Release Issued by Canon:
PowerShot A430 and PowerShot A530
Canon is pleased to announce the launch of two fun, easy and affordable cameras – the PowerShot A430 and PowerShot A530. The new additions to the popular PowerShot A-series range offer consumers an outstanding combination of easy-to-use features, solid construction and excellent image quality at an entry-level price.
Key features:
– Ultimate ease of use and affordability with a 4.0 Megapixel CCD, 3.2x optical zoom (approx. 11x combined), 15 shooting modes, VGA movies and 5-point AiAF auto focus
PowerShot A430 – Available in four fun colours with a 4.0 Megapixel CCD, 4.0x optical zoom (approx 14x combined), 15 shooting modes, VGA movies with sound, AV out and flexible 9-point AiAF focusing
PowerShot A530 – Offering impressive performance with a 5.0 Megapixel CCD, 4x optical zoom (approx. 16x combined), 17 shooting modes, VGA movies with sound, 9-point AiAF and ISO 800 for improved low-light flexibility
Both cameras incorporate Canon's acclaimed DIGIC II processor and iSAPS technology for rapid processing speeds, highly responsive controls and superb image quality.
Sitting just below the PowerShot A540 – also released today – in the
PowerShot A-series range, the cameras will appeal to first time digital camera buyers as well as experienced photographers looking for a second take-anywhere camera.
"Since the launch of the PowerShot A5 in 1998, the A-series has helped millions of European consumers switch to digital," explains Mogens Jensen, Head of Canon Consumer Imaging Europe. "With these new additions to the range, Canon is making high quality digital photography more accessible than ever before."
Effortlessly easy
The new PowerShot cameras are designed to make it simple for anyone to take great photos. The compact, lightweight bodies are ergonomically shaped to fit comfortably in the hand, while intuitively positioned buttons provide fingertip access to key camera controls. The bright 1.8" LCD screens feature a selectable Grid Line Display to help with shot composition and a Night Display mode for easy visibility after dark.
The 9-point AiAF focuses quickly and accurately on subjects even when off-centre, to ensure consistently sharp images. An AF-assist Beam helps with focusing in low light conditions. The PowerShot A430 also features a 1cm Super Macro mode for close-up focusing on tiny subjects.
A wide range of shooting modes – 15 on the PowerShot A430 and 17 on the PowerShot A530 – help deliver excellent results in almost any situation. Preset Special Scene modes assist with picture taking in tricky lighting conditions, including Indoor, Beach and Snow. For creative experimentation, Colour Accent and Colour Swap modes enable dramatic colour effects to be applied to images and movies direct from the camera. Users can keep one colour and change the rest to black and white with Colour Accent, or exchange one colour for another with Colour Swap. The cameras also feature My Colours photo effects for additional in-camera colour customisation.
A dedicated Movie mode enables recording of high quality VGA movies of an impressive 60 minutes or 1GB (whichever is reached first) . The new cameras capture movie clips with audio and can connect to a TV or PC for full screen playback. A convenient Compact mode allows users to create email-ready movie clips for sending to friends and family.
Advanced shooting options
The PowerShot A530 incorporates high sensitivity ISO 800 to facilitate flash-free shooting indoors - ideal in environments where the use of flash is not desirable or appropriate, such as churches and concerts.
With widescreen televisions becoming increasingly popular across Europe, Canon has incorporated a new Widescreen stills setting in both cameras. Users can capture panoramic stills in 16:9 format for playback on widescreen television or printing on wide size paper to a SELPHY Compact Photo Printer.
Instant photo prints
All cameras are PictBridge compliant for instant direct printing to compatible printers. When combined with Canon SELPHY CP series printers, the cameras make an economical digital photo solution with 10 x 15cm photos costing as little as 22p . Users can also print ID photos and still images from movies when connected to a SELPHY CP series printer. The handy Print/Share button on each camera allows one-touch printing and hassle-free uploads to Windows or Macintosh systems. A new dedicated Print menu makes it easier than ever to access and organise print jobs direct from the camera.
The cameras’ menu systems now feature support for Arabic, bringing the total number of supported languages to 23.
Pricing and availability
The PowerShot A430 and PowerShot A530 will be available from March 2006, priced at £149.00 RRP inc. VAT/ €219.99 RRP inc. VAT and £199.00 RRP inc. VAT/ €299.99 RRP inc. VAT respectively.
Reader enquiries
UK – www.canon.co.uk
Eire – www.canon.ie
Additional Information
Software and CANON iMAGE GATEWAY
The PowerShot A430 and PowerShot A530 come bundled with the following Canon Software:
ZoomBrowser EX 5.6 (Windows), ImageBrowser 5.6 (Macintosh): For organizing and editing images, movies and slideshows, or creating and printing digital photo albums.
PhotoStitch 3.1: For creating panoramic photos from multiple images (Windows and Macintosh).
The software package also includes ArcSoft's photo manipulation software, PhotoStudio.
The bundled software supports Windows 98 SE, Me, 2000 (SP4), XP (SP1/2) and Macintosh OS X v10.2-v10.4. The cameras support PTP for driverless transfer to Windows XP and Macintosh OS X.
Purchasers of the camera are eligible for membership of CANON iMAGE GATEWAY , 100MB of online ‘personal gallery’ space for sharing stills and video with family and friends.
Accessories
A complete range of optional accessories is available:
High Power Flash (HF-DC1)
Soft Case (PowerShot A430: DCC-400, PowerShot A530:
DC-80)
Compact AC Power Adapter (ACK800)
Battery Charger Kit (CBK4-300)
NiMH Batteries (NB4-300)
The cameras are compatible with MMC/SD cards, and come supplied with a 16MB Canon memory card.
Technologies Explained
DIGIC II
Canon's purpose-built DIGIC II (DIGital Imaging Core) image processor links all primary camera functions for maximum efficiency. High-speed processing results in outstanding responsiveness, rapid auto focus and extended continuous shooting ability. Advanced image processing algorithms deliver superb image detail and colour reproduction with accurate white balance and minimal noise. DIGIC II operates efficiently to extend battery life, for longer shooting on a single charge.
iSAPS
iSAPS (Intelligent Scene Analysis based on Photographic Space) automatically optimises key camera settings before every shot. Each scene is analysed and cross-referenced against Photographic Space – a vast in-camera library of photographic data. This enables the camera to make optimal adjustments to auto exposure, auto focus and auto white balance before image capture occurs.
AiAF
Canon's AiAF (Artificial intelligence Auto Focus) automatically scans and selects subjects from a set of focusing areas across the scene – five on the and nine on the PowerShot A430 and PowerShot A530. This ensures accurately focused images even when subjects are not in the centre of the frame.
