Canon U.S.A., Inc. has expanded its digital camera line with their new PowerShot S45, the successor to the PowerShot S40.
The 4.0 megapixel Canon PowerShot S45 features a 3X f/2.8 optical zoom lens and a compact, silver-toned aluminum exterior. According to Yukiaki Hashimoto, vice president and general manager, Photographic Products Group, Canon U.S.A., the S45 includes Canon’s “DIGIC” Imaging Processor to help improve overall image quality, increased processing speed, a 9-Point AiAF autofocus system; 9-position White Balance; selectable metering modes (Evaluative, Center-Weighted Average, and Spot) for precise exposure in a variety of shooting conditions; selectable Second-Curtain sync flash; an improved Movie Mode that captures clips up to three minutes apiece with sound; and Direct Print capabilities with Canon’s CP-100 dye-sublimation printer and several Canon Bubble Jet Printers.
DIGIC (Digital Imaging Integrated Circuit) helps achieve higher picture quality by improving the signal processing algorithms of Image Processors found in previous PowerShot models, according to Hashimoto. The same DIGIC Imaging Processor that enables other new features such as extended-duration movie clips has also enabled Canon to improve the S45’s autofocus system, he added.
Even when the camera is set to record images in one of the JPEG settings, the PowerShot S45 allows the captured image to be saved as a RAW file after it is recorded. This feature can be accessed at any time during the Review period immediately after the image is captured, and is particularly useful when the white balance or other planned effects were not obtained, or when resolution, contrast, saturation or sharpening needs to be modified in the execution of the final image. RAW images can be processed after storage by means of the bundled software.
The Canon PowerShot S45, due later this month at a suggested retail price of US$649, is fully compatible with Mac OS X as well as Mac OS 9.x. Bundled Mac software includes ImageBrowser 2.7, PhotoStitch 3.1, QuickTime 5.0, CP-100 Print Driver 2.1, Acrobat Reader and RemoteCapture. In addition to all of these software applications, the S45 comes with a USB Mounter for Mac OS 9.x.