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Customer Reviews for PowerShot SD960 IS

PowerShot SD960 IS

Average Customer Rating:
4.9 out of 5
4.9
 out of 
5
(30 Reviews) 30
Open Ratings Snapshot
Rating Snapshot (30 reviews)
5 stars
28
4 stars
1
3 stars
1
2 stars
0
1 star
0
28 out of 30(93%)reviewers would recommend this product to a friend.
Customer Reviews for PowerShot SD960 IS
Review 1 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: kevorkian
Location: Goodyear, AZ
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: No

Another Canon Quality Product

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:December 7, 2009
Pros: good battery life, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, easy to use
As a family of Canon camera users we were surprised when our son purchased one based on his research for his brothers graduation. When we went to it at ASU and saw how the zoom was able to get a picture of both his brother and president Obama on the ground floor while we were way up yonder we were knocked out. When our son sent on vacation and showed us his over 1300 pictures with special effects we were sold. We wanted one to compliment our Canon 520 when we went on our trip on the Verde Canyon Railroad. Small, easy to use and an absolute value in Cameras! If you say it has a short battery life you are simply leaving it on too long between shots. This camera is great!!!!
96 of 100 people found this review helpful.
Review 2 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: praypal
Location: Knoxville, Tennessee
Used this product for: more than 1 year
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes

Pleasantly pleased

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:November 14, 2010
Pros: battery life, ease of use
Bought this camera for myself for Christmas last year. Absolutly "love it". I am not electronically gadget inclined and was afraid I couldn't figure it out because it has so any options but had no trouble. It gives the option of auto or picking the setting you want to use, the battery life is great, is very easy to down load to computer and lets you download the untransferred pictures only. Like it so well I'm buying my daughter the SD1300 this year.
Review 3 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: retiredteacher
Location: Upstate New York
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: No

Best Camera for Travel Ever

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:August 20, 2010
I purchased the Canon powershot SD960 IS because I wanted to take pictures on our trip to Ireland this spring. This camera did it all!!. It was great in bright sun, and in low light as well. It is so easy to use, and the picture quality was outstandidng. The dual voltage battery charger was a great plus. We have such beautiful pictures of the Cliffs of Mohr, and the Ring of Kerry that I feel as if I am there whenever I look at the shots we took. Thanks for such a great product!!!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful.
Review 4 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: JQ Thames
Location: St. Louis, MO
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes

WOW - This is fun!

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:March 5, 2010
Pros: Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: keep the instruction book close.
I love the camera. It takes awesome pictures and is easy to use once you've read the instructions thoroughly and practiced a bit.
I love the movie features, since my main subjects never sit still long enough for a posed shot.
Downloading isn't too hard, but requires a bit of figuring out if you are downloading to several different computers.
This is my third ELPH in the past twelve years and is the best by far. The first which used film is still functional, but who uses film anymore. .
7 of 7 people found this review helpful.
Review 5 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: libby
Location: Illinois
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No

features

Overall Rating
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Features
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Performance
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Price/Value
2 out of 5
2 out of 5
Quality
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Satisfaction
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Date:December 28, 2009
Pros: excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable
Cons: Missing features/settings, Difficult to use
I am comparing it with the A95 model, which I have. The view screen on theSD960 is very easy to damaage. Also it is not flexable. On the A95 you can pull it out and tilt it to any angle. Great for shooting incrowds, just put it over your head and tilt the screen down to see what you need to see. Also is protected from damage by closing it so it is facing the inside of the camera. The SD960 does have more pixels, but how often am I going to blow up a picture the size of my wall? I took theSD960 back and am keeping the A06.
15 of 40 people found this review helpful.
Review 6 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: Almost perfect
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes

Almost perfect P&S

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:December 17, 2009
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: would prefer the classic canon navigation buttons
I have had this camera for over 6 months. I wanted a wide angle camer as well as HD videos which could be played back on a computer without needing any special viewer programs (we have a HD Canon Video Camera which requires a proprietery, installed program to view the video). This camera fit the bill very nicely. Great wide angle picutre and video excellent for group shots/family reunions so you can fit in that extera 2 feet of space on the side. The HD video plays on QuickTime on any computer without any special adjustments. The wide angle videos are great for sports events such as the kids soccer games when the kids move from side to side. You can even zoom/unzoom when taking videos, but I don't think it can refocus once recording. The only hesitation I had with this camera was that the navigation buttons are changed a little from the classic design. I still prefer the classic navigation buttons, but this "simple design" is OK.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful.
Review 7 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: Kermit
Location: Florida
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes

Outstanding pictures

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:December 7, 2009
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
Cons: viewer might scratch easily
I cannot believe the picture quality of this DS960, It is outstanding! Weather in the auto mode, manual mode or movie mode, this camera does it all for me. I have used it in every light scenario and it still takes perfect pictures.
13 of 14 people found this review helpful.
Review 8 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: taterhead
Location: Wi
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes

Just what I wanted

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:December 7, 2009
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
I wanted to get a camera that simple to use. had optical stabalization and could fit in my pocket. This camera has been perfect - Great pics and has a awsome HD video. Taking 3x as many photo's cause of its ease - very pleased.
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Review 9 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: Landscaper
Location: Houston, TX
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: No

Great Camera

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:December 6, 2009
Pros: good battery life, Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use, fun
Cons: no full image view
I have used this camera since early May of 2009. It is a great point & shoot digital camera. It is wide enough and long enough for its intended use. When I need more, I just pull out my digital SLR. Its main purpose is to use as a go anywhere camera. I have used it on hikes, in a canoe, on my road bike (40 mph down hill), and walking the streets in the US and Europe. It fits well in my pocket and has done what I asked it to do. It will never do the high end things that my DSLR will do. I never expected it to those things. It is a great fun camera that takes great shots. The histogram is an excellent feature on such an inexpensive camera. My wife likes it well enough that she is replacing her older digital point & shoot with the IS980. She needs a little closer focusing for her sewing images. Of course, she could never have the same camera that I have! Enjoy.
2 of 4 people found this review helpful.
Review 10 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: ladybugg
Location: Fort Worth, TX
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes

Rave Review

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:December 6, 2009
Pros: Good Low-Light Performance, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, durable, Bright LCD, Lightweight/Portable, Simple controls/menu, easy to use
I bought this camera a couple months ago on the advice of a friend, who also owns one. It's very easy to use, and the photographs - colors, details, overall quality, are just amazing. I'm especially impressed with the ability to take extreme close-ups of flowers, leaves, insects, and even get good shots in low-light situations...I could go on and on. THIS is my dream camera come true and I never leave home without it.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful.
Review 11 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: narnia
Location: Miami, Fl
Used this product for: 3 to 6 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: Yes

A Great Buy

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:November 20, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Lightweight/Portable
Cons: Short battery life
This amazing little device has been incredibly easy and fun to use. Its wide array of features will appeal to any photographer, no matter the level of expertise.
On a trip to Europe this past Summer, it was the absolute best thing I could have bought in preparation. The images captured breathed of Spain's Mediterrenean front and the mountains of northern Italy, none of which could have been possible without the SD960.
If you want vivid captures, no matter the situation, this is the camera for you.
13 of 15 people found this review helpful.
Review 12 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: jk
Location: Iowa/Illinois
Used this product for: 6 to 12 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: No

Good enough to buy two!

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Performance
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:November 9, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life
Acting on a recommendation for an option to lugging my SLR, I picked up one of these amazing little cameras. I was so pleased with it that I had to get one for my wife. While it can't replace the SLR, it allows me to get shots that I would miss otherwise. My first Canon ever. It won't be my last.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.
Review 13 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: KJ
Location: Tucson, AZ
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes

Great Camera, Easy to Use

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:October 28, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, durable, easy to navigate erase feature
I purchased this camera a couple days before leaving on vacation and had time to only briefly read the user guide. I am not very savy with digital cameras, but this camera is so user friendly that I had no problem using all the features and was able to efficiently switch between settings to get the best shot for the photo opportunity. I LOVE this camera.
7 of 9 people found this review helpful.
Review 14 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: nursejeffrey
Location: San Francisco, CA
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Professional or Expert
Product replacement: Yes

Canon did a great job!

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Price/Value
3 out of 5
3 out of 5
Quality
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:October 12, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Lightweight/Portable
Cons: moderate low-light performance, smaller lcd screen
I've recently upgraded my Canon SD630 after so many years of ownership. The color and clarity from the SD960 IS are stunning. However, I wish the shutter speed was a little faster. The camera itself is very user friendly. I wish the LCD screen was a little larger. My SD630 had a 3.0 screen size, which made viewing photos easier. Otherwise, I am completely satisfied with my purchase.
16 of 17 people found this review helpful.
Review 15 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: Jean S
Location: Maple Grove, MN
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes

Great Upgrade

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:August 26, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Lightweight/Portable
This Canon is a wonderful replacement for my Canon Power Shot S30. It has an easy to navigate menu. The control wheel on the back is a great tool. The erase function is far superior to my S30. The picture quality is excellent.
20 of 21 people found this review helpful.
Review 16 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: Caroline
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Used this product for: Less than 1 month
Expertise Level: Casual User
Product replacement: Yes

Exceeds Expectation

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:August 25, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, good battery life, durable, expensive-looking camera
This camera is to replace my old Canon S400. So far I LOVE this camera! SD960 looks luxurious too. You won't be disappointed! I've read the reviews here from other people before making a decision to buy this camera. The only minus thing is SD960 is a little heavier than the SD780, but it's lighter than my old S400.
12 of 12 people found this review helpful.
Review 17 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: Henry

Pricey, but worth it.

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:August 23, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable
I bought this camera a couple of weeks ago, and have been very impressed with it from the moment I saw it at the store.
The camera is very easy to figure out and use, utilizing well-organized menus and a selector feature that gives the option of either using it as a direction pad or as a scrolling wheel. The camera is ready to take pictures within a half-second of pushing the power button, and shuts down nearly as quickly when desired. The shutter speed is great, and so is the image quality. The video capture gives a good image and amazing sound quality, considering the small/portable nature of the camera. The LCD screen gives excellent definition.
While I would have preferred to use a AA-powered camera, the supplied battery is still very nice, both charging quickly and having impressive duration.
I have very few criticisms of the camera, none of which are serious. I mentioned earlier the reliance on a dedicated battery instead of alkaline batteries. The shaking system that can be used to scroll through pictures is also a little finicky. Finally, the video capture in particular has some difficulty with its automatic focus in low-light settings.
Overall, this is the best portable, regular use camera I have ever seen, and is well worth its moderately high price.
20 of 20 people found this review helpful.
Review 18 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: bb
Location: TN
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Hobbyist/Enthusiast
Product replacement: Yes

Camera

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:August 22, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable, amazing!
This is an amazing camera that has amazing quality. it has crystal clear sound, great quality, and many more!!
I use it every day! I recommend it to every camera user!
6 of 6 people found this review helpful.
Review 19 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: Gerg
Location: Rome, GA
Used this product for: 1 to 3 months
Expertise Level: Advanced Amateur
Product replacement: No

Not perfect, but very, very good

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:August 7, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable
Cons: Short battery life, need easier way to delete pictures, display is easy to scratch
We bought this camera with an upcoming 19-day vacation in mind. Price, size, and capabilities seemed right, so we took a chance.
Likes: We used the camera in full auto mode most of the time, taking pictures from mountaintops to caves. It made excellent shots for the most part, with much greater detail and color fidelity than our Digital Rebel XT. It performed amazingly well in low-light conditions, considering that its lens is barely a flyspeck on the big f2.8 zoom lens we keep on the Digital Rebel. It does not do as well grabbing quick shots as the DRXT because of a focusing lag, but it's still much better than any compact camera I've used in the past. Pictures are excellent at any zoom level. There is a little bit of barrel distortion at macro focus distance.
A 8GB memory card has room for over 2400 pictures. The file size at best quality is slightly smaller than the DRXT at best quality even though it has 1.5 times as many pixels, and the detail is better.
The new menu system is clear and easy to navigate. There are tons of options, yet it's not too complex. The new touch wheel control system on the back is easy to get used to and is very effective.
Movies were decent with full 30 fps at 720p in bright light; they were a bit grainy and noisy in dim light. Sound is not the best, but this is not a dedicated movie camera. There is no sound on playback because the camera does not have a speaker, but it's fine on the computer. Movies are in QuickTime .mov format, which can be easily converted to other formats.
Dislikes: the battery only holds about 230 pictures' worth of charge, so get a spare. There is no easy way to delete pictures; you have to go to a menu item, mark the pictures you want to kill, back up, and kill them (or you can delete them all at once). When connected, the camera does not show up as a volume on a Mac (does on Windows). You have to use the included software to download pictures; there's no alternative, even with a card reader.
Bottom line: this is a great little camera that was a blast to use. It's not perfect, but I have no regrets over buying it and would do the same again.
89 of 89 people found this review helpful.
Review 20 for PowerShot SD960 IS
Nickname: bb

Great camera!

Overall Rating
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Features
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Performance
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Price/Value
4 out of 5
4 out of 5
Quality
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Satisfaction
5 out of 5
5 out of 5
Date:August 6, 2009
Pros: easy to use, Simple controls/menu, Nice features/settings, Bright LCD, excellent image quality, Good Low-Light Performance, Lightweight/Portable, good battery life, durable
i have been using this camera all day! it is amazing. and i love its design!
2 of 7 people found this review helpful.
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