Canon introduces ten new compacts

by Joshua Goldman | 7 February 2012 3:10pm SGT

Canon Ixus 530 HS (Credit: Canon)

Add one more camera manufacturer bolstering its point-and-shoot lineup with built-in Wi-Fi models.

The Canon Ixus 530 HS and Ixus 320 HS are for the most part the same as the 520 HS and 110 HS cameras announced at CES. The differences being that the 530 HS and 320 HS have built-in Wi-Fi and 3.2-inch touch screens instead of regular 3-inch LCDs.

The Wi-Fi will allow you to wirelessly backup to a home computer; upload photos and videos directly to the Canon Image Gateway cloud service for storage and sharing online; and in March, an iOS app will be available letting you create an ad hoc network so you can directly transfer your shots from the camera to an iOS device. That way you can share on the spot even if you don't have a wireless network connection. An Android app will follow in May.

The Canon Ixus 530 HS will be US$349.99 when it ships in April. The Canon Ixus 320 HS will be out in March for US$279.99.

The Canon PowerShot SX260 (Credit: Canon)

If Wi-Fi doesn't do it for you, Canon also updated its high-end compact megazoom and its rugged model. The new SX260 HS replaces last year's SX230 HS, updating its lens from 14x 28mm wide-angle lens to a 20x 25mm ultrawide-angle one. It keeps the 12-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor, but gets the new Digic 5 image processor, which helps it shoot at bursts up to 10 frames per second. The camera's GPS system is improved, too, with better location information. It'll be available in March for US$349.99.

Rounding things out is a refresh of 2009's rugged PowerShot D10, the D20. The water-, shock-, and freezeproof camera is significantly slimmed down from its predecessor, but still packs a 5x zoom lens with optical image stabilization, GPS, a 3-inch LCD, and 12-megapixel backside-illuminated CMOS sensor. It'll be out in May for US$349.99.

Meet Canon's new entry level cameras

The Canon PowerShot A4000 IS (Credit: Canon)

As entry-level compacts go, Canon makes some of the best, at least for photo quality. But with the low-end of the point-and-shoot market tanking, is it wise to have six models with little separating one from the others?

All of Canon's new A-series cameras have a few things in common: 16-megapixel CCD sensors, 720p movie capture, and 28mm wide-angle lenses. And, with the exception of the top-of-the-series PowerShot A4000 IS, they have 5x optical zooms. From there you'll find slight changes between the models that might make you pick one over the other or simply confuse you to the point where you buy another brand.

The US$199.99 A4000 IS has an 8x zoom with optical image stabilization and a 3-inch LCD. The US$179.99 PowerShot A3400 IS also has optical image stabilization, but it, like the rest of the models, has a 5x f2.8-6.9 28-140mm lens. It has a 3-inch LCD as well, but this time it's a touch screen.

Dropping down to the US$159.99 PowerShot A2400 IS and US$149.99 PowerShot A2300, the screen size shrinks to 2.7 inches for both, but the A2400 gets optical image stabilization--that's the US$10 difference.

The Canon PowerShot A810 (Credit: Canon)

With the US$119.99 PowerShot A1300 and US$109.99 PowerShot A810, the US$10 difference is an optical viewfinder; the A1300 has one, the A810 doesn't. They both get 2.7-inch LCDs and are powered by AA-size batteries.

The A4000 IS will be out in February, the A3400 IS, A2400 IS, and A2300 in March, and the A1300 and A810 will follow in April.

Via CNET News here and here.

Canon introduces ten new compacts

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