Canon on mark with new 5D, other shootersEver since the EOS 5D was launched three years ago, Canon fanboys have been waiting for its successor to no avail, until today. The Japanese imaging company has finally announced the EOS 5D Mark II, and its specifications looks set to leave competitors biting the dust. Rather than implement minor upgrades from the EOS 5D, Canon appears to have re-engineered a new breed with the new model. Resolution has been bumped up from 12 to 21 megapixels, and the LCD size has been increased from 2.5 to 3 inches. But what is most spectacular about this dSLR would be its full-HD (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) movie capture function, which has a maximum recording time of 12 minutes. In comparison, the Nikon D90 can record up to only 5 minutes of 720p-quality clips. The EOS 5D Mark II will retail for approximately US$2,699, much less than its predecessor which cost US$3,299 during the initial launch.Another model that's due for an update is the Canon PowerShot G9, which the PowerShot G10 replaces. This is the first G-series camera to house a 28mm wide-angle lens. Resolution-wise, the G10 has a 14.7-megapixel sensor and, as with its predecessor, the shooter has extensive exposure modes and RAW format image capture. Two popular compact units, the IXUS 860 IS and IXUS 960 IS, will be succeeded by the IXUS 870 IS and the IXUS 970 IS, respectively. The IXUS 870 IS retains the 28mm wide-angle lens which made its predecessor a favorite among consumers, while optical zoom is increased slightly from 3.6x to 4x. The IXUS 970 IS will satisfy advanced shutterbugs with its full manual exposure function, and Canon touts this 14.7-megapixel point-and-shoot as its flagship model. On the superzoom end, two cameras will replace the PowerShot S5 IS. The PowerShot SX1 IS and PowerShot SX10 IS have relatively similar specifications such as 20x optical zoom and 10-megapixel sensor, but the 1080p-quality movie capture feature will be reserved for only the SX1 IS. All the cameras will be running off the latest DIGIC 4 image-processing engine which promises improved detail rendition and color reproduction for pictures. The processing speed is said to be faster as well. Canon was unable to confirm the Asia pricing and availability for now. Pricing mentioned in the next page are from Canon US. |
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