Three New Canon Digicams Announced

August 19, 2010: September will see the release by Canon of two new PowerShot digicams, the S95 and S130, plus a new addition to the Ixus range.
The 10-megapixel PowerShot S95 will replace the popular S90 and adds High Definition (1280 x 720) movie recording with stereo sound to its feature set. Its 12x optical zoom lens has a maximum aperture of f/2 and covers focal lengths equivalent to 28-106.4mm in 35mm format. The camera is equipped with a lens-shift image stabiliser that claims approximately four stops of shutter speed advantage.

Front view of the PowerShot S95 with the pop-up flash raised. (Source: Canon.)

Rear view of the PowerShot S95. (Source: Canon.)

The S95 offers full manual controls through P, A, S and M shooting modes as well as a Custom register and low Light mode. Scene presets include (Portrait, Landscape, Kids & Pets, Smart Shutter, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Colour Accent, Colour Swap, High Dynamic Range, Nostalgic, Fisheye Effect, Miniature Effect, Beach, Underwater, Foliage, Snow, Firework and Stitch Assist. High Definition video recording is available at 1280 x 720 pixels using the MOV (Image Data: H.264; Audio Data: Linear PCM stereo) format. Five aspect ratios are available – 16:9, 3:2, 4:3, 1:1 and 4:5.
Other features include a 3-inch Pure Color II LCD monitor with a wide viewing angle and resolution of 461,000 dots, a sophisticated face detection system and both tracking and servo AF for keeping moving subjects in focus. The S95 supports both JPEG and CR2.RAW file recording and is powered by a rechargeable NB-6L lithium-ion battery. It measures 99.8 x 58.4 x 29.5 mm and weighs approximately 170 grams without battery and card.
The PowerShot SX130 IS combines a Canon 12x optical zoom lens with optical image stabilisation and a 12.1-megapixel image sensor. Offering point-and-shoot simplicity or full manual control, this model is able to record High Definition video clips at 1280 x 720-pixel resolution. The new Intelligent Auto shooting mode includes Scene Detection, Face Detection, Motion Detection and Noise Reduction, each of which is applied as needed to ensure a high percentage of successful shots.

Front view of the PowerShot SX130 IS with the pop-up flash raised. (Source: Canon.)

Rear view of the PowerShot SX130 IS. (Source: Canon.)

Shooting modes on the mode dial include the standard P, A, S and M plus Easy, Portrait, Landscape, Kids and Pets and a Special Scene mode with 12 pre-sets (Smart Shutter, Low light, Super Vivid, Poster Effect, Colour Accent, Colour Swap, Fisheye Effect, Miniature Effect, Beach, Foliage, Snow and Fireworks). The SX130 IS is powered by two AA batteries. It measures 113.3 x 73.2 x 45.8 mm and weighs approximately 260 grams without battery and card.
The new Ixus 1000 HS is the first Ixus model with an optically-stabilised 10x optical zoom lens. Offered in silver and pink, it sports a 10-megapixel High Sensitivity CMOS sensor and DiG!C 4 processor plus a 3-inch TFT monitor with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 230,000-dot resolution. The screen provides five levels of brightness adjustment. The Intelligent Auto setting in the Ixus 1000 HS can identify 28 different scene types and set camera controls to produce correctly-exposed pictures for each.

Front view of the Ixus 1000 HS in pink. (Source: Canon.)

Rear view of the Ixus 1000 HS. (Source: Canon.)

The camera also provides selectable Program AE, Portrait, Kids & Pets and Smart Shutter modes, the latter including Face Detection Self-timer, Smile Shutter and Wink Self Timer settings. A new High-speed Burst mode supports up to 8.8 frames/second recording for still pictures, while users can capture super slow motion video clips by recording at 240 fps for playback at the standard 30 fps.
Intelligent Flash Exposure automatically detects flash requirements and adjusts the flash output, shutter speed, aperture and ISO for optimal exposure levels. The Ixus 1000 HS can also record Full HD (1920 x 1080) video movies with stereo soundtracks. Power is supplied by an NB-9L rechargeable lithium-ion battery, which supports approximately 150 shots/charge. The camera measures 101.3 x 58.5 x 22.3 mm and weighs approximately 167 grams (without battery and card).
All three models are scheduled to go on sale in September 2010. RRPs have still to be determined. For more information visit www.canon.com.au.