Canon Expands Canon PowerShot Digital ELPH Family

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Three streamlined new sisters join the Canon PowerShot Digital ELPH family - just in time for the popular camera line's tenth anniversary. Reprising the discrete, petite profiles, curved bodies, smooth lines, and lustrous eye-catching allure that define the outer-design of Canon Digital ELPH camera models, the 10.0 megapixel Canon PowerShot SD900 Digital ELPH and the 7.1 megapixel Canon PowerShot SD800 IS and Canon PowerShot SD40 Digital ELPH cameras take the marriage of style and substance to a new level.

The brain behind these beauties is DIGIC III, the newest iteration of Canon's ultra-efficient (and proprietary) image processor. Shared thus far only with Canon's new flagship Canon PowerShot G7 model - it is the DIGIC III chip that accounts for these cameras' higher performance levels including faster start up, autofocus and shutter response times; improved maximum processing speed; and of course, enhanced image quality and more efficient power consumption; resulting in extended battery life under typical shooting conditions.

What's more, thanks to the DIGIC III chip's more aggressive noise reduction, these Canon Digital ELPH cameras are able to shoot at ISO equivalent speed ratings from 80 to as high as 1600. This increased sensitivity at the top-end allows the use of faster shutter speeds, significantly reducing camera shake and subject blur during hand held low-light photography.

With Canon's new Face Detection AF/AE technology (working in concert with Canon's 9-point Autofocus system), all three of these Canon Digital ELPH models can detect, lock on and track up to nine human faces in a scene simply by pressing the shutter button halfway. The face detection algorithm automatically prioritizes and selects the optimum subject and not simply the closest face (based on Canon's Intelligent Scene Analysis/iSAPS technology). It will then optimize the focus and exposure to ensure the best possible results for easy picture taking moments.

All three of the new Canon Digital ELPH cameras make taking and sharing better pictures simple, thanks to such onboard innovations as:
- Expanded special scene modes that include ISO 3200 and Aquarium settings. The extremely high-speed ISO 3200 mode enables shooting without a tripod and flash were previously required, while Aquarium mode reproduces vivid images of swimming fish inside an aquarium without blurring;
- A widescreen 16:9 ratio resolution setting that facilitates creating panoramic prints or image "slide shows" viewable on widescreen format televisions;
- There's even a convenient 3x2 composition guide which displays horizontal gray bars at the top and bottom as an overlay on the LCD screen so that users can compose and shoot their images in the proportion best suited to the size print they wish to make (typically 4x 6-inches);
- A new My Category feature to streamline the categorizing of still and movie images for quicker and easier printing or playback;
- A Safety zoom function allows users to comfortably explore digital zoom without sacrificing image quality while a new Digital Tele-converter digitally emulates traditional optical tele-converters.

The flagship of the Canon Digital ELPH camera line, the 10-megapixel Canon PowerShot SD900 Digital ELPH takes the attractive and comfortable feel of the "perpetual curve design" and for the first time ever, renders that body in strong and durable yet lightweight Titanium. The result is a high-res digital camera with smooth lines, an elegant satin finish, and an impressive (though petite) package of top-tier photo features. About the size of a deck of playing cards, the Canon SD900 Digital ELPH camera measures fractionally more than an inch thick with its 3x (37-111 mm equivalent) optical zoom lens retracted safely into the case; a mere 2.35 inches high and less than 3.6 inches long.

The successor to Canon's SD550 Digital ELPH camera, the Canon SD900 also features an enhanced, 2.5- inch, 230.000-pixel, color TFT LCD screen with a wide viewing angle making images easier to preview and review, and camera menus easier to read in a wide range of lighting conditions. For still more flexible digital imaging power, the SD900 Digital ELPH camera also includes a new 1.4x/2.3x digital tele-converter for extended shooting capabilities. Finally, for those who wish to shoot dramatically higher resolution video sequences, the camera's XGA 15fps movie mode is just the ticket. When combined with the new optionally available high capacity 4GB SDHC memory cards, this digital dynamo can capture action for up to 33 minutes per clip.

The 7.1 megapixel Canon SD800 IS Digital ELPH camera is the second and newest Optical Image Stabilized Digital ELPH model in the PowerShot line, and is now the top-of-the-line Digital ELPH IS entry. Canon based the optical image stabilization system on advancements made in the development of the company's EF and video lenses, and then scaled it down to fit the diminutive Digital ELPH camera profile. Unlike electronic or "digital image stabilization systems" that typically degrade image quality, Canon's lens shift-type stabilization system preserves maximum optical quality while providing up to three stops of shake correction in shutter speed equivalent.

This new Canon SD800 IS model features a number of significant advancements, including improved low-light performance due to the combination of optical IS and a top ISO speed of 1600, and for the first time in the Digital ELPH series, an optical 3.8x wide range zoom lens (28-105mm equivalent), which employs Canon's UA lens technology that permits a longer zoom capability in a smaller amount of space.

The camera's large, 2.5-inch high resolution LCD screen has been enhanced to approximately 207.000 pixels with a bright, wide, easy to read viewing area and is set attractively into the Digital ELPH's rugged, stainless steel shell with its iconic perpetual curve design. In keeping with a decade of ELPH philosophy that proclaims, "great things come in small packages, " this pocket-sized photo powerhouse measures just under an inch thick with lens retracted, 2.28 inches high and 3.52 inches long.

The fashion plate of the Canon Digital ELPH line of cameras, Canon's new SD40 Digital ELPH packs 7.1 megapixels of righteous resolution into a color-keyed, stainless steel case that bespeaks luxury and is a must have accessory for a memory-making night on the town. Similar in design to its 5.0 megapixel predecessor (SD30 Digital ELPH model), the SD40 Digital ELPH series offers four new elegant shell tones in Twilight Sepia, a dark rich brown with gold accents; Precious Rose, a blushing pink attention-getter; Noble Blue, a shade worthy of the finest designer navy suit and, the soft yet solid sophistication of Olive Grey.

With any of these four fashion finishes, the SD40 Digital ELPH camera is a formidable, fine and fun to use camera. From the virtuosity of its 7.1 megapixel CCD and its retractable 2.4x optical zoom lens (38-90 mm equivalent) to its easy-to-read 1.8-inch backlit LCD monitor with 15 brightness settings the SD40 Digital ELPH camera is Canon to the core.

Canon supplied the PowerShot SD40 Digital ELPH camera with an easy to use camera station that serves as a charger, enables Hi-Speed USB 2.0 for direct printing and image transfer to a PC, and is even supplied with a wireless remote to facilitate slide show displays when sharing images on a television screen. A mere 0.94-inches thick with the lens retracted, 1.78-inches high and 3.78 inches long, the camera body weighs in at a very modest 3.7 ounces.

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