Navigate Review Jump to review page...

Canon PowerShot SD950 IS Performance


Timing and Performance

Good to average speed for a consumer camera.

Startup/Shutdown

Power on
to first shot

 1.2 seconds

Time it takes for LCD to turn on and lens to deploy.

Shutdown

 1.4 seconds

How long it takes to retract lens.

Buffer clearing time

 1 second
(1 second buffer clearing LSF JPEG mode)

Worst case buffer clearing time. -- This is the delay after a set of shots before you can remove the card. Some cameras won't retract their lenses and shut down until the buffer is cleared.
Mode switching

Play to Record,
first shot

 1.3 seconds

Time until first shot is captured.

Record to play

 1.1 seconds

Time to display a large/superfine file immediately after capture.

Display
recorded image

 0.8 second

Time to display a large/superfine file already on the memory card.
Shutter response (Lag Time)

Full Autofocus Wide

 0.57 second

Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at wide angle position.

Full Autofocus Tele

 0.62 second

Time from fully pressing shutter button to image capture, zoom lens at telephoto position.

Prefocused

 0.089 second

Time to capture, after half-pressing and holding shutter button.
Cycle time (shot to shot)
Single Shot mode
Large SuperFine JPEG
 1.96 seconds

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Single Shot mode
640x480 Normal JPEG

 1.93 seconds

Time per shot, averaged over 20 shots.

Early shutter
penalty?

 No

Some cameras refuse to snap another shot if you release and press the shutter too quickly in Single Shot mode, making "No" the preferred answer.

Continuous mode
Large SuperFine JPEG

 0.87 second (1.16 frames per second);
20+ frames total;
1 second to clear

Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.

Continuous mode
Large Fine JPEG
0.86 second (1.17 frames per second);
20+ frames total;
1 second to clear

Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.

Continuous mode
640x480 Normal JPEG

 0.62 second (1.61 frames per second);
20+ frames total;
1 second to clear

Time per shot, averaged over buffer length or 20 shots, whichever came first.

Flash recycling

 7.4 seconds

Flash at maximum output.

Download speed

Windows Computer, USB 2.0

 3,408 KBytes/sec

Typical Values:
Less than 600=USB 1.1;
600-769=USB 2.0 Low;
Above 770=USB 2.0 High

*Note: Buffer clearing times measured with a Kingston Ultimate 133x SD memory card. Slower cards will produce correspondingly slower clearing times. Slow cards may also limit length of bursts in continuous mode. ISO sensitivity also affects cycle times and burst mode performance, with higher ISOs generally increasing cycle times and reducing burst performance.

The Canon PowerShot SD950 IS' performance ranges from quite fast to about average, depending on what you're trying to do. It starts up and shuts down quickly, and mode-switching is also good. Shutter response is pretty good at both wide angle and telephoto, at 0.57s and 0.62s respectively, with good "Prefocus" times (half-pressing and holding down the shutter button before the final exposure) at 0.089 second. Shot-to-shot cycle times are about average at about 1.96 seconds for large/superfine JPEGs, and the camera appears to capture shots continuously in single-shot mode without having to stop and clear the buffer. Continuous mode is on the slower side of average, at 1.16 frames-per-second for 20 large/superfine JPEG frames. The flash takes 7.4 seconds to recharge after a full-power shot, pretty good considering how powerful it is. Connected to a computer or printer with USB 2.0, download speeds are quite fast. Bottom line, the Canon SD950 IS is quick and responsive in most cases, great for family photos and some action.

Battery and Storage Capacity

Battery
Average battery life for a lithium-ion design.

Operating Mode Number of Shots
Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery, LCD On
(CIPA standard)
240
Lithium-ion Rechargeable Battery, LCD Off
(CIPA standard)
580

The Canon PowerShot SD950 IS uses a custom rechargeable lithium-ion battery for power, and ships with a charger. Battery life is about average, though we still recommend you pick up a spare battery and keep it freshly charged and on-hand for extended outings.

The table above shows the number of shots the camera is capable of (on either a fresh set of disposable batteries or a fully-charged rechargeable battery as appropriate), based on CIPA battery-life and/or manufacturer standard test conditions.

(Interested readers can find an English translation of the CIPA DC-002 standards document here. (180K PDF document))

Storage
The Canon PowerShot SD950 IS accepts SD/MMC memory cards, and includes a 32MB MMC Plus card.

Image Capacity with
32MB Memory Card		 SuperFine Fine Normal
4,000 x 3,000
Images
5
9
20
File Size
5.5 MB
3.3 MB
1.6 MB
3,264 x 2,448
Images
8
14
29
File Size
3.7 MB
2.2 MB
1.1 MB
2,592 x 1,944
Images
11
21
41
File Size
2.6 MB
1.5 MB
762 KB
1,600 x 1,200
Images
29
52
99
File Size
1.1 MB
610 KB
322 KB
640 x 480
Images
111
171
269
File Size
288 KB
186 KB
119 KB

We strongly recommend buying a large capacity SDHC or SD memory card at least a 1GB card, preferably a 4GB one, to give yourself extra space for extended outings and video. (Check the shopping link above, cards are really cheap these days, so no reason to skimp.)

 

Buy the Canon SD950 IS

Your purchases support this site

Buy the Canon SD950 IS


Navigate Review Jump to review page...