Canon today announced two new versions of its Wide
Angle Lenses and a new version of its 24-70mm Standard
Zoom Lens. The company also announced six PowerShot
A-series models along with the PowerShot ELPH 530 HS,
ELPH 320 HS, SX260 HS, and D20 digital cameras.
Starting from the new lenses, the new EF 24-70mm
f/2.8L II USM, EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM lenses use a rear focusing system, high-speed
CPU, and a ring-type Ultra Sonic Motor (USM) with
optimized AF algorithms for faster auto focusing.
The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM zoom lens utilizes one
Super UD lens element and two UD lens elements to help
achieve high image quality throughout the full zoom
range. The lens coatings have been optimized to ensure
great color balance while minimizing ghosting, and
reduced spherical aberration. With a circular
nine-blade diaphragm, the lens delivers soft
backgrounds and incredible bokeh.
Resistant to dust and water, the new lens has enhanced
durability and weather sealing. The lens also features
a zoom lock lever to secure the zoom position for safe
transport, and fluorine coatings on the front and rear
glass surfaces to reduce smears and fingerprints.
The EF 24-70mm f/2.8L II USM lens is expected to be
available in April for an approximate retail price of
$2,299.00.
Canon's upgraded EF 24mm and EF 28mm lenses come with
Image Stabilization technology and Ultrasonic
Motor-powered auto focus. Both lenses feature Canon's
Optical Image Stabilizer technology providing up to
four shutter speed stops of correction. With the
Optical Image Stabilizer turned on, photographers can
capture sharp wide-angle images in low-light settings
reducing the need for a flash or a tripod. New
aspherical lens elements improve the peripheral image
quality and a seven-blade circular diaphragm delivers
soft backgrounds. The EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM and EF 28mm
f/2.8 IS USM lenses each have a minimum focusing
distances of 0.20m and 0.23m, respectively.
The EF 24mm f/2.8 IS USM lens is expected to be
available in June for an approximate retail price of
$849.99, while the EF 28mm f/2.8 IS USM lens is
expected to be available in June for an approximate
retail price of $799.99.
New PowerShot Lineup
Canon has also added four PowerShot digital cameras:
the Wi-Fi enabled ELPH 530 HS and ELPH 320 HS, the
SX260 HS, and the D20.
The PowerShot SX260 HS camera puts Canon's optical
reach into a pocket sized camera, with a 20x optical
zoom (25mm to 500mm).
The Wi-Fi functionality built into the two ELPH models
allow for a variety of connection options to help
photographers share, upload, or back-up images. Users
can connect directly to a wireless network from their
camera to upload photos and videos to the Canon iMAGE
GATEWAY, an online service that lets registered users
store images to an online album, and then post their
content to social networks such as Facebook, YouTube
and Twitter.
In March, the Canon CameraWindow application is
expected to be available on the Apple App Store for
the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touchii to further enhance
the connectivity options. With this App, users can
transfer and save images and videos from the camera to
compatible iOS devices, which can then be directly
uploaded to Facebook and YouTube or emailed. Photos
and videos can also be shared on-the-spot with friends
and family by transmitting to another current
Wi-Fi-enabled Canon camera as well. A similar app is
expected to be available in May for Android devices.
Canon PowerShot ELPH 530 HS Digital Camera
The flagship of the ELPH line, the 0.78 inches thick
ELPH 530 HS camera has the classic style of the
original ELPH design while also being Wi-Fi enabled
and packing a 12x optical zoom lens. Canon's HS SYSTEM
has been included where the 10-megapixel
high-sensitivity CMOS sensor will work in tandem with
the camera's DIGIC 5 image processor to help produce
high-quality images in low-light conditions. The ELPH
530 HS will also shoot 1080p Full HD video. This new
model sports a 3.2-inch LCD touch screen, Smart AUTO
scene selection with 58 scenes, Face ID for optimal
images of up to 12 registered subjects and the
Intelligent Image Stabilization (IS) function. The
camera will be available in black or white for an
estimated retail price of $349.99 and is expected to
ship in April.
The Canon PowerShot ELPH 320 HS camera has also Wi-Fi
connectivity. The HS SYSTEM has also been included on
this model with the 16.1 megapixel CMOS and DIGIC 5
image processor. The camera has also 1080p Full HD
capabilities, a 5x-Optical Zoom 24mm wide-angle lens
and a 3.2-inch LCD touch screen. This camera will also
feature Smart AUTO scene selection with 58 scenes and
Face ID in addition to Intelligent IS. The camera will
be available in four colors (black, silver, blue and
red) for an estimated retail price of $279.99 and is
expected to ship in March.
Canon's PowerShot SX260 HS camera delivers a 20x
Optical Zoom and 25mm Wide-Angle lens with Optical
Image Stabilization. The camera's zoom is accompanied
by Canon's HS SYSTEM for improved low-light shooting
with a 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC 5 image
processor. Photographers can capture photos or 1080p
Full HD video. The Smart AUTO scene selection with 58
scenes and Face ID has also been included in this
device. The camera also includes Intelligent IS and
GPS photo tagging with location and elevation
information. Adding to the feature-set is High-Speed
Burst HQ allowing for approximately 10 high-resolution
shots to be captured at a continuous rate at 10.3
frames per second. The camera will be available in
three colors - black, green and red - and is expected
to be available in March for an estimated retail price
of $349.99.
Waterproof, shock-proof, and freeze-proof the
PowerShot D20 is built with the active photographer in
mind. The camera enables users to switch from normal
photo mode to snow or underwater mode, even with
gloves on. To help make the underwater photos as great
as those captured on dry land, the camera has a
built-in underwater macro mode. When recording video,
the camera includes wind reduction technology. Other
features include the HS SYSTEM incorporating a
12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor and DIGIC 4 image
processor, 1080p Full HD video and a 5x optical zoom
lens. Also included is a 3.0-inch LCD screen,
GPS-capabilities and Intelligent IS. The PowerShot D20
camera is expected to ship in May 2012 for an
estimated retail price of $349.99.
Re-Designed PowerShot A-series Cameras
Canon also announced six PowerShot A-series digital
cameras with improved operability. Canon's PowerShot
A-series models feature 16-megapixel sensora, 720p HD
video capture and a 28mm wide-angle lens.
For the first time in a PowerShot A-series model, the
A4000 IS, A3400 IS and A2400 IS models will feature
Intelligent IS so the camera automatically selects the
most effective image stabilization mode. In addition,
all of the new models will have the Smart AUTO feature
with 32 shooting modes that selects the appropriate
camera setting based on the users shooting
environment. Additionally, for the first time in a
PowerShot camera, each model will have a Help button
to provide an explanation of various shooting modes to
help the user along the way.
The Canon PowerShot A4000 IS and PowerShot A3400 IS
cameras will each have a Genuine Canon Lens with
Optical Image Stabilization. For the PowerShot A4000
IS camera, there will be a 8x-Optical Zoom lens and
the PowerShot A3400 IS camera will have a 5x-Optical
Zoom. In addition, both cameras will have a 3-inch LCD
screen; however, the PowerShot A3400 camera's screen
will be Touch Panel, with Touch Focus and Touch
Shutter shooting modes. The PowerShot A4000 IS camera
is scheduled to be available in February in black,
silver, blue, red and pink for an estimated retail
price of $199.99. The PowerShot A3400 IS camera is
scheduled to be available in March in black, silver,
red and gold for an estimated retail price of $179.99.
The PowerShot A2400 IS and PowerShot A2300 cameras
both feature a 5x-Optical Zoom and a 2.7-inch LCD
screen. The PowerShot A2400 IS camera will also have
Optical Image Stabilization and is scheduled to be
available in March in black, silver, blue and pink for
an estimated retail price of $159.99. The PowerShot
A2300 camera is scheduled to be available in March for
an estimated retail price of $149.99 in black, silver,
red and blue.
For the more traditional camera user, the PowerShot
A1300 camera comes equipped with an optical
viewfinder. Additionally, both the PowerShot A1300 and
PowerShot A810 cameras feature a 5x-Optical Zoom lens,
2.7-inch LCD screen and use AA batteries. The
PowerShot A1300 camera is scheduled to be available in
April for an estimated retail price of $119.99, in
black and silver. The PowerShot A810 camera is
scheduled to be available in April for an estimated
retail price of $109.99, in black, silver and red.