Canon has just announced details of its new PowerShot S2-IS digital still camera, which is due for local release on 1 June.

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April 22, 2005: Canon has just announced details of its new PowerShot S2-IS digital still camera, which is due for local release on 1 June.
Built on the lines of the successful PowerShot S1-IS model, the S2-IS has a 5-megapixel CCD sensor that measures 5.34 x 4.01 mm in size plus a stabilised 12x optical zoom lens that covers focal lengths from 36-432mm (35mm format equivalent). The high-quality lens includes an UD (Ultra Low Dispersion) lens element to optimise image quality and minimise chromatic aberration plus a smooth, super-fast ultra sonic motor (USM) that makes it easy to use. The lens focuses down to 50 cm in normal mode and covers from 10-50 cm in Macro mode, while a special Super Macro setting lets users focus from 0-10 cm with the lens set at Wide.
The camera is fitted with an upgraded vari-angle 1.8 inch Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), which can be used for shot composition or image playback. A colour LCD viewfinder is also provided. DIGIC II image processing allows higher resolution and high-speed processing to be achieved, giving the S2-IS faster startup and response times than its predecessor. Its top shutter speed has also been increased to 1/3200 second. However it has a similar range of user-adjustable shooting controls to the S1-IS, including P, A, S and M shooting modes plus 11 dedicated settings, including six ‘Special Scene” modes, Night Scene, Stitch Assist and My Colours modes. Continuous shooting at 1.5 fps is available for high-resolution JPEG images and an interval timer is provided for time-lapse photography. The S2-IS can record video at VGA resolution with a frame rate of 30 fps for up to 1 GB. A stereo microphone and a function to record stereophonic sound have been added, along with higher recording quality (16bit, 44.1k Hz).
Power is supplied by four AA batteries and the camera can use rechargeable NiMH cells. All image data is stored on SD cards. PictBridge support allows direct printing to any compatible printer via the Print/Share button, which also allows fast downloading of pictures to a computer via the USB 2.0 Hi-Speed cable. Local pricing has yet to be confirmed and details will be posted here when they are available. For more information visit www.canon.com.au or phone Canon on 1800 021 167.