ELPHS Abound for Stylish Shooters: Canon Debuts Three New Digital Trendsetters Including the First Five Megapixel Digital ELPH Camera

Business Wire, Feb 9, 2004

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LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 9, 2004

New Top Tier PowerShot S500 Digital ELPH Camera Adds High

Resolution Sensor as Entire New ELPH Line Streamlines

Image Printing and Sharing Process

Whether it is the picture-perfect merger of style and substance or simply an inevitable advance, Canon's newly enhanced line of 'go anywhere' Digital ELPH cameras - including its first high-resolution five megapixel model - continue to capture consumer consciousness and those irreplaceable images that only exist because a diminutive digital camera was conveniently in-pocket, in-purse and on-hand to preserve memorable moments.

"The enduring popularity of our PowerShot Digital ELPH line of cameras is proof that a substantial segment of consumers wants superior quality images in a compact, easy to use, stylish package and they want it at a reasonable price point," 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). "These three new Digital ELPH cameras - the PowerShot S500, the PowerShot S410 and the PowerShot SD110 - remain true to those consumer-driven criteria while providing still greater image quality, flexibility and affordability than ever before."

Print/Share Button

In addition to upgrading a number of features over their predecessor models, Canon has introduced the new Print/Share button that speeds and simplifies printing to compatible Canon Direct Photo and PictBridge enabled printers and one-touch image transfer to Windows XP, Me, 2000, and 98 computers for use with image processing programs, uploading to the Internet, or placement in email. Located on the backside of the PowerShot S500, S410, and SD110 Digital ELPH cameras is the new Print/Share button. When the camera is connected to the printer the Print/Share button illuminates to let the user know to press the Print/Share button to begin the printing process.

Indeed the five megapixel PowerShot S500 as well as the PowerShot S410 and PowerShot SD110 Digital ELPH cameras (the latter two models are successors to the popular S400 Digital ELPH and SD100 Digital ELPH cameras respectively) feature new Direct Print options including ID Photo Print that automatically generates passport style prints on 4x6 paper with Canon CP type printers as well as ID prints of various sizes which (selectable on the camera-menu) and even in-camera image cropping using the camera's monitor. The cameras' Direct Print capability also includes Movie Print mode that prints thumbnail sequences from movie clip captures (with Canon CP-type printers). While the camera automatically calculates the thumbnail intervals based on the length of the movie clip, sequences of up to 20 thumbnails can be printed to credit card-sized paper and up to 63 on Postcard-size paper.

Beyond the new Print/Share button and Direct Print features, all three models also provide a Direct Transfer setting that permits instant image download to Windows computers (using a USB cable connection). The Direct Transfer mode features five options: Download all images; Download New Images Only; Download Only DPOF (Digital Print Order Format)-selected images (protocol used for batch printing); select images on camera's LCD monitor and download and download selected image and make it into Windows Wallpaper. Appropriate driver software is provided with the camera for Windows 98, 2000 and ME operating systems; no drivers are needed to operate the Direct Transfer feature using Windows XP.

The DIGIC(TM) Difference

Image quality -whether it is the peak five megapixel resolution of the S500, the four megapixel resolution of the S410 or the 3.2 megapixel resolution of the SD110 - is enhanced and improved as a result of Canon's proprietary DIGIC (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) chip processor. Introduced in 2003, DIGIC combines the roles of image processing and camera function control into one chip resulting in faster display and write times for each image and lower power consumption, extending battery life. Moreover, because DIGIC technology was designed specifically for use in digital cameras it is also capable of handling JPEG compression and 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.