Canon Announces Latest DVD Camcorder: The DC40by David KenderPublished on Feb 1, 2006 6:00 AM |
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February 1, 2006 - Today Canon announced a March release for the DC40, the follow -up DVD camcorder to their late 2005 releases of the DC10 and DC20. The new model will feature a 1/2.8-inch 4.3 gross megapixel CCD sensor, true 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio, a 2.7-inch LCD, and one-touch dubbing.
The DC40, which Canon withheld from announcement at the Consumer Electronics Show in early January, will offer many of the same features found on the DC10 and DC20, including an RGB Primary Color Filter and the DIGIC DV image processor. The processor offers the ability to shift color space from video to still shooting modes.
"The DC40 DVD model is small enough to fit into the palm of your hand," said Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the consumer imaging group at Canon U.S.A., Inc. "[It is] easy to use and delivers high quality performance to customers that also value convenience."
The CCD, a massive 1/2.8 inches in size, offers 4,300,000 (4300K) gross pixels, 3500K effective pixels in 4:3 aspect ratio, 2990K effective pixels in 16:9 with image stabilization off, and 2740K effective pixels in 16:9 with image stabilization on. The effective pixel count for still images is approximately 4000K. The lens features a 10x optical zoom, a focal length of 6.1 – 61mm, and an F-stop range of f/1.8 – f/3.0.
Shooting features on the DC40 include the usual array of auto exposure modes (Portrait, Spotlight, Sports, etc.) as well as Aperture and Shutter Priority Modes and a 9 Point Auto Intelligent Auto Focus (AiAF).
The DC40 records stills to MiniSD card, the same card format found on the DC10 and DC20. In still shooting mode, the DC40 offers a Motor Drive mode (often called “burst mode” by other manufacturers), auto exposure bracketing, a built-in flash, red-eye reduction, and Stitch Assist, which works in conjunction with the included software to create panoramic photos.
Also available on the DC40 is a direct-to-DVD record feature. With Canon’s bundled editing software, My DVD, users can perform one-touch dubbing for copying footage onto multiple DVDs. The software also allows basic editing of video and photos, adding titles, and creating a play menu.
The DC40 is available at the end of March for an MSRP of $899.
| Features | Canon DC10 | Canon DC20 | Canon DC40 |
| Image Sensor Type | CCD | CCD | CCD |
| CCD Size | 1/4" | 1/3.9" | 1/2.8" |
| Gross Pixel Count | 1,330,000 | 2,200,000 | 4,300,000 |
| Effective Pixel (4:3) | 690,000 | 1,230,000 | 3,500,000 |
| Effective Pixel (16:9) | 920,000 with IS* Off 790,000 with IS On |
1,500,000 with IS Off 1,380,000 with IS On |
2,990,000 with IS Off 2,740,000 pixels with IS On |
| Focal Length Minimum | 4.05 mm | 4.05 mm | 6.1 mm |
| Focal Length Maximum | 40.5 mm | 40.5 mm | 61 mm |
| F Stop Minimum | f/1.8 | f/1.8 | f/1.8 |
| F Stop Maximum | f/2.8 | f/2.8 | f/3.0 |
| Optical Zoom | 10x Optical Zoom | 10x Optical Zoom | 10x Optical Zoom |
| Ports | USB, MiniSD card, A/V Out | USB 2.0, MiniSD card, A/V Out | USB 2.0, S-Video and Composite Out, MiniSD card |
| LCD Size | 2.5" | 2.5" | 2.7" |
| LCD Resolution | 113K | 113K | 123K |
| Hot Shoe | none | none | none |
| Body Size | 1.9" x 3.4" x 4.8" | 1.9" x 3.4" x 4.8" | 2.4" x 3.4" x 5" |
| Selling Price | $750 (MSRP | $799 (MSRP) | $899 (estimated) |
| Recording Media | DVD-R DVD-RW |
DVD-R DVD-RW |
DVD-R DVD-RW |
