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March 2003: The reason for the withdrawal of the Canon EOS D60 from the market has become clear with the announcement by Canon on 27 February of a new digital SLR, the EOS 10D, which carries a 6.3 megapixel CMOS sensor and is compatible with the full range of Canon EF lenses and EX-series flash units.
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The new model features Canon’s DIGIC imaging Engine and is notable for its fast, 7-point wide area autofocusing system and low price point ($3999 is the expected retail price when the camera body goes on sale in Australia at the end of March).
Other important features include the light-weight magnesium alloy body which, at approximately 790 grams, is closer to that of many film SLRs than many competing DSLRs. Three metering options (35-zone evaluative, 9.5% partial and centre-weighted average) and a full range of exposure modes, including P/A/S/M plus five ‘scene’ settings, provide complete exposure control. White balance options include automatic, five presets custom and colour temperature settings and sensitivity is selectable between ISO 100 and ISO 1600 with ISO 3200 accessible via Custom Function. White balance bracketing is also supported.
The camera’s control layout and menu system have been redesigned to make access to key functions faster and more direct. Two levels of parameter adjustment (plus AND minus) are provided for the four adjustable parameters: contrast, sharpness, saturation and colour tone. The EOS 10D also provides two selectable colour spaces: sRGB and Adobe RGB (1998) and images can be captured in either Canon RAW or JPEG format (or both simultaneously). Three resolution settings (3072 x 2048, 2048 x 1360 and 1536 x 1024) are provided for both formats.
The EOS D10 has a built-in pop-up flash with a GN of 12 (m/ISO 100) and is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery. It also has Direct Print support for selected Canon printers. For more information, go to www.canon.com.au.
Four new models are about to be added to Canon’s PowerShot digital still camera line-up, including the company’s first 5-megapixel model,
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the S50. Similar in structure and functionality to the popular PowerShot S45, this new model has a high-resolution 3x zoom lens with focal length equivalent to 35-105mm and maximum aperture of f2.8 plus selectable 9-point AiAF and FlexiZone AF/AE focusing. Canon’s fast DIGIC image processing and customizable ‘My Camera’ functions are included.
Other noteworthy features are the camera’s three light metering modes, TTL white balance with six pre-sets and two custom positions, a built-in multi-mode flash, P/A/S/M shooting modes plus six selectable scene settings and AVI movie capture with sound. Images can be captured in RAW or JPEG format and stored on the supplied 32 MB CompactFlash card, which will hold five images at maximum resolution.
The camera is powered by a rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which is supplied with a charger. Expected retail price is around $1399.
A 4-megapixel model has been added to the compact Digital Ixus line-up, with the launch of the Digital Ixus 400. Featuring a 3x optical zoom lens with fast f2.8-4.9 maximum aperture and 3.6x digital zoom, this model comes in a sturdy stainless steel body that is ideal for travellers yet weighs less than 200 grams. It is scheduled for release early in April at an RRP of $1049.
At the entry-level are the PowerShot A60 and A70 models, which have almost identical features but differ in sensor resolution. The 2-megapixel A60 supports video clip recording with sound at a resolution of 320 x 240 pixels, while the 3.2-megapixel A70 records movie clips at VGA resolution.
All of the new PowerShots offer direct photo printing to Canon’s Bubble Jet and CP Direct Digital Photo printers and all come with Canon’s bundled software suite, which includes ZoomBrowser EX, PhotoRecord, ImageBrowser, PhotoStitch, RemoteCapture, File Viewer Utility, WAI and TWAIN drivers, USB Mounter, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Apple QuickTime and ArcSoft Camera Suite. Full details are available at www.canon.com.au.
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