Canon Announces Entry-Level DC100

David Kender also contributed to this article.

February 21, 2006 - Today Canon announced the release of a new, entry-level addition to their DVD camcorder line, the DC100. This camcorder promises true 16:9 widescreen, a 2.7 inch LCD, and recording to DVD-R/-RW discs, both single and dual layer, all for an MSRP of $499. The low price point makes it the affordable alternative to the DC40 (Review, Specs, $539.99), announced only weeks earlier, priced at $899.

Yukiaki Hashimoto, senior vice president and general manager of the Consumer Imaging Group at Canon U.S.A., Inc, stated in a press release “The DC100 DVD model incorporates all the original Canon technology and features that deliver excellent video quality for family and friends to cherish for years to come.”

The key difference is chip size. Versus the DC40’s impressive 1/2.8 inch 4300K CCD, the DC100 offers a much smaller 1/6 inch 680K CCD. The effective pixel count varies from 340K in 4:3 aspect ratio, to 450K in 16:9 aspect ratio with electronic image stabilization (EIS) turned off, and 400K for 16:9 with the EIS on.

Few of the features are a surprise for the latest addition in this relatively new line of Canon DVD camcorders. The DC100 has a 25x optical zoom, true 16:9 widescreen shooting, and a 2.7- inch widescreen LCD. The camcorder will also offer popular features such as auto slow shutter, variable or preset zoom speeds, and the usual gamut of automatic and manual controls. This camcorder does lack a card slot, and instead records stills directly to DVD. All other models in the DC line save to a MiniSD card.

The Canon DC100 will be released at the end of April 2006 at an MSRP of $499. It will be on display at the Photo Marketers Association (PMA) show, February 26th – March 1st.

Feature	Canon DC40	Canon DC100
Imager	1/2.8 inch	1/6 inch
Effective Resolution	3.5MP in 4:3 2.99MP in 16:9 (IS off) 2.74MP in 16:9 (IS on)	340K in 4:3 450K in 16:9 (IS off) 400K in 16:9 (IS on)
Zoom	10x optical	25x optical
LCD	2.7 inches	2.7 inches
16:9  Widescreen	Yes	Yes
Image Stabilization (IS)	Electronic	Electronic
Still Media	MiniSD card	No
MSRP	$899	$499
Available	March 2006	April 2006