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Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera introduction
Dennis Hissink : April 22th 2005 - 09:00 CET
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 Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera introduction : Canon releases the 12x optical zoom, 5.0 Megapixel Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera. A convincing blend of versatility with power, this worthy successor to the Canon Powershot S1 IS features optical Image Stabilizer technology, outstanding optics and 30 fps digital video camera quality extended video recording of up to 60 minutes with stereo sound. Powered by the same DIGIC II processor found in Canon's pro-series D-SLR cameras, the Canon Powershot S2 IS features super-responsive 2.4 fps shooting, start up times and auto focus speeds almost twice as quick as that of its predecessor, 18 shooting modes and shutter speeds to 1/3,200 of a second.
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 Canon PowerShot S2 IS - DIGIC II
The processor even makes it possible to capture a maximum resolution digital still whilst shooting video. As well as giving camera performance a real boost, DIGIC II also improves colour rendition and white balance accuracy, as well as speeding up playback review and scrolling. A USB 2.0 Hi-speed interface is provided for super quick image and video transfers. "The Canon Powershot S2 IS represents a convergence of Canon's core imaging technologies in the areas of lens, image processing, digital still camera and digital video camera development," commented Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe.
Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - High quality optics
The most powerful optical zoom (36 - 432mm f/2.7-f.3.5) ever to equip a Canon compact camera features Canon's renowned optical Image Stabilizer (IS) technology, significantly suppressing blur when taking stills and minimising image shake when shooting video footage. An Ultra-low Dispersion (UD) lens element curbs chromatic aberrations, particularly at longer focal lengths, for extremely faithful colour reproduction and sharp definition. IS can be set to off, continuous (always on), shoot only (operates with shutter release) and panning mode (only up/down movement corrected, suitable for applications such as motor-sports). Providing the equivalent of 2-3 stops, IS allows photographers to shoot with longer than normal exposures without increasing image blur, great for low light shooting at events where use of flash is inappropriate or not desirable, such as concerts and weddings. As well as driving super-fast, responsive zooming, the lens' ultra-sonic motor (USM) also delivers exceptionally quiet operation so as to not interfere with stereo sound recording on movies or where wildlife subjects might otherwise be startled. A Super Macro mode performance of 0cm and optional Canon 500D (58mm) close up lens gives the opportunity for interesting and experimental macro photography. Covering most shooting requirements, optional wide and tele converter lenses extend the zoom range to an impressive 24x – from wide 27mm to super-tele 648mm (35mm equivalent). Without conversion lenses, the Canon S2 IS has a 48x combined digital and optical zoom for both stills and movies.
Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - Functionality and Performance
Addition of the DIGIC II processor increases AF speed by approximately 45% and improves start up times by over 50%. With a feature that outshines many digital SLR cameras, the Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera will shoot continually and uninterrupted at 2.4 fps until the memory card becomes full, providing users with a new realm of action sport sequence opportunity. 17 still shooting modes include full manual mode, 6 pre-set Special Scene modes for quickly optimising settings in tricky lighting conditions, and Stitch Assist for multi-image panoramas. To commence shooting video immediately supporting VGA fine (640 x 480) mode at either 30 or 15 fps, the Canon S2 IS retains the dedicated movie-shooting button. This eliminates the need to enter menu navigation, helping make sure users never miss those once-in-a-lifetime shooting opportunities.
Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - My colors function
Manual focus for stills and movies is available with the use of the omni-selector up/down buttons. High quality stereo sound recording at selectable sampling rates is available, either as part of movie recording, as a stand alone sound recording, or for annotation of stills. A selectable Wind filter improves sound quality of outdoor recordings made in blustery conditions. The camera's mono sound playback is extendable to stereo when connected to a suitable device with the supplied stereo video cable. Also added is the popular in-camera slow-motion replay, introduced in a selection of recently launched dedicated Canon digital still cameras. With its own spot on the mode dial, the 'My Colors' function allows 9 different colour effects to be applied in real time whilst shooting both stills and movies.
Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - Record movies and stills simultaneous
A new Photo-in-Movie feature lets users capture a maximum resolution still image whilst shooting a movie by simply pressing the shutter release. Movie recording is temporarily interrupted whilst the still image is captured, continuing thereafter until the user chooses to stop. The video footage and still image are saved separately and the fragmented sequence can be stitched back together with a special edit menu option in the supplied ZoomBrowser EX 5.2/ImageBrowser 5.1 software.
Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - Other features
Taking on board feedback from Canon PowerShot S1 IS users, Canon has increased the size of the vari-angle LCD from 1.5-inch to 1.8-inch. A Night Display function assists with framing in low light. Electronic viewfinder (EVF) brightness is adjustable to one of 2 levels. The integrated flash now has manual pop-up control. Along with the conversion lenses, other optional accessories include Canon's High Power Flash HF-DC1, a lens hood and lens adapter set to reduce flare and a Soft Case DCC-90. The Canon Powershot S2 IS digital camera is supplied with 4 AA Alkaline batteries and a 16MB SD card as standard.
Canon PowerShot S2 IS digital camera - PictBridge, software and online sharing
With extensive PictBridge support, the Canon Powershot S2 IS offers ID photo and movie print when connected to a Canon SELPHY Compact Photo Printer such as the Compact Photo Printer Canon SELPHY CP600. Using KP-108IP media with SELPHY CP Compact Photo Printers gives 6 x 4" (10 x 15cm) prints as low as 30 euro cents. A new Print/Share button provides one-touch printing and easy uploads to Windows or Mac systems. Image and video library management and editing software includes ZoomBrowser EX 5.2 (for PC), ImageBrowser 5.1 (for Mac) and ArcSoft PhotoStudio, PhotoStitch for creating panoramas from multiple images, and the easy to use PhotoRecord printing application. The Canon S2 IS digital camera supports PTP for driverless file transfers to Windows XP or Mac OS X. Drivers include TWAIN (Windows 98/2000) and WIA (Windows Me). Purchase of the Canon Powershot S2 IS entitles customers to membership to the Canon Image Gateway, Canon's online portal that offers users 100MB of online 'personal gallery' space for sharing stills and video with family and friends.
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