Hasta La Gadget!

It’s already been available in Japan for a little while now, but it looks like folks in the US will soon finally be able to get their hands on Canon’s new VIXIA HF S11 HD camcorder as well. One of the biggest advantages this one has over the previous S10 model is 64GB of internal storage (or twice as much as before), which Canon assures us will let you record a full 24 hours of high definition video — or more if you toss a few SDHC cards in your bag. You’ll also be able to record full HD video in your choice of a 24p Cinema or 30p Progressive modes, capture some 8-megapixel still images, take advantage of features like face detection and a full range of manual controls, and make use of an all new RA-V1 Remote Control Adapter to pair it with various third-party remote controllers. Look for this one to hit in mid-September for $1,399.99, while the remote adapter will set you back $120.

[Via EarthTimes]

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon’s VIXIA HF S11 HD camcorder makes its way to the USA originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Canon might have announced a slew of new compacts today, but we’re thinking the most exciting news might be this image of the legendary EOS 7D. That flash button would indicate the presence of a built-in flash, and those mic holes hint at video features, but apart from that we’ve got little else to go on — there are whispers that the Best Buy inventory system is listing the body at $2700 and the kit with an EF 28-135 lens at $2900, but we can’t verify those at the moment. We’re dying to find out more about this one, stay tuned.

[Thanks, manhog]

Read – 7D image at dpreview forums
Read – 7D in Best Buy systems at Canon Rumors

Filed under: Digital Cameras

Canon EOS 7D image appears online, might be in Best Buy systems originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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I thought Canon’s new G11 pro point-and-shoot—decked out with everything but HD video, depressingly—would make me drool the most, but I was wrong: Canon’s pocketable pro point-and-shoot, the S90 is fapfreakintastic.

The design is exactly what I want in a high end point-and-shoot—it’s svelte, but not too puny, and the black metal finish feels sturdy, without the whole thing feeling like a little brick. (I hope you like black, since it comes in black and…black.) It really manages to achieve that zen balance level between feeling professional and consumer, though it makes me want to run around shooting only in black and white. What slew me, though, was the clicky control ring around the lens, which you can use to adjust almost any setting—it can change the ISO, focus or zoom. As you know, real gadget people love dials and gauges things that actually click and feel like they actually control things in this age of silent squeegee presses on glass screens, and it taps into that pretty hard.

I almost don’t know why you’d even go for the G11 with the S90 on the table—the S90 uses the same high sensitivity sensor, meaning you should get the same kind of image and low-light performance, which I can’t wait to check out in depth, since Canon’s using the same size sensor as the G10 used to use, but actually cut the megapixels down to get better light sensitivity. The S90 also has a fast F/2.0 lens, and it’s not the size of a gorilla fist. Did I mention it was cheaper too? $430 to the G11’s $500.

The only real problem I see right now is that it doesn’t shoot HD video, just standard VGA. But if it shoots truly gorgeous pictures—which we intend to find out shortly—I can let that go.

Canon‘s just unveiled a compact little photo printer — the SELPHY ES40. Now, we don’t have a ton of info to go on in the press release, but we do know that this little guys boasts a voice-guidance system to work with its 3.5-inch LCD and scrollwheel to navigate through the menus. We don’t usually find printers to be in any way interesting, but there’s something about this one that we rather like — maybe it’s the fact that we’ve been “talking” to our own printers for years, and have sadly never gotten a response. No word on availability yet, but it’ll run you around $149.99 when it arrives. There’s another shot of this bad boy after the break.

Continue reading Canon announces voice-guided SELPHY ES40 photo printer

Filed under: Peripherals

Canon announces voice-guided SELPHY ES40 photo printer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:23:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Despite its minimal camera features, the iPhone has just surpassed Canon’s Digital Rebel XTi as the most popular camera used by members of image-sharing website Flickr.

The L.A. Times‘ Mark Milian has been watching Flickr stats like a hawk, but he says the explanation for the spike in images uploaded by iPhone users is unclear. We think it’s pretty obvious: Unlike most cameras, the iPhone is internet-enabled, meaning shooters can share their pics just seconds after taking them. Combine that factor with the new iPhone 3GS’ improved 3.0-megapixel camera (up from 2 megapixels), which includes an auto-focus lens, and bam — rapid growth. (Alex Dejong, a blind photographer, also praises the iPhone 3GS for its accessibility and quick uploading process.)

YouTube saw similar results about a month ago. A day after the launch of the iPhone 3GS, YouTube video uploads increased 400 percent, according to YouTube officials Dwipal Desai and Mia Quagliarello. They said the growth was likely tied to newer video-enabled phones on the market (including the iPhone), improvement of the upload flow and a new, streamlined process to share videos on social networks.

I can testify for my own “spike” in Flickr activity ever since purchasing an iPhone 3GS. When I owned the original iPhone, I wasn’t uploading many photos because I felt the 2-megapixel camera sucked pretty hard. But ever since I upgraded to the iPhone 3GS, I’ve ditched my 6-megapixel Fujifilm Finepix F30. Why? The F30’s image quality is still slightly better, but the convenience of uploading straight to the internet supersedes that, and the photos taken with the iPhone 3GS look good enough.

Milian wonders if this is just a temporary victory for the iPhone, and whether the Rebel XTi will climb back up soon. It appears the two cameras are in a neck-and-neck battle, because as of this writing, the Rebel XTi is just barely in the lead again, according to Flickr’s Camera Finder. Still, let’s see how this pans out over the next few days.

Photo: John Biehler/Flickr