canon
Latest
Canon's new PowerShot A570 and A560
Canon sure likes to yuk it up with the "A Series" puns. "A" for affordable, for the AA batteries you can stick in these things, for the "A" Team the cameras represent -- it's a real riot. Luckily, "affordable" doesn't have to mean "boring" anymore, and these two PowerShots include fancy 4x zooms, 7.1 megapixel CCDs, 2.5-inch LCDs and that DIGIC III processor for speedier operation, along with 1600 ISO and Face Detection. Sound familiar? You can have it all for a few more bucks, 1x less zoom and quite a bit more pocketability in the Digital ELPH series. What the A570 adds that the A560 and those ELPH cousins lack is optical image stabilisation. You can pick one up for $280, or if you don't mind the blur, grab an A560 for $230. Both will be out in March.%Gallery-1745%
Canon's compact PowerShot TX1 captures 7.1 megapixel stills and HD video
Watch out, Sanyo, because your diminutive HD2 camcorder is about to face some very daunting competition from Canon. Like the recently announced Sanyo, the PowerShot TX1 packs a 7.1 megapixel CCD into a tiny little package capable of capturing 720p HD video as well -- but unlike the $700 HD2, Canon is hanging just a $500 pricetag on this model. Besides its one-two punch of high resolution stills and videos, this device offers a 10x optical zoom (with an optically-stabilized lens), a 115,000 pixel LCD, and ISO settings ranging from 80 to 1600. You're also getting the latest Digic image processor, advanced face detection and red eye reduction, Vista-compatibility, 14 shooting modes, and a so-called "Intelligent Orientation Sensor" to keep the display looking right no matter how you're holding the cam. No word so far on a release date, but with all this functionality at a very attractive price, you can probably expect the TX1 to fly off shelves when it finally makes its debut.%Gallery-1747%
Canon debuts SD750 and SD1000 Digital ELPH cameras
Two new compact and fashionable PowerShot Digital ELPHs from big C, the SD750 and SD1000. Canon seems to be mostly focused on the looks here: we've never seen a growed-up digicam manufacturer be so proud of "Dynamic Dual-Tone Elegance," but there's decent stuff under the hood. Like most of the PMA-bound cameras we've spotted, these include Face Detection-based auto focus, auto exposure and red-eye correction. There's also the DIGIC III Image processor, and ISO as high as 1600, but everybody comes for the basics: 3x zoom, 7.1 megapixel CCD and a 2.5-inch LCD in each shooter. The $300 SD750 gets a bit fancy on form factor, but manages to be a mere 0.75-inches thick, while the 4.5 ounce SD1000 keeps the the classic ELPH look and also retails for $300. Both should be out in March, and include 32MB SD cards for good luck, though no mention is made of SDHC. Remember, it's fashion first for this line.%Gallery-1748%
Canon's EOS-1D Mark III DSLR with live LCD
Canon's latest pro DSLR is officially here as of tonight: welcome the EOS-1D Mark III. This 10.1 megapixel shooter can fire 10fps in bursts of up to 110 large JPEGs or 30 RAW files with is dual DIGIC III processor. It also features a really friggin light sensitive APS-H size 28.1 x 18.7mm CMOS sensor with ISO modes up to 3200 (it's also got a "highly usable" just-in-case 6400 mode sure to kill image quality), but the real winner here is the 3-inch live LCD (with 5 and 10x magnification for locking that zoom). There's also a new WFT- E2A Wireless File Transmitter option for dumping to external storage and even GPS geotagging, the OSK-E3 Original Data Security Kit for file encryption and verification (if your images are just that valuable), the Speedlite 580EX II flash, and EF 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM lens. We don't yet have word on price or release date, but you know what they say about having to ask.%Gallery-1744%
Canon EOS 40D rumors abound
It all started with an EOS 40D splash page posted (and later pulled) from Canon's official Hong Kong web site. Now the 40D's specs are popping on digicam retail sites all over the Intertubes. Most interesting is the supposed spec sheet posted, pulled, and then extracted from a Belgian site by our tireless Engadget interns; here's what it says: 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor measuring 22.5 x 15-mm, 5fps burst mode, integrated anti-dust cleaning system, 2.5-inch LCD, and sadly... DIGIC II (not III) image processing. It's that last bit of information which makes us a bit skeptical. Although the DIGIC II can be found in their full-frame 400D, the improved DIGIC III is already loosed thereby bringing the whole spec sheet into question. No worries, if Canon is ready to push the 40D out the door then it'll be soon; the big PMA show kicks off in just a few weeks. Now quit staring at that picture, it's not the 40D.[Via Digital Photography Blog]
Canon HV50 HD camcorder spotted?
What's this you say? A followup to Canon's HV20 digital camera that isn't even out yet here in the US? This supposed HV50 ups the ante on the HV20 by supposedly having a three-CMOS sensors for 1080p (and 720p) video, 18x zoom (over 10x), and 5 megapixel still images. Slow down there, cowboy, we need that first model launched before we can start worrying about the next, ok?Update: Consensus is... it's a fake. A good one, but as noted in various forums, the focal length stamped on the lens is 6.1-61mm, which isn't 18x, it's 10x like the HV20. Conveniently obscured in the picture above, but visible in others. Thanks for playing!
Canon's HV20 HDV camcorder reviewed: dubbed "the monster"
If camcorder sales are to recover, it'll be the ability to record in HD that sparks the resurrection. After all, just about any new digicam and some cellphones can do a passing job at recording VGA or better quality video thus making the purchase of a second dedicated device hard to justify for the average consumer. That's what makes Canon's new iVIS HV20 so interesting; it shoots 1920 x 1080 resolution natively in HDV format to miniDV tapes and includes a 24p cinema mode to boot, a first in this class of camcorders. Best of all, it does this for about $1,000 -- not bad considering the price of other pro-sumer HD cams. Japan's Impress Watch are first to get their hands on a unit for review and although we had to read it using machine translation, it's easy to see that they are, er, impressed. Issues with low light shooting that plagued the HV10 seem to have been resolved on the HV20. While the CMOS sensor remains the same size, they've added the noise reduction technology found in their EOS camera lineup to bring low-light sensitivity down from 5lux to 3lux. In fact, the HV20 "eradicates" the HV10's weaknesses "entirely." Impress will be hitting a review of Sony's comparable HDR-HC7 -- a similarly spec'd HDV camcorder that also supports the xvYCC standard found in HDMI 1.3 for wider color range and space -- to see how they stack up side-by-side. No worries, you can wait, the HV20 won't hit US stores until April. Be sure to click the "read" link below for plenty of sample pics and video.
Canon readying 22-megapixel mini 1DS Mark II?
You guessed it, this here is nothing more than somewhat believable rumor mill material, but it seems that Canon just might be readying a 22-megapixel beast of a digicam that would come in "around half the size of the firm's EOS-1DS Mark II." Unsurprisingly codenamed the 1DS Mark III, this DSLR is said to have been behind a few photo shoots seen in recent editions of Vanity Fair, and Canon is reportedly "hustling to make lenses that will work with what this body can resolve," not to mention the possibility of a "new mount for an entirely new lens design." While this certainly isn't the first big-name digicam to start in depths of shadows, we purportedly won't see it surface (or not) until this fall, as the elusive 1DS Mark III won't be shown to the public before the PhotoPlus Expo in October (if it's proven real at all).[Via Image-Acquire]
Canon announces new iVIS DVD camcorders
Canon may not have been able to keep its new HV20 HD camcorder under wraps, but it seems to have fared better with its announcement of this new pair of DVD camcorders in its iVIS line, revealing details on them on its own terms. The iVIS DC50 looks to be the more capable of the two, with a 5 megapixel CCD, 10x optical zoom, 2.7-inch widescreen LCD, and a miniSD slot, although it appears to be for still pictures only. The iVIS DC200 takes things down a notch to a 680,000 pixel CCD, but increases the optical zoom to 35x, with the camcorder packing the same 2.7-inch widescreen display and still picture-only miniSD slot. Look for both to hit Japan sometime next month, with the DC50 expected to come in around 100,000 Yen ($830) and the DC200 running about 60,000 Yen ($500).[Via Impress]
Canon's iVIS HV20 HD camcorder gets real
Well howdy HV20, we've been expecting you. Not too much of a surprise to find Canon's high-def iVIS HV20 camcorder loosed after the inadvertent appearance on Circuit City's web site the other day. Instead of an upright form factor like Canon's HV10, they've gone long-and-lean this time which should help bring a bit more stability to your videos. As we hoped, low light shooting has indeed been improved from a 5 to 3 lux sensitivity at 1/30 second shutter speed or from 0.3 to 0.2 lux at 1/2 second shutter speed. Everything else is just like we heard on this HDV 1080i MiniDV recorder: 2.96 megapixel CMOS sensor, 10x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD, miniSD slot and new HDMI out, accessory shoe, and jacks for your headphones and mic. The HV20 is expected to hit Japan sometime in March, priced at about ¥140,000 ($1,154) to go head-to-head with Sony's HDR-HC7. No guarantees mind you, but we expect this to come west before summer.Update: As Zandr notes in the comments, the HV20 hits US stores in April for $1099.[Via Impress]
Canon's HV20 HD camcorder leaked?
Canon product details have been leaking like a sieve of late. First the accidental Hong Kong listing of their EOS 40D, now what appears to be their HV20 high-definition camcorder thanks to a "coming soon" placement on Circuit City's site shown above (and subsequently removed). According to the CC site, it'll pack a 2.96 megapixel CMOS sensor, 10x optical zoom, 2.7-inch LCD and feature high-definition recording to regular ol' MiniDV tapes just like daddy used only, presumably using the HDV format preferred by the kids and their own HV10 this model would be following. In fact, all those specs are the same as the HV10. On the face of it, the only difference is the introduction of an HDMI jack. Let's just hope they've improved upon the "terrible low-light performance" and other nits called out by reviewers of the previous model. No pictures posted but we do know that it's "coming soon" for $1100 which is righteous pricing for their second gen, compact HD camcorder.[Thanks, Michael E]
Canon EOS 40D on the way?
Canon just slopped-out an "EOS 40D" DSLR page onto their Hong Kong site. No specs or pictures of the unannounced camera but it's fair to say that we're looking at a followup to their 8.3 megapixel 30D. No surprise what with Canon's market share slumping due to stiff competition from the Sony A100, Nikon D80 and some cannibalization by their own EOS 400D / Rebel XTi. No specs yet, but don't be surprised to find at least a 10.2 megapixel sensor, anti-dust technology, DIGIC III processing and sensor changes for better performance at high ISO. Clicking through you'll find a big red "X" in place of the EOS 40D text. Now the tough choice: click the "read" link below and refresh until the onset of RSI, or kick back and chill -- the wolf's on it and we'll be with you di-rectly... or at least once the specs do finally break.[Via Digital Photography Blog]
Canon beefs up its line of budget PowerShot cams
Canon's really loving on the budget set, with them ZR and DC camcorders it released a couple weeks ago, and now a trio of PowerShots that go ultra-easy on the pocket book. The new A-series cams include the PowerShot A550 and A460, which go for $200 and $150, and sport 7.1 megapixel and 5.0 megapixel CCDs, respectively. The new cameras, which should be available mid-February, feature 2-inch LCDs, 4x optical zoom lenses and the fancy DIGIC II image processor for speedier performance and less battery drain. Both cameras are SDHC compatible, feature AiAF "smart" autofocus, and the A550 can pull off 30 fps VGA video, but that's about all that's going on here -- no image stabilization for this kind of mula. Canon's also introducing an A450 model to certain markets, which mirrors the A460 other than an inexplicable 3.2x optical zoom. More reasonably, Canon is also tossing a pair of AA batteries and a 16MB MMC card into each box, so you or the technophobe buddy of yours you end up buying one of these for should be able to start shooting right away. Peep the other two cameras after the break.[Via LetsGoDigital]
Canon set to buy out Toshiba's display stake, SED production in sight?
There's not too many technologies that eventually surfaced after hitting as many snags as these long-awaited SED TVs, but it looks like the final hurdle may finally be overcome. Canon has just announced that it will buy out Toshiba's stake in the pair's joint venture in order to get that pesky Nano-Proprietary patent lawsuit off their collective backs. The lawsuit claimed that its original agreement to license technology to Canon did not extend to Toshiba, thus presenting quite the quandary when Toshiba kept trying to get its SED displays out to showroom floors. SED TV production, however, is still up in the air, as Canon said that prior plans to erect a $1.49 billion manufacturing facility in Japan is now "under review," and an analyst even mentioned that the company might end up "reconsidering growth drivers to replace SED." Nevertheless, Canon is still clinging to the idea of popping out SEDs for now, although it was mentioned that it would be "on a smaller scale," which isn't apt to give these elusive sets any kind of price advantage whenever it lands. Interestingly, Toshiba still stated that if things went smoothly, it would buy some of the manufactured SED displays directly from Canon and throw its own logo on it, theoretically bypassing the lawsuit and simultaneously snubbing Nano-Proprietary. But hey, we've got no qualms with a little joint venture competition, and considering how every other HDTV price is falling through the floor, we'll bet they need it.[Thanks, Greg]
Canon upgrades ZR, DC lines of camcorders
Looks like Canon's rung in the new year by tossing a slew of its camcorders to the curb, replacing them with new, slightly improved models. The excitement begins with Canon's entry-level ZR-series, where the ZR-500, 600, and 700 all get replaced by the numerically-enhanced ZR800, 830, and 850. Ranging in price from $280 to $350, the three camcorders each pack a 35x optical zoom and 2.7-inch widescreen LCD, with the ZR800 and 830 each capturing video of the 680,000-pixel variety, while the ZR850 bumps things up to a generous one megapixel. Storage on each is strictly an SD card deal, with support for SDHC cards in addition to the garden variety ones. Taking things up a notch, Canon's also let loose four new models to refresh its DC-series of DVD camcorders, with the DC50, DC210, DC220, and DC230 all set to roll out over the course of February and March. Despite its model name, the $800 DC50 at the top of the heap, with a 5-megapixel CCD, 10x zoom with optical image stabalization, and the same 2.7-inch widescreen LCD as the other models. Rounding out the lineup, the DC210 and DC220 camcorders ($400 and $450, respectively) dial things back to 680,000-pixel territory, while the $500 DC230 will give you a whole megapixel.Read - Crave, "New entry-level miniDV camcorders from Canon"Read - Crave, "Canon's new DVD camcorders"
Toshiba SED production hits another snag
Well, it looks like there's more than just "technical issues" holding up production of Toshiba's long-awaited SED TVs and keeping them away from this year's CES, with Japan Today reporting that a US lawsuit may now delay the construction of a plant to produce the high-end TV sets. The suit comes from US-based Nano-Proprietary, which had an agreement with Canon (Toshiba's partner in the SED biz), but apparently is not so keen on Canon sharing its patents with its new best buddy Toshiba. Exactly how much, if any, this latest development will delay Toshiba's planned late 2007 launch of its SED sets remains to be seen, though it sure wouldn't be the first time the launch date got pushed back.
Canon warns of overheating cameras
Who is doing quality assurance these days? First laptops blowing up, then weak straps resulting in household damages, and now this -- overheating camera battery covers. While nowhere nearly as serious as the exploding laptop trend, Canon is warning owners of the PowerShot A530 and A540 that the cases' doors can become extremely hot. Additionally, there will be a significant decrease in performance, resulting in a lot less pics of the holidays than you would have hoped. Those folks realizing that they have an affected camera can have Canon replace it at no charge.[Via Gear Factor]
Toshiba's 55-inch SED TV to be a no-show at CES
If you had high hopes of seeing Toshiba's "soon-to-be-released" SED TV showcased at CES in just a few weeks, well, you can probably already read the writing on the wall. Unsurprisingly, the set has seemingly hit another snag on its journey to retail reality, as Toshiba has announced that "technical issues" will keep the 55-inch surface conduction electron emitter display from being present at the show. While another delay hasn't exactly been confirmed, in all likelihood there's yet another one behind the scenes, and it could be due to the tension between Canon (Toshiba's partner) and Nano-Proprietary. Reportedly, the two firms are in "closed-door settlement talks" over licensed technology to be used on SED TVs, and the matters at hand could be forcing Toshiba's hand to hold back at CES. Nevertheless, it's a shame we won't be getting up close and personal with the mystical display in just a few weeks, but Toshiba feels that the issue(s) should be "resolved soon," and insinuated that we'd see a demo here in the States before too long.
Canon's EOS-1D an example of all-controlling IP?
There's no doubt that the matter of intellectual property has become more prominent in the age of the internet now that some products -- like music -- have begun to lose their physical properties entirely. This shift has led to an increase in use of licenses designed to protect the IP of certain goods; so when you buy a song from the majority of online music services, that purchase is often accompanied by an agreement between you and the creator of the music. Some argue that manufacturers of electronic products have gone too far with their licenses, an opinion aired over at an article in The New Republic. One particular example of outlandish licensing agreements is that of Canon's EOS-1D which includes a separate agreement related specifically to the software that runs on the camera -- effectively the consumer does not own the software that keeps the camera running; he or she is instead licensed the right to use it. One clause of the disclaimer actually removes Canon's obligation to service or repair the camera if the software fails. These kind of agreements aren't completely watertight: courts can invalidate licenses if the company tries to impose excessive limits, the problem is that often they choose to favor companies over the individuals because it is felt that protection is required for fast moving areas like software design. Ultimately though, the threat of aggressive IP will never overrule the consumer's killer wallet-closing combo move. If consumers are unfairly restricted by certain companies, isn't it logical to assume that people won't buy that company's products anymore?[Via Against Monopoly]
Canon PowerShot G7 unboxed and put to use
Curious to see what Canon's new PowerShot G7 looks like when taken out from under the ever-loving gaze of meticulous press photos? Well, thanks to another eager Flickr user, you can get some vicarious hands-on kicks and an idea of how it performs to boot. The unboxing pics give a good look at the front and back of the cam, with the box shot revealing Canon's generous choice of SD card in the bundle -- really, who needs more than 32MB with a 10 megapixel camera? Also up for your perusal are a selection of sample pics taken with the G7, showing off the camera's performance at various settings and our photographer friend's excessively geeky but sadly familiar book collection. Check the link below for all the goodies.[Thanks, Matthew H.]
