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The camera has three optical image stabilization modes: "Continuous" is always active, even before the shutter is pressed. This is helpful for seeing the effect of the camera's image stabilizer while composing an image but is more of a drain on battery life. The camera's "Shoot Only" mode activates image stabilization once the shutter release has been pressed. A "Panning" mode activates image stabilization on only the vertical axis, ideal if shooting subjects moving horizontally, such as a runner or car along a track.
The PowerShot SD950 IS offers several movie modes including a high-resolution 1024x768 px capture mode that records video with sound at 15 fps. This slower frame rate proved adequate during in-camera review, though video was slightly choppy on our computer. Bringing the resolution down to VGA (640x480px) allows the photographer to capture video with sound at 30 fps. At this resolution, you can take advantage of the camera's 4x digital zoom, though optical zoom cannot be activated while recording. (Use the 4x digital zoom at your own risk, however, as your image quality will suffer. We suggest picking a focal length and sticking with it for the clip duration.) A combination of optical and digital zoom can be used as long as optical zoom is set before recording. Lower resolution modes are also available as is a time-lapse mode that captures VGA images at 1- or 2-second intervals.
The camera's flash works well for its size, capturing well-exposed group shots in low light. Red-eye reduction wasn't always effective, as some of my subjects had red eyes despite being captured with red-eye reduction active, but this can easily be corrected in the camera's playback mode. (More on that below.) Users can select from three flash modes: On, Off, or Auto. Images can also be captured with flash in conjunction with the camera's slow synchro mode, which continues exposing the frame even after the flash has fired -- think of a portrait in front of the Eiffel Tower at night; without this mode, the structure would barely be visible -- but keeping the shutter open longer allows for the background exposure. Use a tripod, or you're likely to have squiggles even with Image stabilization!
PLAYBACK MODES
The camera's playback mode has some very cool features. In addition to the usual slide show, erase, resize, and color modification options, the playback mode offers an effective red-eye correction feature as well. This makes up for the camera's inconsistent red-eye flash performance by automatically locating red-eye in the picture and effectively removing it. The user is presented with options to overwrite the existing file, save as a new file, or cancel after removing red-eye. What matters most is the end result, and the SD950 IS can consistently produce a red-eye free image after correcting in the playback mode even if not captured that way by the camera.
The playback mode also provides a voice memo feature as well as an option to record stand-alone audio files at 44.100kHz, 22.050kHz, or 11.025kHz, until the card is full. With the included 32MB card, for example, you can record just over 6 minutes at the 44.100kHz setting or 24 minutes at the 11.025kHz setting. Depending on the output audio quality desired, you may be able to select a lower quality level, just as you can bump down image resolution to conserve space. CD-quality mp3 files are recorded at 44.100kHz, and in my tests, audio quality recorded at this level was exceptional while audio recorded at the 11.025kHz setting was comparable to that of a telephone call. Also in the playback mode is an option to configure the camera's play button to play back single images, all images as a slide show, or to launch the camera's sound recorder. Canon also provides standard DPOF printing functionality.
IN THE FIELD
In the field, the camera performed well in most standard situations. I took the SD950 IS with me on a daytrip to Cape May, NJ, leaving my DSLR at home. If you're the type of photographer who likes to get creative with their framing, you're going to have to get creative with figuring out how to get the camera to expose and focus correctly. Without the ability to manually set exposure or focus in the camera's manual mode, it may be necessary to recompose an image after taking a proper meter reading and establishing a focal point. You can set the camera's AF Lock by establishing a focal point then pressing the macro/landscape button while holding the shutter button halfway, but learning to do so requires a bit of digging through the camera's manual.
Image quality was fantastic as ISO 80, 100, and even 200, but began to suffer at ISO 400 when viewing the image at 100% on a computer. Noise became overwhelming at ISO 800 and above, so avoid these higher ISO modes if possible. If using the manual ISO, be sure to check the ISO setting when light conditions change so you're not shooting a midday beach scene at ISO 400! And the Image Stabilization should help keep shots sharp, even at lower ISOs in lower light.
Although the camera offers a variety of scene modes, I prefer leaving the camera in manual to maintain as much control over the image as possible. For photographers looking for ease of use rather than complete creative control, however, the SD950 IS will be sure to please, offering all the essential scene modes (with a sports mode being the only notable exception).
Stitch Assist mode, which assists the photographer while photographing panoramas, is a handy feature. Activating the mode allows the photographer to take sequential shots while maintaining focal length, exposure, and focus and provides a portion of the previous image captured, enabling the photographer to match composition with the previous image. Canon also includes their PhotoStitch application for assembling the captured images into a panorama using a Mac or PC. When capturing a panorama, it's key to frame your scene loosely as portions of the image edges may be lost when using the PhotoStitch application to line up your images -- but you'll get huge, print-worthy output files once PhotoStitch works its magic.
I really had a blast shooting with this camera. Even with good lighting conditions at the beach town of Cape May, the camera's image stabilization came in handy when shooting at longer focal lengths, as the maximum aperture at the camera's longest focal length of 133mm (35mm equivalent) is f/5.8, just over two stops higher than the overall maximum aperture of f/2.8. Images were crisp and generally well exposed, and while the housing feels nearly as durable as a solid piece of metal, the lightweight pocket cam didn't weigh me down. The LCD was visible even in bright sunlight and focus was fast in all situations with a negligible shutter delay after focus was established. When using the flash, shot-to-shot time was a bit sluggish, but not painfully slow. The battery never showed any signs of wearing down despite hours of shooting and review with the built-in LCD. The camera has a CIPA rating of 240 shots with the LCD on and 580 shots when you keep it off. Overall, Canon hit the mark with their SD950 IS, providing optical image stabilization, 12.1-megapixels, and overall good performance in a slim, rugged, pocket-sized package.
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