Happy Mother's Day! Happy Father's Day! Happy Graduation! Photo.net has great photography gift ideas for the Mom, Dad, or Grad in your life. Shop for camera bags, lenses, DSLRs, and more...
Clubs, bars, and small venues are the places where most concert and live music photographers get their start, the reason being that there are fewer restrictions since the performers are less likely to...
Following close on the heels of Nikon, who announced their 8MP digicam a few
days ago, Canon have countered with their own 8MP offering, now making a trio of
options, the Sony F828, the Nikon 8700 and now the Canon Pro 1. All three sport
super zoom lenses (focal length are 35mm full frame equivalents):
Canon Pro 1: 28-200/2.4-3.5 "L" series (UD glass and fluorite)
Nikon 8700: 35-280/2.8-4.2 ED
Sony F828: 28-200/2.0-2.8 Carl Zeiss T*
All three have 8.8 x6.6mm sensors and all three cost just under $1000. I guess
we have triplets! The following information is from the Canon press release:
LAS VEGAS (PMA, BOOTH # E11), Feb. 9, 2004 — Canon today unfurled
the new top-of-the-line PowerShot digital camera, the new PowerShot Pro1 digital
camera. Designed for discerning digital shooters, advanced amateurs and other
photo enthusiasts seeking a versatile, high-resolution digital camera in a
streamlined easy-to-use package, the PowerShot Pro1 digital camera offers the
top-tier shooting options previously found only with digital SLRs and the optical
excellence found only before with interchangeable SLR lenses.
"With the PowerShot Pro1 digital camera, we have successfully merged many of
the most sought-after, high-quality SLR features into an all-in-one digital
camera," 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). "With the optical brilliance of its L-series 28-200mm lens, the eight
megapixel CCD imaging sensor, and its compact size, the Canon PowerShot Pro1
model is feature-packed and provides the ultimate combination of professional
features and simplicity in a digital camera."
Imaging Excellence
The eight megapixel, 2/3" size CCD imaging sensor provides the highest
resolution — 3264 x 2448 pixels — of any PowerShot camera to date and
is capable of generating file sizes of approximately 23MB when images are opened
in image management programs such as Canon's ZoomBrowser EX. The camera's
L-series 28-200mm equivalent f/2.4-3.5 7x zoom lens is among the fastest in its
class and utilizes an Ultrasonic Motor for high-speed zooming operation (which
can be activated at the twist of a ring on the lens).
Lens Leadership
As the world's leading lens manufacturer, Canon earns its legendary reputation
day in and day out among professional photographers who depend on their EOS
cameras and EF lenses to produce powerful images with outstanding sharpness,
contrast and color fidelity. Within the EF lens line-up, Canon reserves the
"L-series" designation for the very best quality in terms of optical as well as
mechanical design.
The PowerShot Pro1 features the first L-series lens ever incorporated into a
compact digital camera: a 28-200mm (35mm format equivalent) f/2.4-3.5, 7x optical
zoom that produces unsurpassed image quality to match the Pro1's high-resolution
eight megapixel CCD sensor. The 14-element lens features two aspherical elements,
two UD-glass elements and significantly, one Fluorite crystal element (the first
use of Fluorite in any compact digital camera lens). Canon's addition of Fluorite
crystal and UD glass to the lens construction reduces the level of anomalous
dispersion — chromatic aberration in photo parlance — compared to
conventional optical glass, while the aspherical elements correct spherical
aberration and allow the overall size and weight of the lens to be reduced. In
short, the Fluorite and UD elements improve sharpness and color fidelity while
the aspherical elements improve image quality and allow the lens construction to
be more compact than comparable conventional zoom lenses.
The macro capabilities of the L-series 28-200mm lens allow for close focusing
to 3.9 inches at full resolution while the "super macro mode" permits close-focus
to 1.2 inches (at a moderately reduced five megapixel resolution). In addition to
its 7x optical zoom, the PowerShot Pro1 digital camera also features a 3.2x
digital zoom. For those seeking added lens flexibility and range, the camera
accepts optional accessory converter lenses (attached with an optional conversion
lens adapter) including a Tele Converter Lens that extends the range of the zoom
to a maximum of 300mm, and the 58mm 500D Close-up lens. The camera's intuitive
design features a menu-operated converter function that drives these converter
lenses to their appropriate settings.
Photo-To-Go...Anywhere
The PowerShot Pro1 digital camera's rugged metal body with its professional
black finish, large comfortable rubberized grip and strategically placed controls
clustered on the right hand side contribute to its go-anywhere, shoot anything
versatility. What's more the camera features a sharp, clear, easy-to-read,
high-resolution 235,000 pixel 2.0-inch LCD monitor with full tilt and 2700 swivel
capability. Similarly, the camera's eye level electronic viewfinder is also
235,000 pixels (the highest resolution ever in any PowerShot viewfinder) and
features a new power-saving "Display Off" mode that turns off the viewfinder or
the monitor after a user-set time.
Fast Focus & Pro Features
Canon's new "hybrid" high-speed autofocus system for the PowerShot Pro1
digital camera uses both TTL contrast-detection AF (like other PowerShot cameras)
and external "triangulation" AF (like high-end 35mm SureShot cameras) for fast,
accurate focus assessments. The system also provides the option of Center-point
AF or a moveable "FlexiZone" AF/AE system.
The camera offers an array of other features similar to those found on EOS
digital SLRs including a mode dial with settings of P, Tv, Av, M, as well as a
pair of user-adjustable Custom modes and fully automatic modes for Portraits,
Landscapes, Night Scenes, Stitch Assist (panoramas) and Movies. The shutter
speeds range from 15 seconds to 1/4000, the fastest ever in a PowerShot camera.
Users can opt for RAW or JPEG recording formats as well as standard sRGB or Adobe
RGB color space depending on personal preference, and have the added flexibility
of Image Quality Adjustment settings for contrast, sharpness and saturation. In
addition to the on-board flash, the PowerShot Pro1 is compatible with all
EX-series Canon Speedlites and Macro Lites and permits flash exposure
compensation of up to +/- 2 stops. In addition to all of these options, the new
camera contains a wealth of other useful features that are similar in concept and
variety to those found on the current PowerShot G5 model.
High-Resolution Movie Mode and Sound Memos
Adding to the PowerShot Pro1 digital camera's versatility is a high-resolution
movie mode that captures 640 x 480 movies with sound at 15 frames per second for
up to 30 seconds per clip. Users can also opt for lower res movie capture with
sound — at either 320 x 240 or 160 x 120 — for movie clips of up to
three minutes. Still photos can be annotated with sound clips up to 60 seconds in
duration. The PowerShot Pro1 has a single slot for removable CompactFlash memory
cards, Type I or II including Microdrives, and features USB connectivity, as well
as, an A/V port for playback through a connected VCR or TV monitor.
The DIGIC™ Difference
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. The result is a product that offers faster and
more powerful auto focus than ever before, faster image processing, better image
quality and longer battery life.
Direct Printing Plus
Direct Printing significantly expands the appeal of the PowerShot Pro1 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-standard protocol that offers the
flexibility of direct printing to other brands of compatible printers.
The PowerShot Pro1 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 Pro1 kit includes two dedicated software
CDs, a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack and charger, a wireless remote
controller, a lens hood and 58mm filter adapter, a neckstrap, USB and AV cables
and a 64MB CompactFlash card, as well as, printed manuals and a Canon USA limited
warranty card. The estimated street price will be $999.00.
