A review of the Canon Ixus 960is Digital Camera
The Canon Ixus 850is and 950is impressed us so much we though that Canon might struggle to improve upon perfection, but then a short while ago they pulled the Ixus 960is out of the bag and slapped it on the table with some additions that made us drool. Design |
| The previous two Ixus models were very comfortable to hold with a bit of weight behind them so you know you had hold of something good. This titanium body continues with the 960is and has curves in all the right places to further improve the comfort. The 960is also has the added extra touch control dial which provides easy access to popular functions. A view finder is still present which is rare to find today. |
| Features |
| The Ixus 960is has features galore starting with the main difference to the previous Ixus models a whopping 12.1 mega pixels, a 3.7x optical zoom lens with Image Stabiliser and Ultra High Refractive Aspherical Index for capture of high quality images through the zoom range. A 2.5” PureColour LCD with 230,000 pixels which displays sharp, vibrant images also has an anti-glare scratch resistant coating which assists against knocks, scratches or bumps, therefore prolonging the life of the camera. Working alongside the Image Stabilisation, Auto ISO shift enhances protection against camera shake and blur caused by subject movement. The ever successful DIGIC III processor is also on board ensuring that immediate responses and optimum results are achieved. Face detection also ensures that detected faces within an image have optimum focus, exposure and flash settings. |
| Performance |
| We managed to get our hands on the Ixus 960is and spent some quality time together which revealed some very interesting results. With just under a second start up, the 960is had impressed us as soon as we switched it on compared to the 850is which was just over a second and the 950is started in 1.2 seconds. The Face Detection (FD) feature works really well as a dotted box appears over all of the faces it detects on the image before you take the shot and then optimises the focus etc as explained above. We trialled this by switching the FD off and took the same shot as when it was switched on. The difference was astonishing and we thought it was amazing that we ever took pictures without this feature in the past. We found the menu system very simple to navigate as all you need can be accessed quickly and efficiently through the touch control dial. The images we achieved were very impressive too, vivid natural colours and sharp edges stood out to deep black levels. We found that image noise only started to creep in at around ISO 800 as before that setting it was very minimal and not visible on the print itself let alone on a PC screen. Battery life is also good at around 240 images from a single charge. |
| Overall Opinion |
| The Canon Ixus 960is may be a little pricey over other compact digital cameras with a similar specification, but you can tell this model has been manufactured with skill and care and this is proven in its unbeatable performance. Images are fantastic and with such speedy response times, we will struggle to beat this review. |
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Pros + Excellent response times + Natural and accurate colours + 12.1 mega pixels + Dual Image Stabilisation + Great features |
Cons |
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Picture Quality 10/10
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Battery Life 10/10
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Setup Simplicity 10/10
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Build Quality 10/10
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Ease of Use 10/10
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Overall Rating 
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4/10/2007
at 4:35:20pm
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Canon IXUS 960 IS Review The Canon IXUS 960 IS has plenty of megapixels (12). It has a 3.7x optical zoom. The body is made of titanium and the camera has a stylish design. Picture quality is some way above average, but I am concerned that the shutter lag is longer than I would like to see... read | |||
cameras.co.uk
8/8/2008 6:51:00am
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