while you get used to it. If it’s not your thing, you can switch it off, at which point you’ll just have the familiar system of scrolling through and selecting features from icons. Meanwhile, the Menu button takes you straight to the more advanced features and customisable settings and the Display button can be used to turn the LCD screen on and off to save power. An additional button can be assigned a function by the user, who can choose from exposure compensation, white balance, custom white balance, Digital Tele-converter (zoom) and Grid Line Overlay (for easy composition).

Another feature worthy of note is the fact that the 950 IS offers ISO 1600, with Auto ISO Shift for improved low-light shooting. This, coupled with the Image Stabilisation (IS) and enhanced noise reduction offered by DIGIC III, results in much cleaner, crisper images.

Those who like a bit of fun will love the Creative Light Effect and Colour Swap modes offered. Creative Light Effect is designed for use in situations where you have small lights in the background of your nighttime portraits. The IS and a longer exposure combine to let the user pick from a range of shapes, including hearts, flowers and stars, which appear around each point of light. Colour Swap does exactly what it says: point the camera at the part of your image that you want to change colour, then point it at another object of the colour that you wish to superimpose. The camera will automatically swap these colours. The high-resolution 2.5-inch LCD is a thing of beauty, highly visible from a range of angles and in most lights.

This really is a camera with something to offer everyone. It has fun, creative features, but it also has enough shooting power and programmable functions to make it a valuable tool for more ambitious photographers. It has got plenty of technology to help you get the best possible pictures and it looks fantastic – what more could you ask for?