Canon Japan Announces Two New Matchbox Style Camcorders

by Robin Liss
Published on Jun 4, 2004 6:00 PM



"Canon Japan has announced a new vertical matchbox-style camcorder to replace the Japanese version of the Elura 50. Canon announced two new camcorders, each featuring a 2 Megapixel CCD. The new models are the IXY DV M3 and IXY FV M20.

The IXT DV M3 and IXY FV M20 replace the Japanese IXY DV M2, which was known as the Elura 50 in the US. The new camcorder features Canon's RGB color filter as well as their DiGiC DV processor.

The IXY DV M3 offers a 10x optical zoom and a video light. It records stills to SD card. The IXY FV M20 upgrades the zoom to 14x and features the same still features as the IXY DV M3.

Both camcorders feature the 16:9 recording mode which has been present on most recent mid- and high-range Canon camcorders. Canon is also pushing the extended still features of both camcorders, including a burst mode, auto exposure bracketing, and Canon's print share button.

Contrary to Canon's usual style of doing simultaneous worldwide announcements, Canon USA has not announced a US version of these camcorders.

''While Canon Inc. has brought these products to market in the Japanese market, Canon USA has not brought these products to market in the US to date,'' said Deborah Szajngarten, Public Relations Manager for Consumer Products at Canon.

The IXY DV M3 will be available in Japan in mid-July. The IXY FV M20 will be available in Japan in mid-June. Pricing information was not available on either model.