Canon SD870IS or SD950IS?

[a6guy]

I have decided to upgrade my current digital camera and have narrowed the field down to the Canon SD870IS and SD950IS. I think they both have their positives and negatives. The 870 has the wide-angle lens and the larger LCD screen, but is only 8 megapixels. The 950 is 12 megapixel and has a smaller screen. I occasionally do some photo-editing work (in an architectural firm) and think that the 950 would be better suited for this. In regards to the 950, am I correct that it also has a superior image processor (same as G9)? Also, I've read some reviews that say as a result of the higher resolution, it tends to have somewhat sluggish perfomance. Is this correct? Has anyone else had this problem? If I were to use a SanDisk Extreme III SDHC memory card would the lag problem be eliminated due to the Extreme III's fast read/write time? Any opinions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[simplicityho]

Megapixel race=fail.
Unless you're a professional - then go buy an SLR - I don't think you would print that big. Go for the larger screen.

[David Metsky]

The two cameras both have the Digic-III processor, same as the G9, so there's no difference there. The 12.1 MP image comes from a sensor with the same dimensions as the 8 MP image in the SD870, which usually leads to more noise in the final image. More MP doesn't not equal better image. 8 MP is probably fine for any task you have in mind, unless you plan on printing poster sized.

The bigger the image, the longer it takes to write out. The limiting factor is the camera, however, not the memory card. Anything faster then 60x isn't going to do you any good, it won't speed up write speeds. But unless you are shooting in burst mode it's not going to be an issue. Buildings tend not to move too quickly, so I don't think it would be a problem. :)

For architectural needs, a wide angle lens would seem to be more important then a few extra MP. I won't buy a camera without an optical viewfinder so I went for the SD800, but if that's not an issue for you then the 870 should be fine.

[mussomax]

Apart from the G9 forum overload this is one of the other discussion areas in the compact canon camp. I am going through this same process and have identified my most important considerations. I rarely print, and prefer to look and share my results on a monitor and large screen TV etc. so the larger resolution and sensor and is a factor. I also prefer more info for cropping, and just as important if not more so is pocket portability as I would not take anything too large and "in your face". Another thing with the 950 pictures is that the larger format appears as a 'pseudo zoom' and would possibly make the digital zoom more appealing than a lesser res camera. At this stage I am definitely leaning (99%) towards the 950 which appears to satisfy best my needs (and maybe yours). As far as the faster memory Extreme III goes, it appears from the feedback I have found and discussed first hand, that it does make a considerable difference in speed of this camera's lag. My wish is to get the 950 and the TX1 (for again portability but movie with ability to freeze/extract a frame with reasonable quality in stills and OS zoom without the price of a cam)

[mussomax]

By now most people interested in this thread would have discovered another site which now has reviews of these two cameras to make some sort of informed decision (http://www.imaging-resource.com) based on .

I would prefer Jeff's review of the SD950 as his gallery samples are much easier and more useful to compare> being outside in near identical conditions in day and night etc in conditions which most of us will use the camera in at some time.

I am trying to hold on a bit longer, in the anticipation that Jeff might just acquire the camera for a few sample picks of his usual pics ie cathedral or china town to make the decision process a bit easier. There is very little in the way of near identical, real life outdoor pics on the sites I have searched. Maybe some-one has found one, if so can you please post the site details.

thanks for looking ...;)Max

[AndyfromVA]

For a listing of 10 reviews, see Dphoto Journal

http://www.dphotojournal.com/canon-powershot-sd950-ixus960-is-reviews-sample-photos/