| Canon has today announced the new PowerShot
A300. This new three megapixel fixed lens digital camera
is the sucessor to Canon's current entry level A100. The
A300 introduces several new features including five point
AiAF, image voice memos, movie clips of up to 3 minutes
(including sound), an orientation sensor, the new DiGiC
processor and an expanded sensitivity range of ISO 50 to
400. An impressive specification for Canon's entry level
digital camera.
Press Release (Canon Europe):
Canon PowerShot A300 - Combines high quality and simple
operation essential to the first time buyer
Amstelveen, The Netherlands, 2003 - Canon, a leader in
photographic and imaging technology, launches an entry-level
digital compact camera that offers exceptionally high resolution
and advanced photographic features for the first time digital
camera buyer.
The new Canon PowerShot A300 brings very high image quality,
impressive specification, 3.2Megapixel still images and
movie clips of up to 3 minutes to Canons entry level.
The PowerShot A300 is equipped with a 33mm f/3.6 (35mm
equivalent) moderate wide angle lens, suitable for scenic
views and group portraits, as well as general photography.
A built-in 5.1x digital zoom facility enhances reach, creating
an effective maximum zoom length of 168mm(35mm equivalent).
Stylishly designed with a silver body finish, the PowerShot
A300 has a sliding lens cover and sleek rounded corners,
creating an extremely attractive and modern looking camera.
The PowerShot A300 delivers high resolution images, measuring
2048x1536 pixels which are suitable for printing up to A4
size prints and the cameras 5-point AiAF (Artificial intelligence
Auto Focus) system ensures that the subject is perfectly
focused even when not in the center of the frame.
A 60 second voice memo can accompany each image captured,
while in movie mode, clips of up to 3 minutes may be recorded
with sound. A special high resolution movie-mode is capable
of recording 30 seconds of moving images in VGA resolution.
"The PowerShot A300 brings unrivalled picture quality,
user satisfaction and ease of use to the first time digital
buyer." says Hiroshi Komatsuzaki, Head of Canon Consumer
Imaging Europe. "We have packed 60 years of photo know-how
into the PowerShot A300, making it the perfect entry model
to Canon's digital line up."
Canon has used its unique DIGIC (DIGital Imaging Core)
processor in the PowerShot A300 to ensure excellent colour
reproduction and clear subject detail. Using the DIGIC processor
the camera is able to combine light metering and focusing
information, as well as area brightness data, to determine
what sort of subject is being photographed. With this information
the PowerShot A300 is better able to provide the best exposure,
colour balance and autofocus performance. In addition, the
PowerShot A300 is able to determine which way up the camera
is being used so that portraits and upright shots can be
automatically rotated in-camera for on-screen viewing.
An easy to navigate menu allows fast access to the PowerShot
A300's wide range of shooting modes, which includes sepia
effect, black and white and extra vivid colours. A shutter
speed range of 1-1/2000 sec and ISO ratings of 50-400 complete
a feature set designed to deal with a vast array of shooting
situations.
Users who own a Canon Bubble Jet Direct Printer or a Canon
CP-series portable Card Photo Printer will be able to print
directly from the camera without the need for a computer.
A camera menu page takes orders for quantity, size and even
allows in-camera image trimming before the data is transferred
directly to the printer. Further options will be found on
the Internet, as PowerShot A300 users will be given access
to the CANON iMAGE GATEWAY for album building, image storage
and camera customisation.
The camera is supplied with a 16MB CF card, a USB cable
and includes Canon's ZoomBrowser EX (Windows), ImageBrowser
(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 A300 Specifications
 |
| List price |
US: $299
EU: 279
UK: £199 |
| Sensor |
1/2.7" CCD
RGB Color Filter Array
3.34 million pixels total |
| Effective
pixel count |
3.2 million |
| Image sizes |
2048 x 1536
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 |
Fixed, 33 mm equiv.
F3.6 |
| Digital
zoom |
Up to 5.1x |
| Focus |
5-point AiAF
1-point AF
AF assist beam (on/off) |
| Focus range |
Normal: 20 cm - Infinity
(7.9 in - Infinity)
Macro: 5 - 20 cm (2.0 - 7.9 in) |
| Metering |
Evaluative
Center weighted average
Spot |
| Exposure
compen. |
+/-2.0 EV in 0.3 EV
steps |
| Sensitivity |
Auto
ISO 50
ISO 100
ISO 200
ISO 400 |
| Shutter |
1 - 1/2000 sec
Auto noise reduction slower than 1/6 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, Manual
Red-Eye Reduction: On, Off
Range (Auto ISO): 0.2 - 2.0 m (0.7 - 6.6 ft) |
| Shooting
modes |
Auto
Manual
Stitch Assist
Movie (with sound)
Photo Effects: Vivid / Neutral / Low Sharpening
/ Sepia / Black&White |
| Drive modes |
Single
Continuous (2.2 fps, up to 12 frames) |
| Direct
printing |
Canon Card Photo Printers
Canon Bubble Jet Printers with direct print function |
| Other features |
My Camera
iSAPS technology
Movie editting
Sound memo (up to 60 secs)
Magnify Zoom (2 - 10x)
Auto play
DPOF / Transfer Order |
| Self Timer |
Yes |
| Connectivity |
USB 1.1 (inc PTP) |
| Storage |
Compact Flash Type
I
16 MB CF card supplied |
| Power |
2 x AA batteries (NiMH
rechargable recommended) |
| Dimensions |
111 x 58 x 37 mm (4.4
x 2.3 x 1.5 in) |
| Weight
(no batt) |
175 g (6.2 oz) |
* Three minute video clips require
a high speed Compact Flash card |
