« [ NEW FROM PANASONIC ] | Main | [ CANON PIXMA iP6600D inkjet printer ] »
February 22, 2006
[ NEW FROM CANON ]
CANON made a global announcement of new digicams, videocams and printers on Tuesday [21st February].
dpexpert went to Sydney to see and touch the new models. We were impressed by most of what we saw.
CANON, unlike most other camera makers are, in fact, making cameras. Their digicam range is blissfully free of pointless gimmickry and most of the cameras being shown have optical viewfinders. The new IXUS wireless compact is, as far as we have seen, the only wireless camera with a viewfinder.
It is a compact 5mp digicam with a 35~105mm [film equivalent] lens. Canon supply an optional wireless receiver that plugs into the Pictbridge port on a printer to receive data direct from the camera without the need of a PC in the transmission chain.
The CANON 20D slr is being replaced with a 30d with a few improvements – some changes to the processing, a larger LCD and, best of all, spot metering.
The POWERSHOT S2 IS long zoom camera with image stabilisation is being replaced with the POWERSHOT S3 IS. The differences are pretty insignificant – a new, more attractive gun metal grey case and a very slightly larger LCD. An already good camera made a little better.
We were given long forward notice of a new printer, a "professional" A3+ unit that uses pigment inks. The printer won't be on sale until September so we presume that the reason for announcing it so far ahead of sale date is to stop would-be Epson buyers in their tracks and get them to wait. This printer will use 10 ink cartridges, including three black inks – black, light black and grey. It is being promoted as the ideal inkjet printer for monochrome printing. Surface materials, controls etc have been designed to match Canon's digital SLR cameras, in particular the range from the 5D up. We saw a pre-production unit and it looks very swish.
CANON also showed a stunning new 85mm f1.2 lens. This, they say, is the portrait lens that wedding photographers will have to have. That is if they have a spare $4000 to spend on a lens. It's when you handle a lens like this that you wish you were rich. Money might not buy happiness but at least it would let you take a damn fine picture of it in low light.
CANON reckons that the pixel competition is over. Their cheapest entry level camera, the POWERSHOT A430 sports 4 megapixels and their superb compact IXUS 800IS has a 6mp sensor. [Note the IS. This could be the beginning of image stabilisation in the compact camera range from the company, an area where Panasonic has been making the running.] The continuing POWERSHOT S80 and PRO1 are 8mp cameras. Canon's contention is that the challenge now is to extract the best possible images from the sensors rather than to add pixels to their tiny surface areas.
It is good to see the company sticking with their easy to use Function Set button across the range. The Function Set gives instant access to all the shooting parameters such as ISO, white balance, image size and resolution, effects, self-timer and exposure compensation. This system is so good that it puts all others to shame.
If CANON's claim to market dominance is based on fact – Panasonic was conceding it last week – then this is encouraging because it means that the average customer is not being seduced by gadgetry or fashion fad but is really looking for a camera: that is, a device for taking photographs!
*
Posted by terry at February 22, 2006 11:55 AM
