Canon Seeks to Delight You with 23 New Products

Christmas Comes Early with Canon

At an event that took place yesterday at the Zirca club (on The Cannery, Clarke Quay), Canon Singapore officially launched its latest digital cameras and printers. A total of 23 products were showcased, including two new PowerShot cameras, two new Ixus cameras, seven Pixma inkjet printers, and ten Imageclass laser printers.

Ixus 1100 HS & 230 HS

If you’re a fan of the Ixus family, then you'll be pleased to know that Canon will be adding two new models: the Ixus 1100 HS and the Ixus 230 HS. Both models feature Canon’s high-sensitivity sensor (HS) system which allows for low-noise images when you need to take pictures in less-than-ideal lighting conditions. Both models also sport the Intelligent IS system. Providing seven types of image stabilization, Intelligent IS is able to automatically identify and adjust the optical image stabilizer to reduce image blur due to camera shake. Different types of scenarios are catered for: Hybrid IS will correct for angular shake (typically during close-up photography), while Powered IS works to counter shake when using the telephoto zoom (especially during video shooting).

In Singapore, the Ixus 1100 HS comes in red and black. You can find it now at all authorized Canon dealers for S$529.

The 22.1mm slim Ixus 230 HS comes in six colors: black, purple, blue, silver, pink, and lime green. It'd be in stores at the end of October. The price is yet to be announced.

The PowerShot S100 is Here!

In addition to the new Ixus models that were unveiled, two new PowerShot models (three if you were to include the PowerShot SX150 IS that was announced ten days ago) were revealed amidst a flurry of parkour moves performed by a young trio. The camera that is of the most interest to us is the successor to the wildly popular S95, the S100. The other camera is the 35x zoom SX40 HS.

Both the S100 and SX40 HS sport the new Digic 5 image processor, Canon’s HS system and Intelligent IS. Of course, being the S95's successor, the S100 has to up the ante. Canon has equipped it with a new 12.1-megapixel CMOS sensor (10-megapixel on the S95) and a 24mm, 5x optical zoom lens (the S95's wide end starts at 28mm) that also has a maximum aperture of f/2.0. The S100 also sports something that the S95 lacks: an integrated GPS unit. With it, users can use the supplied Map Utility software that integrates with Google Maps.

The S100 can be used with the new external flash unit, the HF-DC2, and if you would like to take your camera underwater, there’s the WP-DC43, a waterproof case which provides water resistance of up to a depth of 40 meters.

The S100 will be available in early November, and it comes in either black or silver. We don’t have the price for it right now despite our numerous prodding of the Canon staff.

PowerShot SX40 HS

The Powershot SX40 HS is one camera you wish you have if you like to take pictures both far and near. With a 35x zoom that covers a staggering range of 24mm to 840mm, it also has tracking AF which lets you track your subject as it moves around the frame. After all, it is pretty hard to get your pets or children to stay still, isn’t it? If you find the on-board flash to be lacking, you can always pair the SX40 HS with Canon’s Speedlite EX flash units. The SX40 HS can now be found in all authorized Canon dealers and sings to a tune of S$749.

Pixma Goes to the Cloud

The Pixma line of inkjet printers gets seven new models, with six being all-in-one (AIO) printers, and one being single function printer. The Pixma MG8270, MG6270, MG5370, MG4170, MG3170 and MG2170 are the new AIO printers; the iP4970 is a single function, 5-ink printer. What caught our eye was the MG8270, the premium model of the bunch. It features the Pixma Cloud Link for easy printing of photographs from Picasa web albums via an Internet connection, without the need of a computer. This new feature is also found in the rest of the new models, with the exception of the Pixma MG3170, MG2170 and iP4970.

Furthermore, the Pixma Cloud Link supports Google's Cloud Print (GCP) technology. With GCP, users can use any app on any device to print to any cloud-connected printer. However, this service is subject to Google's activation from November 2011, or later.

The MG8270, MG6270 and MG5370 also allow for Apple's AirPrint wireless printing from your iPad, iPhone or iPod Touch. With AirPrint, there's no need to install any device drivers.

The new Pixma inkjet printers can be found in stores by end October. Below is the list of prices.

Imageclass Printers Get Even More Energy-efficient

Canon has also announced 10 new Imageclass multi-function printers (MFPs) for the SOHO and SMB markets. One particular model that stands out is the MF8380Cdw, which uses Canon's SEND technology for workgroups to send scanned documents to multiple network destinations. The printer also has a Secured Print Solution Key function for password-protected printing.

The MF8380Cdw also features Canon's UFR II LT, a print controller which determines the optimal balance of processing by analyzing the layout and graphic components of each page, resulting in a higher print performance. With it, Canon is saying that there's no need for any memory upgrade.

The new Imageclass models will be available by end October; below is a list of their prices.

If you wish to find out more about all these new products, do check out the press releases that we've posted in our Tech News section.

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