Canon have added 3 new models to their A-series Powershot range of digital cameras - the A590 IS, A580, A470. Offering 8 megapixels, the Canon A590 IS and Canon A580 are identical apart from the addition of image stabiliation to the former model, with 4x optical zoom, Motion Detection Technology with High ISO Auto, 2.5” LCD and optical viewfinder on offer. The cheaper Canon A470 camera has a 7 megapixel sensor and 3.4 optical zoom. The new Canon PowerShot A590 IS will cost $199 / £159.00 / €229.00. The Canon PowerShot A580 will cost $179 / £139.00 / €199.00. The Canon PowerShot A470 will cost $179 / £109.00 / €159.00. All three are available from March 2008.

Canon Europe Press Release

Canon energises PowerShot A-series with new technologies for 2008

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 24 January, 2008: Canon today adds a range of powerful technologies to its PowerShot A-Series with the announcement of three new models: the 8.0 Megapixel PowerShot A590 IS and PowerShot A580 and the 7.1 Megapixel PowerShot A470. All three cameras incorporate brand-new features for 2008 including blur-reducing Motion Detection Technology, 1 Face Detection White Balance and Auto Red-Eye Correction as an option in shooting mode. In addition they bring Face Select & Track to the PowerShot A-series for the first time. The 4x optical zoom lens of the PowerShot A590 IS also incorporates Canon’s renowned optical Image Stabilizer (IS) to counteract camera shake and further combat blur.

“Canon’s reputation is based on image quality, and with these three new cameras it continues to deliver on this promise,” said Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging, Europe. “PowerShot A-series users will find that all of these cameras deliver easy-to-use intelligent features, together with Canon’s renowned optics, for outstanding images as standard.”

1 See Technologies Explained

Features
PowerShot A590 IS, PowerShot A580
- 8.0 Megapixels
- 4x optical zoom lens
- Optical Image Stabilizer (PowerShot A590 IS)
- New Motion Detection Technology with High ISO Auto
- Enhanced Face Detection Technology
- Automatic Red-Eye Correction in shooting and playback
- DIGIC III and iSAPS for superb image quality and performance
- 2.5” LCD and optical viewfinder
- Range of shooting modes including new Sunset and Easy modes
- Full manual control (PowerShot A590 IS)
- Range of optional lens accessories (PowerShot A590 IS)

PowerShot A470
- 7.1 Megapixels
- 3.4x optical zoom lens
- New Motion Detection Technology with High ISO Auto
- Enhanced Face Detection Technology
- Automatic Red-Eye Correction in shooting and playback
- DIGIC III and iSAPS for superb image quality and performance
- 2.5” LCD
- Range of easy to use shooting modes including new Sunset mode
- Four colour variations (Silver, Blue, Red, Green)

Precision optics The three new PowerShot models take advantage of Canon’s lens-making expertise with zoom lenses that offer a wide degree of flexibility. The PowerShot A470 has a 3.4x optical zoom while the PowerShot A590 IS and PowerShot A580 offer additional framing options with their 4x optical zoom lenses. The PowerShot A590 IS also features Canon’s lens-shift type optical Image Stabilizer (IS) for shake-free shots and enhanced low-light performance.

Bye-bye to blur – new Motion Detection Technology New for 2008, Motion Detection Technology continues Canon’s drive to make high quality images easy to achieve. Activated in High ISO Auto, intelligent Motion Detection Technology uses information from various inputs – including Face Detection Technology, scene brightness and the optical Image Stabilizer (where available) – to identify the subject and detect subject motion or camera shake. Canon’s own system optimises ISO for blur-reduction, whilst maximising image quality.

Enhanced Face Detection Technology A new enhancement to Canon’s Face Detection Technology, Face Detection White Balance is included in PowerShot for the first time. This feature sets the camera’s white balance for the face detection frame, rather than the centre point. The result is sharp, well-exposed portraits with natural skin tones under artificial, natural or mixed lighting conditions. Also added to these three PowerShot models is Face Select & Track. This clever feature follows a user-selected face around the frame, ensuring that optimal results are achieved at the moment the user chooses to shoot.
New AF Point Zoom allows the photographer to magnify the AF frame when the shutter button is pressed half way, so that facial expressions can be checked before shooting. AF performance in low light has been significantly improved to achieve focus in scenes at around one stop darker.

In addition to Red-Eye Correction in playback, each of the models now features automatic Red-Eye Correction in shooting. When set to automatic, the feature detects and removes red-eye as the user shoots. Newly enhanced red-eye correction algorithms provide further improvements in correction accuracy.
Modes for all occasions Each of the three new cameras adds new Sunset mode to its complement of Special Scene options. Special Scene Modes help users achieve better results by setting the camera for optimum results in typical shooting situations. New Sunset scene mode optimises the white balance and exposure settings to make the most of this popular, but sometimes tricky to capture, subject.

The PowerShot A590 IS and PowerShot A580 add new Easy shooting mode. Suitable for complete beginners, Easy mode uses Motion Detection Technology to combat blur and automatically switches between normal and Macro AF when necessary. For extra simplicity the displayed shooting information is reduced and all buttons except flash are disabled. In Easy mode the PowerShot A590 IS and PowerShot A580 exemplify the term ‘Point and Shoot.’

The PowerShot A590 IS also features full Manual exposure control and an optional range of lens and flash accessories. The PowerShot A590 IS is the perfect family camera, suitable for beginners and more advanced users alike; offering ultimate simplicity, together with the option to expand and experiment.
Each of the new models feature Long Play (LP) Movies for memory-saving movie clips, and retain My Colors in-camera photo effects. With 19 (PowerShot A590 IS), 16 (PowerShot A580) and 14 (PowerShot A470) shooting modes, these cameras are highly versatile additions to the PowerShot A-Series.
Easy viewing All three cameras feature a 115,000 dot resolution, 2.5” LCD screen with Night Display for easy viewing in dark conditions. The PowerShot A590 IS and PowerShot A580 also include a real-image zoom optical viewfinder (OVF), enabling the screen to be turned off to conserve battery power.

About Canon Consumer Imaging (CCI), Canon Europe
Canon Europe is a subsidiary of Canon Inc., founded in Japan in 1937. CCI is a leading provider of digital products for the home and the office, including: photo, video, ink jet and laser printers, All-in-One devices, projectors, scanners and fax machines.

Canon’s corporate philosophy is kyosei, a Japanese concept that focuses on living and working together for the common good. As an environmentally aware organisation Canon is a Conservation Partner of the WWF.

Further information about Canon Europe is available at: www.canon-europe.com

Additional Information
Printing
The PowerShot A590 IS, PowerShot A580 and PowerShot A470 feature a dedicated Print menu for quick access to direct print options. Full PictBridge support means users can print directly to any PictBridge compatible printer without the need for a PC. A Print/Share button allows one-touch printing and easy uploads to Windows or Mac systems. New for 2008, print order settings can be made in Playback mode by pressing the Print/Share button. When connected to a PictBridge compatible printer, the camera offers the option to print the print list by the quickest method.

Memory card support
In addition to SD, SDHC and MMC memory cards, the cameras support the new MMCplus and HC MMCplus formats for storage of up to 32GB. The cameras come supplied with a 32MB memory card.

Software
The PowerShot A590 IS, PowerShot A580 and PowerShot A470 come bundled with the following Canon Software:
- ZoomBrowser EX 6.1 (Windows), ImageBrowser 6.1 (Mac): For organising and editing images, movies and slideshows, or creating and printing digital photo albums.
- PhotoStitch 3.1 (Windows), PhotoStitch 3.2 (Mac): For creating panoramic photos from multiple images.
The bundled software supports Windows 2000 (SP4), XP (SP2), Vista and Macintosh OS X v10.3-10.4.
Purchasers of the cameras are eligible for membership of CANON iMAGE GATEWAY2, 100MB of online ‘personal gallery’ space for sharing stills and video with family and friends.

Accessories
A range of optional accessories includes:
- Tele-converter 1.75x (TCDC52A) (PowerShot A590 IS)
- Wide-converter 0.7x (WC-DC52) (PowerShot A590 IS)
- Close-up Lens 52mm (250D) (PowerShot A590 IS)
2 CANON iMAGE GATEWAY is not available in all European countries. Please see www.cig.canon-europe.com for available countries. Movie upload requires users to download and install the movie upload task, available after registration from the CANON iMAGE GATEWAY site.
- Conversion Lens Adapter (LA-DC52G) (PowerShot A590 IS)
- High Power Flash (HF-DC1)
- Soft Case (DCC-80) (PowerShot A590 IS, PowerShot A580)
- Soft Case (DCC-450) (PowerShot A470)
- AC Adapter Kit (ACK800)

Technologies Explained

DIGIC III
Canon’s DIGIC III (DIGital Imaging Core) image processor manages all of the camera’s primary functions to optimize operating efficiency. Advanced image processing algorithms deliver superb image detail and colour reproduction with accurate white balance. High-speed processing results in outstanding responsiveness, rapid auto focus and extended continuous shooting ability. DIGIC III also powers advanced Noise Reduction Technology and Face Detection Technology.

Face Detection Technology
Canon’s Face Detection AF/AE/FE/WB system automatically detects up to nine faces within a frame before adjusting the focus, exposure, flash and white balance to ensure optimal results. It is able to determine which faces are intended to be the subject, instantly reverting to the partnering 9-point AiAF system if no face is detected as the primary subject. Auto Red-Eye Correction integrates with Face Detection Technology to remove red-eye during shooting or playback.

Motion Detection Technology Canon’s Motion Detection Technology uses several methods to detect camera and subject movement and set exposure accordingly. The brightness of subject and background, movement of the subject (based on comparison of frames over time) Face Detection information and camera shake information from the optical Image Stabilizer (IS) gyros (where available) are all taken into account. Where motion is detected the camera automatically selects the appropriate ISO level between ISO 80-800 to achieve a shot with minimal noise and zero blur.

iSAPS
iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) automatically optimises key camera settings before every shot. Each scene is analysed and cross-referenced against Photographic Space – a vast in-camera library of photographic data. This enables the camera to make optimal adjustments to auto exposure, auto focus and auto white balance before image capture occurs.

Optical Image Stabilizer
The PowerShot A590 IS uses a lens shift-type Image Stabilizer (IS) system to detect and correct slight camera shakes that can cause image blur. Minute vibration gyros detect lens tilting caused by hand shake. These signals – 4,000 per second – are processed by a single-chip IS controller, which discriminates between hand shake and intentional camera movements. Shake signals are sent to the IS unit, which moves one of the lens elements accordingly to deflect the light rays and cancel out the effects of shake. For improved accuracy and responsiveness, the moving lens element is supported on tiny ceramic spheres. In addition to minimising friction, ceramic spheres avoid some of the problems that can affect metal systems, such as thermal expansion and magnetism. The optical IS of the PowerShot A590 IS allows photographers to shoot at shutter speeds up to 3 stops slower with no perceptible increase in image blur due to camera shake.

Digital Tele-Converter and Safety Zoom
Similar to placing an accessory lens on the front of the camera, Canon’s Digital Tele-Converter adds a constant zoom to every shot – 1.5x or 1.9x (PowerShot A470) or 1.6x or 2.0x (PowerShot A590 IS, PowerShot A580) depending on the image size selected. While optical converter lenses cause a reduction in aperture and consequently require a slower shutter speed, the Digital Tele-Converter maintains aperture size, reducing the risk of image blur.

Safety Zoom protects the image from interpolation at high levels of digital zoom, allowing users to extend zoom magnification without sacrificing image quality.

Level of Safety Zoom possible at each image size setting:
Large
Medium 1
Medium 2
Medium 3, Postcard Date Imprint
Small
PowerShot A590 IS
PowerShot A580
4.0x
5.0x
6.4x
8.2x
16x
PowerShot A470
3.4x
4.0x
5.1x
6.5x
14x

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