Canon PowerShot SD850 IS (IXUS 950 IS) Preview

The Canon PowerShot SD850 IS (Digital IXUS 950 IS) with 8.0 Megapixel , an upgrade to the award-winning Digital IXUS 800 IS. Sporting a three-tone metal finish with distinctive curved lines, the PowerShot SD850 IS (Digital IXUS 950 IS) comes equipped with a 4x optical zoom lens with optical Image Stabilizer and the DIGIC III image processor. Along with faster processing and advanced Noise Reduction, DIGIC III powers Canon’s Face Detection Technology and Red-Eye Correction for superb people shots.

Other key advancements include ISO 1600 with Auto ISO Shift for improved low light shooting and a 2.5″ PureColor LCD screen offering enhanced colour reproduction and scratch-resistance. New creative features include Time Lapse Movie and Creative Light Effect modes.

PowerShot SD850 IS Features:

• 8.0 Megapixels
• 4x optical zoom 35-140mm (35mm equivalent) UA lens with optical Image Stabilizer
• Eye-catching design with Touch Control Dial
• DIGIC III with Face Detection AF/AE/FE and
• Noise Reduction Technology
• Red-Eye Correction in playback
• 2.5″ high resolution PureColor LCD
• ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift
• 18 Shooting modes including Creative Light Effect plus My Colors photo effects
• 30fps VGA Movies and Time Lapse Movie function
• Shortcut button for instant access to favourite functions
• Street price $399.99.

Face Detection Technology: Powering better images

Canon’s advanced DIGIC III image processor powers a range of functions related to Face Detection Technology. Face Detection AF/AE/FE automatically detects up to nine faces within a scene and optimize focus, exposure and flash exposure accordingly. Red-Eye Correction in playback uses Face Detection Technology to search through captured images and remove any red-eye it detects. Users can also perform red-eye correction manually if needed.

4x optical zoom with optical Image Stabilizer

Compact cameras are more susceptible to camera shake from handheld shots, especially in low light situations. 70 years of Canon’s optical innovation have enabled the development of lens elements that are perfectly suited to the challenges of compact photography. The PowerShot SD850 IS (Digital IXUS 950 IS) employs Canon’s lens-shift optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology to compensate for camera shake caused by unwanted hand movement. Enabling shooting at shutter speeds up to 3 stops slower than would normally be possible, the optical Image Stabilizer is particularly useful at full zoom or when using the 2cm Macro mode. The 4x optical zoom lens incorporates an Ultra-High Refractive Index Aspherical (UA) lens to achieve a focal length range of 35-140mm (35mm equivalent) without affecting the camera�s slim profile.

LCD enhancements:

The high resolution (230k pixels) PureColor LCD screens gives users a number of visual benefits. Color tones have been enhanced by 30% for vibrant, true-to-life reproduction. The wide viewing angle of the screen is complemented by an anti-reflective coating, which makes it easy to compose and review images even in brightly-lit conditions. A scratch-resistant layer provides extra protection against knocks and scrapes.

Settings for shutter speed and aperture are now displayed on the LCD during shooting. When using Auto ISO and High ISO Auto, the LCD will also display the ISO speed. These camera settings are now recorded as EXIF data for review in playback.

High ISO functionality:

The PowerShot SD850 IS (Digital IXUS 950 IS) incorporates ISO 1600 to facilitate flash-free shooting indoors, ideal in low-light environments where the use of flash is not desirable or appropriate, such as concert halls or galleries. A new Auto ISO Shift function prevents blur by giving users the option to boost the ISO setting, and consequently shutter speed, with a single button press, whenever the camera predicts camera shake. New creative options A total of 18 shooting modes are provided, including new Creative Light Effect, which uses the Image Stabilizer and a longer exposure to create user-selectable shapes, including stars, hearts and flowers – around points of light in the background of night scenes.

The Time Lapse Movie mode enables users to capture changing scenes, such as drifting clouds or a bustling city street – for accelerated playback as smooth VGA-quality movie clips. Captured at one-second or two-second intervals, a scene of two hours, duration can be condensed to a fluid eight minute or four minute movie file. Users can also record standard VGA movies with sound at 30fps and QVGA movies with sound at 60fps.

Memory Card Support:

In addition to SD and MMC memory cards, the PowerShot SD850 IS (Digital IXUS 950 IS) supports the SDHC format for high-volume shooting. It comes supplied with a 32MB memory card.

Optional Accessories:

An optional Waterproof Case (WP-DC15) allows users to bring the camera to a depth of up to 40 metres for compelling underwater shots. Specially designed Weights (WW-DC1) are available to control camera buoyancy. Other accessories include:

• High Power Flash (HF-DC1)
• Canon WP-DC15 Waterproof Case
• Soft Leather Case (DCC-70)
• Digital IXUS Metal and Leather Neck Straps
• Compact AC Power Adapter (ACK-DC30)

Canon PowerShot SD850 IS (Digital IXUS 950 IS) Street Price:

		$399.00	(Free Shipping)
		$399.00

Canon PowerShot SD850 IS (Digital IXUS 950 IS) specifications

Sensor	• 1/2.5 ” Type CCD • 8.0 million effective pixels
Image sizes	• 3264 x 2448 • 2592 x 1944 • 2048 x1536 • 1600 x 1200 • 640 x 480
Aspect ratio	4:3 and 3:2 (3264 x 1832)
Image processor	DIGIC III
Movie clips	• 640 x 480 @ 30 / 15fps • 320 x 240 @ 60 / 30 / 15fps • 160 x 120 @ 15fps • 640 x 480 @ 0.5 / 1 fps (Time lapse, playback at 15 fps) • WAVE audio
File formats	• Still: JPEG (Exif 2.2) • Movie: AVI (Motion JPEG compression)
Lens	• 35 – 140mm equiv • F2.8 – F5.5 • 4x Optical zoom
Image stabilization	Yes (Shift-type)
Digital zoom	up to 4x
Auto focus	• AiAF (Face Detection / 9-point) • 1-point AF (Fixed center)
AF assist lamp	Yes
Focus distance	Macro 2cm
Metering	• Evaluative (linked to Face Detection AF) • Center-weighted average • Spot
ISO sensitivity	• Auto • High ISO Auto • ISO 80 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400 • ISO 800 • ISO 1600
Exposure compensation	• +/- 2EV • in 1/3 stop increments
Shuttter speed	15-1/1600 sec
Aperture	F2.8-5.5
Modes	• Auto • Manual • Digital Macro • Color Accent • Color Swap • Stitch Assist • Movie • Special Scene
Scene modes	• Portrait • Night Snapshot • Kids & Pets • Indoor • Creative Light Effect • Foliage • Snow • Beach • Fireworks • Aquarium • Underwater
White balance	• Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Tungsten • Fluorescent • Fluorescent H • Custom
Self timer	• 2 or 10 secs • Custom
Continuous shooting	Approx. 1.3 fps until card is full
Image parameters	My Colors (My Colors Off, Vivid, Neutral, Sepia, Black & White, Positive Film, Lighter Skin Tone, Darker Skin Tone, Vivid Blue, Vivid Green, Vivid Red, Custom Color)
Flash	• Auto • Manual Flash On / Off • Slow synch • Red eye reduction • Flash exposure lock • Range: 50cm-3.5m (wide) / 2.0m (tele)
Viewfinder	Real-image zoom optical viewfinder
LCD monitor	• 2.5-inch P-Si TFT • 230,000 pixels
Other features	• Playback red-eye correction • My Camera • My Category (image tagging) • Sound Memo • Orientation Sensor • Histogram • Playback zoom
Languages	English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish, Spanish, Simplified Chinese, Chinese (traditional), Japanese, Russian, Portuguese, Korean, Greek, Polish, Czech, Hungarian, Turkish, Thai, Arabic, Ukrainian, Romanian
Connectivity	• USB 2.0 Hi-Speed • AV out
Print compliance	• PictBridge • Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printers and PIXMA Printers supporting PictBridge (ID Photo Print, Fixed Size Print and Movie Print supported on SELPHY CP & ES printers only)
Storage	• SD / SDHC / MMC compatible • 32 MB card supplied
Power	• Rechargeable Lithium-ion battery NB-5L • Optional AC adapter
Weight (no batt)	165 g
Dimensions	90 x 57 x 26 mm
Price	$399.99

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