Canon USA Announces PowerShot SD200 and SD300 Digital ELPH Cameras

Canon USA Press Release 21/09/04

CANON’S SOPHISTICATED, STYLISH AND SLENDER NEW POWERSHOT SD200 AND SD300 DIGITAL ELPH CAMERAS OFFER BIG SCREEN VIEWING IN POCKET-SIZED PACKAGES

Canon’s New Ultra Slim, Ultra Compact PowerShot SD200 and SD300 Digital ELPH Cameras Offer Image Excellence, Large LCD Screens and Small Size to Today’s Consumers

LAKE SUCCESS, N.Y. Sept. 21, 2004 - Canon makes shooting and viewing brilliant high-quality digital pictures simple with two fast, sleek and slender new digital cameras. The 3.2-megapixel PowerShot SD200 Digital ELPH and 4.0-megapixel PowerShot SD300 Digital ELPH cameras combine large 2.0-inch LCD screens, cutting edge technology with UA Lens and Canon’s exclusive DIGIC II image processing technology into ultra compact 3.35 x 2.20 x 0.94 inch packages.

“Since the introduction of the first Digital ELPH model in May of 2000, Canon has gained an outstanding reputation for small, stylish compact cameras with excellent image quality,” said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A., Inc., a subsidiary of Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ). “The new PowerShot SD200 and SD300 Digital ELPH models embody the basic principles of the ELPH line - ultra compact, lightweight and highly elegant - while striving to produce the best image quality possible.”

Canon pioneered the stylish camera concept in 1996 with the first ELPH camera, an APS film model designed to take great pictures and fit stylishly into the consumer lifestyle. With each PowerShot Digital ELPH Canon introduces, the company continues to focus on style, fashion and the distinctive look and feel of the Digital ELPH line, a look that many competitors have subsequently tried to copy. Canon’s new PowerShot SD200 and SD300 Digital ELPH cameras honor the ELPH heritage of ultimate style while incorporating the latest imaging technologies, like the DIGIC II image processor.

Features and Functionality
Available in October for an estimated street price of $299.99*, the new ultra sleek, 3.2 megapixel PowerShot SD200 Digital ELPH features a 35-105mm (35mm equivalent) 3x optical/3.2x Digital/10x combined zoom lens and an elegant aluminum frame.

Canon’s new ultra slim 4.0 megapixel PowerShot SD300 Digital ELPH camera features a 35 - 105mm 3x optical/3.6x digital/11x combined zoom lens and a striking high-gloss stainless steel frame that fits comfortably in the palm of the hand with simplified controls that make it easy to operate. The slim new camera will be available in November for an estimated street price of $399.99*.

The PowerShot SD200 and SD300 Digital ELPHs are the industry’s first digital cameras to feature the new Fast Frame Rate Movie Mode, which records movies at 60 frames-per-second (fps). At 320 x 240 pixels, users can record up to one minute of fast action or sports clips, allowing consumers to analyze their golf or tennis swing in slow motion. The cameras also feature additional movie modes, including 640 x 480 or 320 x 240 pixels at either 30 or 15 fps for the full capacity of the memory card and a compact movie setting of 160 x 120 pixels at 15 fps for a maximum of three minutes recording.

Both cameras include an optical viewfinder, enabling the photographer to get the shot even in sunny situations. The SD200 and SD300 Digital ELPH cameras also feature a through the lens (TTL) 9-point AiAF autofocus and an Intelligent Orientation Sensor that provides the user with a horizontal image during playback, even if the picture was taken vertically. The autofocus system utilizes an AF-assist beam, which can be turned on and off in the menu settings.

Both models offer 13 shooting modes, including: Auto, Manual, Stitch Assist, Movie Mode including Fast Frame Rate, Digital Macro, and Special Scene Modes including Portrait, Night Snapshot, Photo Effect, Kids and Pets, Indoor, and Underwater. These digital cameras allow users to shoot single frames or continuously at a rate of 2.4 fps until the SD card is full. The shutter speeds (mechanical and electronic) range from 15 seconds to 1/1500th of a second and the built-in flash features six modes: Auto/Auto with red-eye reduction/ flash on with red-eye reduction/flash on/flash off/ and slow synchro. Canon strategically placed the lenses on these two models away from the flash units to help prevent red-eye from occurring.

UA Lens Technology
Both the PowerShot SD200 and SD300 Digital ELPH models are equipped with uniquely designed optical zoom lenses. These new lenses feature Canon’s exclusive Ultra High Refractive Index Aspherical technology, called UA Lens technology for short, which produces outstanding sharpness and clarity. At the same time, it allows the camera body to be even thinner and more compact than previous models with smaller zoom ratios. The UA technology produces crystal clear image quality at all focal lengths.

Double The Difference With DIGIC II Technology
The new PowerShot SD200 and SD300 Digital ELPHs are the first in the PowerShot line of digital cameras to utilize DIGIC II Technology. Canon’s DIGIC II image processor is without question, the most powerful imaging processor that the company has ever put into a digital camera. It boasts improved color reproduction of high-saturation, bright subjects, improved auto white balance precision, and wider dynamic range in highlight areas. In addition to its image quality improvements, the DIGIC II chip is also responsible for speeding up camera performance in areas such as start-up time, autofocus calculation, card-writing speed, continuous shooting and movie recording.

Print/Share…At the Touch of a Button
The new PowerShot SD200 and PowerShot SD300 Digital ELPH cameras offer Direct Printing functionality, making it easy, quick and convenient for anyone to produce high-quality photos without the need for a computer. The Print/Share button, found on most of Canon’s new PowerShot models and most current Canon compact digital cameras, also speeds and simplifies printing to compatible Canon and PictBridge enabled printers. The Print/Share feature enables one-touch Direct Transfer to Windows XP, Me, 2000 and 98 computers, for use with image processing programs, uploading to the Internet or emailing. Once connected, the Print/Share button will light up blue, indicating that it is ready to print.

In about 85 seconds, consumers can easily print high-quality 4 x 6 inch or 4 x 8 inch pictures with Canon’s Compact Photo Printers to share with friends and family.

Other printing enhancements found in each new model include:

An ID Photo Print feature that allows the user to make ID photo size prints by cropping the image to the required ID size (up to 28 sizes); and
Movie Print mode enables the consumer to print a series of still images from a recorded movie.
The PowerShot SD200 and PowerShot SD300 Digital ELPH camera kits include USB cable IFC-400PCU, AV Cable AV-DC300, Battery Charger CB-2LV, rechargeable Lithium Ion Battery Pack NB-4L, Wrist Strap WS-600 and a 16MB SD Memory Card together with the latest versions of Canon Digital Solutions Software and the ArcSoft Camera Suite.

Canon U.S.A., Inc. delivers consumer, business-to-business, and industrial imaging solutions. The Company is listed as one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies in America, and is ranked #35 on the latest Business Week list of “Top 100 Brands.” Its parent company Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ) is a top patent-holder of technology, ranking second overall in the U.S. in 2003, with global revenues of $29.9 billion. For more information, visit http://www.usa.canon.com.

Published: Tuesday, September 21, 2004

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