The first of no less than nine new Canon digital cameras announced today is the entry level PowerShot A410. Clear successor to the A400 the A410 now joins the rest of the new PowerShot line in having Canon's DIGIC II processor it also features a longer zoom reach (3.2x vs. 2.2x), a smaller case and five point AF. Just like the A400 the A410 uses SD card for storage, has a 1.5" LCD monitor and is powered by two AA batteries. Price should be around $150.

Press Release:

Canon’s new entry level PowerShot – now with DIGIC II

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 22 August, 2005: Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology, today releases the PowerShot range-opening 3.2 Megapixel PowerShot A410. Replacing the popular PowerShot A400, the PowerShot A410 has a bold new design and incorporates improved operability and performance through DIGIC II processing, and a 3.2x optical zoom with maximum aperture of f/2.8 – f/5.1. It is housed in a smaller, more compact and robust body.

Featuring 5 point AiAF auto focus and a range of shooting modes, the A410’s ease of use makes it the ideal camera for those making the change to digital.

DIGIC II power

In a leap up from the PowerShot A400, the PowerShot A410 now includes Canon’s renowned DIGIC II processing – the same technology found in Canon’s EOS-1 professional range digital SLR cameras. The DIGIC II processor integrates all image processing algorithms onto a single chip to deliver fast write times, minimal shutter lag, optimal image definition and consistently precise and natural colour reproduction. Camera start up and response times for image review are significantly improved. Introduction of DIGIC II also accounts for an up to 40% improvement in auto focus times, and smooth continuous shooting at a highly impressive 2.5fps.

Simply better

While being smaller and more robust, the A410 has a longer optical zoom of 3.2 x (41 mm – 131 mm equivalent) allowing the user extra reach. The increased maximum aperture provides more options when shooting in low light. 5 point AiAF auto focus analyses the composition of the shot and focuses the camera accordingly, keeping even off-centre subjects sharply in focus. Super Macro mode allows focus on subjects as close as 1.5 cm from the lens.

Users can take photographs using the optical viewfinder or the 1.5” LCD monitor. The monitor is adjustable up to 15 levels of brightness, and the user interface has been improved to make the camera even more simple to use. 22 language settings can be displayed.

To take full advantage of the camera’s zoom range, the A410’s flash has been repositioned, ensuring that there are no dark shadows in images when they are recorded with the lens fully extended. The flash covers a range of up to 3 metres.

Camera modes

The A410 has 14 shooting modes to select from, including 8 pre-set Special Scene modes to help achieve great results in tricky lighting conditions. These modes include Portrait, Night Snapshot, Kids and Pets, Indoor, Foliage, Beach, Snow and Fireworks. To assist photographers with composition, a gridline display can be selected, which helps with framing shots and keeping horizons level. The addition of My Colors allows the operator to use enhanced, in-camera digital effects, such as Color Swap, while shooting. Previously, this level of image enhancement was only possible after downloading to a PC, and using specialised software.

The A410 also allows users to capture high quality movie clips. It supports VGA (640 x 480) and QVGA (320 x 240) quality at 10 and 20 frames per second respectively. Up to 3 minutes of footage can be captured. A Compact Mode is provided for producing clips suitable for email without the problem of unwieldy file sizes.

Direct printing

At 3.2 Megapixels, the A410 can print photo quality images up to A4 size. When used in combination with Canon’s new Compact Photo Printer SELPHY CP510 and Canon’s Ink and Paper Set (KP-108IP), prints can be produced for just 30 euro cents each. Printing via SELPHY CP Compact Photo Printers also allows the user to print handy ID Photo prints and movie prints.
When connected to the latest range of PictBridge compatible PIXMA printers (also released today) image enhancement is possible with functions including Noise Reduction and Vivid Photo as well as the new Face Brightener feature.

Printing of images without having to connect to a PC is also made simpler via the Print/Share button.

Comprehensive software

The A410 comes bundled with the following Canon Software:

• ZoomBrowser EX 5.5, PhotoRecord 2.2 (Windows), ImageBrowser 5.5 (Macintosh): For easy image download, storage and retrieval, as well as management of image layout and printing.
• PhotoStitch 3.1: Creates stunning panoramas and can be used with Windows and Macintosh.
• PhotoStudio: the photo manipulation software by ArcSoft.

Purchasers of the A410 are eligible for membership of CANON iMAGE GATEWAY , where they can upload images and customise their camera settings.

The bundled software supports Windows 98 (SE), ME, 2000 (SP4), XP (SP1/3) and Macintosh OS X v10.2-v10.3. The A410 supports PTP for driverless transfer to supported Windows XP or Macintosh OS X.

Accessories

The A410 comes complete with a 16 MB MultiMediaCard for image storage and is also compatible with SD cards. It is supplied with 2 x AA Alkaline Batteries and can be used with Canon rechargeable NiMH Batteries; an optional charger kit, CBK4-200, is available consisting of 4 x AA rechargeable NiMH batteries and a charger. Other optional extras include an AC Adapter kit for power from mains electricity (ACK800), a High-Power flash (HF-DC1) as well as the DCC-400 soft case.

Canon PowerShot A410 specifications