LAS VEGAS – Canon USA put the emphasis on connectivity in its new point-and-shoot and camcorder offerings at International CES by introducing a wireless Connect Station that works with both categories.
The Canon Connect Station CS100 (shipping in April at a $299 suggested retail) is a photo and video hub that enables sharing, storing, viewing and managing images, using up to 1 TB of wirelessly accessible storage with the capacity for approximately 150,000 photos or approximately 70 hours of video content.
Canon’s new PowerShot, Elph and Vixia products, and presumably others coming in the future, can use the platform to easily transfer photos and videos via wireless NFC, using available SD/CF card slots and USB connection, or through a web browser from a smartphone, tablet or PC.
Once loaded onto the Connect Station CS100, photos and videos are automatically organized by date or shooting device, and can be quickly accessed, for playback on PC screens, smartphones, tablets and even HDTVs via an HDMI cable.
Photos can also be easily printed from the Connect Station using Canon Pixma/Selphy printers.
At CES, Canon unveiled five advanced point-and-shoot cameras and three Vixia camcorders.
In total, Canon is showed three PowerShot long-zoom telephoto models, each with Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity, and a pair of mini Elph models.
New PowerShot telephoto cameras include the PowerShot SX530 HS ($449 suggested retail), SX710 HS ($369) and the SX610 HS ($269). All will ship in February.
PowerShot Elph models will also ship in February and include the Elph 170 IS ($159) and Elph 160 IS ($119).
The PowerShot SX540 HS is a 16-megapixel, 50x (24mm-1200mm equivalent) bridge-style camera with Intelligent IS image stabilization for clear super-long-distance shots. It includes built-in Wi-Fi with NFC for wireless connection and transfer to a host of connected devices, including the new Canon Power Station PS100.
Other features include Canon DIGIC 4+ image processing for strong low-light performance, and FullHD 1080p (60p/30p/24p) video capture.
The PowerShot SX710 HS is a 20.3-megapixel model offering with 30x (25-750mm equivalent) optical zoom with Intelligent IS and Zoom Framing Assist, which automatically zooms in or out to follow the movement of the subject.
The PowerShot SX610 HS is a 20.2-megapixel point-and-shoot with an 18x (25-750mm equivalent) optical zoom, Intelligent IS, Zoom Framing Assist and Hybrid Auto, which intelligently selects proper settings based on predefined shooting situations.
New Elph-series models include the 170 IS with 20-megapixel resolution, 12x optical zoom (equivalent to 25-300mm), Intelligent IS, DIGIC 4+ and 720p HD video capture.
The PowerShot Elph 160 IS offers 20 megapixels and an 8x optical zoom (equivalent to 28-224mm).
Meanwhile, for camcorders, Canon continues to stand by its Vixia lineup in 2015, and showed three HF R-series models at CES. The Vixia HF R62, Vixia HF R60 and Vixia HF R600 are all slated for February releases at prices to be announced later.
All three feature a 57x Advanced Zoom lens, along with SuperRange Optical Image Stabilization for clear, steady shots and long distance shooting flexibility, a Canon 3.28-megapixel FullHD CMOS image sensor, and 3-inch capacitive touch panel LCD.
Models HF R62 and R60 include built-in Wi-Fi and NFC connectivity with remote monitoring capabilities. Both are also compatible with a new Camera Pan Table CT-V1 that enables remotely panning the camcorder up to 200 degrees left to right from a Wi-Fi-connected smart device.
The R62 and R60 also include Advanced Baby Mode, which selects the best settings to easily capture a baby’s daily growth in images.
The NFC feature in both models will allow connectivity with Canon’s new Connection Station CS100.
The HF R600 allows customizing videos with seven Cinema Look Filter effects. Each can be applied during or after filming.
