Canon Digicam Does Video

Canon has queued up a multitude of new digital camera announcements, including a combination still camera and camcorder, for debut at the Photo Marketing Association show this week in Las Vegas.

Also in the spotlight are the company's first easy-to-carry 5-megapixel compact digicam, along with several models with a new Print/Share button. Canon expects the four cameras unveiled at PMA to be available in April.

So You Want to Be in Movies

One of the new cameras is the PowerShot S1 IS, a 3.2-megapixel digicam with an estimated street price of $500. What's so special? It can also record movies. Yes, so does that three-year-old, 2-megapixel clunker. But the S1 IS records movies at a 640 by 480 resolution at up to 30 frames per second--with 16-bit, 22KHz sound.

Canon says you can fit up to one hour of continuous video onto a 1GB CompactFlash card, although it's not clear if that occurs at the highest resolution. The camera comes with only a 32MB CF card, but you can buy 1GB cards for as little as $160. The camera also supports the newer 2GB cards.

Many of the S1 IS's basic features seem designed with movies in mind. For instance, you can adjust the exposure and 10X optical zoom while recording. The zoom is, according to Canon, "virtually silent"--useful when you're shooting with sound. Like a camcorder, it comes with a variable-angle 1.5-inch LCD and an electronic, rather than an optical, viewfinder.

The S1 IS uses four AA batteries. Canon states the camera can take 120 shots with alkaline batteries and 550 with NiMH batteries.

Downsized Digicams

Canon is also adding three new cameras to its small-size Elph line, including its first 5-megapixel pocket edition. The PowerShot S500 comes with the same 5-megapixel CCD as Canon's S50 and G5, a 3X zoom lens, and an estimated $500 street price. It measures 3.4 by 2.2 by 1.1 inches, and it weighs 6.5 ounces without its two AA batteries or the CompactFlash card.

The weight, however, includes the new Print/Share button on the back of the camera. When you connect the S500 to your printer or computer via the USB port and press the button, you get options to print, save, e-mail, or post your photos. The camera will print directly to any printer that supports either Canon's own Direct Photo or the industry-wide PictBridge standard.

Canon is also showing two other Elphs. The S410 and SD110 replace the existing 4-megapixel S400 Digital Elph and 3.2-megapixel SD100 Digital Elph, and keep the same resolutions as the outgoing models. Canon expects the S410 to carry a $400 estimated street price, while the SD110 will go for $300. The principal improvement in both new models is the Print/Share button also used on the PowerShot S500.

The S410 matches the S500 in size and weight, suggesting that the two cameras use the same body. The SD110 comes in at a slightly smaller 3.3 by 2.2 by 0.9 inches, and at 5.8 ounces without the battery or SD card, making it the smallest Elph so far with an optical zoom.

Other cameras announced by Canon include the high-end, 8-megapixel Pro1 ($1000) and the entry-level 3.2-megapixel A310 ($200).