Point and shoot: With cameras like the Canon Powershot SX20 IS, it is getting harder to take bad photos. Courtesy of Datascrip
The problem with Canon is that they are in the habit of launching their products a bunch at a time.
It seems that the Japanese company does not have much choice, as they introduce quite a broad range of new product models throughout the years, including printers, video cameras, scanners and great cameras and lenses.
With a wide range of new products becoming available at the same time, it is often difficult for us consumers to make our choice. Add to our confusion the awareness that in one year the product we buy will be replaced by a better one in terms of performance and features and — who knows — lower price.
Regardless, during last Ramadan, Canon introduced no fewer than 10 new PIXMA printers and a portable scanner. Datascrip’s senior marketing manager, Monica Aryasetiawan, admitted that there were no breathtaking technological breakthroughs in this group of printers, but there were significant improvements in the printing speed.
If you already have a scanner and therefore prefer a Single Function Printer (SFP), there are three to choose from, depending on your budget: PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II, PIXMA iX7000 and PIXMA iP4760.
Just to give an example of what these printers offer, the one at the top end — the 4800 x 2400 dpi PIXMA Pro9000 Mark II — can print a full-color photo in A3 size, uses very fine ink droplets and a technology that Canon calls Full-photolithography Inkjet Engineering (FINE). The announced price? Rp 5.9 million.
However, according to Datascrip, Indonesian consumers have moved to multifunction printers, the all-in-one models that combine the printing, scanning and copying functions in one unit. New in their lineup are PIXMA MP996, MP648, MP568, MP558, MP496, MP276, MP198. Their prices range from
Rp 4,375,000 to Rp 775,000.
In the meantime, the stand-alone LiDE700P scanner is a portable, film-scanning capable scanner that draws power from our USB port. It can scan film at 9600 x 9600 dpi or a color document at 4800 x 4800 dpi. One of the features is that this scanner can be positioned horizontally like most other flatbed scanners, or vertically, if desired, to save space. This is not a new feature on a scanner, but it is nice to have.
When talking about new scanners, we are usually more interested in the software that the scanner maker provides us with. For instance, can the scanning application help us organize our image files more easily? Can it create a PDF file out of the scanned document or photo?
Does it allow us to send a scanned letter via email? We shall find the answers when I get the chance to test-drive the demo unit.
And just last week, the company introduced six new compact cameras — the Powershot and the Ixus — to the press. They were the Powershot G11, S90, SX20 IS, SX120 IS, Ixus 200 IS and Ixus 120 IS.
The Powershot G11 and S90 feature a new technology that the Japanese camera maker calls a Dual Noise Reduction system. It combines the intelligence of the DIGIC 4 processor and a new high-sensitivity Charge Coupled Device (CCD), which is not yet commonly used in digital cameras. The result is a lower-resolution image (10 megapixels), but the quality is much better because noise is reduced. The technology is great for capturing photos in low light conditions with a high ISO.
The G11 is the successor of G10, which is considered a prosumer (professional consumer) camera. I requested Datascrip to let me borrow their demo unit. To buy it costs almost Rp 6 million.
The Powershot SX20 IS is the successor to the SX10 IS, which was one of my favorites. I had the chance to review the SX10 IS and even took it with me to Barcelona earlier this year. I was able to take really great pictures there.
The camera looked very much like an SLR, and it had 20x optical zoom that produced a lot of details.
The new SX20 IS has a 12.1 MP resolution and retains its 20x zoom.
The Ixuses are credit-card size cameras that emphasize style and then technology. The Ixus 200 IS has the first touch screen. A nice feature is the autofocus that follows the object.
So, for example, once you set your camera to focus on a person, the camera will keep him in focus even though he moves around before you have the time to press the shutter button. You see, day by day, it becomes more difficult to create a bad photo.
Canon is also holding a Photomarathon Indonesia 2009 in the old Jakarta Kota area on Saturday
Oct. 10. That would be a great opportunity to get to know the area and to win prizes.
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