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Canon Increases ELPH Line By Two, 520 HS and 110 HS

Canon Powershot ELPH 520 HS

Canon has also today announced two new entries into its stylish ELPH line of compacts, named the ELPH 520 HS and the ELPH 110 HS. The 520 HS is the high-end model, and “resurrects the original PowerShot ELPH design.” IE, it’s once more a box with a lens and a shutter button smacked on. Which I like, it’s a pretty honest, minimalist assessment of what a camera even is these days: a magic box with a lens and a button. In this particular magic box, you’ll find a 10.1 megapixel CMOS sensor with a DIGIC V processor, a 12x 28-336 equiv f3.4-5.6 zoom, ISO up to 3200, a rather nice continuous drive mode up to 6.8 frames per second, 1080p HD movie mode, 3″ LCD, and of course Canon’s advanced “HS” system, combining optical image stabilization with enhanced CMOS low light performance. It comes in four quintessentially point-and-shoot colors (black, silver, red, blue), and will be $299 in March.

The other new ELPH, the 110 HS, is more traditionally styled (and comes in kookier colors, like a dusty pink, olive green, and a teal blue, in  addition to the stables of black, silver, and red). As you might expect from a camera that doesn’t merit a separate press release, the 110 HS shares a lot of similarities to its big brother (like the HS system, 3″ LCD, and ISO up to 3,200, DIGIC V), but differs in that it has a 5x optical zoom covering 24-120mm (f2.7-5.9) and a 16.1 megapixel sensor. Also, the frames per second drop to 5.8, and the price drops to $249.99.

Press release after the jump.

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Canon Expands PowerShot G Line with G1 X Large-Sensor Compact

If money is no object in your quest for good low-light photos, but size is, Canon’s ready to lend a hand with its newest entry in its G line of professional digital compacts, the G1 X. In the modern trend of sticking large sensors into essentially point-and-shoot bodies, the G1 X shoves a 1.5″ CMOS sensor into what’s essentially a nominally larger G12. To save you all some looking for it, that’s a 1.85x crop factor, making this sensor larger than every Four-Thirds/Micro Four-Thirds sensor and the Nikon 1 system, but smaller than Sony’s NEX line and Fuji’s popular X100.

On that 1.85x CMOS sensor you’ll find 14.3 megapixels capable of ISOs 100-12,800 in Program mode, and in front of it you’ll find a 4x optical zoom (28-112mm equiv, f2.8-5.6, minimum f16), and around back there’s a 3″ 922,000 dot tilt-swivel LCD. Otherwise, it’s about what you’d expect from this class of compact. There’s full manual controls, controls wheels, mode dials, and raw support. Oh, and there’s 1080p video, too, just in case you thought for a moment a new camera could dare come out without a video mode (silly you).

The other note here is the price tag. The PowerShot G1 X will debut at $799.99 next month. Yup. $800. For those of you not looking to drop that much on a compact, the G12 is remaining in the line-up at the more conservative $500, but it’ll still have that much, much smaller 1/2.3″ sensor compared to this new G entry. Press release after the jump.

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Canon Also Announces PowerShot SX40 HS

In addition to that S100, Canon announced an update to the SX30 IS today as well, coming in the form of the SX40 HS (HS indicating that in addition to the IS, it now has the low-light optimized CMOS sensor and imaging system inside). This model is the last remnant of their stoop-shouldered bridge camera line, which was once much more popular when the price gap between point-and-shoots and DSLRs was much greater than it now is.

No longer needing to so clearly mimic DSLRs in shape, these ultra-zoom bodies still sort that pseudo-DSLR shape but have gotten much, much tinier in recent years. At the same time, their zoom range has gotten much, much larger, and the SX40 HS packs, by modern standards, a paltry 35x zoom covering a mere 24-840mm equivalent range. Mere.

So, what’s new? Let’s see!

Feature SX30 IS SX40 HS
 Sensor  1/2.3? CCD  1/2.3? CMOS
 Megapixels  14.1  12.1
 ISO  80-1600  100-3200
 Display  2.7″ LCD  2.7″ LCD
 Zoom  35x  35x
 Focal Range (equiv)  24-840mm  24-840mm
Aperture  f2.7 – 5.8  f2.7 – 5.8
 Technology  IS  HS, IS
 Colors  Black  Black

Looks like the addition of the HS system is really the only thing to see here. Which megapixel count was better will depend on your needs, for day-light shooting, the extra 2 megapixels were nice. For low-light, the new 12 count will yield larger and less noisy pixels. It’s marked as it is in the table on a pure number basis, since there’s no hard and fast way to say whether resolution or sensitivity are better, and each person will need them differently.

Press release and additional image after the jump.

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Canon Announces PowerShot S100 High-End Compact

Another day, another camera announcement. This one’s a good one, though: the successor to Canon’s popular S95 compact. For those catching up, the high end S90/95/100 series compacts were introduced to provide an alternative to the G series pro cameras for people who need enhanced imaging quality but not necessarily the bulk and dials of the G series. The result is the very slim, unassuming looking camera you see, with a clever control ring around the lens and an f2 maximum aperture.

New this year is a DIGIC V processor bound to a new CMOS sensor (making it built on their new HS platform despite the lack of indication of this in the name). The lens is up from 3.3x zoom to 5x, but keeps that characteristic f2 maximum aperture. It’ll also be available in silver as well as black now The comparison table looks like this:

 

Feature S95 S100
 Sensor  1/1.7″ CCD  1/1.7″ CMOS
 Megapixels  10.4  12.1
 ISO  80-3200  80-6400
 Display  3″ LCD  3″ LCD
 Zoom  3.3x  5x
 Focal Range (equiv)  28-105mm  24-120mm
Aperture  f2.0 – 4.9  f2.0 – 5.9
 GPS  No  Yes
 Colors  Black  Black, Silver

We’re working on a preorder page for this right now, and it’ll be on our site within the next hour or so. Expected retail price, per the press release, will be $429.99. Speak of a press release, hit the jump for that and to see this baby in silver.

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Canon Announces New PowerShot External Flash. Everyone Ignores It In Favor of Camera Announcements.

Canon announced some stuff today, and most blogs have so far focused on the incremental upgrades to the Canon line in the forms of the ELPH 310, ELPH 510, and SX150. WHat isn’t getting mentioned quite as much is the quiet little note that Canon has curiously decided to bring back the HF-DC external flash unit for their PowerShot cameras, the number at the end incrementing up to a final model number of HF-DC2. Some poking on the internet suggests that the first of these was announced way back in 2005, people.

The Predecessor, the HF-DC1

The Predecessor, the HF-DC1

The basic idea is it’s a small zoom flash that sits either on a bracket next to your camera, or in your hand, or on a tripod, and extends your flash coverage for your point-and-shoot to about 30 feet. The new 2 revision also adds support for focal lengths down to 28mm with an attachment.

OK, now, those cameras. Not a lot to say, other than some help for you to understand Canon’s confusing avant-garde “creativity enabled” upgrade scheme.

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Canon Drops “SD” Designation in Favor Of Reinstating ELPH Brand on Three New Models

Along with the announcement of the HS designation today, Canon has said it’s switching it’s SD line of PowerShots back to the ELPH designation they’ve continued to use everywhere else, and is using a rational naming system for the re-branded line. So, instead of a series of SDxxx models, we get the simply named ELPH 100, ELPH 300, and ELPH 500s this year.

Now, all three of these are “HS” models, meaning they use Canon’s voodoo system that increases low-light performance. Just like the SX230 HS. All three also have the new 1080 video mode with Dynamic Image Stabilization, and a new Smart Auto mode to take more of the work out of taking photos for you.

First up is the PowerShot ELPH 100 HS. This is a pretty basic model, judging by how little even Canon has to say about it. From the couple sentences about it, we can tell you it’ll have a 12.1megapixel sensor (CMOS, with a DIGIC IV processor, as indicated by that “HS” designator), a 4x optical zoom starting at 28mm equiv, and a 3″ LCD. It’ll come in blue, gray, pink, silver, and orange, so, you’ve got your pick of colors. It’ll come out at around $200.

Number 2 on our list is the ELPH 300 HS. This one proudly proclaims itself the thinnest camera with a 5x optical 24mm equiv lens on the market, also earning it the award of most specific market demographic I’ve encountered this year. Also included are a 12.1 megapixel sensor and a 2.7″ LCD. Add elements all together, shake lightly, and serve in your choice of black, red, or silver for about $250.

And, finally, there’s the ELPH 500 HS. Canon clearly saved all the exciting news for this model, and it sports a wide-aspect 3.2″ LCD touchscreen and a 4.4x 24mm equiv zoom that starts at a bright f2.0 aperture. If you guessed that it, too, has a 12.1 megapixel sensor, you win a prize. And that prize is knowing that it’ll come in brown, pink, or silver and set you back right at $300 when it comes out.

Lots and lots of pictures of all three models after the illustrious jump.

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Canon’s PowerShot SX230 HS Trimmest Yet, Adds GPS

Sitting atop a series of new point-and-shoot models today is the PowerShot SX230 HS. The new “HS” designation is one you should expect to see a lot of now that the “IS” designation has become used on all but a couple models. The HS designation is… well, let’s let Canon tell you what it is:

Introduced last year, the HS SYSTEM is a technology used to enhance image quality in low-light situations without the need for a flash. Making up the HS SYSTEM in these new models is Canon’s DIGIC 4 Image Processor combined with a High-Sensitivity CMOS sensor, which helps to reduce noise at high ISO levels and expand the camera’s dynamic range, ultimately capturing greater detail and color in images in darker settings, like a wedding reception. With the use of the HS SYSTEM, consumers are able to capture clearer images with less noise and blur, resulting in brilliant, sharp images.

Got it? Good. Moving on. The SX230 HS replaces the SX220 IS, and continues a lineage in a line of point-and-shoots I’ve liked for a couple generations. We used to use one of its predecessors for shooting Raw Footage because the video output was so good. This newest one has a 12.1 megapixel sensor married to a DIGIC IV processor and a 14x 28mm equiv optical zoom lens. On the back you’ll find a 3″ OLED screen to guarantee your pictures never look as good on your computer as they did on the camera. The movie mode is up to 1080 HD with dynamic image stabilization. And, oh yeah, this is Canon’s first camera to have GPS.

It’ll be available in black, blue, and the pinkest “red” I’ve ever seen for around $350. Hit the jump to see more exciting pictures.

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The Top of the Bottom, Canon’s PowerShot A3300 IS

Let’s start off right off the bat with the A3300 by pointing out that the “IS” at the end of the name is a solid indicator this is going to be a more serious camera. So, what else is in store for the only camera of the four in this year’s A series to have image stabilization? Well, looks like 16 megapixels, a 5x optical zoom starting at 28mm equiv, and a 3″ LCD are all notable upgrades. It continues to shoot 720p video, and like the A2200 is sports an NB-8L battery pack instead of AAs, once again yielding a trimmer body (though, I think a small step backwards from the A2200′s looks).

Like the two models below it, you’ll find those new art modes (including toy camera, miniature, and fisheye… but not monochrome silly Canon because you’ve already offered that for ages), and the buzz-worthy new Discreet Mode that turns off all the noises, the flash, and the AF beam so you can be a photographic ninja thanks to merch.

And, while the price has climbed its way up through the line-up, here at the top you’re only still staring down about a $180 MSRP for what is on paper a more than competent camera for capturing those fleeting moments we call “life.”

And, yup, you know the drill, more pics after the jump.

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Stuck in the Middle, Canon’s PowerShot A2200

Well, if you read the last post, then there’s not a whole lot to tell you about the middle child of the new PowerShot line-up, the A2200. It ups the game to 14 megapixels, and it drops the AA batteries in favor of an NB-8L rechargeable battery back (which also lets the camera have those slimmer lines). Otherwise, there’s not a lot on paper to differentiate it from it’s smaller sibling. You got the art modes, the new Discreet mode that turns off all sounds, flashes, and AF beams so you can be sneaky with your shots, standard 4x wide angle zoom, 720p, yadda yadda.

I do think it has style going for it, and if you’re not willing to drop the extra $30 for that alone you obviously didn’t go through a design program. Or, maybe that’s just me. A few more shots after the jump.

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Moving on up (To Canon’s Powershot A1200)

Next up in the new PowerShot line-up we find the A1200 (which does still use AAs). The lack of “IS” on the end probably tells you what this model continues to lack, so let’s move on to what it does have. The A1200 has a 12.1 megapixel sensor capable of ISO 1600 sitting behind a 4x optical zoom lens that starts at a wide 28mm equiv and pipes images through to a 2.7″ LCD. For those of you who still don’t trust LCDs in the daylight, there’s a viewfinder, but they’re getting tinier every generation and of course don’t zoom with the lens and have crazy parallax issues. So. But, it’s there.

While everyone and their brother mocked Olympus when it trotted out art filters for its interchangeable lens compacts and DSLRs, there’s little use in pretending they didn’t change the market (you can decide for better or worse, but, no one’s forcing you to use these if you don’t want to, and they aren’t adding cost, so, I file it under pretty neutral turf myself). In that spirit, the A1200 has some creative artsy filters, like fisheye mode, toy camera and miniature mode (presumably for tilt/shift style effects.) It also touts monochrome as an exciting mode, but since that’s been around forever I’m more inclined to just arch an eyebrow at it’s inclusion in the art filters.

Way more exciting is the new “Discreet Mode” that turns off all the noises, the flash, and the AF beam so you can take pictures like the spy you always dreamed of being as a kid. Or, you know, just not call attention to yourself at parties or on the street, letting you document without affecting.

Personally, though, I’m sticking by the spy thing.

More pictures after the jump.

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