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The era of the two-in-one camera for capturing vacations,
birthday parties, anniversaries, graduations, baby's first
steps or any other family function or momentous milestone
has arrived thanks to Canon and the all new Canon
PowerShot S1 IS digital camera. Indeed, capturing moving video memories
of special occasions is no longer a reason for compromise
when it comes to image resolution, sound reproduction and
movie "clip" duration from a digital camera.
"With this new PowerShot S1 IS digital camera, Canon pushes
the optical imaging envelope as consumers enjoy the quality
of a digital still camera with video capabilities substantially
enhanced over other digital cameras," stated 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). "At the same time, the camera's 10x zoom
combined with Canon's advanced Image Stabilization system
gives still photographers greater flexibility and stability
for long-range, hand-held telephoto shooting."
Unlike other digital cameras with short duration movie mode
features that capture a clip ranging from a few seconds to
a few minutes depending on the resolution, the PowerShot
S1 IS digital camera captures full 640 x 480 high-res movies
at up to 30 frames per second, ensuring smooth video motion.
What's more, individual movie clips can now last as long
as one hour depending on the capacity of the memory card
or the charge in the battery.
Hashimoto emphasized that the PowerShot S1 IS digital camera
equipped with a fast, one-gigabyte compact flash card — now
readily available and easily affordable in the digital marketplace — will
record a solid-hour of continuous movies. Additionally, the
PowerShot S1 IS digital camera is compatible with Type 1
and Type II CF cards up to and over 2GB in size, making its
movie capture capability "virtually unlimited for all practical
purposes."
The movie mode enhancements also include the ability to zoom
and change auto exposure and auto white balance settings
during a movie clip. They feature enhanced 16 bit sound quality
with 22 KHz sampling frequency (double that of any other
PowerShot camera model in movie mode) and an easily accessed
movie start/stop button on the back of the camera are impressive
advances, the PowerShot S1 IS is first and foremost, a Canon
digital camera.
With its 3.2 megapixel CCD imaging sensor and exclusive DIGIC
image processor, the PowerShot S1 IS digital camera provides
the high quality resolution, color and low noise consumers
have come to expect from Canon digital technology starting
with the fast f/2.8-3.1 image stabilized 10x zoom lens (38-380mm
equivalent) that makes tack-sharp long telephoto shooting
positively practical. When the optical zoom is augmented
with the camera's 3.2x digital zoom, the range effectively
becomes the equivalent to a 1,216mm lens. Despite its extensive
optical range, the lens is ultra-compact and retracts securely
into the camera when it is powered down.
Renowned for the virtuosity and quality of its "glass," Canon
designed the PowerShot S1 IS digital camera's lens with 11
elements including one aspherical element to reduce size
and weight and ensure image sharpness, particularly at wide-angle
settings. Thanks to Canon's optical Image Stabilization technology,
users have the flexibility of actually shooting at shutter
speeds two stops lower than would otherwise be possible.
Similar to SLR models, PowerShot S1 IS digital camera users
also enjoy the flexibility of a full array of exposure control
settings including ProgramAE, Shutter-priority, Aperture-priority,
Manual Mode and full-auto P.I.C. modes.
The PowerShot S1 IS is equipped with a single-point TTL AF
system that achieves sharp focus quickly and silently. Although
the AF frame is normally positioned at the center of the
viewfinder, the user can move it freely to almost any section
of the picture area using Canon's innovative FlexiZone AF/AE
system. The new camera also features manual focus override
as well as a Focus Bracketing function. Close focus is possible
down to 3.9 inches at the wide-angle setting and 3.1 feet
at the maximum telephoto setting, which fills the frame with
subjects as small as 3 x 4 inches.
The PowerShot S1 IS also offers high-speed and variable speed
virtually silent zooming thanks to its Canon Ultrasonic Motor
(USM), a feature it shares with the new, top-of-the-line
PowerShot Pro1digital camera. The silence of the USM is particularly
beneficial in the S1's movie mode to preserve and enhance
the quality of the audio recording.
With the use of Canon's new optional Conversion Lens Adapter,
the PowerShot S1 IS accepts an optional Tele-Converter that
increases the optical range of the lens to a maximum equivalent
of 608mm and an optional Wide Converter that yields a 24.5mm
equivalent at the widest zoom setting. There is also an optional
underwater housing rated for use at depths as low as 130
feet.
The camera's compact ergonomic design includes strategically
placed controls for convenient telephoto and movie shooting;
a large rubberized grip, which makes holding the camera easy,
well balanced and secure. The grip even includes a soft back
and bottom to maximize comfort during long periods of shooting.
The PowerShot S1 IS also features a variable-angle 1.5 inch,
114,000 pixel LCD Monitor that can be folded in or out and
has the same range of movement found on the popular Canon
PowerShot G5 and A80 digital cameras. While there is no optical
viewfinder, the PowerShot S1 IS features an electronic, eye-level
viewfinder with approximately 114,000-pixel resolution and
built-in diopter correction, giving users the choice of viewing
their subject on the monitor or through the viewfinder.
For all of its features, versatility and capabilities, the
camera is powered by four easily accessible AA batteries
and accepts either Alkaline (disposable) batteries or rechargeable
Nickel-Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) batteries. Alkaline batteries
are rated for approximately 120 shots before they need to
be replaced, while Canon Alkaline NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride
NB4-200 AA-size batteries) provide peak performance and approximately
550 shots on a single charge.
Canon developed the proprietary DIGIC (Digital Imaging Integrated
Circuit) image processor specifically for use with its line
of digital cameras. The technology combines the jobs of image
processing and camera function control into one chip. Because
it was specifically designed for use in digital cameras,
it is also capable of handling JPEG compression/expansion;
memory card control; LCD/Video control and processing; gain
control (control of CCD signal amplification); Auto Exposure;
Auto Focus; Auto White Balance control and most other functions
of the camera or camcorder. The result is a product that
offers faster auto focus than ever before, faster image processing,
better image quality and longer battery life.
Direct Printing significantly expands the appeal of the PowerShot
S1 IS digital camera by making it simple, quick and convenient
to produce high-quality photos without the need for a personal
computer. Beyond its Direct Print capability with Canon's
Card Photo Printers and acclaimed Canon Direct Photo Printers,
the camera is also compatible with PictBridge, an industry
protocol that offers the flexibility of direct printing to
other brands of PictBridge compatible printers.
The PowerShot S1 IS digital camera supports Exif Print, a
worldwide standard that transfers important camera settings
and data from the camera to the printer ensuring the photos
you print will look true to life. Moreover, DPOF 1.1 (Digital
Print Order Format) lets users specify the images to be printed
or execute batch printing of selected images.
In stores April, the Canon PowerShot S1 IS digital camera
kit includes two dedicated software CDs, four AA Alkaline
batteries, a neckstrap, a lens cap, USB and AV cables and
a 32MB CompactFlash card as well as printed manuals and a
Canon USA limited warranty card. The estimated street price
will be *$499.00.
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Daniel Del Aqua is a contributing
author to www.digital-camcorders-reviews.net. A guide
that offers reviews, ratings & info on where to find
the best mini dvd camcorders, Handycam video cameras,
batteries & accessories.
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