Canon is expanding its line of PowerShot digital cameras, adding the PowerShot A200 model.
Designed as an entry-level digital camera, the PowerShot A200 is a 2.0 megapixel, single-focal length autofocus camera incorporating several advanced camera features including Movie mode, and Photo Effect Mode. It has magnified playback up to 10x for image confirmation and the ability to produce 4×6-inch prints by connecting directly to Canon’s new CP-100 and existing CP-10 photo printers. The new A200 can also be used as an underwater camera when used with its optional waterproof housing to depths of up to 100 feet.
The aforementioned Photo Effects mode was originally introduced in the more advanced PowerShot G2 digital camera. A low sharpening mode has been added to the Vivid, Neutral, Sepia and Black-and-White modes for a total of five separate effects.
The shutter speed range of the A200 has a maximum shutter speed of 1/2000 second, according to Yukiaki Hashimoto, vice president and general manager, Photographic Products Group, Canon U.S.A. Combining this speed with the lens’s f/5.6 minimum aperture setting makes the A200 ideal for daylight photography and fast-moving objects, he added. Alternatively, when the one-second slow shutter speed is combined with the camera’s f/2.8 maximum aperture and optional ISO 400 setting, it’s possible to take photos in low light conditions.
The PowerShot A200 can record movies in QVGA (320 x 240 pixels) and Q2VGA (160 x 120 pixels) at 20 frames per second. Up to 9 seconds of continuous recording is possible in QVGA, and up to 26 seconds in the Q2VGA format. Other features include: A200 include 3-point AiAF focusing; high-speed continuous shooting at 2fps, and 4.0X digital zoom capability. The A200 has a built-in flash with four flash modes and RGB primary color filters. It uses two AA-size batteries and is compatible with CompactFlash Type I removable media.
The camera is compatible with a wide range of Mac systems, including those running Mac OS X. The A200 comes equipped with QuickTime 5.0, Canon RemoteCapture 2.5 and PhotoStitch 3.1 for both Macintosh and Windows, plus ImageBrowser 2.3 and a Photoshop-compatible plug-in for the Mac. When using ImageBrowser 2.3, users can take advantage of new and improved features for auto layout printing, self-running full-screen slide shows and automated preparation of images for use as e-mail attachments, Hashimoto said.
Due next month, the PowerShot A200 will have a suggested retail price of US$299.