Canon has today announced the new PowerShot S400 Digital Elph / Digital IXUS 400. This new Digital Elph / IXUS has a four megapixel sensor and a three times optical zoom lens. The design is overall cleaner and smoother and uses a new 'Super Hard Cerabrite' (what a mouth full) finish which is supposedly a mix of metal and ceramics. The S400 isn't just good looking there's a lot more packed inside than was available on previous Digital Elph / IXUS models including nine point AiAF, a wide ISO range and a 2.5 fps continuous shooting speed. List price: $599 / €629.

Press Release (Canon Europe):

Canon Digital IXUS 400 - Design and performance… no compromise

Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 2003 - Canon, a leader in photographic and imaging technology, introduces a new flagship for the Digital IXUS range, the Digital IXUS 400. The smallest 4 Megapixel 3x zoom compact in Canon's line-up, this model continues the IXUS tradition of stunning design and outstanding build quality.

A stainless steel shell protects the camera, while a new finish, "Super Hard Cerabrite", mixes metals and ceramics to produce a tough cool-toned exterior that is visually stunning. The classic Digital IXUS design features a chrome ring around the cameras 36-108mm (35mm equivalent) f/2.8-4.9 3x zoom lens, while a strap-lug peels around the curved body edge to become part of a stylishly simple artwork.

"The Digital IXUS 400 is more than just a good looking, precision-crafted, camera," explains Hiroshi Komatsuzaki, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. "It brings together design and extended functionality to create a camera that's the perfect blend of form and function."

All function

Typical of the high technology that is a hallmark of Canon cameras, the Digital IXUS 400 features an amazing 9-point AiAF (Artificial intelligence Auto Focus) system that can automatically detect a subject within a wide area of the frame. Digital IXUS 400 users will also benefit from shutter speeds of 15-1/2000sec and a maximum continuous shooting speed of 2.5 frames per second in still photo mode.

Digital IXUS 400 is more than just a still camera; it is capable of capturing movie clips of up to 3 minutes and records sound with all movies. Voice annotations allow you to tag each picture with a 60-second voice memo.

Light fantastic

Fitted with Canon's unique and powerful DIGIC (DIGital Imaging Core) processor the Digital IXUS 400 offers excellent colour rendition, accurate white balance in all conditions and extremely accurate focusing and exposure. Users are able to select from evaluative, centre weighted and spot metering modes depending on the subject matter, and may even choose to set shutter speeds and apertures manually. An ISO range of 50-400 ensures practical shutter speeds in a wide variety of lighting situations, while a multi-functional built-in flash offers a maximum reach of 3.5m in Auto ISO mode.

Intelligent playback and direct printing

Reviewing pictures is fast and easy, the 10x playback zoom is available for checking image details. In addition the camera's playback modes provide a histogram display for users to check exposure and contrast levels in images stored on the memory card. A built-in orientation sensor automatically rotates portrait pictures, and these images remain rotated when downloaded, saving time during in-computer image processing

The Canon Digital IXUS 400 supports Canon's Direct Print system for direct connection to Bubble Jet and CP printers. The camera allows the quantity of prints to be selected in-camera, as well as cropping and print size options. Users of the Digital IXUS 400 will automatically gain access to the CANON iMAGE GATEWAY online photo service, where images can be stored and shared on-line. The service also provides the opportunity to customise the camera with sounds and start-up images.

Power, accessories and software

Powered by a rechargeable lithium ion battery pack the Digital IXUS 400 offers excellent battery life and is capable of recording up to 420 images from a single charge. The camera comes complete with a NB-1LH battery, charger, USB cable, A/V cable and a 32MB CompactFlash memory card. The software included is Canon's ZoomBrowser EX (Windows), Image Browser (Mac), PhotoRecord, PhotoStitch and RemoteCapture software. As the camera is PTP compatible no additional drivers are needed in Windows XP or MAC OS X environments.

Canon PowerShot S400 (Digital IXUS 400) specifications

List price	• US: $599 • EU: €629 • UK: £449
Worldwide naming	• US / Canada: Canon PowerShot S400 Digital Elph • Europe / SE Asia: Canon Digital IXUS 400 • Japan: Canon IXY DIGITAL 400
Sensor	• 1/1.8" CCD • RGB Color Filter Array • 4.1 million pixels total
Effective pixel count	4.0 million
Image sizes	• 2272 x 1704 • 1600 x 1200 • 1024 x 768 • 640 x 480
Movie clips *	• 320 x 240, 15 fps, up to 3 mins • 160 x 120, 15 fps, up to 3 mins
File formats	• Still: JPEG EXIF 2.2 (Super-Fine, Fine, Normal) • Movie: AVI (Motion JPEG + Wave audio)
Lens	• 3x optical zoom • 36 - 108 mm equiv. • F2.8 - F4.9
Digital zoom	Up to 3.6x
Focus	• 9-point AiAF • 1-point AF • AF lock • AF assist beam (on/off)
Focus range	• Normal: 46 cm - Infinity (1.5 ft - Infinity) • Macro (Wide): 5 - 46 cm (2.0 - 18.1 in) • Macro (Tele): 30 - 46 cm (11.8 - 18.1 in)
Metering	• Evaluative • Center weighted average • Spot
AE Lock	No
AE Bracketing	No
Exposure compen.	+/-2.0 EV in 0.3 EV steps
Sensitivity	• Auto • ISO 50 • ISO 100 • ISO 200 • ISO 400
Shutter	• 15 - 1/2000 sec • 1 sec or slower only in Manual mode • Auto noise reduction slower than 1.3 sec
White balance	• Auto • Daylight • Cloudy • Tungsten • Fluorescent • Fluorescent H • Custom
Viewfinder	Optical
LCD monitor	1.5" TFT LCD
Flash	• Built-In • Modes: Auto, Flash On, Flash Off • Slow Sync: On, Off • Red-Eye Reduction: On, Off • Flash compensation: +/-2.0 EV in 0.3 EV steps • Range (Auto ISO, Wide): 0.30 - 3.5 m (1.0 - 11.5 ft) • Range (Auto ISO, Tele): 0.30 - 2.0 m (1.0 - 6.6 ft)
Shooting modes	• Auto • Manual • Stitch Asssist • Movie (with sound)
Photo effects	• Vivid • Neutral • Low Sharpening • Sepia • Black & White
Drive modes	• Single • Continuous High: 2.5 fps, up to 5 frames • Continuous Normal: 1.5 fps, up to 8 frames
Direct printing	• Canon Card Photo Printers • Canon Bubble Jet Printers with direct print function
Other features	• My Camera • Orientation sensor • iSAPS technology • Movie editting • Sound memo (up to 60 secs) • Magnify Zoom (2 - 10x) • Histogram display • Slide show • DPOF / Transfer Order
Self Timer	Yes, 2 or 10 sec
Connectivity	• USB 1.1 (inc PTP) • A/V out
Storage	• Compact Flash Type I • FAT 12/16 and FAT 32 support • 32 MB CF card supplied
Power	• Lithium-Ion NB-1LH rechargeable battery (supplied & charger) • Optional AC adapter
Dimensions	87 x 57 x 28 mm (3.4 x 2.2 x 1.1 in)
Weight (no batt)	185 g (6.5 oz)

* Three minute video clips require a high speed Compact Flash card

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