The Canon SD950 IS is the proverbial "800 pound gorilla" in the maker's SD series of point and shoots - sporting a 12.1 megapixel sensor, while its closest sibling weighs in with "only" 8MP. Packaged in a handsome titanium and chrome body that looks and feels as if it is solidly built, the 950 also features optical image stabilization, a normal ISO range to 1600, Canon's Digic III processor, and a 3.7x optical zoom lens that covers a 35mm equivalent range from 36-133mm.

In initial shooting, image and color quality look good. Shutter lag is minimal and high ISO noise characteristics appear to be on a par with other cameras in the class. I've shot about 150 images and the battery "fuel gauge" hasn't dropped.

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There's still a lot of shooting to be done, but at first blush the SD950 IS appears to be more of what we've come to expect from Canon's SD line – capable, well-built compacts with a nice feature set and good overall performance. We'll have a complete review of the SD950 IS in about a week or so.