Canon Expands Product Lines to Meet the Growing Need for High Quality, Affordable HD and SD Image Acquisition and Display

Business Wire, April 24, 2006

LAS VEGAS -- New Products at NAB 2006 Include Economical Portable HD and SD Lenses, The XL H1 HDV Camcorder and New and Enhanced LCOS Multimedia Projectors

Canon launches innovative new product line, a new product category, and several additional new products, all of which are on display at the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) conference and exhibition in Las Vegas, April 24th - 27th.

The new product line, designated as the HDgc family of lenses, is Canon's first series of economical HD lenses specially engineered for tapeless HD camcorders. Other new lenses include an improved line of professional SD (IFpro) lenses, the first lightweight Super Telephoto HD lens, and a technology demonstration of Auto Focus capabilities for HDTV Studio and Field zoom lenses.

The new product category trumpets the arrival of Canon's first HD camcorder, the XL H1, a three-CCD video camera recorder, debuting at NAB; as well as an expanded line of REALiS(TM) High Resolution (SXGA ) Multimedia Projectors, including the first LCOS XGA model.

"The popularity of High Definition is supporting a trend toward the development of new and more specialized HD lenses both on the high end and to outfit the expanding line of mid-range HD cameras," said Toru Yamasaki, vice president Broadcast and Communications division at Canon U.S.A., Inc. "At NAB 2006, we anticipate the strengthening interest in HD to continue to drive broadcaster demand for the newest and the best, while expanding into professional and education markets."

"Canon is poised to make great strides in HD imaging and display with our first HD video camera, the XL H1 model, and with the expansion of the REALiS line of XGA and SXGA Super High Definition Multimedia Projectors," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A., Inc. "We anticipate great interest in these products, especially from those who require superior optical quality and operation at an affordable price."

Continuing its tradition of optical quality, operational ease, and superior reliability, the new and existing Canon products on display at the NAB 2005 show include:

Optics

Economical HD lenses: The introduction of Canon's HDgc general class lenses signals the growing popularity of tapeless HD cameras. The new lenses combine the best optical features of Canon's remarkable lenses, including reduced chromatic aberration, and high and well-controlled MTF, with digital operational tools that include Shuttle Shot, Framing Preset, Speed Preset, and more in a line-up that delivers HD optical quality, and other higher-end lens advancements. The HDgc lens line includes for 1/2-inch CCD cameras: the KH21ex5.7 IRSE (telephoto version), the KH10ex3.6 IRSE (wide-angle lens), and a 16x standard version that will be available in late 2006. Digital "eDrive" is available on all three of these lenses, and represents a principal difference (along with a built-in 2X extender) between these models and the more economical KH20x6.4 KRS (for 1/2-inch HD CCD cameras) and the KJ20x8.5B KRS (for 2/3-inch HD CCD cameras).

Special Technology Demonstration: Having greatly refined the technology of built-in Optical Image Stabilization in very long field HDTV zoom lenses used for sports and events coverage, Canon turned its attention to the highly challenging problem of ensuring sharp focus on a selected object within a large and complex scene, often complicated by objects that are in motion. The complexities associated with scenes involving diverse object motion can be compounded by manipulation of both the lens zoom and aperture. A high level of intelligence is required to unambiguously maintain sharp focus on the desired object. At NAB, Canon will demonstrate new developments in automated assistance to focus. A Canon HDTV Field zoom lens will be equipped with this revolutionary technology so that broadcast and production industry professionals will be able to test the system and submit their commentaries directly to Canon.

HD ENG/EFP: Ideal for sports, stabilized helicopter mounts, documentaries, special events, or live reality programming, Canon's new, smaller, lightweight HJ18ex28B IASE Super Telephoto HD lens lets broadcasters and content producers capture those "really long-distance" images with ease. The new HJ18ex28B IASE lens is one more in an expanding line-up of portable Canon eHDxs lenses, which brings the total introduced over the last four years to eight. Canon eHDxs lenses feature innovative technologies that address the complex demands of HD lens design in terms of ergonomics, features, price, size, and weight. The HJ18ex28B IASE includes Canon's Enhanced Digital eDrive as well as a built-in focus motor in addition to the zoom and iris motors traditionally found in portable ENG/EFP lenses.

IFpro: Two new 2/3-inch Pro-Video lens series that provide a new standard for performance, creative options, and affordability for a wide range of business, industrial, and broadcast production applications including POV (point of view) and robotic cameras. The new YJ20x8.5B series is available in three configurations: the YJ20x8.5B KRS, YJ20x8.5B IRS (2X extender model), and YJ20x8.5B KTS (remote control model). The YJ13x6B series is also available in three configurations: the YJ13x6B KRS wide-angle lens, the YJ13x6B IRS (2X extender model), and the YJ13x6B KTS (remote-control model). All of these lenses feature Canon's innovative Internal Focus technology (IFpro), which enhances optical performance and provides multiple user benefits. The lenses also feature Canon's exclusive Shuttle Shot function, an advanced servo system that brings an entirely new range of value-added creativity to hand-held acquisition systems.