Canon Updates Digital Camera And Printer Lines

By Greg Scoblete On Sep 19 2005 - 6:00am

Canon unveiled a new slate of imaging products, including new consumer cameras, portable printers and full-featured inkjet photo printers, as it prepares for a hotly contested holiday.

The PowerShot S80, which replaces the S70, offers 1,024 by 768 (XGA) movie recording at 15 frames per second (fps) up to 1GB in size to SD memory (32MB included).

The camera also features a 3.6x wide-angle optical zoom lens (28-100mm/35mm equivalent), a 2.5-inch LCD, 21 shooting modes, USB 2.0 high-speed connectivity and the company's DIGIC II image processor.

The S80 offers a new autofocus system that cuts focusing time by 20 percent over its predecessor. An improved exposure control boosts the camera's focusing and exposure accuracy in low light conditions, the company said.

The 7-megapixel Powershot A620 and 5-megapixel A610 will ship this month and feature 4x optical zoom lenses, 20 shooting modes and a 2-inch vari-angle LCD screen.

The PowerShot A620 for a suggested $399.99 and A610 for $299.99 are equipped with a nine-point AiAF autofocus system and are both capable of recording VGA video at 30 fps.

Finally, the 3-megapixel PowerShot A410, which replaces the A400, features a 3.2x optical zoom lens, continuous shooting up to 2.5 fps for the entire capacity of an SD/MMC card and a 1.5-inch LCD screen. It offers eight special scene modes and five photo effect modes. It will retail for a suggested $149.99.

Canon also refreshed its line of 4-inch by 6-inch inkjet and dye sublimation models in its Selphy line. In dye sublimation, the company introduced the CP510 and CP710. Both are capable of producing 300 dpi resolution 4 by 6-inch photos without a PC and feature additional USB ports for connection to a PC or external USB cable. The units can be operated with AC power or via an optional rechargeable battery. Optional paper cassettes allow the printer to produce 4 by 8-inch and 2.1 by 3.4-inch prints.

The Selphy CP510 model will retail for an estimated $99.99 and ships this month. It features a retractable, built-in USB cable. It can produce borderless postcard prints in approximately 58 seconds.

The CP710, which ships in October for an estimated $149.99, adds a 1.5-inch color LCD screen and memory card slots for CompactFlash, SD/MMC and Memory Stick.

Canon's new inkjet-based DS810 features two-picoliter droplet sizes for a resolution of up to 4,800 by 1,200 dpi. It can produce a 4 by 6-inch print in roughly 63 seconds directly from a PictBridge enabled camera. The DS810 features a 2.5-inch LCD screen, memory card slots, and with an optional adapter can accept images from Bluetooth-enabled devices. It will ship this month for an estimated selling price of $149.99.

All three new Selphy printers are compatible with Canon's new BU-20 Bluetooth adaptor for an estimated $79.99.

Canon also refreshed its Pixma inkjet photo printer lineup with five models. Three models will feature a new ink-status LED light to alert users to low ink levels and to help ensure that the ink tanks are installed and working correctly.

The iP5200R, for an estimated $229.99, uses the new “smart LED” system and is both wireless (802.11b/g) and wired (Ethernet) network capable. It can print a borderless 4 by 6-inch print in roughly 36 seconds with the default setting in the printer driver. It features a maximum resolution of 9,600 by 2,400 dpi with one-picoliter ink droplets, built-in two-sided printing of both text and photos and a second paper tray cassette.

A version without the networking, the iP5200, will sell for an estimated $179.99.

The iP6600D, for an estimated $199.99, features a 3.5-inch LCD, built-in image editing including red-eye reduction, cropping and backlight correction and a resolution of 9,600 by 2,400 dpi with one picoliter droplets. It can print a borderless 4 by 6-inch photo in approximately 46 seconds. It can produce prints from IR devices and Bluetooth-enabled devices with an adapter.

The iP6220D features a 2.5-inch LCD screen, built-in editing features, a six-color ink tank and a maximum of 4,800 by 1,200 dpi resolution with two-picoliter droplets. It can create a borderless 4 by 6-inch print in roughly one minute. It will retail for an estimated $149.99.

Finally, the iP6210D, for an estimated $99.99, can print directly from select memory cards with a maximum resolution of 4,800 by 1,200 dpi with two-picoliter droplets.