Canon Debuts 22 New Products Before PMA Show

February 21, 2006 – Canon Canada, Inc., announced today it will showcase 22 new products at the Photo Marketing Association (PMA) trade show, February 26th – March 1st in Orlando, Florida.

The new Canon products debuting at this year’s PMA exhibit include: the Canon EOS 30D digital SLR, (a successor to the Canon EOS 20D DSLR), two new Canon EF lenses, the Canon Powershot S3 IS, a replacement to the very popular Canon Powershot S2 IS with 12x optical image stabilized zoom, and a total of seven other Canon Powershot consumer oriented digital cameras. Canon will also be introducing a number of new photo printers at the event. New product highlights, availability info and Canadian retail price below.

Canon EOS 30D Digital SLR

EOS 30D Digital SLR: As a step-up from the EOS 20D model, Canon’s new EOS 30D Digital SLR incorporates features similar to the higher-priced EOS 5D model, at a lower price. The EOS 30D Digital SLR incorporates many direct results of customer feedback, with improvements such as:

Scheduled for mid-March delivery, the EOS 30D Digital SLR will be available at a manufacturer's suggest retail price of $1649 CDN for the body, and $1799 CDN for the EF-S 18-55 II zoom lens kit.

Canon EF-S 17-55mm f/2.8 IS USM: Professional photographers and advanced amateurs with APS-C size digital SLRs now have access to the fastest Canon EF-S zoom lens yet. Three-stop optical image stabilization along with three aspherical and two UD elements combine to make this new lens a must have item for owners of the Canon EOS 30D, EOS 20D, EOS Digital Rebel XT and EOS Digital Rebel SLRs. Scheduled for delivery in May, this lens has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $1,499. CDN

EF 85mm f/1.2L II USM: Already legendary for its image quality, Canon has improved upon its original EF 85mm f/1.2L II lens with a new model that has 1.8X faster autofocusing than its predecessor to meet the needs of demanding professionals. Available in April, the lens has a manufacturer's suggested retail price (MSRP) of $2499 CDN.

The Canon PowerShot S3 IS builds on the success of its multi-talented predecessor, the Canon PowerShot S2 IS model. The new six-megapixel digital camera features an image stabilized 12x optical zoom that can even be used in the camera’s advanced movie mode. Easy to use controls, stereo sound recording, a 2.0-inch Vari-Angle LCD and a unique MovieSnap function make this camera feel at home in the hands of photography novices as well as advanced amateurs. Scheduled for May delivery, the PowerShot S3 IS digital camera will carry an MSRP of $649 CDN.

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PowerShot Digital ELPH Cameras
and new Powershot SD430 functions

This year, the Canon Digital ELPH line continues the tradition of fitting the latest advanced features into compact and stylish packages.

PowerShot SD430 Digital ELPH Wireless camera gains the ability to share images wirelessly with other SD430 digital cameras with a new feature called Wireless
Camera-to-Camera Communication. A Firmware update for the camera via web download is required (Available tentatively May 2006).

The PowerShot SD700 IS is a six-megapixel model with the first ever 4X optical zoom lens on a digital ELPH camera, and this lens features Optical Image Stabilization. Unlike electronic image stabilizer systems that typically cause degradation of image quality, Canon’s Lens Shift Optical IS system is based on the advancements made in the development and refinement of Canon’s EF and video lenses. Reduced in size to fit ELPH scale, this Image Stabilizer provides up to three stops of camera shake correction in shutter speed equivalent. What’s more, when combined with the Powershot SD700 IS camera's top ISO sensitivity of 800, its new six-megapixel image sensor that further reduces image noise and the model’s fast f/2.8-5.5 4X optical zoom lens (35-140mm equivalent), the odds of taking a shaken or blurred image are dramatically reduced.

Both the Image Stabilizer and the 4X optical zoom are firsts for the Digital ELPH series.The camera also includes an optical viewfinder and a 2.5-inch wide viewing angle LCD. Scheduled for delivery in April, the Canon PowerShot SD700 IS Digital ELPH camera will carry an MSRP of $599 CDN.

Canon PowerShot SD630

PowerShot SD630 Digital ELPH camera is a six-megapixel camera featuring an ultra large 3.0-inch wide LCD screen with 173,000-pixel resolution and adjustments for 15 levels of brightness. What’s more, the camera also features an innovative new touch control dial – similar to those found on many popular MP3 players – that allows users to easily scroll through captured images or change the camera’s menu settings. In order to accommodate the larger LCD screen, the PowerShot SD630 Digital ELPH camera does not include a real-image optical viewfinder, which Canon offers on most other Digital ELPH models. The Canon Powershot SD630 will be available in April for an MSRP of $499 CDN.

Like the PowerShot SD630, the PowerShot SD600 digital ELPH features six-megapixel resolution, ISO equivalent speed settings from 80 to 800 and a retractable 3x optical zoom with an equivalent 35mm focal length of 35-105mm. Its bright and large 2.5-inch, 173,000-pixel wide viewing angle type LCD screen offers 15 brightness adjustments and, like the SD700 IS model, still leaves room for a real-image optical viewfinder. It will be available in March, for an MSRP of $449 CDN.

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PowerShot A-series cameras:

Named for their use of AA batteries, Canon’s PowerShot A-series digital cameras feature high image quality and offer comfortably placed controls for consumers to capture, save, and share images of meaningful memories, personal milestones, and family functions. Four more cameras will join the “A-List” line this year with more advanced features still at a value minded price.

Canon PowerShot A700

The Canon PowerShot A700 includes a 6X optical zoom, six-megapixel resolution, 22 shooting modes and a 2.5-inch LCD screen. Available in March, the A700 model will carry a MSRP of $449 CDN.

Canon PowerShot A540

The Canon PowerShot A540 is a solid mid-range model, with six-megapixel resolution, a 2.5-inch LCD screen and a 4X optical zoom. It will be available in March for a MSRP of $379 CDN.

The Canon PowerShot A530 digital camera is a five-megapixel model that replaces last year’s top-selling four-megapixel A520 model. It retains the A520’s 4X optical zoom and 1.8-inch LCD screen. Also scheduled for March delivery, the PowerShot A530 digital camera will have a manufacturer's suggested retail price of $299 CDN.

The PowerShot A430 digital camera features four-megapixel resolution, 4X optical zoom, a 1.8-inch LCD screen, and is available in a range of colours at the low MSRP of $229 CDN.