Canon PowerShot G9 is the upgraded version of the digital compact G7. It’s a traditional looking camera, but very solid, that just got RAW, a few more pixels and some other improvements.

picture courtesy of khedara

As usual we’ll have to start the review with the brief specs and then go in deeper and deeper to find what’s great and what could have been changed.

• Compact digital still camera with built-in flash, 6x Optical / 4x Digital / 24x Combined Zoom with Optical Image Stabilizer System
• 12.1 Megapixel, a 1/1.7 inch type Charge Coupled Device (CCD)
• LCD display : 3.0 inch low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD with wide viewing angle with a real image optical zoom viewfinder
• RAW recording
• DIGIC III and iSAPS
• 7.4-44.4mm f/2.8-4.8 focal length (35mm film equivalent: 35-210mm)
• Focusing range. Normal: 1.6 ft./50cm-infinity Macro: 0.39 in.-1.6 ft./1-50cm (WIDE)
• Face Detection AF/AE/FE
• 9-point AiAF and FlexiZone AF/AE
• TTL Autofocus
• ISO 1600 and Auto ISO Shift
• SD/SDHC Memory Card, MultiMediaCard, MMC Plus Card, HC MMC Plus Card

Here is what I liked and disliked about it.

Canon PowerShot G9 PROs

- Has a great optical performance
- Allows RAW shooting which is great if you want better image quality
- Allows off-camera flash
- Solid and professional impression (feels great in the hand)

Canon PowerShot G9 CONs

- Image quality is less then expected because it has more pixels than the G7
- Very noise reduced high ISO settings in-camera (don’t use higher than ISO 400 or you’ll regret it)
- No Wireless operation
- It could use a larger wide angle

The price, the features and the specs are really recommending it for a wannabe professional photographer. An unexperienced fella` wouldn’t be able to use the Canon Powershot G9 at its full potential.

More pictures of the camera, below:

Pictures courtesy of khedara

Canon HV20 has received great reviews and admirable scores from its users. If you don’t have a HD camcorder yet, you should consider switching for this one. Canon HV20 captures true 1080 high definition resolution video in 16:9 format using MiniDV cassette tapes. It also can record video in standard definition and capture photos on a SD card. Offering 10X optical zoom and 200X digital zoom, the camcorder features a super spectra coating technology that gives images with minimal flare and ghosting.

The camcorder sports a 2.7-inch swiveling widescreen LCD with controls on the bottom. Canon HV20 has a HDMI port for direct connection with a HDTV. Furthermore, it can also be connected directly to a printer, without the need of a PC.

And there is a great news for you, Dell sells the Canon HV20 for $699. It’s not a bargain, but it is a good deal as this camcorder retails with prices over $800.

via Crave

It looks like Canon is ready to jump into the big league for hard disk based camcorders, with the new model Canon iVIS HG10, that will bring high-definition quality, available from September. It comes packed with a 40GB hard disk that you can store up to 5.5 hours of ACHD recording (highest quality), compressed at 15MBps.

Canon HG10, HDD based camcorder review

Gizmodo already had their hands on the Canon HG10 and it looks like they really tested it, so here is what these guys found out:

- The world’s smallest hard disk HD camcorder, is very compact, but it’s not too small and allows easy access to all those buttons and controls.

- A bit disappointing battery life for the standard battery that you can use for an hour of shooting. An extended battery however will cost, and will give you 2 hours and 15 minutes of shooting.

- Better AVCHD codec, than Sony and Panasonic.

- It records 1080i HD at a resolution of 1440 x 1080. Only 1440 pixels are written to on the disk to save space and then it’s stretched back to full 1920 x 1080 when you playback.

- Has a super range optical image stabilization, which results in very good stabilization for high-frequency shaking but also for those small hand movements.

The result is that Canon HG10, is a great camcorder, will cost $1299 and will ship from October in the United States.

Canon, the biggest digital camera maker, announced they’ve started working on a new factory to produce complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS sensors) in May and is located near Tokyo in the Kanagawa Prefecture.

Once alive and kicking, the company will almost double the production capacity from 3 mln chips they are manufacturing right now in another factory in Kanagawa, that will be used both in SLR (single lens reflex) cameras as well as compact models. Canon is trying to have their key components, manufactured in-house, to lower costs and to become less dependent of Sony’s CMOS. Their targets for 2007 are 24 million digital cameras, out of which, 3 million are high-end SLRs.

Canon will invest 55 billion yen in this new factory ($451 mln) and should become operational in July 2008.

Source

Canon PowerShot TX1 is an ELPH-sized camera with a whopping 10x optical zoom. It is able to capture not only 7.1 megapixel images, but also HD video at 30 fps with Face Detection and stereo sound. The PowerShot TX1 sports a stainless steel case with vertical design. Equipped with the ultimate technology, the camera includes Optical Image Stabilizer Technology, DIGIC III Image Processor, Face Detection Technology and Red-eye Correction.

The 1.8″ LCD screen has a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coating. Canon assures us about the unprecedented image clarity and video experience. The TX1 can record video at 1280 x 720 resolution in 16:9 screen format. The camera is compatible with Canon Pixma printers and it has a dedicated button for directly printing. The sensitivity range was expanded to ISO 1600 for better quality in low light conditions. We checked the prices online and it seems the Canon PowerShot TX1 retails for $499.

Canon has today announced the latest member of their EOS-1D series. The Mark III has a 10 megapixel APS-H (1.3x FOV crop) CMOS sensor and can shoot at 10fps. It features the updated Dual Digic III image processor, a new 19 area Auto Focus system, up to ISO 6400 and a 3.0″ LCD monitor with live view feature. The 1D Mark III will be available in April for $3,999. Canon didn’t release any technical information on this product yet. Be sure, we will come back with news about Canon EOS-1D Mark III.

We have news about Canon HV20 camcorder. After information leaks about the new HD camcorder, Canon unveiled their new product. Canon HV20 will be available on US market starting from April this year.

The new HV20 is capable of capturing 1080p video at 16:9 widescreen format. Unlike the others competitors which offer hard disk for storage, Canon HV20 uses MiniDV cassettes. The camcorder feature a 10x optical zoom like its predecessor Canon HV10. It also uses DIGIC DV II image processor, Optimal Image Stabilization, Instant Auto-focus and an Ultra Video light for night filming. All these technologies will help the users to get professional video footage. And this is not all! Canon HV20 can be connected to your HDTV via HMDI terminal. You can have one for $1,099.